Slower Loser Survival Guide (Post 4 of 4) 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.

Check out lots of the products I mentioned in this article HERE and shop for EVERYTHING you need on line!
And coming next month for Tip #4 Getting that Lymph system MOVING
The lymphatic movements in the T-Tapp workout are part of the reason why it is so effective so quickly. But if it’s NOT effective for you, what else could be going on with your lymph system and what can you DO about it. We’ll talk about other supportive therapies and things you can do to make sure your lymph is REALLY moving!