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Fight Chronic Fatigue with Adrenal Nutrition
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Everyone is very aware of adrenaline. If you’ve ever had a close call in a car or any other near disaster, that rush of adrenaline that kicks in tells us to fight or take flight. Adrenaline comes from your adrenal glands, but they do a lot more than just make adrenaline.
Your adrenal glands have two parts, and between them they make about 50 hormones for the body that do everything from the conversion of fats and proteins into energy, to regulating your blood pressure, your immune response, and sex hormones. Without the hormones that are produces by the adrenal glands we would quickly die, as our bodies could not process life producing measures.
There are several diseases that are connected with your adrenal glands:
- Addison’s disease
- Cushing’s syndrome
- Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
- Adrenal cancer
- Adrenal fatigue
Most of these are quite rare, with the exception being adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue is often experienced in one of two ways:
- The person struggles with fatigue daily and finds that they need stimulants, such as caffeine or energy drinks, just to make it early to bed, where they collapse in exhaustion.
- Another person will start off the day the same way as the first, except that right about the time they should go to bed, they are suddenly hit with a huge burst of energy and they can’t relax or sleep until early in the morning.
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Adrenal fatigue is no joke. It can be so severe for some people that they find it difficult to even get out of bed in the morning or to get up and around for more than an hour or two. Along with chronic fatigue, problems with the adrenal glands are also associated with:
- Lowered libido
- Reduction in immune response
- Hypothyroidism
- Low blood pressure
- Mild depression symptoms
- Increased menopause or PMS symptoms
- Decreased ability to handle stress
- Muscular weakness
- Cravings for high fat, or salty foods
The causes of adrenal fatigue are many, including but not limited to: chronic stress, heavy metal toxicity, caffeine, nicotine, and other type of stimulants, EMF exposure, chronic acute infection, respiratory infections including pneumonia, bronchitis, or the flu, poor sleep patterns or sleep quality. It is an interesting paradox that the glands that are the first to respond when we are in danger are also the first to fail when it comes to prolonged periods of stress.
Another cause of adrenal fatigue is an overgrowth of the fungus known as candida. This is a major problem in America and will, over time, cause adrenal fatigue. If you are suffering from adrenal fatigue, you will need to stop taking the stimulants that you have been using to get you through the day. This includes coffee, sodas, caffeine pills, and energy drinks.
There are herbs and vitamins you can take to treat this problem, however. The following list of herbs is known to be excellent to restoring the adrenal glands to their proper function.
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1. Ginseng Root
This ancient herb restores and revitalizes the adrenal glands and helps to rebalance hormones.
2. Holy Basil
This is an adaptogenic, which means that helps the body adapt to stress more easily.
3. Licorice
This is helpful for those who have damaged adrenal output due to long term steroid use. This is used along with or in conjunction with Panax ginseng and/or bupleurum falcatum. Please note that licorice can raise blood pressure levels.
4. Shisandra
This is another type of adaptogen that helps the body deal with stress
5. Ashwagandha Root
This herb supports thyroid and adrenal functions and balances the hormones.
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6. Vitamin C
You probably know that this is an important vitamin for immune function, but it also plays a vital role in the functioning of the adrenal glands as well. Get your vitamin C naturally throughout the day rather than taking supplements. Or make your own Vitamin C supplements.
7. B Complex Vitamins
For those who are suffering from adrenal fatigue need B5 more than the other B vitamins but since the B vitamins all work together, it’s best to take a B complex supplement.
8. Salt
Replace table salt with Himalayan salt to replace trace minerals. Read our comparison of salts.
9. Sunshine
Be sure to get some safe sun exposure to naturally increase your levels of vitamin D. In the winter, if you live in a place that gets very little sun, invest in a UV light or take supplements.
10. Adrenal Extracts
Vegans won’t want to go this route, but a very effective way to get adrenal nutrition is to take bovine desiccated adrenal.
Other things you should consider doing is taking up a regular detox program if you haven’t already, and practicing grounding several times per week at least. Yoga and/or meditation will help relieve stress levels.
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