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Life Is Stressful. Get Some Adrenal Support
Global Pandemics, shortages of everything, skyrocketing prices, inflation, wars and rumors of wars…Yeah, things are a little stressful these days. And stress ain’t good.
A little stress at the proper moments in life can be a beneficial thing. Our adrenal glands release a little adrenalin and cortisol and it zeroes our focus, increases our speed and strength and helps us run away from that big old lion or fight off a bad guy. But it was never meant to be a chronic thing. The body just isn’t designed for a long-term “Fight or Flight” condition. Because of this endless stress, I’m seeing lots of cases of adrenal fatigue in my clients. They present with exhaustion, depression, insomnia, brain fog, low energy and an inability to focus on and execute tasks. We often think of the adrenal glands as only producing adrenalin and cortisol, but they actually produce about 50 different hormones including significant quantities of sex hormones for women and for men. As a result, adrenal fatigue can also manifest as low libido, impaired fertility and weight gain.
So How Do We Fix It?
First, We Decrease Stress Levels
Well, first of all we need to decrease stress generally. Take some time to relax and distance yourself from the chaos and bedlam of life. Sit in the garden and read a good book. Quit watching the news. Cut way back on social media. Let some things go. Life is too short to go a hundred miles an hour in three directions at once.
Diet is also a key contributor. I recommend that every day, people eat something that was alive once, preferably recently. So much of the food we eat is so processed as to be nearly unrecognizable by our bodies as something beneficial. The circumstances of our eating are critical as well. It’s much better to sit with loved ones and eat casually than to shove something down our throats as we rush to an appointment. Slow down. It’ll markedly decrease stress levels and improve digestion.
If you aren’t sleeping well, stay away from all screens an hour before bed and read a boring book instead. Then take some nice valerian or chamomile half an hour before you go to bed. Here’s a good example (Rest Easy Formula).
There are some other herbs that can help decrease stress as well. Siberian ginseng is a great adaptogen. Oat straw is the best thing in the world for unfrazzling frazzled nerves, not by putting them to sleep but by feeding and sustaining them. It seems to peacefully ease the tensions of life and give us the calm we need to press on in a positive direction. Ginkgo is another good one. It opens up circulation, especially to the brain, and can increase focus and clarity and improve memory while while also decreasing stress.
Next, We Feed The Adrenals
Once stress levels are being managed a bit, we can start supporting the poor little rascals that have worn themselves out; the adrenal glands. Ginkgo and oat straw are useful here as well. Ashwagandha is wonderful here as well. It’s an adaptogen which is the funky herbalist word for a plant that helps the body adapt to and transition from a condition of stress. Ashwagandha is a tonic and nutritive for nearly every organ system in the body and is particularly good for supporting the adrenals. It’s also particularly good for the brain. Rehmannia is another of my favorites. It contains a number of the chemical building blocks that the adrenals use to produce their hormones but it also supports the glands generally. There is just something about Rehmannia that will make a sick or exhausted person feel less sick and worn out. Besides that, it’s delicious! Schisandra berry and Fo Ti are also wonderful herbs to support and rebuild the adrenals and are general tonics for the entire body. All of these herbs are in my Adrenal Support Formula.
I hope things slow down and quit being so crazy in this world. But the fact is that even if they don’t, the Good Lord has given us some amazing tools to help us get through the tough times. And, while we’re on the subject, spending a little more time visiting with Him can be a wonderful medicine for the trials of life as well.
Have a great week,
Doc Jones
HomeGrown Herbalist School of Botanical Medicine
I love your blogs they have something for everyone.
Glad you enjoyed it Jannett.
thank you. You always know just what to say
Thanks for taking the time to read it Cheryl.
Doc
Glad you enjoyed it Jannett.
I always love your explanations for anything and everything.
Thanks for the time you put into it all.
Thanks Lynda
Thank you for everything you have shared. Am grateful for it and the timing is perfect!!!!!
Thanks for mentioning the good Lord who provides us with all the natural products for remedies. Man, he thought of everything, didn’t he!
Yup. I think He did.
Doc, you have a wonderful gift with words (as well as with herbs!!). This article may step on some toes, but your manner of doing so actually makes it pleasant.
Thank you for letting your light shine! I appreciate you. 🙂
I suspect the world would be a better place if we could all learn to appreciate the value of getting our toes stepped on once in a while. That’s where we learn to understand and appreciate other perspectives and ideas. That’s the crucible where real truth usually gets discovered.
Thanks, Doc. I am a student of yours. I suffered from Chronic Fatigue for 38 years. It wasn’t until I attended a ministry called Be In Health (the best-selling book where I learned about it is called A More Excellent Way by Henry Wright) that I learned the most important key to chronic conditions: stinking thinking! I spent a week learning how to recognize harmful thought patterns and the rotten false core beliefs that hold them in place. (A little deliverance to go along with repentance for such thoughts not of God is great, too!) In the end, I discovered the belief that was holding all that exhaustion in place was profound fear causing me to go into what I called “performing for love”, or, the belief that I had to do something before love was true for me. I had severe trust issues due to childhood family trauma. Well, when I realized that fear is not who I am and that God has not given us a spirit of fear (2Timothy 1:7) – that fear could go and I could stay, by repenting for believing that I was not ‘worthy’ – and deciding to trust Someone bigger than myself, I prayed for God to heal me, and He did! I now have more energy than I did as a child. Every time that fear tries to jump on me again, I repent for entertaining such an untrusting notion and choose again to trust. My health is a mirror of who I am in all dimensions.
When we connect with what and who we really are, amazing things can happen. God says things like “Let there be light” His children sometimes say “Let me be sick”. We fail to realize that as His children, we are heirs to a small degree of His creative power. We need to be careful what we create in our lives. To the degree that we are willing to align our minds and spirit with His mind and spirit, some pretty remarkable things can start to happen. I’m glad you’re feeling better. :0)
Doc, I’ve signed up for your class. I’m so anxious to begin, but life is too big right now. I’ll have to wait for fall quietude. I enjoy all your blog posts.
I’ve often wondered if all the exciting TV shows & movie car chases we watch artificially pump up our adrenals and cause much of our adrenal fatigue. Have you seen this pattern in your clients?
Life is a journey not a race. You’ll have lifetime access to everything in the school. :0)
I think social media does lots worse things to brain chemistry than car chases or gunfights on movies do.
I had just heard something about adrenals and being so tired from stress. I was going to contact you and ask you what I should do and here you are with the answer before I ask! Interesting how that works.
Glad we could help. :0)
I ordered some of your adrenal support powdered herbal formula and it arrived today, so I’m hoping to tincture it tomorrow. Meanwhile, I’m using some of the herbs in it that I already had tinctured and a few others as I work to dig my adrenals out of a giant pit. I went through several years of ongoing one-thing-after-another stresses and it brought me pretty low. I stay in the Word and keep herbing my way forward as well. God bless!
Hope it helps Michelle. :0)
Many things to think about Thank you
I just love your content, it’s very uplifting and hopeful along with not forgetting our Creator. It’s refreshing to have a non pagan herbal perspective. Are there any reasons one should not take Schisandra? Seems like I read something once and now I can’t think of the reason…
I figure it’s about time He got a little credit.
As to the Schisandra, don’t take it during pregnancy or nursing. Otherwise it’s quite safe. Some folks get a bellyache if they over do it…but I get that with pizza too.