Adrenal exhaustion is often the result of prolonged levels of mental, emotional or physical stress. Danielle Perrault, RHN, says in her book "Nutritional Symptomatology" that stress leads to the 'fight or flight' response in your body, which causes the release of adrenocorticoid hormones into the blood stream. The repeated demand on the adrenals to release the adrenal hormones eventually results in adrenal exhaustion.
Don't Mask the Symptoms
There are a wide range of adrenal exhaustion symptoms; they include fatigue, insomnia, depression, irritability, heart disease, PMS, menopausal symptoms, digestive disturbances, food cravings, dizziness, allergies, muscle weakness and lowered immunity. Unfortunately, many people turn to caffeine, sugar or nicotine to mask their symptoms, but these substances only stress the adrenal glands further. If you suspect that you are suffering from adrenal exhaustion, modify your diet and consult with your healthcare practitioner before starting any new supplement regime.
The Dietary Basics
Perrault says that the best diet for supporting the adrenals includes a wholesome diet of natural, unprocessed foods, and the avoidance of sugars and sweets. You should also avoid alcohol, caffeine and tobacco says Phyllis Balch in her book "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," because they are highly toxic to the adrenal glands. Balch recommends staying away from fats, fried foods, pork, ham, red meat and all highly processed foods, including soda and white flour.
The Best Adrenal Supporting Foods
In order to support your adrenals, you should consume plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, especially the green leafy ones says Balch. She also recommends eating a lot of garlic, onions and shitake mushrooms, because they contain germanium, which is a powerful immune stimulant.
Additional Helpful Foods
Deep water ocean fish such as salmon and tuna are helpful, and should be eaten three times a week. Fredacare explains that fish are not only high in omega 3s, but also in potassium, vitamin B and many healthy minerals, all of which are beneficial nutrients to the adrenals. Other good dietary additions include brewer's yeast, brown rice, legumes, nuts, olive and safflower oils, wheat germ, whole grains and seeds.
Glandular Adrenal Supplement
Dr. Elson Hass recommends in his book "Staying Healthy with Nutrition" taking 50 to 100 mg of a freeze-dried glandular adrenal supplement, twice daily. Protein derived from this supplement will help to rebuild and repair your adrenal glands, explains Balch.
Pantothenic Acid, Vitamins C and B-Complex
Alive recommends taking 500 mg of pantothenic acid and vitamin C, 4 times a day. Balch explains that pantothenic acid and vitamin C are vital for the proper functioning of the adrenals. A B-complex supplement, which contains all of the B vitamins, may be helpful. Haas states that the B-complex supplement may help to reduce stress, anxiety and fatigue, and it will thereby reduce the burden on the adrenals.
References
- "Nutritional Symptomatology"; Danielle Perrault; 2007
- "Staying Healthy with Nutrition"; Elson M. Hass, MD; 2006
- "Prescription for Nutritional Healing, 3rd edition"; Phyllis Balch and James Balch, MD; 2003
- Alive: Avoiding Adrenal Exhaustion
- Fredacare: Nutritional Imbalance: Adrenal System
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