Greetings!
March 12, 2012
Thank you for your continued support of my newsletter. Each month I look forward to writing about a new topic that will help you achieve your wellness goals.
Soon the Spring will be here and we will all become more active as we gravitate from our protective indoors and venture out into the sun. Yeah!
Remember to start daily stretches before you begin your spring activities. You want to help the body to acclimate to increased activity slowly. I see a lot more clients coming into my office with injuries during this time.
If you do injure yourself do not wait for things to get worse, as it is better to be treated immediately to avoid scar tissue build up.
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Do You Have Adrenal Burnout?
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Who doesn't have stress? In our modern-day world, it would be hard to find someone who says they live a stress-free existence. A little bit of stress has scientifically been proven to strengthen the body and mind, but too much can lead to chronic fatigue, consistent colds and flus, anxiety, depression, chronic pain, sugar handling problems, insomnia, ulcers and the list goes on and on. If the body is balanced and has the support it needs, then stress can be handled properly and not translate to major symptoms.
The stress glands of the body are the adrenals, which are two small glands on the top of each kidney. All types of stress to the body, either physical or emotional, cause the pituitary gland to signal the adrenal glands to produce more cortisol and epinephrine (hormones produced by the adrenals). Some of these stressors include physical pain, working too hard, improper sleep, pollutants and toxins, emotional trauma, processed and high sugary foods. Other hormones produced by the adrenal glands are aldosterone (which is responsible for sodium and potassium balancing in the body), norepinephrine, and dhea( keeps cholesterol levels in balance, is a building block for sex hormones, provides energy, regulates sleep, and increases bone density).
If the body is under consistent stress, our adrenal glands produce extra hormones like cortisol and norepinephrine. In time, the adrenals will get depleted and decrease their output of these hormones. This is referred to as adrenal fatigue or "burn out." If a person suffers from adrenal fatigue, they can have low back pain, knee pain, tired feet, light sensitivity, anxiety, depression, they need a lot of sleep to function, sleep disturbances, and general inflammatory disorders.
People that have a diminished secretion of cortisol may have sugar cravings, feel like they require caffeine to function, headaches, mood swings, allergies, brain fog, ringing in the ears, and feel like they are depleted. You can compare a malfunctioning adrenal gland to the gas tank in a car. Once the gas light is on, the driver knows that the car probably has a good 20 miles or so left in gas before the car stops working. It will continue working fine until the gas runs out. If a person has adrenal fatigue or burn out they do not have the fuel reserve, once the light goes on they conk out. They cannot go an extra 20 miles. At this point in time, a person has no reserve capacity to handle stressful situations without the body overreacting emotionally or physically.
Other causes of adrenal malfunction include eating white sugar, honey, maple syrup, fruit juices, and drinking sodas often, which causes a rapid rise in blood glucose levels. The pancreas will secrete large amounts of insulin to bring the blood glucose levels down, and as a result the adrenal glands are constantly pumping out cortisol to bring blood glucose levels back to normal.
This exhausts the adrenals and leads to hypoglycemia. Eating foods that you are sensitive to will have the same effect on the adrenals. Infections such as from parasites, fungus, bacteria, and viruses will affect the adrenals. Taking cortisone shots or using cortisone creams over prolonged periods of time will also suppress the adrenal glands.
When you lie down and rise to a standing position quickly norepinephrine and cortisol are secreted from the adrenal glands. This causes blood vessel constriction and a normal rise in blood pressure of 1-5mm Hg. People that have adrenal problems will experience a blood pressure drop, and sometimes they feel dizzy.
You can have someone test your blood pressure by lying down for 5 minutes and take your blood pressure (leave cuff on deflated so you can take blood pressure again quickly) and then take it again as soon as you rise quickly from the lying down position. This will reveal adrenal problems and is also a good way to monitor your improvement if you are taking adrenal supplements.
There are certain ways to help your adrenal glands recover from adrenal burnout. One is to completely eliminate sugar, honey, molasses, corn syrup, maple syrup, alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and caffeine from your diet for 1-2 months. Get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Be in bed by 10 pm as this is great for the adrenals. Identify food sensitivities and intolerances and avoid these foods. Stay off medications that have cortisol and epinephrine if possible.
Rub the adrenal neurolymphatic reflex points for one minute three times per week. They are located 2 inches above and one inch over from the umbilicus. Cup your hands and tap on the skin overlapping the adrenals for two minutes per day. Take adrenal supplements to heal your adrenals.
Using adrenal supplements helps the adrenals heal and function better. Depending on a person's individual chemistry and what else is involved systemically determines what adrenal supplement is best suited for them. Some of the herbs, homeopathy, and nutritional supplements that are used for adrenal support include rhemannia, licorice, ashwaganda, phosphotidyl serine, B vitamins, vitamin C, suma, reishi, camu, adrenal tone, adrenopath, drenamin, drenatrophin, lurong, and many others. Keeping the adrenals strong will help every organ and gland of the body function at its optimum level.
I would happy to have you come into my office.
Healthfully yours, Dr. Lou Granirer |
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