Could It Be Adrenal Fatigue?
Imagine if you awakened every morning feeling completely inadequate to meet the demands of the day. How would you feel if even a little physical or mental stress left you feeling drained? Problems such as these have an enormous negative impact on relationships, careers, and personal happiness. And the root cause is very often impaired adrenal function.
Adrenal insufficiency is likely the number one factor underlying many health disorders. It usually begins after a period of prolonged stress—emotional or metabolic. Severe fatigue in the morning is the main symptom. Usually, people with adrenal insufficiency describe themselves as “slow starters”.
Interestingly, the ability to resist infections is a function of the adrenal’s integrity even more than the immune system. People with exhausted adrenal glands typically have recurrent minor infections. Post-viral fatigue is common in this case as well. In fact, more than half of chronic fatigue syndrome cases begin after significant stress such as surgery, viral infection, trauma or accident. This inability to recover is in large part due to adrenal exhaustion that has developed due to underlying stress such as poor nutrition, mental and physical stress, overwork and lack of sleep.
Allergies are very often a manifestation of adrenal insufficiency, too. Recurrent sneezing can be a subtle clue of adrenal weakness. In nearly every case of multiple chemical sensitivity syndrome, low adrenal function has been the underlying cause. Those who have less severe sensitivities tend to have proportionately less severe adrenal insufficiency.
Support the Adrenal Glands with the Right Diet
The ideal diet for someone experiencing adrenal insufficiency would be similar to the diet for the hypoglycemic person. It should be low in carbohydrates (no refined carbs and no sugar) and emphasize whole, unprocessed proteins and high quality fats, including olive oil and butter. For adrenal repair, sodium is a critical factor and should not be avoided. However, the salt should be of high quality and not refined white salt or white sea salt. I would highly recommend Celtic sea salt, usually ½ teaspoon of salt to a quart of water, three quarts of the salt and water combination per day.
The Right Nutrients
I recommend specific nutrients to help repair adrenal insufficiency. For instance, B vitamins—particularly vitamin B6 (P5P, the biologically active form of B6) and pantothenic acid are a must. L-tyrosine helps produce the adrenal hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine. You need vitamin C because the only place in the body that vitamin C is temporarily stored is in the adrenal glands. DHEA and pregnenolone are two adrenal hormones that are also precursors for all other hormones. I believe it is critical to support the adrenal function with freeze dried adrenal extract. There are also two herbs that I would heavily rely on to support adrenal function; licorice root extract (Glycyrrhiza glabra) and rehmannia (Rehmannia glutinosa). Both support liver function and restore adrenal function. They also facilitate the body’s normal response to stress, and help keep adrenal hormones active longer. The ideal combination of these ingredients can be found at Marlene’s as Adrenaplex® by Terry Naturally.
With these nutrients and the right diet, you can bounce back from adrenal exhaustion and begin living a vibrant, full and energetic life!
Terry Lemerond is a natural health expert with over 50 years of experience. He has owned health food stores, founded dietary supplement companies, and formulated over 400 products. His continual dedication, energy, and zeal are part of his on-going mission — to improve the health of America.
