Adrenal Fatigue Supplements
Adrenal fatigue supplements are an essential part of the any Adrenal fatigue treatment plan. Supplements provide specific nutrients that your body needs to improve Adrenal gland production of hormones such as Cortisol, Aldosterone, Progesterone, DHEA which are necessary for you to be able to handle stress, have a healthy immune system, proper digestion, good mood and mental focus, improved fertility and sexual libido. Without your Adrenal glands, you would have no energy at all. Adrenal gland function requires certain nutrients which can be found in vitamins, minerals, adaptogenic herbs, glandulars and amino acid supplements.
Many of the supplements used in the treatment of adrenal fatigue or adrenal burnout tend to be extremely stimulating in order to boost energy levels to counteract the fatigue of adrenal burnout. This can lead to more imbalances if you happen to be a Fast oxidizer , meaning your metabolic rate is already sped up above a healthy level.
Many people who need Adrenal support supplements rely on unhealthy stimulants such as coffee, tea, soda, sugar, and other "natural" herbal stimulants such as ginseng which all speed up the rate at which energy is pumped out of the Adrenal glands. Stimulants will keep your adrenals working extra hard which can make them even more fatigued in the long run. Vitamin C and Licorice are commonly prescribed to patients with adrenal fatigue but these can in fact be too stimulating and can cause even more adrenal fatigue when prescribed on their own for an extended period of time.
Pantothenic acid and other B vitamins are also necessary in helping to rebuild the adrenals, but in improper dosage or ratios to one another can also be too stimulating. Natural substances such as maca, cordyceps, ginseng, glandular extracts, royal jelly, and eleuthero root are all great and can help many people, but again these are usually inadequate on their own to provide complete recovery from adrenal fatigue or adrenal burnout. The adrenals need to rest deeply when you sleep in order to regain their strength and many of these products can worsen insomnia.
That is why a full nutritional balancing program that includes vitamins and minerals, medicinal herbs, glandular extracts, amino acids, and digestive aids with dietary guidelines and lifestyle adjustments is the most complete and successful holistic treatment with Adrenal fatigue supplements.
Hair Analysis to guide the Adrenal Fatigue Supplement Program
Nutritional Balancing Supplements are a combination of nutritional supplements that I use to help people recover from Adrenal fatigue or Adrenal Burnout. These adrenal fatigue supplements are prescribed based on the results of a Hair Mineral Analysis. The minerals in the hair reveal the inner workings of your cellular metabolism and specific mineral ratios such as Sodium/Potassium can reveal what stage of Adrenal stress response you are in:
- Acute Stage
- Chronic Stage
- Exhaustion Stage
This diagnostic test takes into account many different factors that could be adversely effecting your Adrenal glands and metabolism such as heavy metals such as Copper or Mercury. These heavy metals and other toxins can be creating internal stress signals on the Adrenal Glands, which can be exhausting to your adrenal glands over time, as you are constantly producing excessive amounts of Cortisol and cortisone to help control the inflammation caused by toxic heavy metals.
Nutritional Balancing Supplements
B vitamins such as Pantothenic acid (B5), Pyridoxal-5-phosphate (B6), Niacin (B3), Folic acid (B9), and Methylcobalamin (B12) are an indispensable part of any adrenal fatigue supplement program, but when given in improper dosage or ratios for your specific metabolic type, they can worsen your condition and make you feel even worse. Zinc and Magnesium are also essential minerals in the rebuilding of the adrenals and energy producing enzymatic pathways, but without a proper balance of other nutrients, these can lower Sodium levels to such a degree that your adrenals actually shut down.
Nutritional Balancing programs are a highly individualized and precisely formulated adrenal fatigue supplement program, consisting of vitamins and minerals, amino acids, digestive aids, bovine glandular extracts and Chinese Herbal formulas that are combined in such a way to optimize cellular energy production by balancing your Sodium, Potassium, Calcium and Magnesium tissue levels which will enahance your cell permeability, mineral solubility, regulate your metabolic rate, and help stabilize the Adrenal stress response which is the underlying cause of most cases of adrenal fatigue. By relaxing the overexcited "sympathetic nervous system" we are able to get the adrenal glands to rest long enough to be able to truly utilize the nutritional support we are providing in specific dosage to your needs.
Cordyceps
Cordyceps is a type of fungus that grows on caterpillars. It grows inside of an insect, such as a caterpillar until it has completely turned the entire structure of the caterpillar into a Cordyceps mushroom.
The Cordyceps has been harvested and used as an energy tonic in China and Tibet for centuries. Cordyceps is an extremely potent energy and immune enhancing adrenal fatigue supplement which is especially useful for increasing our respiratory function and enhancing physical stamina by increasing the amount of oxygen into the blood and tissues.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Cordyceps is said to nourish the Lungs and Kidneys. Cordyceps can strongly nourish our sexual organs by increasing sperm and egg production, enhancing libido, reducing premature ejaculation and erectile dysfunction.
Cordyceps is also extremely effective treatment for low killer T-cell count and therefore strongly enhances our immunity against viral and bacterial infection. If you tend to catch colds frequently or if they hang around for a long time when you do, Cordyceps, along with Shiitake, and Reishi mushrooms may be essential to helping you regain a healthy immune system by moderating overactive immune response while boost an underactive immune system. This is called an "adaptogenic" product since it adapts to your needs.
Polyrachis Ant
Ants are extremely rich in nutrients, including significant amounts of vitamins B1, B2, B12, D and E. Ant contains more than 42% protein and provide 8 essential amino acids. It contains enzymes and other active substances. The ATP in ants can provide energy directly to the human body. Ants are rich in more than 20 trace elements such as magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, selenium, and especially zinc.
Polyrachis is extremely rich in zinc. The zinc content of Polyrachis is the highest among all known living organisms. Every gram of dried ants contains 180 mg. of zinc. This undoubtedly explains part of ant’s strong beneficial influence on sexuality, as zinc is a critical element in the human sexual function. In Japan, Zinc has been called “harmony element” because it creates harmony between couples---it is a powerful sex-improving element. These chemicals seem to have an influence on the way that zinc is utilized. Studies have shown that regular use of ant tonics can prevent and treat disorders associated with zinc deficiency, including senile cataract, night blindness, incontinence, and sexual dysfunction, including impotence, spermatorrhea and premature ejaculation in men and menorrhagia, frigidity and climacteric symptoms in women.
Ant has a bipolar (double-direction) immuno-regulatory activity. It thus fortifies a weakened immune system and modifies an overactive immune system. Ant can have a very beneficial effect on autoimmune disorders such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gouty arthritis, alkolyzing spondylitis, scleroderma, psoriasis, and some studies indicate significant tumor reducing effects when ant is consumed in therapeutic dosages. Ant has been used clinically for the following disorders in China and other Asian nations: rheumatoid and other forms of arthritis, sciatic neuralgia, hepatitis B, neurosis, insomnia, diabetes mellitus, tuberculosis, asthma, dermatomyositis, tumor, hypertension, and more.
Polyrachis vicina, Polyrachis lamellidns and other species of nutritional ant have been demonstrated to have liver protective activity by lowering the activity of SGPT, a liver enzyme (detail). It can also, to a certain degree, prevent liver cells from turning into fat. Polyrachis has been demonstrated to be very useful in the treatment of both acute and chronic hepatitis B. Recent research indicates that hepatitis B, both chronic and acute, is due to immune deficiency and that the hepatitis virus is itself opportunistic. Therefore, strengthening the immune system as a whole is essential and invaluable in treating hepatitis B. Ant serves this role very effectively because of its dual role as an immune tonic and a liver protector.
Polyrachis also has anxiolytic, anti-cough, analgesic, anti-spasmotic, anti-asthmatic, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-oncologic and anti-arthritic functions in studies done throughout Asia.
Cortisol and Adrenal Fatigue
Cortisol is a stress hormone which is produced by the adrenal medulla. Cortisol helps to raise blood sugar levels in order to provide quick energy by converting fats and proteins into glucose, which is then used by the mitochondria in the formation of ATP or cellular energy.
One of the main signs of Adrenal Fatigue is Hypoglycemia. This is because as Cortisol production declines due to adrenal insufficiency, our body's ability to stabilize blood sugar levels between meals is greatly reduced. Low Cortisol levels causes us to have intense sugar cravings to help rescue our plummeting blood sugar levels which is unable to be moderated due to a lack of the adrenal hormone Cortisol.
Cortisol levels are indicated on a Hair Analysis chart by the Potassium levels. Potassium is released from inside of cells and tissues as fats and proteins are used as fuel to stabilize blood sugar levels. The Atkins diet works by starving the blood of simple sugars so that the body has to convert the excess fat and glycogen in the Liver into glucose to provide energy, thus reducing body fat. If there is not enough Cortisol production by the adrenals, this conversion of fats and proteins to stabilize blood sugar levels will not take place.
Taking synthetic cortisone steroids can be a life saver if you are hit with an acute infection so severe, but your adrenal burnout condition is unable to produce the Cortisol required to reduce inflammation and power the autoimmune response. However, taking Costisone injections or orally can have many side effects since your adrenals literally shut down production of your own Cortisol since it is getting an outside source of that hormone. The same is true for Melatonin. If melatonin is taken for too long, the pineal gland will stop its production of your body's own natural melatonin.
By providing the nutritional basis for Adrenal hormones such as Aldosterone, Cortisol, Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, and DHEA, you help give the adrenals the tools to rebuild themselves and overcome Adrenal fatigue with natural substances such as Vitamin A, E, B vitamins, folic acid, Vitamin D, C Magnesium and Calcium in chelated form, along with trace minerals such as Selenium, Boron, and Chromium for added absorption in the intestines.
When you have Adrenal burnout, your metabolism tends to slow down, causing you to become a Slow oxidizer metabolism because the hormones that rev up sympathetic nervous system that increase the rate of energy production are now in decline. This causes the metabolic rate to slow down as is the case with Hypothyroidism which commonly accompanies Adrenal Burnout conditions. The Adrenal glands and the Thyroid gland work closely together in maintaining a healthy immune system and cellular energy production through the actions of their hormones on all of the cells in the body.
People who need Adrenal fatigue supplements got to where they are by being stuck in overdrive, or a Fast oxidizer metabolism. So when you use adrenal fatigue supplements that speed up the metabolic rate, you will be overstimulated and you will become more exhausted in the long run. Herbs and vitamins that stimulate Adrenal activity may continue to convert the very last precursor hormones such as pregnenolone and progesterone into stress hormones and catecholamines at a much quicker rate, leaving that person even more fatigued than before.
Any Adrenal Fatigue supplement program should include a "Stress Reduction" protocol to help the Adrenal glands stay restful in the parasympathetic branch, allowing nutrients and precursors to regenerate without being overused and consumed by stimulating vitamins, herbs or caffeine products.