For the first 10 years of my practice I helped people with their balanced their biome through diet, antimicrobials and other supplements.
While addressing stress is an important part of healing the gut it was much harder to start a conversation about it. People tend to either be stress deniers or exaggerators.
When people are stressed, their adrenals start working overtime (whether they repress or exaggerate their stress). Taking about stress is stressful. Because either you deny it’s there and don’t want to talk about it or a so overwhelmed that you feel like you are drowning in it and have no control. Sometimes there’s shame around it.
So instead of stressing you out about stress, let’s focus on the organ that helps our body cope with stress of all kinds, physical, mental and emotional. The adrenals.
Focusing on supporting these tiny organs can be a game changer for gut and immune health. Nursing the adrenals back to health was a big part of my health success story.
To test the state of the adrenals you can take a 4 point saliva test or the urine-based DUTCH hormone test. But all these tests tell you is that your body is indeed very stressed. I have started using the hair tissue mineral analysis test (HTMA) in my health coaching practice to not only gauge the state of the adrenals and the affects of stress on the thyroid, mitochondria and immune system, but also blood sugar balance (huge for adrenal repair) and what minerals are lacking for healthy adrenal function.
Now that I’ve been running the HTMA test on my clients, we can finally start having constructive conversations about stress. Especially because this test all points for mental and metaphysical reasons that people are so depleted (pushing too hard, feeling trapped, refusing to make changes or accept reality, etc..)
And we also know how to best support the adrenals based on the results. Mineral deficiencies of potassium, sodium and magnesium can exacerbate adrenal dysfunction and cause stress intolerance and deep burn out. And this, obviously is not a healing state. Though many people, out of desperation attempt to heal when their body can’t handle it.
This post is dedicated to understanding and caring for your adrenals. This will allow you to address the missing piece in most people’s recovery.
What are the adrenals?
The adrenals are tiny, kidney shaped organs that sit on top of the kidneys (they are located on the lower part of the back). They pump out cortisol and other hormones to help the body respond to external and internal stressors. Example of an internal stressors are inflammation or blood sugar swings.
Adrenals work hard to help us survive, but they are not mean to work all the time. They need rest and recovery.
There are three stages of adrenal distress. The first is that your cortisol is chronically elevated so you have the energy to push through. You may feel anxious, wired and like you can’t relax. When it continues it goes to stage two where you begin to lose energy. And if this continues, you crash completed into stage 3 burn out. Many of my clients are in stage 2 or 3.
It’s easy to be stressed these days. We can’t control what’s going on in the world but we feel compelled to watch the news and be informed (major stressor). We feel disconnected so we spend time on social media (major stressor). We work too hard, move too much or not enough, and spend too much time in front screens health researching, when we should be outside sticking our feeing into the earth to ground.
We use alcohol, caffeine and sugar to function. We eat inflammatory processed foods because we are too exhausted to cook. We don’t sleep enough. We overcommit, can’t say no and think we can do it all. We feel isolated or have difficult family relationships.
Because we never feel like enough, we become perfectionists or overachievers to compensate. But it never does
That’s how many of us get into adrenal trouble.
Then add unprocessed trauma and the stress of health issues to the mix and it’s clear that he adrenals should be addressed as part of any healing program.
What is burnout?
Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. When it occurs you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, foggy, unable to focus and meet demands. And you probably feel bad about yourself because of it.
In burnout, you stop enjoying the things you used to. You distract yourself with unhealthy things (carbs, scrolling, researching, over exercising). You can also experience an increasing sense of fatigue and hopelessness.
In our “push through it” culture, we deny our stress and burn out and keep compensating in unhealthy ways. Health issues are a result. The body is screaming for you to pay attention with pain and discomfort. This is not enough for most people to take pause, reflect and make big changes.
But it is enough for the lucky few, like me, who are really sensitive to physical pain and would do anything to avoid it.
Change is always hard. It is threatening. It feels unsafe. Not everyone is up for it. But if you are, if you are ready, I am going to explain how you can support your adrenals and change your life and health in the process.
If you are not in touch with your stress, I will happily help you run the HTMA test to see if hidden stressors could be driving your health issues.
How to fix the adrenals
In burnout, the adrenals are in a state of exhaustion. They need magnesium, potassium, sodium and in lesser degrees, calcium to function well.
Repairing adrenals is a mind and body effort.
For the body, working on lowering inflammation and stabilizing blood sugar (plenty of protein) will take the pressure off the adrenals. It pumps out cortisol to stabilize both.
You have to replace lost minerals. You have to get rest and sleep.
It’s also important to work with the mind. That’s why I became a hypnotherapist to help people release and rewire subconscious stressors.
Working with the mind is the hardest part but there are many ways to do it. Journaling, meditative practices, cognitive behavioral therapy, hypnosis and EFT are just a few ways. Supporting the body will help cut down emotional stress.
I am a big fan of hiring a coach to point out where in your life you’re pushing too hard when you should be letting go.
You can’t use a type A life strategy to heal the adrenals. It just doesn’t work. Learning how to put in less effort, not more is needed here.
What’s most important to know about healing the adrenals is that it is a long game. You need to go slow. You can’t hurry the healing process.
Working to change stressful habits is the name of the game. Perfectionism must take a back seat.
Step 1: assess the level of burnout
Measure how burned out you are. This sets a baseline, grounded in reality instead of perception. And gives a concrete way to track progress.
Step 2: slow down and take stock stressors.
What are the mental or physical stressors that trigger cortisol release? Obsession with exercise, productivity, food fear? Repressed resentment, anger or guilt? Feeling disconnected and misunderstood? Fear of missing out? Self loathing? Lack of trust or hope? Can’t give up booze or coffee or sugar? Lack of sleep?
Once you list your stressors you can address them slowly, one by one. Going slow is the key, making insignificantly small steps that move us closer to regulation and vitality. This helps with overwhelm.
Awareness of what’s going on with you the foundation of any successful healing process.
More adrenal tips
When looking at the list below, remember you don’t have to do it all or all at once to heal. These are just to raise awareness of where you should focus you effort.
1. Balance blood sugar and lower inflammation with diet. Eat regular meals. A mix of protein, healthy fats and a bit of carbs. Eat at the same time every day.
The rule of thumb for carbs is: a golfball size portion at breakfast, two golf balls at lunch and three golf balls at dinner to help you sleep. Carbs can be potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, rice or well cooked beans. Ditch processed foods with seed oils and unpronounceable ingredients. Eat real food, three square meals a day and minimize snacking if you are not hypoglycemic. To figure out what foods inflame you. Take them out for a minimum of three weeks and add each food in one at a time to feel the effects.
2. Switch coffee to green tea. Matcha is my favorite powdered green tea. Green tea still has a bit of caffeine but must less and it is balanced with l-theanine to help you feel calmer. Green tea is good for the liver, kills bacteria and is full of polyphenols that feeds the biome. Coffee is hard to give up so replace it with matcha instead, which doesn’t contribute to a big cortisol spike like coffee does.
3. Give your body the vitamins minerals it needs to function on cellular level. Potassium, sodium and magnesium are key nutrients. Vitamin C is another key nutrient. Here’s a post I wrote about foods that contain these essential minerals, including a homemade potassium broth. And here is a link to a homemade Adrenal cocktail. Using magnesium lotions or epsom salt baths can bypass the digestive system for higher absorption.
Also avoid foods that bind to minerals, like grains. And don’t take binders like charcoal, with meals because they binds to and remove minerals along with toxins.
4. Slow your roll. Take three to four 15 minute breaks during the day where you lay down or go outside for a short walk. Or just sit and drink tea. This could also be a time to journal about what stressed you during the day to raise awareness of triggers. Alternatively, you could do 4 to 5 body checks during the day. Stop to notice your breathing (shallow or deep?) and posture (where are your shoulders?), how tight your muscles feel? Take a few deep breaths before you resume your day. Simply checking in will help your body regulate and balance.
5. Choose gentle movement over intense exercise. Pilates, yoga, gentle rebounding or bike rides, stretching and walking are great ways to move the body without releasing cortisol. Cardio or HIIT may not be your friend right now.
6. Do something you enjoy. Time outside. A talk with a friend. A bike ride. A book. A bath. A walk with animals or children. Journaling. Crafts. Napping. Take your mind off your health and notice the effect of “unproductive” pleasure on your body. It may not feel good at first. This is interesting. But your body will get used to it. Be careful with movies or TV shows, many cause nervous system activation if there’s suspense or drama. Same applies to with scrolling on your phone, it may feel relaxing but it may be depleting.
7. Get to bed by 10. The quality of sleep you get before midnight is deeply restorative. Set a bedtime routine to give your body a routine. If you have trouble sleeping, listen to a yoga nidra or hypnosis sleep recording. If you are on your phone or computer late, wear blue light blocking glasses. Going outside to get sunshine within an hour of waking and getting activity during the day helps regulate sleep.
8. Addressing stress or anxiety is a complicated topic. The root of some stressors can go deep and may require somatic work, nervous system regulation or trauma therapy. Stress and anxiety often have physical roots, so supporting the body and working with subconscious mind will have huge benefits.
If you are in overwhelm or burned out, start out with rest and diet. Stay consistent with those two things and add some pleasurable activities to your life. Stay aware of your tendency to push too hard, micromanage or do too much.
9. Herbs that help. Adaptogens (ashwaghadnda, rhodiola and Siberian ginseng), B vitamins and medicinal mushrooms (chaga, reishi, cordyceps, lion’s main) support adrenal recovery. They can’t substitute for rest and diet but can help you feel better faster if you are doing all the other things. My favorite combo product is called Daily Stress Formula by Pure Encapsulation. You can put an organic mushroom powder to put in your tea. 4 sigmatic is a popular brand.
If you feel frozen and overwhelmed know that this is a natural response to burn out. Go slow and get help. Having someone to guide you and design a step by step program can help cut through overwhelm.
I can’t emphasize enough the importance of support. It has a physiological effect on our nervous system and can lower inflammation.
I am taking new clients and work with people body and mind, using the HTMA, subconscious reprogramming and nervous system work right here.