February 24, 2021
Adrenal glands are not often talked about, but they are vital to many hormone-related functions in your body. They are composed of two main parts: the cortex and the medulla. Together they help regulate metabolism, blood pressure, immune systems, your body’s response to stress, and more. Your adrenals produce hormones that help the body control blood sugar, burn protein and fat, react to stressors (ie major illness and injury), and regulate blood pressure. Today I want to focus on the Adrenal Medulla.
The Medulla is responsible for producing stress hormones including adrenaline and cortisol. Its main function is to act as a control to stress, but stress was never meant to be a constant. Back in the day, the “fight or flight” method was the best plan of action for human survival. Presently, most of us are in a constant state of mild to moderate stress, and quite frankly, our adrenal glands just aren’t built for it. We haven’t adapted to be as busy as we are.
As a result of the constant stress, our adrenal glands are constantly being taxed, and they are getting TIRED. There is simply too much going on in our lives and too much to take in for the adrenals to filter the nonsense on their own.
As a result, our tired adrenal glands are constantly fronting more and more cortisol and adrenaline, which eventually turns to chronic inflammation in any number of locations in the body. This leaves us with a variety of inflammatory issues from chronic headaches/migraines, to depression, weight gain, sleep problems, memory issues, concentration impairment and worse. Inflammation, especially chronic inflammation, is the root cause of almost every human ailment/disease known to man…. But that is a topic for another day.
For now, let’s focus on helping out our adrenals. Grim as it sounds, all is not lost.
Although it may not be realistic for many (most) of us to quit our stressful jobs and eliminate all of our daily stressors to find a lovely balance and harmony in our modern lives, there is something we can do.
We can strive for RESISTANCE and RESILIENCE.
We have the capacity to modify what we perceive as stressful, how we respond to those stressful events, and how we are then impacted by those events.
The first thing to address is lifestyle. Ask yourself:
- What do I have control over?
- What can I change?
- What am I willing to change?
Being ready to make changes in lifestyle are integral to improving your overall health. Whether the change is as big as changing careers or leaving a stressful relationship, or as small as swapping your evening beer(s) for a cup or two of herbal tea or making time for a 5 minute meditation session. Any/all change for the good is a step in the right direction.
If you’re feeling stuck and not really sure where to start, below is a list of general examples of things you can modify to make your diet and your life a bit more stress-friendly.
…and yes, a lot of this list is suggesting you cut things out/limit things that you already know are not doing you any favors… but if you already know and you’re hearing it again… maybe it’s time to take action….
Things to limit/reduce/eliminate:
- Caffeine
- Sugar
- Alcohol
- High-fat dairy
- Red and processed meat consumption
- Avoid eating erratically or irregularly
- Choose fats wisely… saturated fats such as from red meat, dairy, coconut oil, butter and palm oil can be unfavorable.
Things to incorporate:
- MORE leafy greens
- Increase veggie and fruit intake (white potatoes don’t count no matter how you cook them)
- Increase antioxidant rich foods (ex: berries, leafy greens, hard nuts)
- Get more zinc. It can help alleviate anxiety symptoms with the added bonus of also helping to alleviate depression. A few examples of where to find zinc: broccoli, whole grains, nuts, legumes)
- Increase Magnesium intake (it can be found in similar food sources as zinc). If you are considering a supplement form, look for magnesium glycinate as it is easier to absorb than some other forms.
- Aim to eat multiple small meals composed of whole foods throughout the day to keep energy stores up.
- Stay hydrated
- Adhere to a sleep routine
- Consider adding a probiotic to aid with proper absorption of nutrients.
- Choose fats wisely… healthy fats such as from nuts, seeds, avocados, fish and beans can help to keep you alert and focused, but saturated fats such as from red meat, dairy, coconut oil, butter and palm oil can be unfavorable.
So, you’ve already made all the positive lifestyle changes you can and you’re eating as well as you can, but for some reason you still feel overwhelmed by daily stress?
Where to go from here…
At this point, it may be time to start incorporating adaptogens and nervines.
Adaptogens are a group of medicinal herbs/roots/mushrooms that work non-specifically throughout the body to bolster all body systems to better tolerate stress. They assist in creating more white blood cells and getting them transformed into immune players in order to respond to pathogenic factors. They work to calm and feed the depleted adrenal glands.
Please excuse my brevity here. I will address these adaptogens more in depth and individually in a future blog post. For now, I’ve listed some examples of adaptogens that can be very helpful in quelling stress and anxiety below:
- Ashwagandha (my personal favorite) (make sure if you choose to take ashwagandha as a supplement, look for one that also contains black pepper as an ingredient, as the pepper allows your body to better absorb the ashwagandha nutrients).
- Reishi (a medicinal mushroom that is best taken either in tea or capsule form)
- Tulsi (a type of basil, also known as holy basil, that you can grow in your own garden, but also can easily be sourced as a tea or tincture)
- Chaga (another adaptogenic mushroom that can be taken as tea or in capsule form)
- Schizandra (works specifically to nourish the adrenal glands and can be taken in tea or tincture form)
- Borage (commonly found in woodlands and pastures and can be taken as a tea, syrup or tincture)
Nervines are specific to the nervous system. Some can aid in sleep, relaxation or even body activation (I know this sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s true. They provide more of a “lifting” usefulness than a “push” you might get from caffeinated coffee). Nervines help calm the mind, body, and spirit. They also fortify frayed nerve endings that result from chronic stress.
- Hops, California Poppy, and Valerian can help you to fall asleep
- Passionflower can help you STAY asleep
- Kava (is especially good for anxiety), keeps your mind alert, while helping your body to relax
- Blue Vervain can help you feel less overwhelmed. It is especially good for perfectionists that feel bound/anxious or frustrated by their perfectionist ways.
- Vanilla can help to put you a more positive state of mind. Adding a little to tea or coffee can help to start your day with a calmer frame of mind. Personally, I have a dandelion root tea that has vanilla in it that I absolutely love. It’s not only good for my stress levels, but good for digestion as well… and if you remember from earlier, a well –working digestive system will help your body to be better able to absorb the nutrients you are trying to cultivate it with.
- Skullcap limits involuntary thought processes and helps to quell nervous energy.
- Oatstraw helps to calm and relax the mind while fortifying and tonifying connective tissues and aiding in the decision- making process.
- Lemon balm helps ease and restore the mind from fear and anxiety resultant from chronic stress
It is important to note that herbals do not work in the same way as chemical pharmacologicals. You will not see instant effects. Should you decide to incorporate any of the above adaptogens or nervines into your health routine, it is important to note that regularity and patience are important. Stick with it for a few months before you decide whether or not you see benefits to your health. The more habitual you are with these, the better. But speaking from my own personal experience, stick to it, be habitual, and I think you will thank yourself for it later.
As with any change to diet, it is important to consult with your doctor before adding any sort of supplement or over-the-counter regimen to avoid complications. Vitamins, minerals, herbs and other dietary supplements are readily available and may seem harmless, but experts warn not to underestimate the strong effects they can have on the body. If paired with the wrong prescription medication, you could potentially have an adverse reaction.
Also critical to note, is the importance of proper sourcing. Make sure that, should you decide to incorporate any supplement, you choose a reputable supplier that offers high-quality products.
**A quick note about cleanses/extreme fad diets: I just want to touch on this real quick… Cleanses and trendy fad diets can seem appealing, but they can be damaging to your liver and taxing on your adrenals. If you start to feel sick on a cleanse, often the response is that it is a good thing. You may be told that is your body healing/cleansing toxins. In actuality, it can be a sign of too many poisons flooding your system at once. As a result, your adrenals are going to be working in overdrive to pump out the perceived excess toxins. Over time, this can actually lead to damage of your central nervous system.
Refrences:
Chronic Stress, Cortisol Dysfunction, and Pain: A Psychoneuroendicrine Rationale for Stress Management in Pain Rehabilitation,” Journal of the American Physical Therapy Association: Written by: Kara E. Hannibal, Mark D. Bishop
The Herbal Apothecary: JJ Pursell
Remedy: Ancient Medicine for Modern Illness: Docuseries by the Sacred Science
www.hopkinsmedicine.org
www.healthline.com
www.mayoclinic.org