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The adrenal glands are two small glands, about the size of large grapes, which sit over your kidneys. Adrenal fatigue is group of symptoms that occur when the adrenal glands are no longer able to function properly.
Adrenal fatigue is a huge problem in our fast paced world. We pride ourselves as Americans in how much we can accomplish in a single day or week, leaving us “wired and tired”. We accept it as just part of life. But the consequences can be devastating as adrenal stress progresses to adrenal fatigue, often referred to as chronic fatigue, which can literally leave you unable to get out of bed, go to work, take care of your kids, etc.
Stress Accumulates over time. If your life is currently stress free or less stressful yet you’re still experiencing symptoms, that’s because stress accumulates over time all time. You have to build up the adrenal glands AND empty the stress bucket to fully recover.
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What Causes Adrenal Fatigue?
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Stress – excess or prolonged stress (and stress accumulates all the way from birth)
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Stimulants – a diet high in stimulants, i.e. sugar, refined carbs, nicotene, and caffeine, and deficient in essential nutrients.
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Insufficient sleep
- Infection in the body
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Ten Signs Of Adrenal Fatigue
- Trouble sleeping and/or insomnia
- Can’t stop thinking, poor memory, can’t focus
- Fatigue and/or exhaustion
- Feeling overwhelmed, unable to handle stress, irritable, anxiety
- Lightheaded when rising from a sitting or lying down position (systolic blood pressure either jumps way up or way down suddenly)
- Dark circles under eyes
- Menopause Symptoms
- Low energy mid afternoon
- Crave salty snacks
- Unexplained weight gain
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3 Steps To Recover From Adrenal Fatigue Naturally
1. Reduce Stress
Simplify Your Life – you make your own schedule. You are in charge of you. You do not have to say yes to every person who asks you to do something for them. Learn to say no.
Breathe – breathing tells the body all is well.One of the first things we do when we are under stress is we stop breathing properly, which decreases oxygen to the body and brain, and increases stress. When you do deep breathing exercises, your heart immediately slows down, which in turn calms you down. I like to use essential oils to help me inhale more deeply and for their relaxing affects.
Get 7 Hours of Sleep – don’t underestimate the healing power of sleep. You heal while you sleep. So you have to sleep in order to allow your body the opportunity to heal. Also note that the adrenal glands replenish from 10 pm to 11 pm. So get to bed by 10 pm.
Take a Walk – When you are under stress you have to “get out of your own head” of racing or obsessive thoughts trying to figure everyting out, or fix all our problems in one day.A great way to get outside of your own head of thinking is to go outside and enjoy God’s beautiful creation and space outside of your own mind. In the summer I have my prayer time on my front porch. It’s so relaxing!
Practice thankfulness – thankfulness= happiness. I literally walk around my house thanking God for anything I can think of at the time.
Turn off the news, it’s all negative. Catching up on what’s going on in the world once a day is reasonable. But there is no need to be constantly informed of every bad thing happening in the world every minute of the day. It will stress you out and crush your joy.
Find things that make you laugh!! Laughter truly is the best medicine. Find funny shows, videos, and just be silly and enjoy the simple things in life.
Stay away from negative people as much as possible. They will bring you down and stress you out. If you have family you can’t avoid, it might be time to let them know you don’t want to talk about all the terrible negative things. It’s time to talk about something else. If you work with difficult, negative people, pray about whether or not it’s time to find a new job. A stressful job can make you sick.
Forgive – Holding on to past and present anger, bitterness, hurt, resentfulness, shame, guilt, jealousy, and worry, will keep your stress levels up and crush any chance you have at peace and joy. You will know if you have not forgiven someone if you feel anger, resentment, bitterness, or any other negative emotion towards them when you see them, talk to them, or thing about them.
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2. Healthy Anti-Inflammatory, Low Sugar Diet
Eliminate Stimulants – Caffeine, sugar, refined carbs, nicotene and other stimulants will give you an immediate burst of energy. but you are essentially whipping a horse that is exhausted and worn out; depleting your adrenal glands. Over time you may crash making it extremely difficult to recover. The quick fix comes with a heavy price tag.
Unrefined Sea Salt – unrefined sea salt is a daily essential for everyone. While under excess stress the adrenal glands will need additional salt. Be sure your salt is not refined. If it is white, it is refined. You want “unrefined”.
Populate Gut Bacteria – Adrenal fatigue weakens the immune system leaving you very susceptible to getting sick. Populating healthy gut bacteria supports the immune system. Cultured foods are an excellent way to maintain healthy gut bacteria. But if you trying to heal and recover from adrenal fatigue or any other health condition,
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3. Adrenal Building Nutrients
Even the perfect diet may be deficient in certain nutrients. If you’re struggling with adrenal fatigue you will likely need additional key nutrients including:
- Vitamin C (extra immune system support)
- Vitamin B Complex (nourishes the adrenal glands)
- Adaptogenic herbs
- Magnesium
- CBD Oil (calms stress)
GOOD NEWS!
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All-In-One Daily Organic Green Drink is packed with 175 organic ingredients, including
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All the best to your health!
Catherine Rudolph, CNC
Certified Nutrition Consultant
FoodsThatHealYou.com