One very common thing I hear is “my doctor said I have adrenal fatigue.”
When I ask what specifically that is supposed to mean, I’m usually told something along the lines of “my adrenals are tired… they aren’t doing their job?”
I wholeheartedly get why patients tell me this. What I don’t understand is why doctors keep perpetuating this bizarre falsity.
Your adrenals are doing their job. Remember cortisol? Your adrenals are the ones to produce cortisol.
Doesn’t it seem strange that on the one hand you’re told your adrenals are fatigued, and at the same time you’re told that your adrenals are overdoing it since your cortisol is high? (This is the case with most people where this has been discussed).
Cortisol is involved in:
- the sleep/wake cycle
- getting your energy up during times of stress
- increasing blood sugar
- regulating blood pressure
- preventing fatigue
- helping to develop the fetus during pregnancy
- involved in the use of fats/proteins/carbs…
Cortisol is often known as a stress hormone. That makes sense since increasing blood sugar gives you energy during fight/flight/freeze (the natural response to stress), and increased blood pressure to get blood to your extremities for the same reason.
But here is a really important piece: if you produce cortisol, you can’t produce DHEA.
It’s one or the other, not both at the same time. And why does that matter?
DHEA is key for:
- production of natural growth hormones (to help build lean muscle mass and fight fat accumulation)
- lowers inflammation
- improves bone density
- protects your brain
- improves your heart health
- lowers diabetes risk
- supports healthy libido
But before you go running off to buy a DHEA supplement, consider this:
Your body cannot produce DHEA and cortisol at the same time. If you are running high on cortisol and supplement DHEA, you create an unnatural state that should never occur in your body.
Also, supplementing a hormone will, by default, create changes in other hormones. Plus, remember my philosophy:
“Always support your body to do her job herself. Never take your body’s job away from her.”
So, what can you do to support your adrenals? How can you let the adrenals properly balance your hormones, so you’re not constantly in fight/flight/freeze mode?
Supporting your adrenals naturally:
- meditate
- breathing exercises
- get 8 hours of sleep per night
- safely detox chemicals, mold, parasites, heavy metals (this is a tough one, don’t do this on your own)
- exercise
- cut out sugar, grains, and other inflammatory foods
- reduce caffeine and alcohol intake
- spend time in nature
- holy basil ( I love it as a tea )
But what about the deeper issues that involve the adrenals?
It actually ends up being about your mitochondria more than your adrenals.
Aside from direct adrenal support (like Ga Adrenal or CALM from Systemic Formulas), my top favorite body healing support is:
-
MitoATP
- this liquid enhances your mitochondrial function, upregulates ATP production (that’s energy), supports cellular renewal, protects your DNA, reduces oxidative stress, and upregulates natural detox.
I love this product! I have my entire family taking it. If you want MitoATP, all you need is to go to your CellCore BioSciences account to order it. If you don’t have your own account, just let me know and we’ll get you set up.
