Category Archives: Adrenal Support

Adrenal Support, Drive!

Famous five: 5 essential factors for good adrenal health

The adrenal glands are located on top of the kidneys and play a critical role in the production of a multitude of hormones in your body. The adrenals comprise the endocrine system and are responsible for activating your stress response and regulating adrenaline and cortisol, which aid in energy and sleep; the adrenals also have a part in the reproductive process. Imbalance of the adrenal system is problematic to health and ranges from mild disorders, such as adrenal fatigue, to life-threatening conditions such as Addison’s disease. Too much or too little adrenal hormone production results in various symptoms including fatigue, weakness and digestive disturbance. Restoring adrenal health involves proper diagnosis, medical intervention and lifestyle changes.

 

Diagnosis

First up, you’re highly advised to get yourself checked out with a local GP so, should you be suffering from something serious, you can receive a physical examination, be diagnosed and the steps taken by medical professionals, as necessary. It’s possible that a physician may order an adrenocorticotropin simulation test, as well as a corticotropin-releasing hormone test; together these would be taken to determine the cortisone levels in your body and to discover whether yours are too high or too low, depending on whether the pituitary gland is secreting the right amounts of this all-important and highly influential hormone. You may be subjected to blood-hormone-level tests, ultrasounds and x-rays too; the results of which would also reveal whether your may require medical treatment in addition, no doubt, to lifestyle changes to normalise your adrenal function.

 

Diet

For sure, in the case of poor adrenal health, one of the lifestyle changes you’ll be strongly urged to make will be to your everyday diet. So, within this, what changes would be on the menu, so to speak? Well, there’s a good chance you’ll be advised to focus not just on specific foods but to eat according to a daily schedule, so you can maintain decent energy levels throughout the day. This would be to keep up blood sugar levels during your waking hours; should you miss meals, for instance, your blood sugar levels will drop off and put unavoidable stress on the body’s adrenal glands.

To wit, it may well be suggested for you to consume three sensibly balanced, evenly and regularly spaced meals during the day, as well as two snack-times in between them. Food-wise, the emphasis would be on natural sugar sources rich in adrenal health vitamins (all fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains; saturated fat-heavy, processed foods like cakes, crisps and carbonated drinks would be out).

 

Rest

Should you find you’re suffering from adrenal-focused issues, or even a serious condition attributable to these glands (possibly in conjunction with thyroid gland problems too), then good, decent rest becomes key, as you’ll be low on energy and in need of restoring energy levels so you don’t wipe yourself out and make yourself even less well.

The advice you’ll likely receive then is to fix a sensible, reliable and very regular sleep schedule (‘sleep hygiene’ now ought to be a focus in your life), as well as small, well observed breaks throughout the working day; you really do have to observe the fact that, for the good of your health, you need to rest more. This may mean taking 15-20-minute lie-downs or, even better, power naps every now and again. It’s not just about relaxation and energy restoration; it’s also all about balancing out the cortisol levels in your body because they’ll have been altered due to the adrenal disorder(s) you’re experiencing.

 

Exercise

Exercise as well as rest highly advised, not least because it may be you ought to lose. This is because adrenal glands generate excessive amounts of the hormone aldosterone, which can result in the medical issue called hyperaldosteronism. This sees far too much sodium and potassium than the body can handle, inevitably raising your blood pressure. Should you be suffering from adrenal issues that could or have given rise to this condition then, in addition to medical treatment, it’s likely you’ll be advised to engage in light but regular exercise – as well as to try and cut down on your sodium intake, for obvious reasons. Such light exercise as bike-riding, jogging or even walking is usually advised to aid the body’s regulation of cortisol levels when the adrenals aren’t productive enough.

 

Vitamins and supplements

Finally, the fifth factor that can make a big difference when it comes to combating adrenal problems is the consumption of the right vitamins in the right amounts – and potentially then, supplements. Vitamins are a no-brainer for good adrenal health, frankly; experts suggest consuming lots of fresh fruit, vegetable and good, solid sources of protein are essential on a daily basis to ensure you get all the vitamins you can. For instance, we’re talking the likes of Vitamins C, E and several of the B vitamins (green vegetables and citrus fruits) and protein sources for the B vitamins and the crucial nutrients that are iron and selenium.

Of course, though, there is the possible likelihood that, owing to necessary restrictions you have to make to your diet, you’re not able to tailor it exactly as you’d like. In terms of sources of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients for improved adrenal health, then you can turn to fully naturally-derived supplements for these adrenal health vitamins and more. The following adrenal health supplements are all available through us at The Finchley Clinic (why not take a look at our specific ‘Adrenal Health’ page to check out more?):

Nutramedix Adrenal Support – a proprietary blend of extracts from five adaptogenic plants (schisandra, astragalus, snow rose, ginseng and rhodiola), which combine in supplementary form help maintain healthy adrenal function.

Drive! (180 capsules) – consists of Tyrosine with supportive co-nutrients which provide important co-factors for improved energy, balanced brain chemistry, combatting depression, and supporting the adrenal and thyroid glands.

Eleuthro Formula – a powerful tonic and rebuilding effect on the adrenal glands, which is designed for super-sensitive people who want to avoid the more stimulating herbs and/ or licorice.

Adrenal Support, Drive!, NADH

How to treat adrenal fatigue – because, chances are, you’ll get it at some point!

Yes, it’s true; at some point in your life it’s highly likely you’ll suffer from adrenal fatigue, but there are things you can do to either prevent it, help you get over it quickly or reduce the symptoms when you realise you’re suffering from it.

Indeed, the Internet is awash with the statistic that around eight in every 10 people across the industrialised world will get adrenal fatigue at some time or another in their lives. Whether that’s true or not, it appears the chances are very high you’ll experience it. Not least because, according to a leading expert on the condition, it’s the very lifestyles we lead that effectively bring it on – poor diet and chronic stress, which affect the body’s efficacy to recover from mental, emotional or physical stress and help give rise to the ailment1.

Continue reading How to treat adrenal fatigue – because, chances are, you’ll get it at some point! →

Adrenal Fatigue, Adrenal Support, Endocrine System, Licorice Formula

Combating adrenal fatigue: keeping your endocrine system in balance

Perhaps now more than ever before in history, millions of people across the world are living hectic, time-constrained lives. What’s the result of this? Increasingly so, many of us complain of being tired near constantly – not just mentally and because of too little sleep, but a more general, physical sense of fatigue.

Is this a construct of our minds because we’re working so hard and too often not getting enough sleep, or is there something more, something deeper to it? Scientific research hasn’t definitively backed it up so far, but it’s such a common complaint that a term has been coined for the condition – US nutritional specialist Dr James M. Wilson has called it ‘adrenal fatigue’1.

The adrenal glands and the endocrine system

Adrenal fatigue is inevitably associated with the adrenal glands. The human body has two adrenal glands, one of which sits atop one of our kidneys; the other atop the other. They’re a part of the endocrine system, which is responsible for the production of hormones. Other organs of the endocrine system include the pituitary, pineal, thyroid, thymus, pancreas and the testes/ ovaries. In turn, hormones, as you may well know, are critical among other things in regulating our growth, sleep, moods, metabolism and sexual development and fertility.

The thinking behind adrenal fatigue is that the functioning of the adrenal glands and the hormones they produce is disrupted. These hormones include steroids, cortisol and adrenaline. Obviously the functioning of the body requires these hormones to be produced and regulated correctly, otherwise our health is affected. In which case, adrenal fatigue suggests their disruption leads to symptoms such as poor sleep hygiene, increased food cravings (not least for sugar and salt) and regular physical lethargy.

Where does adrenal insufficiency fit into this?

When we’re talking about adrenal fatigue, it’s important not to confuse it with another established condition, namely adrenal insufficiency. The latter – a manifestation of Addison’s disease – similarly disrupts the work of the adrenal glands, but is specifically due to nutritional imbalances in the body and is often stress-related.

So how can you tell apart adrenal fatigue and adrenal insufficiency (Addison’s disease)? By the symptoms. The latter’s symptoms can to be far more dramatic and hazardous than those attributed to the former: fatigue, irritability, erratic energy levels, headaches, nervousness, anxiety, inflammation, weakened immunity, frequent respiratory infections, allergies, alcohol intolerance, anaemia, abdominal pain and diarrhoea. Conventional treatment of Addison’s often involves hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

How can you keep your endocrine system in balance?

So, unlike for adrenal insufficiency, you can combat adrenal fatigue and its systems by actively working to keep your endocrine system in balance. There are several ways to do this – and it would be smart to adopt as many of them as possible:

  • eat well – try to avoid caffeinated drinks and foods, fruit juices, and alcohol; instead opt for natural foods with proteins and whole grains, as well as vegetables
  • rest – plain and simple; especially if you’re experiencing sleep issues, give your body a break
  • exercise – cortisol is produced by the adrenal glands when you feel stressed (and so possibly when you’re suffering from adrenal fatigue too) and drives up blood pressure, but when this occurs the glands may unhealthily pump out too much cortisol and push your blood pressure level too high; exercise is effective at decreasing cortisol levels2
  • adrenal fatigue supplements – the following are available through The Finchley Clinic, all of which we advise you consider taking:

Licorice Formula

  1. Licorice Formula or Licorice Formula A (the latter contains damiana as opposed to the guarana and Korean ginseng found in the former; thus Licorice Formula A may be better for those that find guarana/ Korean ginseng over-stimulating)
  1. NADH (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide hydride – the active coenzyme form of Vitamin B3)
  1. Adrenal Support(a proprietary blend of extracts from adaptogenic plants schisandra, astragalus, snow rose, ginseng and rhodiola)

Note: to promote hormone balance naturally, best results may be achieved by combining one of these supplements with Vitamin C and Vitamin B Complex.

To close, consider these wise words from Dr James M. Wilson: “The cost of adrenal fatigue is untold in the loss of productive hours, creative ideas, sound business decisions and other intangibles such as happiness”. In short, it’s not an uncommon complaint at all – and can be combatted by following the steps outlined above, so why would you choose to battle on through life without doing so?

 

References:

1 Wilson, J. M. (2016). https://adrenalfatigue.org. Retrieved 9 May 2016, from https://adrenalfatigue.org/about-james-l-wilson-dc-nd-phd/

2 Alghadir, A. H. and Gabr S. A. (2016). https://nih.gov. Retrieved 9 May 2016, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26311923