Hi Diane, I don't know if you've read this before or not, but I thought I'd post this link, as it's a very natural way of helping adrenals with diet, proper fats, supplements and the right kind of salt etc.
http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/articles/menu4_7_1.php These are great articles and will tell you what to eat to help your adrenals and thyroid too.
When using natural celtic sea salt, or any other natural form of salt, you will need to make sure you are getting iodine from other sources, because these salts do not contain added iodine and do not contain enough iodine in themselves to prevent deficiency. Be careful, though these salts a healthy alternative, the inadequate iodine is not!
Here is what I received from a healthcare professional regarding adrenals, I hope this helps:
Adrenal FatigueAdrenal Fatigue is a condition in which the adrenal glands are exhausted and symptoms such as fatigue, depression and low blood pressure are experienced (see symptom list below). The adrenal glands normal function is to respond and deal with stress, manufacturing and secreting hormones such as cortisol, DHEA, noradrenaline and adrenaline. When too much stress long-term, be it emotional (eg. work stress, divorce, a death of a loved one, constant financial stress) or physical (eg. chronic illness, over-exercising, alcohol or substance abuse, sleep deprivation), is put on an individuals adrenal glands, the organ may not be able to keep up with the constant pressure. Some individuals find that the stress has an effect on them over the long-term, they become tied and unable to deal with stress gradually. Others however, may have a sudden change in health from one day to the next; a break-down in health is experienced.
Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue include allergies
anxiety
brain fog
chronic fatigue syndrome
depression
fatigue
fibromyalgia
flu-like symptoms
inability to deal with stress
low blood pressure
nervousness
premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
salt and sweet cravings
sleep disorders
trouble getting up in the morning
Treating Adrenal FatigueThere is no magic pill for Adrenal Fatigue. Healing from adrenal fatigue requires a combination of things; first and foremost, recovery depends upon the patients lifestyle. How they spend their energy, how they conserve their energy, and how they create energy are all extremely important. The patients recovery is also contingent on what they eat and drink, as well as the thoughts they feed their mind and the beliefs they base their life on. In addition, patients with adrenal fatigue often have food allergies or sensitivities. However, there are nutritional supplements and natural hormones that can aid in the recovery process.
The following information is an outline of issues that should be considered when treating adrenal fatigue syndrome.
a) Lifestyle eliminate the cause and aggravating factors of the disease!
get rid of energy robbing situations in their life
learn to stop negative self-talk
relax
laugh
exercise (regular not excessive)
b) Diet people with adrenal fatigue tend to also have low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
eat natural, high quality food at frequent, regular intervals
eat foods with a low glycaemic index
keep the consumption of fruit to a minimum
avoid caffeine, alcohol and refined carbohydrates
if patients crave chocolate, supplement them with magnesium
chew food deliberately and slowly
eat before 10.00am, even if they dont feel like it (Cortisol levels peak between
6.00 and 8.00 AM and while the cortisol levels are higher, they may not feel like eating. In addition, the low liver function that often accompanies low adrenal function also suppresses early morning hunger)
eat lunch before noon and a nutritious snack between 2.00 and 3.00 PM to sustain the patient through the dip in cortisol levels that typically occurs between 3.00 and 4.00 PM in most hypoadrenics. The evening meal should be eaten around 5.00 or 6.00 PM. Before bed eat a couple of bites of a high quality snack.
eat/drink salt: Salt craving is a common symptom in all stages of adrenal fatigue and there are physiological reasons for this. Adrenal fatigue patients often have low blood pressure
water poses a specific problem for people with adrenal fatigue because they tend toward dehydration but can easily over dilute the circulating electrolytes in their blood
therefore although they are often thirsty, drinking water may make them feel worse
to help balance the ratio of water to sodium and avoid this problem try adding Ό to ½ teaspoon salt to every glass of drinking water
drinking salted water just after the patient wakes can help them to function better in the morning
drinking salted water before sleeping or when waking in the night can also help sleep
c) Food Allergies and Sensitivities the adrenal gland plays an important role in mediating the histamine release and inflammatory reactions that produce the symptoms experienced with allergies. Therefore eliminating foods that patients are allergic or sensitive to is the best and easiest way to decrease the demands on their struggling adrenals
food that patients are addicted to or crave (but feel worse after consuming), are often the foods that they have a sensitivity to
environmental toxins can also increase adrenal fatigue
the IgG food allergy panel offered by Pathlab (through PCNZ), may be useful in identifying food sensitivities
d) Possible Nutritional and Herbal Supplements - Just an example:
Adrenal Support: As a rule (based on an individuals response) building the patient up to 4 to 6 capsules daily from 3 daily in divided doses should be considered for the moderately to severe adrenal fatigued individual - with a potential to titrate back to two daily depending upon symptoms and life demands
Multivitamin and Mineral Boost: 5 g daily in water
Vitamin C: 2-4 g daily in water
Magnesium Aspartate: 3 x 125 mg capsules daily
Vitamin B5: 500mg 1 x capsule 3 x daily
Calcium Citrate: 750-1000 mg daily
Vitamin E (natural): 1 x 500 IU capsules daily (if you are on blood thinners monitor blood clotting time)
e) Adrenal Cell Extracts adrenal cell extracts nourish and help rebuild the adrenal cells
for more information see
www.adrenalfatigue.orgf) Replacement Hormones in severe cases of hypoadrenia, a short therapeutic course of natural cortisol may be needed
DHEA is one of the androgen hormones secreted by the adrenal glands. Progesterone and pregnenolone hormones are also manufactured in the adrenal cascade as well as in the ovaries and testicles. Patients may benefit from DHEA, progesterone and/or pregnenolone supplementation.
I hope that helps Diane. From this, you should get a good idea of what kind of foods, fats and supplements and extracts that are helpful to supporting and even rebuilding.
