One of the most common health complaints today is the experience of fatigue and lethargy.
If you have fatigue along with other symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, insomnia, inability to lose weight, feeling anxious, allergies, or brain fog,
Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS) may be at the root of the problem.
Most people experience it at one point or another. However, most conventional physicians are not taught about Adrenal Fatigue in medical school.
As such, they are not prepared to take Adrenal Fatigue as a serious threat to health.
What causes Adrenal Fatigue?
Adrenal fatigue is a condition where your body and adrenal glands can’t keep up with the tremendous amount of daily stress many people experience.
Sometimes misunderstood as an autoimmune disorder, adrenal fatigue can mimic some precursors to other common illnesses and disease.
Wellness doctors and practitioners believe that an episode of acute stress or prolonged, chronic stress can cause adrenal glands to become overloaded and ineffective.
They believe that adrenal fatigue can be caused by:
- Stressful experiences like death of loved one, divorce or surgery
- Exposure to environmental toxins and pollution
- Prolonged stress due to financial hardship, bad relationships or work environment, and other conditions that entail feelings of helplessness
- Negative thinking and emotional trauma
- Lack of sleep
- Poor diet and lack of exercise
Your adrenal glands are two thumb-sized organs that sit above your kidneys and are part of the endocrine system.
Also known as the suprarenal glands, they’re involved in producing over 50 hormones that drive almost every bodily function,
many of which are essential for life.
Hormones affect every function, organ and tissue in the body directly or indirectly.
They react to each other as well as respond to conditions in the body in an intricate and highly sensitive balancing act.
The adrenal glands work closely with the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland in a system known as the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA axis).
Adrenal glands play a huge role in stress response. Your brain registers a threat — whether it’s emotional, mental or physical.
The adrenal medulla releases adrenaline hormones to help you react to the threat (the fight-or-flight response), rushing blood to your brain, heart and muscles.
The adrenal cortex then releases corticosteroids to dampen processes like digestion, immune system response and other functions not necessary for immediate survival.
Common symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue:
- Morning fatigue or trouble waking up
- Decreased libido
- Depression
- Muscle weakness
- Poor focus
- Bone loss
- Inflammation
- Increased allergies
- Difficulty sleeping
- Irritability
- Fatigue
- Cravings for sugar
- Hair loss
- Weight gain and difficulty to loose weight
- Muscle tension
- Inability to tolerate high-carb/potassium foods unless paired with fat and protein
There are 3 status of Adrenal Fatigue. During phase A and B the body is in a constant mild phase of Adrenal Fatigue.
Time of work might lower the symptoms but only for a short amount of time.
Phase C is a chronic state, where patients often only leave the bed for a few hours a day.
How to heal Adrenal Fatigue?
You can help your body by changing your diet, by adding natural supplements and by stress reduction.
Adrenal Fatigue Diet
There are a number of foods that support adrenal function. They help replenish your adrenal energy so your system can come back to full health.
But first you must start by removing any hard-to-digest foods and any toxins or chemicals in your environment.
The idea is to remove anything that taxes your adrenals.
Foods to avoid:
Caffeine, try one of our Herbal Coffee substitutes such as Dandy Blend or Teeccino.
Sugar and sweeteners, good alternatives are raw honey, stevia, and Lakanto.
Processed and microwaved foods. Create simple meals with raw wraps, crackers, and lots of fresh vegetables.
Hydrogenated oils, use nourishing oils like coconut oil, olive oil, flax and sesame seed oil.
Next, you want to add nutrient-dense foods that are easy to digest and have healing qualities. Some of the top superfoods for adrenal health include:
- Coconut oil and Coconut butter
- Raw natural Olives
- Avocado
- Cruciferous vegetables (cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, etc.)
- Fatty fish (e.g., wild-caught salmon)
- Nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, brazil, and almonds
- Seeds, such as pumpkin, chia and flax
- Kelp and seaweed
- Celtic or Himalayan sea salt
These foods help overcome adrenal insufficiency because they’re nutrient-dense, low in sugar, and have healthy fat and fiber.
Adrenal Fatigue Supplements
Another big key to overcoming adrenal fatigue is taking the right supplements.
- Innate Adrenal Fatigue Supplement, call to order (212-777-6645)
- Ashwaghanda
- Holy Basil
- Fish oil, call to order
- Algea Omega, call to order
- Magnesium, call to order
- Vitamin B5, call to order
- Vitamin B12, call to order
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin D3, call to order
- Zinc, call to order
Adrenal Fatigue Stress Reduction
The last important key to restoring your adrenal function is to ease your mind and stress needs. Pay attention to your body!
- Rest when you feel tired as much as possible.
- Sleep 8–10 hours a night.
- Avoid staying up late and stay on a regular sleep cycle — ideally, in bed before 10 p.m.
- Laugh and do something fun every day.
- Minimize work and relational stress.
- Eat on a regular food cycle, and reduce your caffeine and sugar addiction.
- Exercise (even moderate exercise and walking can help).
- Avoid negative people and self-talk.
- Take time for yourself (do something relaxing).
- Seek counsel or support for any traumatic experiences.
- Meditate
Adrenal Insufficiency Recovery Time
Recovery for adrenal fatigue can take a little while. After all, it took months, maybe years, to wear out your adrenals; so it takes a little time
to build up their strength again. For full adrenal recovery, you can expect it to take:
- 6–9 months for minor adrenal fatigue
- 12–18 months for moderate fatigue
- Up to 24 months for severe adrenal fatigue
The best approach is to make solid changes to your lifestyle for lasting results. If you aim for a balanced lifestyle with a healthy level of sleep,
exercise, fun and positive environment, then you are most likely to keep your adrenal system going strong!