part 2 Adrenal Fatigue ENGLISH VERSION. Suggested diet and treatment

Suggested diet and treatment for adrenal fatigue Part 2 of 2

The diet should be free of sugar, white flour, caffeine, refined carbohydrates, alcohol, hardened fats, soft drinks and other junk food.

It should be organic and include three meals or five smaller meals a day filled with an abundance of nutritious foods such as fresh vegetables and fruits, nuts, seeds and healthy oils such as walnut oil and olive oil.

A diet for adrenal fatigue should be high in meat protein such as chicken, turkey, beef, or other meat such as pheasant, duck and ostrich. Eggs are also good.

Furthermore, the diet should contain lots of water, which is preferably filtered and free of chlorine, fluoride and other impurities.

Some people find it beneficial to take 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a glass of water upon wakening, unless you have high blood pressure. This helps those who have a low level of aldosterone. If you have a worsening of the symptoms when you try this technique, then you should stop.

Avoid eating fruit on an empty stomach. Eat protein and possibly a little healthy fat at the same time (this causes the fruit sugar to be absorbed more slowly). Try to stick to fruits that have less sugar, such as raspberries, blueberries, black berries, strawberries, apples, pears, plums and kiwi. Avoid fruit juices.

Salt your food to taste, but use sea salt or other real mineral salts.

Complex carbohydrates should also be limited, as they are rapidly broken down into sugar in the body and can therefore cause damage, as previously explained.

The best adrenal fatigue diet is a slightly modified version of the paleolithic diet, which contains a generous amount of meat protein and healthy fats, lots of low carbohydrate vegetables with a small amount of fruit, nuts and seeds. 

Corn, beans and potatoes should be completely restricted or avoided. This will help to provide a fine even amount of energy throughout the day and provide the body with the types of different foods it is intended to eat. This will nourish the adrenal glands and keep them more balanced and not over stimulated.

Adrenal fatigue treatment may consist of providing support through various lifestyle changes, diets, dietary supplements, glandular extracts and adrenal hormone therapy.

But the steps you take to recover will depend on the phase of adrenal fatigue you are in, and how your body reacts. Again, it is really important to seek guidance from a knowledgeable healthcare practitioner who has expertise in adrenal fatigue treatment, and who is also knowledgeable about the advanced stages of adrenal fatigue.

For a person who is suffering from adrenal fatigue, it is very important that the right steps are taken in the right order, and not to hurry.

The dosage of nutrients must be right for each individuals body, and some herbs and/or nutrients that stimulate the glands might only make matters worse. 

The plan and treatment that works will be unique to each person depending on their particular situation.

For example, someone who is at an early stage may notice that gland extracts can be very beneficial, but someone who is already in the adrenal fatigue phase is likely to have worsening symptoms from glandular extracts. 

For example, people in the early stages will need a different dose of vitamin C and Pantethine (form of B5 vitamin) than a person with advanced adrenal fatigue. 

Someone in the earlier stages can benefit from i.e. liquorice root, while the person in exhaustion will be more incapacitated by this.

Reduce unnecessary stress and rest as much as possible. This is the crucial first step.

No caffeine

No alcohol or drugs - alcohol is a very refined sugar.

No sugar, white flour or refined foods.

Get regular exercise - easy going (!).

Exercise that is too demanding, extreme or strenuous will put too much stress on the adrenal glands and break them down. However, easy training can help them work better.

Make sure you get enough sleep and go to bed no later than eleven o'clock, the adrenal glands (and some other organs) make the majority of their "repair work" between 10pm and 1am (according to Chinese medicine principles)...

Use stress-relieving and relaxing activities regularly such as meditation, deep-breathing exercises, soothing music, writing, going out in nature, art or any other outlet for creativity and relaxation.

Add 1/8 to 1/4 of a teaspoon of sea salt to your drinking water - not if you have high blood pressure or experience negative symptoms.

Cortisol - A therapeutic dose of natural hydrocortisone (Not Prednisone) is often used as a treatment to support the adrenal glands and give some relief from fatigue, but it acts only as a temporary band-aid. The adrenal glands have to be nourished back to health.

You can do a saliva test (ex. ZRT labs / USA) to measure your cortisol levels, morning, noon, afternoon and evening. Then, depending on what your results are, cortisol can be supplemented accordingly. Usually only physiological doses of 5 or 10 mg of cortisol, administered for each time slot indicating low cortisol production (according to saliva lab test). 

Low, therapeutic doses, of natural hydrocortisone, do not have the adverse health effects of other cortisone products such as Prednisone. 

Repeating- it is important to be aware that supplemental cortisol does not heal the glands, it acts as a band-aid, and the adrenal glands can continue to deteriorate if not nursed back to life.

Dietary Supplements, Herbs and Glandular Extracts - There are many dietary supplements and herbs that are used. It will vary among healthcare practitioners and with each individual. 

The two most important nutrients for someone with adrenal fatigue or adrenal fatigue are vitamin C and pantethine. Pantethine is the more readily absorbed form of pantothenic acid (B5). Others may include B vitamins complex, D-ribose, licorice root, siberian ginseng, rhodiola rosea, adrenal glandular extract, magnesium, chromium and glutamine.

It is important to note that although d-ribose is considered to be one of the most beneficial nutrients for someone with adrenal fatigue, though for some people suffering with Candida (fungus) over growth it may be contraindicated . You may find that some of the adrenal fatigue specialists will argue that d-ribose will not worsen candida, but that is not necessarily true.

In theory it should not happen, but what happens in real life is often different than in theory.  

Rehabilitation of the limbic system - and restoring the balance of the autonomic nervous system, so that the adrenal glands are not constantly forced to work, is the most important component of recovery.

Another very important point to consider is that the treatment protocol for all adrenal fatigue should be individualized, based on the unique needs of each person. What works for one person can be harmful to another. It is always recommended that you work closely with a knowledgeable person who can help you determine which measures are best for you, and find the right balance of nutrients and supplements needed for your biochemistry. 

The worse off you are, the more important this is.

The road to recovery is usually not a fast, nor a straight road, it takes time and commitment. The road is usually lined with a lot of setbacks, and progress is a slow process. This is especially true if you are in the adrenal fatigue phase. The recovery must include addressing and creating a hormonal balance and also addressing any imbalance of the thyroid gland.

Do you have adrenal fatigue?

This is one fairly accurate way to test for (advanced) adrenal fatigue:  

Take your blood pressure(or have someone take it for you) lying down, and write down the numbers. Hold the cuff around the arm and stand up. Take your blood pressure again immediately after standing. In a healthy person, the blood pressure will rise as they stand. In a person with adrenal fatigue, the blood pressure will fall when they stand up.

However, the most common method, that I am aware of, is the cortisol saliva test. Blood samples are not reliable because they also show "bound cortisol" while the saliva test shows what is unbound and circulating (biologically active), which is what we need to know. Many people show a normal blood test, but lower than normal in saliva testing.

Saliva testing can be done very easily with a simple home test kit. You collect your saliva, according to the instructions and send it back to the lab and they return your results. I use ZRT labs.

Hormones and neurotransmitters

The adrenal glands work with hormones and neurotransmitters. When there is depletion or failure in one of these areas, there are usually problems in other areas, so it is recommended to evaluate these levels as well. The adrenal glands need balanced hormones and neurotransmitters to function properly and the neurotransmitters are also affected by hormone levels and adrenal glands. It is a mutual relationship and in order to restore the balance, all must be remedied.

I have written about other hormones in my original blog from 2013 and I will slowly get to the english translation - soon.

Best Regards and A Happy Healthy New Year!

Barbro Kravetz

Bachelor of Science in Natural Health