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Natural Treatments For Adrenal Dysfunction by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP
Restoring The Energy You Thought Was Lost
In this article:
Phytotherapy for adrenal health
dy

the role that plant medicine plays within our bo

Medicinal herbs for adrenal imbalance

our suggestions

Real support, not just a one-size-fits-all solution

Now let me ask you, does any of this sound familiar?
Do you feel exhausted, overwhelmed, and stressed all the time?
Do you need five cups of coffee or a constant infusion of soda just to make it t
hrough the day?
Do you have trouble waking up, falling asleep, or staying asleep, no matter whic
h herbal supplements you try?
Do you find yourself feeling constantly irritable or on edge?
Do you feel that you need to exercise to stay in shape even though you re exhauste
d when you do?
Do you feel as though everything you eat turns to fat?
Are you always hungry, frequently craving sweets, or tempted by carbo-binges ?
Are you plagued by irregular or painful periods or PMS?
Are you struggling with peri-menopause or menopause: lowered sex drive, vaginal
dryness, mood swings, and hot flashes?
Do you find yourself feeling forgetful, foggy, or unable to concentrate?
Do you find that you do better when you re always on the go?
Do you find that you actually enjoy adrenaline rushes and feel a little bored wi
thout a crisis to handle?
Are you struggling with anxiety, depression, or despair?
Adrenal Feeling Wired Nutritional Supplement System
If I ve painted a picture you recognize in yourself, in your family, among your frie
nds and colleagues you ve just gotten a good look at adrenal dysfunction, a distress
ingly common problem in which overworked adrenal glands combined with lifelong e
motional patterns add up to a painful set of physical, mental, and emotional sym
ptoms. In the early stages of adrenal dysfunction, you might feel tired and wired :
keyed up, anxious, fatigued, and depressed. In the later stages, you might simp
ly feel exhausted. Either way, you know something s wrong even if your health-care p
rovider has assured you that you re fine or hasn t included adrenal dysfunction in h
is or her diagnosis.
In my practice, I have found that many women have come in feeling listless with
energy levels so low that they feel this is normal. Many have felt that this is
just part of the aging process. However, I am happy to say that it s not natural t
o feel fatigued purely as a function of your age. And as long as there are no ma
jor health issues causing your fatigue, we can absolutely get you back to feelin
g as energetic and vibrant as you did in your younger years. What it really boil
s down to, is learning to listen to your body and being able to identify what is
wrong. Understanding your body and its functions like how to better support you
r adrenal glands, two plum-sized but powerful glands that many women have never
even heard of.
You may not think much about your adrenals, but they are crucial to your health,

mood, and well-being. These little triangular-shaped glands sit on top of the k
idneys, responsible for giving us those extra surges of vitality that we need to
cope with unusual challenges, new demands, and heightened levels of stress. Tha
t vitality is commonly known as the fight-or-flight reaction. When a major chall
enge threatens, our adrenal glands kick up the stress hormones, enabling us to c
ope with whatever challenge or emergency befalls. Then, when the crisis is over,
the stress hormones subside and we relax once more.
Today we live in a world that is troubled with so many challenges, that it is a
relief to know that although your adrenal glands serve a number of functions wit
hin your body. Their primary responsibility is to help you react
and survive
in
the face of stress. Sometimes we may not feel stressed, but unfortunately stress
comes in many disguises which we aren t always aware of: physical, emotional, per
ceived, psychological, environmental, infectious, or any combination of these. B
ecause your adrenal glands work in tandem with your body and mind, they have the
ability to respond to every kind of stress.
Unfortunately, your health-care practitioner is likely to ignore or dismiss adre
nals as the source of your problem unless you are suffering from either Addison s
disease, in which case your adrenals severely under produce, or Cushing s syndrome
, in which they severely overproduce. These two conditions are well understood b
y conventional medicine. But if your adrenal imbalance is less extreme as is true
for hundreds of thousands of U.S. women your practitioner is unlikely to recognize
your condition. That s because, despite the enormous body of science relating adr
enal problems to a wide variety of symptoms, adrenal dysfunction is not a common
ly accepted diagnosis.
From both my personal as well as my professional experience I understand the imp
act when your adrenal system and body is not working in harmony with one another
. Sometimes we need to look beyond conventional medicine towards alternative for
ms of therapy that will enable you to live an optimally healthy lifestyle.
Are your adrenals imbalanced?
Our adrenals produce bio-chemicals that our body needs to function on a daily ba
sis. Women with adrenal issues often say they have issues in other areas of thei
r bodies as well, such as, irregular blood-sugar; thyroid and sex hormone imbala
nce; digestive problems; cardiovascular difficulties; immune and autoimmune diso
rders; mood complaints such as anxiety and depression; and cognitive difficultie
s, such as poor memory, fogginess, and an inability to concentrate and think cle
arly. This increase of symptoms can make adrenal dysfunction problematic to reco
gnize. But if you know what you re looking for, it can be done.
Below is a simple list of questions which may help you to identify whether your
adrenal glands are functioning correctly and whether they are in-sync with your
mind and body. Should you answer yes to more than one of these questions, I woul
d suggest that you consult with a functional medicine practitioner regarding you
r adrenal glands.
Are you always on the run?
Do you often feel the inability to cope with things around you?
Do you feel that you need to use far more energy than normal when you need to do
something?
Are you struggling to get out of bed in the morning?
When your energies levels are low do you turn to caffeine and sugar to give you
a boost?
Do you feel tired and irritated with those around you?
Are reading and watching movies your cue to falling asleep?
Are you so hyped up at night that it is difficult to fall asleep?
Do you feel listless, depressed, or emotionally numb?

Now that you have established that many of the symptoms you are feeling are norma
l for adrenal dysfunction, we can now work together to see what the options are a
vailable to putting you back on the pathway to achieving adrenal health. With so
many natural treatment options so easily accessible, why don t we look at some of
the options that can help restore your energy, balance your adrenal output and
get you on the road to feeling like yourself again.
How herbs benefit your body
There are many new natural modalities that have come to light when it comes to r
estoring your energy levels and supporting your adrenal functions instead of dep
leting them. For thousands of years man had predominately lived on a diet using
our natural resources
plants. With this in mind the properties of plants have be
en used as a source of healing either in its whole-food form or in standardized
extracts and supplements. This process is called Phytotherapy and now with evide
nce-based research, we are able to back up the benefits of phytotherapy treatmen
t.
Extensive research carried out in the in the US and across the world has establi
shed that the herb Eleuthero (aka Siberian ginseng ) contains anti-fatigue and anti
-stress properties that help to support the adrenal glands. Swedish researchers
in 2009, found that there are certain molecules which are released by the adrena
l glands to protect the body against physical and emotional stress. These same m
olecules are found in Eleuthro and by introducing these molecular chaperones to th
e body, we are able to help treat and repair damaged proteins during times of in
tense physical demand. The added benefit is that by taking Siberian Ginseng we a
re also able to improve our tolerance to stress and allows for less physical des
truction. Furthermore, a research team in Australia demonstrated how Eleuthero i
nhibits the binding of stress hormones to their receptors.
Adrenal depletion can drain the entire body
As our stress levels reduce the functionality of our adrenal glands, so it affec
ts other functions in our body. Other than their primary role in dealing with st
ress, your adrenal glands:
Maintain the balance of over 50 hormones in your body
Manage stress and sex hormones as well as a number of other hormones which they
are able to synthesize
Assist in regulating blood pressure and our heart rate
Assist in balancing blood sugar levels
Quiets inflammation throughout the body Support nervous system function (behavior, mood, , memory, clear thinking)
As you can see, the adrenal glands are so intimately intertwined with our physio
logical and emotional well-being that we need to heed what our bodies are tellin
g us. By understanding our bodies and the role that these little glands play, ther
e is no reason for us to suffer from weight gain, fuzzy thinking, insomnia, seve
re fatigue, thyroid disorders, and accelerated aging. For more on the connection
between adrenals and thyroid, see our articles on hypothyroidism in menopause.
The good news is there is much that can be done. Advances in science are uncover
ing new understandings all the time. Recent research has shown that Eleuthero, a
medicinal plant in the form of Siberian Ginseng, bolsters the immune system, ai
ds with inflammation and boosts clarity of mind. It has also been found to help
in nervous system function, assists in regulating blood sugar levels, and there
is thought that it may benefit bone remodeling by increasing the amount of a hor
mone called osteocalcin in the blood.
With so many of my patients who although adept at multitasking are completely ov
erworked and highly stressed, they have found relief and benefit from using adap

togenic herbs such as Eleuthero and other supplements. Unfortunately we live in

an age where the expectation is one of immediate results and gratification. If t
his is not achieved the natural assumption is that the therapy is in fact not wo
rking. Sometimes we have to exercise patience and belief in what has been recomm
ended by our health practitioner.
Phytotherapy and mineral supplementation are very gentle remedies and take time
for your body to absorb and feel the benefits. Remember that we are all differen
t and therefore one may have to try a number of options until you find the right
one that works for you. Thank goodness the plant world is so diverse which mean
s that there will be something available to help you
don t give up!
Adrenal imbalance

suggested supplements

Western medicine has been taking its time recognizing the importance of adrenal
health but Eastern cultures have always given the adrenals their due time in the s
potlight. When it comes to conventional medicine they have been focusing on acut
e adrenal-related conditions, like Addison s disease and Cushing s syndrome, which a
re not exceedingly common. However, more sensitive testing will show a trend tow
ard one end of the spectrum that, though not an illness, may point to vulnerabil
ity. My goal is to have you look deeper and start at a place where we view food
as medicine.
It is also important to think about using a number of safe and supportive herbs
and supplements in your daily regimen. Below is a list of some of the herbs that
I have used to treat my patients. When you are attempting to try a more holisti
c and natural route of medication, it is important to listen to your body, and t
o monitor your growth as you experiment with a natural approach as we all react
differently to therapeutic agents. If you find that you are having a reaction to
the herbs or are sensitive modify your dosage or consider working with an exper
ienced herbalist.
Herbalists and many other alternative practitioners rely on herbal medicine, whi
ch happens to be the basis for many prescription drugs. Herbal remedies can take
the form of teas, tinctures, oils, creams, and pills. Many herbs can be poisono
us or interact dangerously with prescription drugs, so it is best to use them on
ly under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.
Astragalus root (A. membranaceus). Your body has a natural ability to adapt to s
tress, but sometimes this is not enough. Astragalus boosts your bodies capabilit
ies to handle stress, gives your immune system a healthy boost, regulates normal
blood sugar levels and alleviate insulin resistance.
Cordyceps (C. sinensis). An antioxidant fungus, Cordyceps can slowdown the aging
process, supports your the immune system, assists in inflammation and helps to
stabilize your blood sugar levels.
Eleuthero (Eleutherococcus senticosus, also known as Siberian ginseng). As discu
ssed before, Eleuthero is an adaptogenic herb helps to protect our bodies from t
he debilitating effects of stress, reduces fatigue, assists in clarity of memory
aids in balancing blood sugar levels, and even perhaps supporting bone remodeli
ng as well.
Rhodiola rosea ( golden root ). Rhodiola is an adaptogenic herb that protects agains
t stress-related fatigue and ultimate burnout , increases mental clarity, supports t
he immune system and assists in balancing blood sugar regulation. An added benef
it of Rhodiola is it s antidepressant and antianxiety effects.
Licorice root (Glycyrrhiza glabra). Licorice Root is well known for helping supp
ort adrenal balance as well as energy levels and endurance. Although many herbs
do not have many restrictions with their use or dosage, there are certain forms
of licorice which are known to increase blood pressure and lower one s potassium l
evels in the body. So be cautious to check your blood pressure when using it.
(Images courtesy of GNU Free Documentation License).

As a holistic and functional medical practitioner, I have found the strengths in

using diverse forms of intervention.. I believe that each health professional h
as their own unique expertise and whether one consults with a herbalist, naturop
ath, or functional medicine practitioner
it is all about you and finding the sol
ution that is going to work best for your condition. Many times it may require y
ou seeing multiple practitioners.
I ve borrowed this phrase from healer and best-selling author Caroline Myss becaus
e I think it sums up so beautifully the other key factor behind adrenal dysfunct
ion. No matter how disciplined we are about cleaning up our diet, taking our nut
ritional supplements, and getting regular exercise, if we don t attend to the emot
ional piece of the puzzle, our adrenal symptoms won t go away. The phrase that Car
oline uses often is Our biography becomes our biology if we do not pay attention.
Real support
We have become used to living in a world where there seems to be a solution for
everything. Advertisers have led us to believe that we can expect immediate resu
lts and we ve been brainwashed into believing that one-size-fits-all is the answer
to our problems. It s important to remember that phytotherapy isn t a magic bullet,
either. What it offers us is an additional source that will provide us with an
extra energy and support as we make the necessary steps towards healing the adre
nals. However, in order to have optimal adrenal gland functionality we need to b
e honest with ourselves to acknowledge and address the root causes of stress in
our lives.
I am reminded of a patient whose toddler son was admitted into hospital after be
ing diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. Upon release he needed care 24/7 which left
my patient sleep deprived and depressed. She also began to notice that her eleva
ted blood sugar levels were entering into a pre-diabetes danger zone.
After intense discussion and evaluation of what was happening in her life and bo
dy, I recommended that she start with a combination herbal/mineral supplement. V
ery soon she started to feel much better but unfortunately her new sense of well
-being tipped her overboard. She felt so invigorated that she joined a gym, took
on more responsibilities at work and at home, and started writing a book! Now y
ou may say this was amazing and wonderful, which it is but what she needed to un
derstand was that the herbal support was just one piece to healing her adrenals.
Even though you may feel infinitely better after starting phytotherapy, true ad
renal health comes from creating conditions that sustain not just physical healt
h but emotional and spiritual wellness, too.
All of these realizations can lead us on a path of discovery, understanding what
our problems are and how or what can we do to change to learn new ways of being .
This does not mean that one has to undergo a radical change but rather by taking
baby steps one can make one small change at a time. I understand that this soun
ds a lot easier than it actually is but I would like introduce you to a few chan
ges that you can make to your lifestyle that will ensure a full adrenal recovery
:
Modify your exercise. There are many benefits to regular exercise and although i
t may be difficult at first to get going, many of my patients marvel at how well
they feel after a workout. If this is you, stick with it. However, some people
will feel absolutely exhausted and their energy levels depleted. If this is the
case then one needs to slowly introduce exercise into your daily life. Mornings
are best for aerobic exercise because this is when your cortisol is naturally hi
ghest, but try not to let your heart rate go above 90 beats per minute. If aerob
ics are not for you, then find something that is not so demanding like a relaxin
g walk, yoga, or any kind of exercise that restores you instead of draining you.

Eat often and well. In the past I have written extensively on how to support you
r adrenal glands by eating the correct foods. Nothing is more discouraging than
being disciplined about your eating plan and not losing the weight you d like only b
ecause you aren t appropriately supporting your adrenal-friendly food choices with
healthy lifestyle and exercise choice. By eating certain foods, and at specific
times of the day can help you return to a natural cortisol rhythm thus avoiding
the crash and burn of the peaks and valleys of sugar and caffeine. One point that
I have always stressed is that a body that is allowed to be hungry places a hug
e strain on the adrenals and therefore it becomes absolutely vital not to miss m
eals or let too much time pass between meals or a snack.
Relieve stress. If you can find a way to quiet your mind periodically, you can r
elease an enormous amount of stress. One of the most wonderful ways to quiet you
r mind is through meditation. Meditation offers many health benefits, improving
blood pressure, circulation, and heart health; and it also supports mood, self-c
onfidence, and relaxation. Even just five minutes a day of quiet breathing or me
ditation can do wonders for your adrenals. Create me time and be kind to yourself.
Find things that are going to make you feel relaxed like going for a massage or
ask your partner to massage your feet or head. The practice of yoga, t ai chi or
qi gong is non-invasive, but smooth and tranquil. When was the last time you put
your feet up with a cup of tea or had an extended phone call just to talk? Look
at the things that you feel will best relieve tension and stress and follow thi
s path.
Play. We so often take on responsibilities or agree to do things that require a
lot of your time or just drain your energy. We need to learn to say no and take
on things that are fulfilling and satisfying. Step out of your box and have fun
meet up with friends that you haven t seen for a while, spend time with your famil
y, take your grandchildren to a movie, go to the beach
the list is endless. Don t
feel guilty but rather embrace your new life and give yourself permission to do
it during this time of healing.
Sleep. Get a minimum of seven hours of sleep each night. The connection between
lack of sleep and weight retention is clear
insufficient sleep stresses your bod
y, chronic loss of sleep equals chronic stress and chronic stress means chronica
lly high levels of cortisol, which encourages your body to hold on to every extr
a ounce of fat. If you regularly go with-out at least seven hours of good, restf
ul sleep, you are going to find it nearly impossible to lose weight or even to m
aintain a healthy weight. Often as women we are so busy that we end up burning t
he candle at both ends. Try to go to bed at a reasonable hour as sleep is one of
the magic remedies to restore your adrenal glands. Before going to sleep try ha
ving a herbal tea or consider a natural herbal supplement to help you relax and
ease you into a peaceful sleep. Not always possible, but a short nap during can
boost your energy levels.
Natural methods on how to get your energy back
The mind, emotions, and spirit have an enormous impact on the body. How we think
and feel about ourselves and the world, and how we experience a spiritual conne
ction, can make a huge difference when it comes to healing the body. If we re pris
oners of our past, responding with amygdala-driven impulsiveness to replay the s
ame panic, anxiety, sorrow, or anger that colored our past, our bodies will find
it far more difficult to heal. But if we learn to reprogram our emotional respo
nses, our bodies can begin to shake off the burdens of the past. How exciting an
d empowering is that? Just by the choices we make each day about what we eat and
how we live, we can alter the way our genes express themselves and create our o
wn good health.
Climb off the rollercoaster and shrug off the idea that you have to do more and

that enough is never enough. Be kind to yourself and do what you can instead of
keeping your energy levels up by relying on sugar, carbs, and caffeine to make i
t through the day. And you certainly don t have to feel so tired and miserable any
more. Help is on the way! Why not support your adrenal glands by trying some of
the natural herbal options that are available to boost your energy. It is import
ant for you to take control so as to not exacerbate future health issues but to
rather adopt a path that will lead to adrenal health and lifelong balance.