Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS) is a very common but often overlooked neuroendocrine disorder that starts when adrenal gland function is disrupted. The most common trigger is unrelenting and long-term stress that we seem to find so prevalent in our modern world. The adrenal glands are the stress control center of the body, and having to fight constantly against stress takes its toll on these organs. Eventually, the adrenal glands begin to wear out, falter, and can eventually break down in the later stages of AFS. Many of the symptoms of earlier stages - such as fatigue, low libido, and weight gain - are often written off as a natural part of aging, and few realize their body is in trouble until they start crashing in the later stages of AFS. Knowing how to treat Adrenal Fatigue is key to effective recovery.
So if you have done your research, talked to a health professional, and you know you have AFS, what do you do? Who do you consult to find out how to treat Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome? The easy answer to that is to find an expert who has had clinical experience. AFS is a complex condition that affects every system throughout the body; and since everybody’s physiology is unique, the specific treatments and therapies that work for one person may end up backfiring for someone else. That said, here are some general guidelines.
The first, most important part of a successful recovery is to remove the factors that overloaded the stress control centers of your body in the first place. With continuing stress, the adrenals never get a chance to rest and recover, and any treatment will fail. Now it can be difficult or even impossible to get rid of all stress, especially when one has to juggle work, children, and other responsibilities, but it is important to decrease stress where possible. Other tips that can help are to set aside a time during the day to relax or meditate. Adrenal breathing exercises are another very good tool to reset your body and let it work out the kinks. Remove yourself from harmful electromagnetic fields (EMF) such as cell phones and electrical appliances. Make sure you sleep in a totally dark room. These are subtle stressors that few people think of in their day-to-day living.
Stress doesn’t just come from mental burdens, other burdens on our body can cause physiological stress, including what we eat. Modern processed foods have many synthetic components that our body is not used to and doesn’t know how to deal with. These artificial chemicals can create stress inside our bodies and drain our energy. One should especially cut out refined carbohydrates such as sugar and white flour. Eating a healthy and balanced diet of unprocessed whole grains, fruits, vegetables, meats, and essential fats and oils, provides the raw building blocks the body needs to rebuild its worn out parts.
Though very important, diet can’t provide all the micronutrients our bodies need to maintain optimum health. Especially in the stress-infused daily lifestyle of modern society, our adrenal glands may need a bit of extra help. Magnesium can be very helpful as it is nature’s muscle relaxant, Vitamin C in the right dose, amino acids, and hydrolyzed collagen are some of the nutritional supplements in optimum dosage that can help bolster and enhance the performance of the adrenal glands. Remember that with adrenal fatigue, more supplement is not necessarily better. One of the most common clinical recovery mistake is over consumption of supplements.
On this last point, however, we have to be very careful. In very many cases, sufferers of Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome only realize they have the condition and start their recovery efforts in the late stages of the condition. At this point, the body has deteriorated to a point where it cannot effectively utilize many of these supplements, and using them may in fact stress the body and worsen the condition.
In these severe cases of Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome, it is often necessary to consult expert guidance to make sure the road to recovery does not encounter too many setbacks. Debilitating adrenal crashes are frequently experienced by those who are inexperienced yet tried to self-navigate. The body is in a precarious position, and navigating its sensitivities and reactions without prior experience, make a full recovery very difficult to achieve.
For those who suspect that may have AFS, but are not yet in the later stages of the condition, we hope these guidelines on how to treat Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome will be helpful in living a fuller and richer life. Do also make sure you check with your family doctor and rule out a similar condition called Addison’s Disease.
For anyone already in the later stages, these guidelines will still be helpful, but it may be necessary to consult an experienced health practitioner who can guide you through a smooth and successful recovery.
