Slower Loser Tip #3 - Adrenal/Kidney
exhaustion...reduce that STRESS
The adrenals are our vital energy
regulators. These very important little
"hats" on the kidneys are the glands
primarily responsible for the stress
response in the body. If we are under
constant stress these little glands will
eventually become exhausted and will no
longer provide us the energy we need for
every day tasks. When this happens the
body will store all the calories we eat
because it has no way to get enough
energy to keep the body moving any other
way. Dr. Chad often will start with
Adrenal issues when he is looking for
reasons why a client may be struggling
with or have an excess of weight. One
major reason for this is because the
cortisol that has been primarily blamed
for excess belly fat is largely produced
in the adrenal glands. If cortisol is
constantly circulating through the body
it will eventually cause this belly fat
to accumulate and stick around!
A tell tale sign of adrenal
exhaustion is the inability to lose
weight as well as a constant state of
tiredness. While we often start with the
Thyroid in this situation, it has been
shown in many research studies that the
thyroid issue is actually a RESULT of
adrenal exhaustion because of the
hormonal imbalance. The bags under the
eyes that we are all familiar with
actually DO show adrenal distress, not
just after a night of no sleep, but if
you just CAN'T get rid of those bags or
dark circles, this is a sign that you
may have an issue that is ongoing.
Severe cases will have vertigo and if
you encounter this with no other
explanation, look at lifestyle and
supplementation support immediately. I
have had clients over the years
experience this issue and once it has
gotten this severe it can be a LONG road
to get back but if not caught early, one
nearly went into cardiac arrest because
her hormonal balance was so off.
Luckily taking care of our adrenals
can be simple although not easy as we
have to change our lifestyles to best
accomplish this. Stress reduction is the
major key! Of course this is MUCH easier
said than actually done, but a couple
helpful hints include, daily meditation
or visualization for 10-20 minutes. This
is the ideal, but I have found even a
THREE MINUTE stop in my day, especially
when I feel stressed, putting my hand
over my heart so I can feel my chest
rise and fall as I breath and either
visualizing a calming image or saying an
affirmation of my choosing is a HUGE
help. Another quick tip is to carry
something that always makes you laugh
with you, I have SEVERAL comics
scattered on my walls around my desk to
give me something to look at and always
make me laugh or smile and relieve
stress. Getting at least 15-30 minutes
of natural light each day also makes a
huge difference, florescent lighting
depletes our bodies of nutrition and
increases stress levels. My EASY way to
do this is ride around with my moon roof
open but find your own best way to get
REAL sun light on your body every day.
Exercise of course also helps reduce
stress and increases production of
endorphins in the body which counters
the effects of adrenaline and cortisol,
isn't it great to have something like
T-Tapp where we only have to do it
15-minutes to get such great benefits?!
Getting more sleep will also really
balance out those adrenal glands, but if
you are like me and that seems like a
near impossibility, remember you can get
more QUALITY sleep with a couple simple
changes, reduce caffeine, sugar and
alcohol intake, at all times, but
especially before bed. Make your bedroom
as dark as possible or wear a sleep mask
and if you are sensitive to noise in
particular, you can get a sleep CD that
plays soothing sounds and music to help
your body adjust better to sleep. I also
enjoy my diffuser to help send soothing
and calming scents into the air such as
lavender, chamomile, jasmine and more.
You can wear essential oils, especially
over the adrenals (at the bottom of the
back of your rib cage) directly on your
skin (use a natural carrier oil if
necessary.) Oils recommended are
lavender, chamomile, clove, nutmeg and
rosemary. However you DO have to be
aware of any allergies you may have,
chamomile seems to be more prevalent
than people thing which is why I prefer
diffusion of any over topical use unless
it's a severe case! And keep in mind if
you are doing homeopathics that
essential oils and homeopathics can
cancel each other out. For overall
stress and ESPECIALLY traumatic events
like yesterday when a car spun out of
control in front of me on 270 and we
both managed to stop 3 feet from and
LOOKING at each other Bach Rescue remedy
is an amazingly powerful stress reducing
product! It was the only thing that
could get me to stop shaking even though
I was perfectly fine. Available at your
local health food store or on line
through www.shoptoearth.net/hbkiona at
Vitamin world or Vitamin Shoppe
(currently almost HALF OFF.) And easy
breezy way to support the adrenals is
with extra Vitamin C research has shown
that higher doses of this vitamin good
for colds and everything else has been
shown to lower cortisol and the current
recommendation is approximately 1000 mg
per day which one packet of my personal
favorite Emergen C provides and can also
be found through www.shoptoearth.net/hbkiona
at Vitamin world or Vitamin Shoppe
(currently almost HALF OFF.) Dr Chad has
a supplement that is amazing for helping
support adrenals, it has some herbal
components to it such as ginseng which
is a wonderful support but should not be
taken for more than 6 weeks because in
women it has been shown to reduce the
diameter of blood vessels especially
those going to the heart which can cause
heart issues. Our resident HomeE Raquel
Rosas has a Long Term Adrenal
homeopathic supplement that can be used
and gives you a balanced energy for
about 15 hours, both supplements should
be taken in the morning and NOT late in
the day so that you can get proper rest.
And one last tip that may seem to be a
bit of an indulgence but again has been
shown in clinic research to not just
relax you NOW, but have long lasting
effects at dropping cortisol levels and
that is a massage. And I can definitely
testify that a massage with my good
friend and our fellow Towson Classmate
Amanda Parr has a LONG standing relaxing
effect!
Because these glands are literally
the HATS on the Kidneys supporting the
kidneys is also vital to their health.
In fact the adrenal glands produce a
hormone that help maintain blood
pressure by supervising the fluid flow
from the kidneys. The easiest way to do
this is to make sure the kidneys are
functioning well, and get good
filtering. Some easy steps to take are
drinking NON-sweetened cranberry juice
which is VERY tart but helps cleanse the
kidneys and reduce crystals formed in
them or along the urinary tract. The
alfalfa from T-Tapp because it helps the
body released stored excess water weight
by balancing out the protein/carb ratio
in our bodies is also beneficial to the
kidneys and will not throw off the other
balance in the body because it is cold
pressed and therefore will not cause
weight gain like heated alfalfa with no
enzymes can do.
So take GOOD care of those little
powerhouse glands and you will notice a
BIG difference in your weight loss
efforts. I know I struggled for years
even T-Tapping until I really learned
how to take it easy on my poor adrenals
and let myself rest. The body will just
keep holding on if you don't.
