Did you know that the health of your adrenal glands is vital in helping chronic disease?
Read through the list of symptoms below. Do you suffer from two or more of the health issues listed?
• Excessive sweating or perspiration from little activity
• Lower back pain and/or knee weakness or pain, especially on the side
• Dark circles under the eyes
• Dizziness
• Muscle twitches
• Low blood sugar
• Heart palpitations
• Sensitivity to light, or difficulty seeing at night
• A craving for salt
• Low stamina for stress, and easily irritated
• Excessive mood responses after eating carbohydrates such as pasta, breads and sugar
• Chronic infections (bacterial, viral, fungal, yeast)
• Low blood pressure
• Light-headedness on standing up
• Tired but wired feeling, poor sleep, difficulty getting out of bed in the morning
• Cravings for sweets and carbs, intolerance to alcohol
• Premature aging
• Dry, unhealthy skin with excess pigmentation
• Lack of libido
• Cystic breasts
• Tendency to startle easily
• Negative response to thyroid hormone
• Poor concentration and fuzzy thinking
If yes, you may be experiencing adrenal fatigue.
So…what are the adrenal glands anyways?
The adrenal glands (also known as suprarenal glands) are the triangle-shaped endocrine glands that sit on top of the kidneys. Similar to ovaries, testicles, and thyroid, the adrenal glands are hormone producing glands. They make several hormones that encompass a vast array of functions. One of the hormones they produce is called, cortisol. It is very important that the adrenal glands are functioning optimally—too much or too little cortisol can create a multitude of health problems. Too much cortisol can cause symptoms of weight gain around the waist, poor sleep, fatigue, elevated blood sugars, menstrual irregularities, increased thirst, higher blood pressure, and more frequent infections. While too little cortisol can cause symptoms of fatigue, sugar or salt cravings, low blood sugar, a history of low blood pressure, skin rashes, allergies, poor sleep, depression and anxiety.
“One of the biggest causes of overactive adrenal glands is stress” —-> Click here to Tweet This
The glands are responsible for regulating our stress response through the synthesis of corticosteroids and catecholamine, including cortisol and adrenaline. However, they are not equipped to cope with the stressors of modern day life. A few thousand years ago, our stress responses were not asked to operate for days or months at a time. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Stress came in short bursts; if we encountered a predator, we would need to fight the predator, flee from it or be eaten. Our stress would be over and done with, in a matter of minutes. Stress today is much different. Oftentimes, it lasts days, months, sometimes even years. An impatient boss may not be an immediate threat to our lives; however our adrenals don’t realize this. This means that anytime we come into contact with our impatient boss, our adrenals “sound the alarm” creating a stress response even though we aren’t in danger. Because of this, our adrenals tend to be overworked, causing our health to deteriorate.
The Importance of the Adrenal Gland
Most people do not realize just how important the adrenal gland is to one’s overall health and well-being. Without critical medical care, a patient would die shortly after the removal of the adrenal glands. Multiple studies have proven that the health of the adrenal glands will dictate the health and recovery of many types of chronic illnesses. Since chronic stress is the main cause of overactive adrenals it is important that one finds a way to control and eliminate stress. Moreover, proper nutrition, adequate rest, and exercise is also very important.
Adrenal glands are also very important for the maintenance of a healthy immune system. Moreover, they are necessary for proper thyroid function, balancing hormones, maintaining one’s ideal weight, stabilizing emotions, controlling cravings, and much more. In other words, they are the regulators of your body. It is therefore, very important that your adrenals are functioning optimally. Here are a few ways to support your adrenals…
1. Go to Bed Early. You should be sleeping 7 to 8 hours and preferably going to bed before midnight. This is when our bodies do most of their healing.
2. Kick Stress to the Curb. Figure out what your main source of stress is and get rid of it! While I realize this is easier said than done, your health depends on it!
3. Find Ways to Manage Your Stress. If you aren’t ready to remove yourself from a stressful relationship or job, than find ways to manage your stress. Meditation and yoga are excellent ways to calm your overactive adrenals down!
4. Eliminate refined sugar and processed carbs from your diet. The adrenal glands help to regulate blood sugar levels, thus consuming processed sugars only cause them to overwork.
5. Take an Adrenal support supplement like this one.
6. Exercise. Regular exercise is known to combat stress, which helps to improve adrenal function.
7. Get Tested! Blood/Hormone tests and the Es-Tek Full Body Analysis can determine whether your symptoms are caused to adrenal fatigue, making tackling your symptoms easier.
Interested in finding out if your adrenal glands are functioning optimally? Santé Chiropractic and Wellness Centre offers the Es-Teck Full Body Analysis. The ES- Teck System is advanced technology and is a Health Canada registered Class III Medical Device. Using a finger “Oximeter” it allows for observation of heart rate, tissue oxygen uptake, arterial stiffness, hemodynamic indicators and autonomic nervous system (ANS) levels of activity. It is able to detect whether your adrenal glands are fatigued, and allows us to provide you with personalized recommendations so that you can live a healthy, long life!
Book your very own Es-Teck Full Body Analysis by calling the clinic at (613) 837-2883.
References
http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-4911/How-to-Tell-If-Your-Adrenals-Are-Fatigued-Plus-7-Ways-To-Support-Them.html