Burnt out? Tired? Try this simple remedy!

“I want you to be happy…to laugh, smile and rejoice in order that others may be made happy by you.” ~Abdu’l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 218

It is hard to be happy, to laugh and smile and even bring joy to others when you are exhausted and tired. So let’s change that. Let’s get you energized, so you feel happy, less anxious, and less stressed.

If you are experiencing a low sex drive, having low blood sugar episodes when you skip a meal, sleeping pourly or need a nap in the afternoon, you may be suffering from burn-out or adrenal fatigue.

Adrenal fatigue a common condition for all age groups

Burn-out, or adrenal exhaustion, is one of the most common conditions among all age groups in our society today. Being exposed to multiple stimuli, having too much to attend to, and needing to upload a magnitude of information daily, most of us feel overwhelmed and exhausted, and at times, just want to shut down. And, it doesn’t matter how old you are….children, teens, and adults are all impacted.

At some point, we each experience burnt-out. In fact, some infants enter this world already feeling the adrenal fatigue symptoms because they were born to mothers who were burnt-out during their pregnancies. These infants continue to experience adrenal fatigue throughout their childhood years and adolescence, often get misdiagnosed and are prescribed anti-depressants or anti-anxiety pills, or Adderall for their symptoms–instead of addressing the root cause of their issues, which is adrenal fatigue.

Adrenals are key to regulate stress and hormones

Your adrenals are a pair of small pyramid-shaped glands sitting above each kidney. They are responsible for your salt balance (regulating blood pressure and sodium/potassium levels), sugar regulation, and stress/sex hormones. Because your adrenals have a direct nerve connection to your brain, when you are feeling physically or emotionally stressed or aroused, signals are sent directly from the brain to the adrenals to release their hormones to deal with the situation, e.g. to increase your sex hormones, or to elevate your blood pressure. Chronic stress or repetitive acute stress depletes the adrenals of its reserves and its ability to regulate your stress, sex, salt and sugar levels. It all leads to fatigue, low libido, blood sugar dysregulation (blood sugar drops such as hypoglycemia or high blood sugar), and/or edema (lack of sodium/potassium balance).

Symptoms of adrenal fatigue

If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you may be experiencing adrenal fatigue:

• Low libido
• Difficulty waking or tired in the morning
• Tired in the afternoon or after lunch
• Blood sugar drops when you skip a meal ( including feeling shaky, sweaty, fatigue if you are late for a meal)
• Ankle edema or generalized edema
• Dry skin
• Exercise intolerance
• Short-tempered and impatient or depressed or anxious
• Sleep disturbances or sleeping too much
• Digestive concerns such as IBS or abdominal pain
• Changes in menstruation
• Low blood pressure or high blood pressure
• Sugar or food cravings
• Brain fog and memory concerns
• Recurrent infections or colds
• Palpitations
• Feeling stressed all the time
• Dizziness or lightheadedness especially with a position change
• Difficulty concentrating

How do we test for adrenal fatigue?

Testing for adrenal fatigue is simple. A saliva test collected over a 12-hour period or simpler yet, a urine test collected on a filter paper several times over a 12 hour period, gives us in-depth information as to what your adrenal glands may be doing. The sodium-potassium ratio in your basic blood test can also give us hints as can your other symptoms.

Once you are diagnosed with a stage of adrenal fatigue, because there are different stages of adrenal burn-out and exhaustion, then we look for the causative agents. Heavy metal toxicity, emotional or mental stress, aging, excess caffeine or addictive or stressful lifestyles, inappropriate diet, or chronic infections are often at the root of adrenal fatigue.

If you are experiencing adrenal fatigue, you may need to be prescribed specific nutrients, herbs, IV nutrition therapies, exercises, diet and lifestyle habits, and emotional clearing to correct and restore your adrenals to get you on the road to feeling your old self again.

Adrenal fatigue: A simple remedy lives in your cupboard…Salt!

In the meantime, if you are feeling tired and burnt-out, try this simple home remedy. Take 1/2-1 teaspoon of trace mineral salt or Himalayan salt dissolved in 1/2-1 cup of warm filtered water. Drink this first thing in the morning and again in the afternoon. Initially, you may experience loose stools for a few days but then as your system normalizes you may start feeling more stamina. The minerals in the salt provide nutrients for your adrenal glands, and help to revitalize them.

Also, make sure you avoid sugar, fruit juice and sodas, alcohol, and caffeine. Eat small frequent meals throughout the day. Get a regular 7-8 hours of sleep and take a 20-minute power nap in the afternoon if you can with your legs elevated.

I want you to be happy, to smile and to bring joy to others. Therefore, get your adrenals checked and rebooted so you can achieve your potential. You deserve it.

Concerned that you might be experiencing adrenal fatigue? I invite you to contact Holistique and schedule an appointment.