Under stress, healthy adrenal glands increase the yield of cortisol and DHEA to maintain health and meet increased demands. They are also secret adrenaline to give you energy when you need it. If stress becomes chronic, your adrenal glands can no longer keep up with demand, and DHEA and, ultimately, cortisol levels begin to fall, indicating that the adrenal glands are depleted. In addition, excess adrenaline can and makes someone feel anxious and nervous reaction. Complaints of insomnia, fatigue, depression, irritability and digestive problems are common. As adrenaline is affected by stress, digestive enzyme levels simultaneously decrease and blood sugar levels initially increase. As it becomes more chronic, the effects of prolonged stress include:
• Fatigue
• Reduced immune function
• mood changes
• depletion of cortisol, leading to lower blood sugar levels
• Less restful sleep
• Increased blood lipid levels of fat
• Decreased insulin sensitivity with increased susceptibility to diabetes
recovery
One of the main problems is how to reduce and react to stress in your life. The adrenal glands will not heal until you change how you live. This may include learning relaxation, such as meditation or yoga, talking with a therapist, or learning some cognitive behavioral techniques from a book (David Burns’s “Feeling Good”) or a website (moodgym.org.), Cultivating Positive Relationships, or even just laughing on a regular basis.
I highly recommend you sleep and sleep until 10 pm.
Your diet should avoid refined sugars, caffeine and alcohol and should include several small meals that contain protein. It is also important to identify allergic foods and avoid them.
Get daily outdoor light. A gentle exercise is recommended every day.
Dietary supplements and herbs are also believed to support the adrenal glands in healing. Vitamins used include vitamin C, magnesium, B-complex and pantothenic acid, but there is little research to find out if they are effective or not. Similarly, adrenal glands (terrestrial adrenal gland extracts of animals) were used with reported success, but little formal research.
There are more studies on “adaptogenic” herbs that help people cope with stress and also reduce the risk of a number of different diseases and infections. These include Eleutherococcus senticosus (Siberian ginseng), Withania somnifera (Ashwaganda), Panax ginseng (ginseng) and others. Licorice can also be used as adrenal glands, but when used in large quantities it is necessary to control blood pressure and potassium.
All of these supplements should always be used in consultation with a physician familiar with adrenal disorders.
