Thursday, June 30, 2011

Adrenal What?


Adrenal What?

Awhile back I went to a saliva specialist. I was having problems with my sinuses and kept getting sick after long travel times. I eat really well and do all the right things for my health so I was puzzled about the why of all of this. Why couldn’t I stay well?

When the doc sat me down and told me the reason was stress, it shocked me. I don’t consider myself a stressed out person. He told me that if I were a cell phone and he had to plug me in to charge me, I would still not be charged if I were plugged in for a month!

Stress?! Well, what I found out is that there are different kinds of stress. My kind was the kind from a life of travel and the abuse that it plays on your physical body and the crazy schedule that I live.  Through that stress, I developed what is known as adrenal fatigue.

As I am working through this, I’ve been thinking a lot about the affects this has on people. This could only be my thoughts… but could it be that there are many people on anti-depressants that actually have some form of adrenal fatigue? All of the same signs are there.

I didn’t realize how bad I was until I went to my natural path doctor and he started me on a regiment toward healing. I told my husband I didn’t realize that I was depressed until I started feeling better again. I’m still in process with this whole thing and they say it takes months to get over, so I keep doing what I’m suppose to do and I also am searching out new things to try to see what can help.

One of the things I have found that has really helped me is an organic product called Maca. You can take it in pill form or powder form. I personally like to mix it in a drink that I take every morning. When I first tried it I was shocked at how good I felt and after reading about it, I was really impressed with what it does.

Here is the drink I take just about every morning. This is also really good to take when you are working out. All the ingredients are so good for you. Enjoy!

Maca Energy Drink
12- 16 ozs. of coconut water (use another juice if you can’t use coconut)
1/3 tsp of Maca
½ tsp of Spirulina
1 TBS of raw coco powder (I use WonderCocoa, 99.7% caff free)
A small handful of goji berries or ½ to 1 tsp. of goji berry powder.
Blend and drink.
(I put a few drops of stevia in mine).

Here are some symptoms of adrenal fatigue:
               Morning fatigue -- You don't really seem to "wake up" until 10 a.m., even if you've been awake since 7 a.m.
               Afternoon "low" (feelings of sleepiness or clouded thinking) from 2 to 4 p.m.
               Burst of energy at 6 p.m. -- You finally feel better from your afternoon lull.
               Sleepiness at 9 to 10 p.m. -- However, you resist going to sleep.
               "Second wind" at 11 p.m. that lasts until about 1 a.m., when you finally go to sleep.
               Cravings for foods high in salt and fat
               Increased PMS or menopausal symptoms
               Mild depression
               Lack of energy
               Decreased ability to handle stress
               Muscular weakness
               Increased allergies
               Lightheadedness when getting up from a sitting or laying down position
               Decreased sex drive
               Frequent sighing
               Inability to handle foods high in potassium or carbohydrates unless they're combined with fats and protein

Treatment of adrenal fatigue
"Optimal adrenal health is one of the major keys to the enjoyment of life," according to Dr. Wilson. If you have adrenal fatigue, you can fully live life again by making the necessary lifestyle and dietary changes to treat your disorder.
Treating adrenal fatigue is as easy as:
               Lying down during your work breaks (preferably at 10 a.m. and again anytime from 3 to 5 p.m.)
               Sleeping until 9 a.m. as often as possible
               Laughing
               Exercising
               Minimizing stress
               Taking negative people out of your life
               Eating regular meals
               Chewing well
               Doing something fun each day
               Combining unrefined carbohydrates with protein and oils
               Avoiding junk food
               Eating five to six servings of vegetables each day
               Taking calcium and magnesium supplements
               Adding sea salt to your diet
               Taking 2,000 to 5,000 milligrams of vitamin C each day
               Supplementing vitamin E with mixed tocopherols
               Taking B-complex supplements that are high in B6 and pantothenic acid
               Adding licorice root extract to your dietary supplement regimen

Taking back your life
If you take your treatment plan seriously, you can expect your adrenal fatigue to heal in:
               6 to 9 months for minor adrenal fatigue
               12 to 18 months for moderate fatigue
               Up to 24 months for severe adrenal fatigue


http://altmedicine.about.com/od/herbsupplementguide/a/maca.htm



At the time of writing this blog my husband and I are on a Hawaiian island getting much needed rest. My doc was happy to hear that we were taking time some off. He said that Hawaii is healing. I like that.

So, I’m praying over my body for healing and being responsible with what I can do, too.

If you feel like you fit into this, I encourage you to research and then do something about it. Don’t just put a bandage on yourself. Get yourself healed; body, soul and spirit.

To your health,
Beni 

26 comments:

  1. WOW! Thanks for posting. From other things you posted I thought this might be the problem, the check list was an eye opener. Explains so much and why God has consistently told me to rest for the past two years. Wish I had listened now... oh well, better late than never.

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  2. I think I may have this...thanks for sharing this information. Now...to find these ingredients, most of which I haven't heard of:D

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  3. I totally know I have had this, especially after having lots of babies. One tendency is to try and overcompensate with coffee. I will try some of these recommendations, Thanks Beni and keep em' comin'!

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  4. Beni It is interesting to me the parallels with what you are sharing about diet. earlier this year I began a raw food diet and with the first few days of starting I heard an ibethel message with you talking about this. recently I started taking maca root and now I read that you are taking it...I have only started out with this and hope to see some improvements,,my skin is clearer, which is a great start. I had adrenal burnout last year that ended with panic attacks and severe depression.. all the symptoms were there and I needed to be medicated to stop the cycle of attacks. Now I am healed of the attacks, praise god, and I am on the road to restoring my adrenal levels they still function on hyper drive at times so I am working on rebalancing it with my diet and lifestyle. It means making choices about my life that will allow me to heal completely and not stay in a state of busy..a. Hallenge with a family..through gods grace and wisdom I will beet there. Sorry for the novel..but inspired to write and thank you..keep it up,

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  5. thanks for the thorough report. I will try this!

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  6. Oh.My.Gosh. I think I may have this too. All the symptoms except for maybe 3 fit me. Today I went and bought Calm plus Calcium for my PMS and night restlessness. I have thought about you and your health regimen A LOT this past 2 months that I've been here in NM with my family. I thought it would be difficult for me to start everything that you do so I never did it, but I feel God on me about getting a juicer or blender at some point here in my young 35 year old life.....and just eating more vegetables period.....i love you momma Beni and am so thankful you are in my life. Great blog post!!!

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  7. Thank you for posting this recipe. I was diagnosed a couple years ago with extreme adrenal fatigue and I am still in the process of healing. Apparently the adrenals pretty much stopped functioning due to me teaching a lot of fitness classes and being a very active person with 3 children. I was told that my body was seeing all this activity as stress and all this time I thought I was doing something positive, eating mostly raw and vegan diet for the past 8 years or so. I am still in the process of healing, but I attended 1st year BSSM last year and I felt God had told me it would be a time of resting my body and healing, it seemed like it helped for awhile until I got back in my normal routine but now I am on new supplements and I will be making this new drink. If you have suggestions on doctors there in Redding I'd appreciate it. Thank you Beni you are an amazing woman, blessings!

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  8. Thanks so much for this post! I have been diagnosed with adrenal fatigue. At first I had to battle with the unbelief that there even was such a thing! Seriously! It is so easy to think I could just try harder! The other thing that is tough is maintaining good self care once I felt better. I actually felt better and went back to the same crazy schedule...and crashed my adrenal system a second time. I am believing in complete healing - and realizing my own part in maintaining my health. Isn't there an 'easy' button somewhere??? Much joy, health and blessings!

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  9. This is really interesting. I think my wife is dealing with this.

    I was curious if you've ever heard of Shakeology? It has everything in it that is in the drink listed above (minus coconut water) but it looks pretty amazing. It's a product of Beachbody which is the company that developed P90X. I think it has something like 70 all natural ingredients and it's gluten free (which I think you try and do). It's $120 for a months supply so I've had a hard time budgeting for it, but they have a money back guarantee if you don't love it.

    Heres the ingredient list: http://myshakeology.com/uploads/fckeditor/mdbody/File/downloads/ShakeologyCocoa.pdf

    And hers the website for it: http://myshakeology.com/esuite/home/teamripped

    I thought you might find it interesting. Have a great day.

    David

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  10. It's got maca root and spirula and wheat grass and some other stuff I've heard you talk about. I'm going to do my best to order some this month and try it out. I have a weeks worth and I'm gonna see how it makes me feel after that and then decide.

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  11. I was diagnosed in Apr. with adrenal fatigue. It has been a learning experience for me. Learning how to eat healthier, trying supplements, resting, saying 'no'. But getting better.

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  12. Adrenal insufficiency (fatigue) is becoming an epidemic in our society, with our fast-paced lifestyles, nutrient-depleted food supply, and the plethora of toxins in the environment, among other reasons, including emotional trauma. I am a medical writer and have studied this issue extensively, also because I suffer from severe adrenal fatigue due to chronic Lyme disease. Healing requires a multifaceted approach. Taking supplements and maintaining a healthy diet are good, but addressing the lifestyle factors that caused it in the first place is likewise vital. People with adrenal fatigue tend to be type-A, perfectionists who do too much for others (not always, but often), so for such people, changing lifestyle habits may be just as important. Thanks for sharing, glad you found some things to help you feel better! Blessings, Connie Strasheim, Author

    www.lymeinsights.com
    www.cancerbooksource.com
    www.healingchronicillness.org

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  13. I have been dealing with this issue for over two years. It really demands a total lifestyle change. One of the greatest helps for me to reduce stress has been praying more, in the spirit. Whenever I find myself stressing out, I stop and pray. It is glorious!
    Thanks for sharing the Maca drink. I am going to give it a try! Blessings on you and on your ministry!

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  14. Thank you Beni for setting such a great example for so many! I have also suffered a great deal from health issues. Some of them God has healed me from and some have healed through good nutrition. I have walked through Chronic Fatigue, fibromyalgia, adrenal exhaustion, chemical sensitivity, toxic liver and a few I can't remember. I am now much healthier through using natural products such as Juice Plus, natural progesterone cream, drinking alkaline water, eating organic and ridding my home of chemicals. My new fave is chia seeds, they are higher in antioxidants than blueberries, have omega 3 oils, fiber and protein. I love how God has provided so many natural fruits, veggies and herbs for our health and healing. Thank you again! Karen

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  15. Just read this!!!!!! And realized that's why I feel cruddy lately! I'll have to find me some of that macs stuff!!!! Thanks Beni!

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  16. Thank you for posting this! I have been dealing with this for a long time, worsened by more stress until I nearly collapsed. Thank you very much for the info.!!!!! Many blessings to you.

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  17. Adrenal fatigue also comes with the Kundalini spirit messing with your body and mind. Forgive me, but it is true.

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  18. Very nice and helpful information has been given in this article. I like the way you explain the things. Keep posting. Thanks.. megafood adrenal strength

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  19. I found it when I was looking for a different sort of information but I am very interested in the article, It is nice to read such kind of good posts I like your work keep it up! natural adrenal supplements

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  20. Well, this is what I have. Duh I should've seen it coming; I had this in 2007. Well, now back to getting health back and I'm determined to come of bp medicine. Thank you Jesus. God is good all the time.

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  21. Thank you Beni. I have never heard your story before. Thank you for sharing your walk. You're an inspiration.

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  22. When doing fitness training, exercises in the water are easier on the joints as the body is more buoyant because this puts less stress on the joints and greatly reduces the chance of injury. Also, exercise does not have to be running sprints or lifting heavy weights but it does have to be something. If you are not currently exercising (and, no, running around, chasing toddlers, working 14 hour days does not count), you are putting yourself at an increased risk to develop illness and, more importantly, you are greatly diminishing your quality of life. can diabetics eat dominos pizza

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