Adrenal fatigue
When life gives you lemons, prepare for adrenal fatigue
Making Lemonade out of sour lemons is a sort of pivot to adjust to what is
presented in the moment. Change can jar our system, stimulate our cells, ignite
our brain and can wreak havoc on our nervous system. We may feel overly
exhausted, have mild body soreness, headaches, dry skin, mushy brain, weight
gain, or just plain “burnout” on all levels.
What causes such upheavals in our adrenal glands? Any change unwanted or
even self-inflicted, can cause the adrenals to be taxed. A divorce, a family death,
loss of a job, a new job where top performance is required, burning the midnight
oil, prolonged illness, serious illness in a family member – or just the state of the
world today. We aren’t just emotionally, mentally exhausted at this point, but we
are physically exhausting as well.
Our bodies are brilliantly designed to kick into fight or flight response and deal with
sudden changes. When we detect a threat to our safety, our adrenal glands
secrete hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that makes our body instantly ready
to fight the threat or flee from it. We are able to burn off the energy, escape the
threat, and go back to feeling fine.
But what happens when our bodies detect a threat every day? Several times a
day? Or almost all the time? This is beyond what our bodies are designed to
handle. Going through an extremely stressful time (or living a too stressful life)
takes a toll on the body and the adrenal system. When the body is flooded with
cortisol and adrenaline too often, we may experience:
• Daily fatigue that doesn’t get better with more sleep
• Frequent illnesses
• Muscle weakness
• Mood swings and/or depression
• Dry or broken-out skin
• Hair loss
• Weight gain
• Trouble sleeping
• Aches and pains from inflammation
• Lower sex drive
• Skin discoloration
• Lightheadedness
What to do
If you think you may be suffering from adrenal fatigue, you have some options:
See your medical doctor
The symptoms listed above also occur with other health problems like
anemia, arthritis, diabetes, and heart failure, so first you should rule those out.
Keep in mind that in traditional western medicine, adrenal fatigue is not recognized
as an actual condition. So you may not get support from your doctor in treating it
unless it is severe.
See a naturopathic doctor
Once you know that you have ruled out serious health conditions, visit your
naturopathic doctor to discuss your symptoms. He or she can give you a saliva test
to determine your adrenal function and discuss treatment options. However, I
recommend avoiding fancy herbs and supplements to treat your fatigue and opt to
treat it yourself naturally.
Treat it yourself
I have seen people get incredible results in treating their own fatigue. But there's
no easy fix. You need to give your body some serious TLC.
Here’s what I recommend:
-Avoid stimulants: Stop using stimulants like coffee, espresso, sugar, chocolate,
and energy drinks to force more energy from your body. This just wears you out
more.
-Increase your fresh, raw, “live foods” , “Live” foods are foods that still have
some life left in them, like raw vegetables, raw fruits, and raw nuts and seeds. Your
body gets much-needed vitamins, natural enzymes, and life force from these
foods.
-Decrease your wheat: Modern, highly processed wheat is hard for your body to
process. Cut it out and see how great you feel! If you must have bread, opt for
sprouted-grain varieties.
-Increase your hydration: Like, a lot. Carry a water bottle with you all the time. Fill a giant glass or jar with
water, ice, and sliced lemons and cucumbers. Whatever helps you to drink water
all day long. Seriously, it will make you feel so much better and will help your body
flush all those stress toxins out. Juicing is also an incredible way to get fluid,
nutrients, micronutrients, and vitamins quickly into your system. It makes you feel
so energized.
-Increase your fat: No, really — your body needs fat to create hormones. So more
good fats in your diet (and fewer bad ones) will help balance your hormones. Good
fats are:
olive oil
avocado
flaxseed oil
coconut oil
Add the oil to salad dressing, a smoothie, lightly steamed vegetables, or just take a
spoonful.
-Move your body: I know, you’re tired, I get it. I get there myself. But all you need
to do is start. Walk around the block. Walk around the mall. Bounce on a yoga ball.
Try an easy yoga class (oh, you would love it).
Start with just one of these changes and see the difference. Then add another. And
another. If you need help, you can join my detox program The Naked Challenge or
sign up for private coaching with me (write live@dianastobo.com).
In health & love,