“Natural forces within us are the true healers of disease” – Hippocrates
Vaga Nutrition is here to support you, your health and well-being from a whole person approach.
Nutritional Medicine bridges the gap in health care and takes a bespoke approach to health, healing, prevention and wellness, helping restore the body’s natural ability to heal.
Adrenal Fatigue is a condition where the adrenal glands can no longer function appropriately. Often caused by excess stress, adrenal fatigue manifests in a number of ways. When you feel you can no longer cope with even the smallest amount of stress, good or bad, you may be suffering from adrenal fatigue.
The adrenal glands are 2 triangular shape organs, one on top of each kidney. They are endocrine glands and help to produce and regulate various hormones throughout the body.
Hormones produced and regulated by the adrenal glands include
Any disturbance to the hormones from the adrenal glands can lead to the following symptoms, and can have chronic effects on the body. It is important to be mindful of yourself and how you are feeling in order to control the sense of overwhelm that comes from excess, accumulated stress.
Signs and symptoms of adrenal fatigue include
Chronic stress can overwhelm the adrenal glands, and this accumulation of stress comes from various sources such as holding onto things, not speaking out, not asking for help, physical and emotional stress, work/family/money pressures, death or injury of a loved one, and not being aware of oneself. Other things like bacterial and viral infections can lead to accumulation of stress on the body, especially infections like pneumonia and gastrointestinal parasites.
There are many ways that you can gain control of your health and help to prevent adrenal fatigue using diet and lifestyle techniques, and vitamin and mineral therapies to restore and balance insufficiencies that result from stress and adrenal fatigue.
We all encounter stress in our lives. It comes from all areas of our life, including work, family and finances.
So what exactly is stress? There are various forms of stress, all of which have either positive or negative effects on the mind and body.
Types of Stress
Chronic stress, from either good or bad stressors, can lead to a myriad of psychological and physiological health conditions, in turn leading to a vicious cycle of our inability to cope with small things that come our way in daily life that we would otherwise be able to handle. Chronic stress also comes from things we ingest and put onto our bodies such as high caffeine and alcohol intake, body lotions high in un-natural ingredients and environmental factors including exposure to molds, allergens, pollutants, fluoride, mercury and heavy metals, and household cleaning products.
The seemingly constant barrage of attacks from stress can lead to anxiety and panic disorders, as well as depression. We become so overwhelmed that we cannot function normally, putting the body into overdrive on every level. This affects a number of organs including the adrenal glands, kidneys, heart, brain, lungs, blood, liver, bowel, muscles and skin.
Essentially, the body becomes so overwhelmed that hormones which help us to function and regulate ourselves under normal circumstances are sent into hyperactivity or hypoactivity. This then results in several changes. These changes include hormone dysregulation, increased muscle pain, insomnia, diarrhea and constipation, increased or decreased appetite, feling ‘tired but wired’, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, addictive and destructive behaviors, social withdrawal and altered nutrient status. It is at this point we are considered to have anxiety and/or panic disorder or depression. Or a combination of these.
There is no denying that all these hormones our bodies need to help us function normally are in fact so out of balance we feel there is something seriously wrong and we seek help. We have come too far to ever find a way out and act accordingly.
It is important to recognize the signs and symptoms of anxiety and depressive disorders in order to get the help needed to heal the body and return to balance in both internal and external lives. The signs and symptoms of anxiety, panic and depression are often intertwined and difficult to set apart as just one or the other.
Signs and Symptoms
From a nutritional perspective, stress can lead to severe and chronic nutrient depletions due to the increased work the body has to carry out in order to maintain homeostasis. The following nutrients are essential for normal cell and bodily functions, and especially important in restoring health and well-being. Along with relaxation techniques and body-awareness, they can help bring us back into balance. It is also important to remember that this takes time, and there is no ‘quick-fix’. Eliminating and reducing the things that cause stress and our methods for dealing with them are equally as important as restoring nutrients.
Nutrients
All of these nutrients, along with important diet and lifestyle changes can help in the recovery from chronic stress, and alleviate anxiety and depression.
It is essential to speak to your holistic health care provider, who can work with you in restoring balance and reduce the effects of chronic stress.
Techniques
The following techniques have proven to be effective in reducing the symptoms of panic, anxiety and depression when used consciously and repeatedly. They are lifestyle techniques we can use to eliminate and l’let go’ of the small and big things that contribute to feelings of overwhelm and pain.
With the help and guidance from a holistic practitioner, and other resources for counseling and support, it is possible to restore balance, health and vitality, and lead a fulfilling and happy life.
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