Juicing For Health - 5 Tips For Overcoming Adrenal Fatigue
5 Tips For Overcoming Adrenal Fatigue
So we did our blog entry a few days ago about the 5 foods, herbs and supplements that i found beneficial in overcoming the crippling condition known as adrenal fatigue or insufficiency. Like i said on that post what works for one may sadly not always work for another, there can be different root causes to adrenal fatigue and you must do a little bit of investigating to find out what is yours.
Saying that there are a number of generic guidelines and tips like i will share below that are generally beneficial to most. In my opinion one of the most common causes of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome(CFS) is actually dysfunctional adrenal glands. Doctors know this from the common symptoms that many CFS sufferers share such as orthostatic hypotension(feeling dizzy upon standing up which is a symptom of adrenal gland dysfunction), persistant fatigue, allergies, post-exertional malaise and so on.
If you are looking for a quick fix cure all panacea to fix your adrenal fatigue you will likely never find one sadly. At first i thought adrenal fatigue was a major pain in the ass and it is dont get me wrong but by the time i started recovering i was looking at my time being unwell in a different light.
In my opinion and from my story adrenal fatigue occured because my life was majorly out of balance and acted as a warning sign of the road i was going down pursuing an unhealthy lifestyle. For me that included poor diet based mostly around processed and fast food, late nights partying, alcoholism, smoking cigarettes daily, drug abuse, lack of exercise, major stressful events and chronic stress. A lifestyle recipe for disaster.
Chronic stress happens to be the most common cause of adrenal fatigue from what i have seen personally, with stimulant and drug abuse not far behind. I will be posting a blog post soon with tips to how to deal with stress and support your body nutritionally and with the use of herbs in times of need.
1. Quit Stimulants
If you are to have any chance of recovering from moderate to severe adrenal fatigue then in my opinion you must cease stimulant use. Stimulants such as caffeine and nicotine may seem attractive choices for increasing energy but they really arent. What they do is provide an artificial energy boost by stimulating your CNS(Central Nervous System) and what goes up must come down.
There are other adrenal supportive choices for helping increase energy and get your going in the morning, one of my favorite choices being adaptogenic herbs. Now if you are expecting the same false rush of energy that caffeine or stronger stimulants give you then you likely wont get it with adaptogen herbs. Although one in particular that does provide a very potent energy boost and is supportive of the adrenal glands is authethic Korean Ginseng. Any of the adaptogenic herbs that i listed in my last post are good for providing a mild energy boost whilst supporting your adrenal glands and endocrine system.
Watch as there are many hidden sources of stimulants mainly caffeine such as found in some over the counter pain killers, herbs such as guarana contain very high levels of caffeine and even chocolate. Chocolate should be avoided for those recovering from adrenal fatigue in my opinion especially the darker and more unprocessed you go. Raw chocolate not only contains caffeine but also contains a stimulant known as theobromine.
2. Keep Positive
It is very hard to keep positive especially when you arent feeling your best and the longer chronic health problems go on for the harder it can be to keep your mood elevated. There are many books and literature out there on the beneficial effects that positive thinking has on healing and those suffering chronic health conditions. The day that i started gaining momentum in my recovery with severe adrenal fatigue was when i changed my perspective on being ill. It is very easy to feel frustrated, depressed and angry when trying to cope with chronic illness but in the end all these negative emotions do is drain your body of more energy.
Try and surround yourself with as many positive people as you can, negative emotions from others will rub off on you eventually. The same goes for negative relationships, jobs and any other issue which is causing you stress.
This brings me briefly to another point which is to try and let go of the past. The past is done now and there is no possible way to change it, so being bitter, holding grudges or constantly going over bad events and memories does nothing more than rob you of the little energy you do have. That energy could be better placed on getting you well and healing.
Taking the above into account i do accept that there will be some who need chemical assistance in over-coming their depression. But that doesnt stop you from trying to change a pesimistic perspective into an optimistic one. There are many books which are helpful for improving your outlook, confidence and so on, so get yourself a library card and see what books they have to offer. If anyone has any books they recommend on this subject or even healing in general post up in the comments.
To achieve optimal health and maintain homeostasis one must have all areas of their lives in balance. Now that might seem like some cheesey quote you would might find in a fortune cookie but it really is true. If certain areas of your live is out of balance it can drastically effect your health overall.
Neglecting the mental aspect to adrenal fatigue could be what stops you from getting well.
SO THINK POSITIVE :) .
3. Healthy Diet
A healthy diet is a great start when it comes to helping any chronic health condition and one would want to base the bulk of their diet on fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, pulses, nuts, seeds and a little wholegrains. You will want to eat a variety of different foods daily so you are constantly exposing yourself to different nutrients and beneficial phyto-nutrients found that are found in plant foods. Restrictive diets can be beneficial to those who are already moderately healthy and are often used for the sole purpose of weight loss, but for those who are ill you need as much good nutrition as possible.
Now although a good diet is the key foundation of any healthy lifestyle, it is certainly not the bee all and end all that some people like to make out. You will likely hear that if you follow a healthy diet that it will cure all your ailments and that it provides everything you need to be well, if you are still unwell then you must be doing something wrong right ?. Wrong, there are multiple factors involved when it comes to achieving optimal health, maintaining homeostasis and a healthy diet is only one of them. What a healthy diet does do though is provide optimum support via good nutrition which is a very important step on the road to recovery from adrenal fatigue.
Stress increases the need for many nutrients such as Vitamin C, B group and magnesium. Once these vital nutrients become depleted you find yourself stuck in a catch-22 situation, in that if you dont correct these low or deficient nutrients you end up stuck in an endless cycle of anxiety and stress.
4. Blood Sugar Balance
Keeping your blood sugar balanced is an extremely important element when it comes to managing the symptoms and recovering from adrenal fatigue. Far too many people with adrenal gland dysfunction goes hours without eating then end up with the resulting blood sugar symptoms such as anxiety, panic attacks, dizziness and so on.
Of course the adrenal glands play a key role in blood sugar balance so it is no surprise when they arent functioning well ,that many have blood sugar related issues. I talked abit in the last post about using Brewers Yeast for replacing B vitamins but also briefly how it is a very good source of the mineral Chromium. Chromium helps maintain normal blood sugar and insulin levels.
Balanced meals are very important and can help keep your blood sugar stable. Some will argue that carbohydrates are not the enemy and that fat is, but the truth is that excessive amounts of any of the 3 macro-nutrients have been shown to lead to insulin resistance. In my opinion it is probably wise to avoid fruit juices and other simple sugar rich foods which are void of fiber. Simple sugars convert quickly into glucose in your body which causes more rapid fluctuations in blood sugar levels. Complex carbohydrates break down much slower in the body and are usually full of fiber which can leave you feeling fuller for longer and thus balance your blood sugar.
5. Have Some Fun
I think by the time i hit the 5 year mark of severe adrenal fatigue, being bed ridden most days and just generally living a nightmare i had forgot what it was like to have fun. I had become so pre-occupied with my health that most days were spent focusing on being ill rather than living and being happy.
It is essential to do things that you enjoy every once in a while to support positive mental health. So take a few minutes out of the day and do something you enjoy whether that is listening to music, writing, going for a walk do it and regularly to keep your mood elevated and reduce stress levels.
Although alcohol and recreational drugs can seem like an attractive option for reducing stress, anxiety and depression what they do is similar to stimulants in that they mask over the symptoms very temporarily but make your symptoms much worse long term. Alcohol also depletes many nutrients crucial to healthy functioning adrenal glands and nervous system such as B vitamin group, magnesium and zinc. All 3 nutrients which are essential and if depleted like i mention above you end up stuck in a cycle of more stress, fatigue and anxiety. Zinc deficiency can cause copper toxicity which is one of the leading causes of adrenal burnout.
Bonus Tip :) .
One last little tip is every now and again take a step back and look at yourself and everything you do from a far. When you get stuck in a rut or have been doing the same thing for long periods of time it can be hard to notice bad habits which may be stopping you from recovery. These might be negative patterns of thought, consuming hidden stimulants or whatever else it is stopping you from full recovery of adrenal fatigue.
At times when i was ill with severe adrenal fatigue i would often think that i was doing everything right and would get frustrated as to why i wasnt feeling better, then i would look back through my little diary i was keeping and notice something else that i hadnt before.
I dont know if anyone is reading these blog posts lol, but if anyone is finding them helpful let me know in the comment section and i will keep more coming when i get time.
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