Improve Digestion With Adrenal Fatigue

So most likely if you’re suffering from adrenal fatigue you have experienced poor digestion at one time or another. Maybe you've even had to give up certain foods because you have developed food sensitivities or allergies? That was me just a few years ago. And if you have poor digestion you know how uncomfortable it can be. And to make matters worse, poor digestion can have many other side effects like toxic buildup, poor gut health and poor nutrient absorption, so it’s not something you want to ignore. I will be sharing 5 simple ways to improve digestion with adrenal fatigue. So, lets dive in!

1. Chew slowly and chew well!

So simple right? You might not know this but the process of digestion starts right away in the mouth. An enzyme, amylase in saliva helps the initial digestion of foods, particularly starches.

2. Add Glycosaminoglycans

Glycosaminoglycans are found in things like bone broth and gelatin. They help build healthy nutrients for the gut.

3. Eating Fermented Foods Regularly & Consider a High-Quality Probiotic

Fermented foods include natural probiotics. Probiotics are good bacteria you need in your digestive tract in order to properly digest your food and help with nutrient absorption.

If you’re like me and grew up taking antibiotics, that kill beneficial bacteria in the gut, most likely you lack these beneficial bacteria critical for proper digestion. Of course antibiotics have their place, but it just means we need to be proactive about adding the good bacteria back in. We recommend taking a high quality probiotic at least 2-3x/week.

4. Add in Resistant Starches

Resistant starches are a type of dietary fiber naturally found in many carbohydrate-rich foods such as potatoes, grains and beans.  Resistant starches increase your body's ability to burn fat, fills you up and reduces overall hunger. Its health benefits are truly impressive as well. Studies show it improves blood sugar control, boosts immunity, and may even reduce your risk of cancer.

5. Drink Warm Lemon Water or Apple Cider Vinegar Before Meals

Lemon juice is similar to the digestive juices found in the stomach. When you drink lemon juice the liver produces bile, which helps food move through your gastrointestinal tract easily.

Apple cider vinegar is loaded with raw enzymes and gut-friendly bacteria we just talked about that promote gut health and healing.

So I’ve just given you 5 simple ways to improve digestion with adrenal fatigue.

Now I would love to hear from you in the comments below. What is your burning question? Or what has been the most helpful way you’ve improved your digestion? This is a healing community and your comments could be just what someone else needs to hear. So please take a moment to drop us a line below.

Love, 

Dr. Holly German

For more great health tips check out: https://www.positivehealthwellness.com/

Treat Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue with Magnesium

Whether you’re here because you’ve heard about the importance of magnesium with adrenal fatigue, but you’re not sure why or how to use it. Or maybe you’ve taken magnesium and it didn’t help with your insomnia or other symptoms as promised and you're trying to get more information. Don’t completely rule out magnesium for treating your symptoms of adrenal fatigue just yet. Even if magnesium didn’t help with your insomnia it doesn’t mean you still couldn’t benefit a great deal from this amazing mineral. Today, we are answering 5 important questions about magnesium.

The truth is studies show 50% of Americans are deficient in magnesium.
Magnesium deficiency is not something to ignore since it contributes to many health problems and diseases such as heart disease, stroke, adrenal fatigue, diabetes, fibromyalgia and infertility. Also, it is important to consider that maybe the reason you didn’t notice any benefits was because you weren’t able to properly absorb the magnesium. Absorption of magnesium is an issue and I will address a solution in a minute.

This mineral is powerful, so powerful that hospitals use it regularly for life-threatening and emergency situations like seizures and heart failure. It’s so important that it is a critical “medication” on the crash cart.

Watch this video or continue reading.

WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U97y6P1gjx4

1. Why are 50% of Americans deficient in magnesium?

Even though the RDA requirement for magnesium is only 300 mg a day, some doctors believe this requirement is low.

Most people would benefit from 400 -1000 mg a day. It is said that the average person gets less than 200 mg a day. Why is our magnesium intake so low? First, the American diet is made up of highly processed foods and foods high in white flour, dairy and meat. Each of these common foods have no magnesium.

Second, magnesium is often poorly absorbed and easily lost from our bodies. Sometimes our bodies are able to absorb certain forms of magnesium easier than others, so it’s important to try several forms before ruling it out.

To further complicate the issue, magnesium levels decrease with excess coffee, alcohol, soda, stress, diarrhea, antibiotics, and medications to treat acid reflux, which are common substances we consume in this culture.

Also, to properly absorb magnesium we need quite a bit of magnesium in our diet, plus enough vitamin B6, vitamin D, and selenium to work with in order for us to properly absorb magnesium. 

2. How to tell if you’re deficient?

Do you have difficulty falling asleep? Do you wake up easily?

Do you get cramps or stiffness regularly?

Do you find fluids pass through you easily?

Do you often have cold hands and feet?

Do you get muscle twitches?

If you answered “yes” to most of these statements, chances are you aren’t getting enough magnesium in your diet.

Common symptoms of mineral deficiency are anxiety, adrenal fatigue, acid reflex, infertility, high blood pressure, constipation, migraines, IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), inflammation and insomnia.

3. Why is magnesium so important particularly for adrenal fatigue sufferers?

Magnesium is important in order to achieve optimal health for anyone, but particularly important for those suffering from adrenal fatigue. Here’s why… Stress is a common issue for adrenal fatigue sufferers, right? It’s the root cause of adrenal fatigue, whether we are talking about physical stress, emotional stress, chemical stress or mental stress. Stress causes the adrenals to become fatigued and work less optimally, making it harder for you to handle more stress.

As adrenal fatigue sufferers, we need all the help we can get to counteract the chemical effects that stress has on our bodies, particularly our adrenals. This is where Magnesium comes in.

Magnesium is a relaxing mineral that allows the chemicals in our bodies to come back into balance after the hormone surge of the stress response. The flood of hormones created by the stress response is great for survival but is only meant to be short term. Magnesium can help the body, particularly the muscles relax and heal after the stress response.

Stress isn’t the only thing magnesium is good for. According to Dr. Hyman “This critical mineral is actually responsible for over 300 enzyme reactions and is found in all of your tissues — but mainly in your bones, muscles, and brain. You must have it for your cells to make energy, for many different chemical pumps to work, to stabilize membranes, and to help muscles relax”. We all know that having enough energy to get through the day is one of the top symptoms of adrenal fatigue.

4. Why in theory magnesium can help improve your sleep.

There are receptors in the brain and nervous system called GABA receptors. The GABA receptors are neurotransmitters that the brain needs to switch “off”. And guess what mineral allows these GABA receptors to function properly? You guessed it, magnesium. If we don’t switch our brains to “off” then we remain tense and our thoughts race, keeping us up at night staring at the ceiling. Sound familiar?

I just shared with you why you should consider using magnesium to treat your symptoms of adrenal fatigue. Now we want to help you incorporate this important mineral easily into your diet.

5. How do I use magnesium effectively?

Discover how to use magnesium effectively in our Magnesium InfoSheet. All you have to do is enter you name and email below and we will send the infosheet right to your inbox. The infosheet includes a list of magnesium-rich foods and magnesium supplement recommendations from our team of specialists.

Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Have you used magnesium? What did you notice? And what has been the most helpful piece of information shared here? This is a healing community and your comments could be just what someone else needs to hear. So take a moment to drop us a line below.

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How Adrenal Fatigue Changed My Life

My struggle with adrenal fatigue was a big wake up call for me, one that I needed so desperately. Adrenal fatigue saved me from the mediocre and unconscious life I was living. By saying this, I don’t mean to undermine the struggle that you are going through right now; because, I get it. It sucks! I remember the sleepless nights, the debilitating exhaustion, the fear that I wouldn’t get better, the digestion issues, the food sensitivities, the mood swings, the dry skin, not being able to eat anything but vegetables, having to pee every 20 minutes…

But I also know my suffering was a true awakening for me. Without this illness I would not have gotten so low and hit rock bottom. It was hitting rock bottom that really made it clear that I had two choices; I could let this condition take over my body and my life or I could choose to keep fighting and believe in my healing.

WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApRsP8F19g0

I didn’t exactly like life I was leading before adrenal fatigue or the person I was becoming.

Let me give you a glimpse of my old life. Ever since I can remember I loved getting things done. I loved accomplishing things and as a result I learned at an early age to never slowed down. I started working when I was 14 and never stopped. I was putting myself through college working 2 jobs with a full load of classes. When I wasn’t working or going to school I was filling my time with working out, trying to finish my to-do list, trying to do everything and be everywhere. This incessant doing followed me into adulthood and I continued this same pattern. I would never take time out for lunch breaks, self-care and always chose to fill my free time with busy-ness.

I know now that me, my A-type personality and addiction to incessant doing is what got me sick in the first place. And all the things I was doing to be “happy” wasn’t making me happy at all infact, I was miserable. Even when I was doing something I should “enjoy”, I was constantly focused on the next thing really missing out on being in the moment and being “in joy”. I didn’t want to keep living that existence.

So once I was diagnosed with adrenal fatigue, it all started to make sense. The root cause of my condition was my chronic stress and addictive to incessant doing. It made me really stop and think about the choices I had made. I realized that if I kept on living like this, I would miss out on my life completely. Does this sound familiar? If so, I want to give you a great tool that helped me break the vicious cycle of busyness so I could finally LIVE more and heal my adrenals for good.

I didn’t get this realization overnight, but it was a process.

I started to work with a spiritual mentor. With her guidance, I started incorporating a simple gratitude exercise which little did I know at the time was going to transform my life.

Every night before bed I would write down 3 things I was grateful for from the day. It didn’t take long for me to recognize that this simple practice was not only changing my perspective, but had a positive impact on my body’s ability to heal as well. This practice quickly started to trickle into more of my day. I started to think about gratitude more often, not just at night.

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I began to recognize in the moment when something magical happened, even something really small and felt grateful. Also, with this shift in perspective, I started to notice I had more energy throughout the day. I started to look at life through a more positive and healthy lens.

So for me it was such an important lesson in life, that my health crisis was an opportunity for me to make a have more awareness, fill my life with gratitude and that all I needed to do was choose healing and happiness. I chose to believe in my healing and trust my process and my body.

So now you know my story and how adrenal fatigue changes my life -  for the better.

Now we'd love to hear from you in the comments below. How has your struggle with adrenal fatigue shaped your life? What are the biggest lessons you have learned? You are part of our healing community and your comments could be just what someone else needs to hear. So take a moment to drop us a line below.

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Treating Adrenal Fatigue Naturally with Meditation

What if I told you there was something you could do for just a few minutes every day that is proven to decrease your stress and anxiety, reduce pain, cure insomnia and boost your energy. Would you do it? I’m talking about meditation. And in this blog, I'm going to tell you exactly how meditation works for treating adrenal fatigue naturally. Why is only 8% of the population meditating despite all the great research of its health benefits?

WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gPLrnnEaEc 

When I mention meditation to my clients they say “I can’t meditate, I have a hard time sitting still” And to be honest, I felt the same way and for years I was trying to meditate like a monk. Then I realized I was doing it all “wrong”. Mediation is fairly new to the western world so no wonder there is some misconceptions out there. Well, I want to help set the record straight because these myths are causing most people to give up after the first try.

We are going to debunk 4 myths about meditation and give you 5 easy steps to start meditating right away, even if you’re never meditated before.

Now let me explain how meditation is effective in treating adrenal fatigue naturally.

#1 Meditation Decreases Stress and Anxiety

When we are anxious our minds constantly race. Most often we are lamenting about experiences of the past or fearfully anticipating the future. As a result, we become prisoners to these thoughts and feelings. And we replay them over and over in our minds. Meditation, on the other hand, teaches us how to slow down our “monkey” mind and connect to the present moment. When we focus on the present moment we have less time to be anxious. Also, through meditation, we learn how to observe what is happening in the moment rather than judging ourselves, others or fearing everyone or everything.

#2 Meditation Reduces Pain

It is important we first make the distinction between physical pain and emotional pain, known as suffering. A new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center discovered 2 fascinating effects of meditation. Meditation allows us to 1) activate higher-order brain regions associated with attention control and enhanced cognitive control and 2) deactivate the thalamus, which acts as the gatekeeper for pain to enter the brain. So when we meditate we learn how to feel less pain and suffering.  How does it get any better?

#3 Meditation Cures Insomnia

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Research shows that an overly stimulated sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight response) is a major contributing factor in chronic insomnia. A fast-paced and overstimulating lifestyles can be part to blame: staying up late, the overuse of TVs and computers, especially before bed, along with our dietary vices of too many stimulants, coffee, sweets, etc.  or maybe it’s more so that your current life situations are stressing you out and keeping you up at night. Although meditation can’t directly change the issues you are having at work or troubles in your relationships, or having to take care of a sick relative, meditation CAN definitely help you change how you react to these various stressors. Meditation gives us the time and space in our busy lives to get a fresh perspective on tough situations and allow us to have new insights to solve these issues.

#4 Meditation Boosts Energy

Many of us want more energy to get through the day. Unfortunately, we turn to stimulants that give us quick energy which then leads to an energy crash. Calming and focusing the mind with meditation is a highly effective way to increase energy and with no negative side effects.

Also, it’s important to realize that when it comes to energy, our reaction to stress can drain us much faster than even an intense workout. It less about how much you do in a day and more about HOW you do it.

And chemically, DHEA a steroid hormone made by the adrenals in charge of energy levels. If you suffer from adrenal fatigue you might have low levels of DHEA. If so, it feels like you’re operating from rock bottom each day. Meditation luckily is a very healthy and natural way to stimulates the production of DHEA.

Now we’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Have you tried meditation? What was your experience? And what was most helpful piece of information shared here? We are a healing community and your comments could be just what someone else needs to hear. So take a moment to drop us a line below.

Restore Adrenal Health with Himalayan Salt

You might be wondering what’s the big deal with Himalayan Salt. Is it just another health craze? Can it really help restore adrenal health?

I'm going to tell you 5 Benefits of Himalayan Salt specifically for adrenal health and addressing adrenal fatigue symptoms. But first, I want to share the role that salt plays in our overall health.

Our bodies need salt for the electrical function of our heartbeat, for us to make hydrochloric acid in the stomach, (which helps with things like preventing harmful bacteria from entering the GI tract. It also helps you make enzymes which are necessary for digesting protein) and has other very important functions). Salt is also needed for the fluid around the cells for proper functioning of your cells.

Learn more about the science behind what makes Himalayan Salt different from table salt and how to use it into your diet HERE.

Watch the video here or continue reading.

WATCH ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjvcdYtD7j4

And please note**If you have high blood pressure or history of high blood pressure, or kidney disease please consult your doctor or health practitioner before trying this remedy.

Lets get back to the 5 benefits of using Himalayan salt to restore adrenal health:

1. Salt Can Take Some Weight Off Your Adrenals

 First thing in the morning our adrenals have a big job. They are in charge of raising our blood pressure enough to help our bodies transition from sleeping to waking. They do this by producing adrenaline. If your adrenals aren’t working 100%, waking up puts extra stress on the adrenals first thing in the morning. Salt helps to raise our blood pressure for a short period of time taking weight off the adrenals, supporting them so they don’t have to work as hard.

2. Supports Elimination

When I was suffering from adrenal fatigue poor digestion was a major problem for me.  It was not uncommon for me to only have one bowel movement a week for several years. Not only is poor digestion extremely uncomfortable it leads to a downward spiral of other health issues.  Maybe you have experienced something similar: irregular and infrequent bowel movements. These are a common symptom of adrenal fatigue.

Drinking salt water first thing in the morning before eating or drinking anything else was the most powerful way to support daily elimination.

3. Cleanses the GI tract

On a related note, when our digestion is poor, our GI tract contains lots of stagnant matter. This leads to toxic build up and also keeps our bodies from absorbing nutrients from our food. Adding Himalayan salt to your morning routine helps clear out the stagnant matter each day and allows your digestion system to work more optimally. Finally, you can start absorbing the nutrients from all the great foods you are consuming.

4. Hydrates Your Body

During sleep we often go 6-8 hours without consuming water. On top of that, we often perspire during our sleep. It makes it so we wake up from sleep very dehydrated. It is important that we hydrate first thing before we eat or start our busy day.

We often think that drinking water is the only way to hydrate the body. But electrolytes and minerals also play a key role in hydration, a role which is often overlooked. Most adrenal fatigue sufferers experience dehydration and some level of electrolyte imbalance. This is because a hormone produced by the adrenals called aldosterone is responsible for the maintenance of fluid (water) and the concentration of certain minerals (sodium, potassium, magnesium and chloride) in the blood and cells.

When your adrenals aren’t producing as much aldosterone then it creates an electrolyte imbalance and often dehydration follows.

5. Fixes Mineral Deficiency

As I mentioned above electrolytes and minerals are just as important to staying hydrated as water is. Many minerals we need to allow our hormone system and adrenals to function optimally are very hard to get from our foods these days. And most water we drink lacks these minerals too.  If your adrenals are fatigued, it’s extra important that we make sure we get the proper minerals to support your adrenals.

Drinking water without mineral content can actually scrip our bodies of minerals. Adding Himalayan salt to your water that is full of trace minerals helps solve this problem.

I have just shared with you 5 benefits of Himalayan salt to restore adrenal health. Now we want to give you a special gift to help you incorporate Himalayan salt into your diet...

Now we’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Have you already added Himalayan salt to your diet? If so, have you seen your symptoms change? What was the most helpful piece of information shared? What questions came up for you? This is a healing community and your comments or questions could be just what someone else needs to hear or know. So take a moment to drop us a line below.

Love, 

Angela