It appears that every time you observe the current state of affairs in the world – the economy, politics, conflicts – things are deteriorating. This is exacerbated by the rapid deterioration of the health of loved ones and acquaintances. We are all merely “surviving” rather than “thriving”. I describe this sensation as an intense urge to escape as if tiny needles are trying to break free from my skin, and an inability to find tranquillity. Being a busy Mom, there is always an overwhelming amount of tasks to accomplish, yet there are moments when I feel paralyzed.
Due to personal or global circumstances, your body might be stuck in a state of heightened alertness and unable to calm down, your nervous system on edge; psychologically this feeling is referred to as a “fight or flight response” – an automatic physiological reaction to an event that is perceived as stressful or frightening.
This natural response comes from the adrenal glands and is what enables many individuals to perform extraordinary acts of bravery and accomplish feats they never thought possible. However, there are negative consequences when we try to recover from the fight or flight state.
Remaining in a state of chronic stress for an extended period without proper care places stress on our adrenal glands. The adrenal glands will eventually suffer unless they are given enough time and appropriate support to heal. Additionally, individuals dealing with anxiety or depression may experience worsened symptoms and heightened levels of distress. This adrenal response is referred to as adrenal burnout or adrenal fatigue.
What is Adrenal Fatigue
The term adrenal fatigue, also referred to as adrenal burnout, is a natural health term describing a collection of non-specific symptoms attributed to chronic stress and the supposed exhaustion of the adrenal glands.
How Adrenal Fatigue Affects Hormonal Balance
Our adrenal glands play a crucial role in the endocrine system, which regulates adrenal hormones in the body. The relationship between adrenal fatigue and hormonal balance lies in the impact that chronic stress can have on the adrenal glands and the hormonal systems they influence.
When the body is under stress, the adrenal glands release hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. These hormones play a key role in the body’s “fight or flight” response, helping to mobilize energy and resources to deal with stressors. However, chronic stress can lead to the overproduction of these hormones, which may eventually result in adrenal fatigue.
As the adrenal glands become fatigued, they may struggle to produce adequate amounts of hormones, including cortisol. Cortisol is vital for maintaining hormonal balance, and its levels are interconnected with other hormones in the body, such as insulin, thyroid hormones, and reproductive hormones (estrogen and testosterone). Disruptions in cortisol levels can consequently affect the balance of these other hormones, leading to various symptoms and potential imbalances. The adrenal glands release cortisol in response to stress. Cortisol is often referred to as the “stress hormone” because its levels typically rise during stressful situations. Prolonged or chronic stress may lead to dysregulation of cortisol production which then leads to adrenal fatigue.
Chronic stress and disruption in cortisol levels can potentially impact the balance of other hormones in the body, including sex hormones (such as estrogen and testosterone) and thyroid hormones. The HPA (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis) is directly related to the HPT (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Thyroid Axis) and the HPG (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis).
Addison’s disease is a medical condition resulting from the adrenal glands making too little cortisol and, often, too little of another, aldosterone.
How Spike Protein Impacts the Adrenals
The Spike Protein is made up of two parts, called S1 and S2. Within the S1 part, there is a receptor-binding domain (RBD) that attaches to the ACE2 receptor found on the surface of human cells. On the other hand, the S2 part helps the virus merge with the host cell membrane, allowing the virus to enter the cell and start reproducing.
ACE2 plays a vital role in converting Angiotensin 2 to Angiotensin 1-7. ACE2 is present in various parts of the body, impacting stress levels, mood, energy, and adrenal function. More individuals are now experiencing adrenal insufficiency than ever before.
Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue
In addition to feeling mentally and physically drained, the following are some of the commonly reported symptoms associated with adrenal fatigue:
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- Exhaustion: Adrenal fatigue can leave you with persistent and overwhelming tiredness, even after adequate rest.
- Disrupted Sleep Patterns: Insomnia or difficulty falling asleep are common symptoms of adrenal fatigue. “Tired but wired” is a term some use to describe the feeling of being exhausted but too “wired” to sleep. This is due to a disruption in the pattern of cortisol release during the day and night.
- Gut Issues: Stress, especially chronic stress, can cause leaky gut, where the integrity of the intestinal walls become compromised, leading to malabsorption of nutrients, bloat, constipation, and more.
- Insulin Dysregulation: The stress hormones released by the adrenals cause blood sugar and insulin to become dysregulated. This can compound “perceived” stress, mood issues, sugar cravings and more.
- Hypothyroid: When the body is experiencing chronic stress, it shifts into “survival mode”, and slows down the metabolism to conserve energy. It does this by converting T4, the inactive thyroid hormone, into Reverse T3 instead of T3, the active thyroid hormone. Reverse T3 leads to fat storage, slow metabolism, poor digestion and more.
- Body Aches: Generalized muscle and joint pain are concerns associated with adrenal fatigue.
- Digestive Issues: Changes in appetite, digestive discomfort, and issues like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and Leaky Gut. Just stress alone, away from food, can disrupt the microbiome, lower immunity, and cause overall gut issues.
- Weight Changes: Unexplained weight gain or loss. Cortisol, the stress hormone, may cause weight loss initially when the body is in an acute stressed state, but typically chronic cortisol release may lead to weight gain. Cortisol is a fat storing hormone.
- Low Blood Pressure: Feeling dizzy or lightheaded, especially upon standing.
- Mood Swings: Anxiety, depression, irritability, or difficulty handling stress. Because there is no “gas in the tank” of the adrenals, every little stressor seems much bigger and overwhelming.
- Cravings: People suffering from adrenal fatigure regularly report Intense cravings for salty or sweet foods. The adrenals need extra salt and electrolytes when they are in overdrive. This leads to salt cravings; but what’s more, the body seeks quick sugar energy due to the lack of energy support from the adrenals. To make things worse, as someone reaches for sugar or processed foods, those foods steal ATP, or cellular energy, from the body, making the “energy bank” worse off.
- Decreased Immune Function: More susceptibility to infections and illnesses. With the adrenals being tapped, and the gut being negatively affected, the immune system will become suppressed.
- Brain Fog: Difficulty concentrating and memory issues. In the short term, the brain will be sharp and clear for survival purposes, but as time goes on and the stress hormones are depleted, the brain will become confused and exhausted.
The Thyroid and Adrenal Connection
The thyroid and adrenal glands are both crucial components of the endocrine system, and they interact in complex ways to regulate various physiological functions in the body. The thyroid gland produces hormones, primarily thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which play a key role in regulating metabolism, energy production, and body temperature. The adrenal glands, on the other hand, produce hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline, which are involved in the body’s response to stress, among other functions.
The interaction between the thyroid and adrenal glands is often referred to as the “thyroid-adrenal axis” or the “HPA-T axis” (Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal-Thyroid axis).
Here are some ways in which the thyroid and adrenals can influence each other:
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- Cortisol and Thyroid Hormones: Cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, can influence the conversion of inactive thyroid hormone (T4) to its active form (T3) in peripheral tissues. Stress, which triggers cortisol release, may cause T4 to convert into Reverse T3, which slows down metabolism, increases fat storage, and lowers energy.
- Stress and Hypothalamus-Pituitary Function: Both the thyroid and adrenal glands are regulated by the hypothalamus and pituitary gland. Chronic stress can impact the function of the hypothalamus and pituitary, leading to changes in the release of hormones that influence both the thyroid and adrenals.
- Feedback Mechanisms: The thyroid and adrenal glands communicate through feedback mechanisms. For example, elevated cortisol levels can give feedback to the hypothalamus and pituitary, influencing the release of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Changes in thyroid hormone levels can, in turn, influence adrenal function.
- Energy Regulation: Both the thyroid and adrenal glands play a role in regulating energy metabolism. Dysfunction in one system can potentially affect the other and lead to symptoms such as fatigue, weight changes, and alterations in mood.
The Salt, Iodine and Adrenal Connection
Salt is the most important adaptogen for the adrenals (an adaptogen is a natural substance considered to help the body adapt to stress).
When the body is salt deficient, it becomes hypovolemic, which means “low in fluids,” or dehydrated.
Normovolemia, meaning “properly hydrated with normal fluids,” is necessary for diluting waste and removing it from the body; otherwise, waste becomes thicker, dirtier, and more toxic.
When the body is salt sufficient it holds about 10.5 gallons of water for the average adult.
Furthermore, dehydration from a lack of salt causes the body to release vasopressin and histamine that closes off “less important” capillaries; otherwise, blood pressure would plummet trying to fill up the body’s circulatory highways. Salt “plumps up” the circulatory highways, including the capillaries, arterioles, arteries, and veins.
The adrenals produce aldosterone, a hormone responsible for balancing cellular osmotic pressure in the body, and osmotic pressure involves fluid. Aldosterone can only do so much if the body is salt deficient and low in bodily fluids. In other words, aldosterone cannot manage osmotic pressure when the body is deficient in salt and fluid.
Salt is crucial for the well-being of the kidneys, as they are closely connected to the adrenals. The kidneys play a vital role in maintaining the blood’s acidity levels, and when the blood becomes acidic due to a lack of salt, it puts pressure on both the adrenals and kidneys.
With a salt deficiency, the adrenals have to produce seven hormones for the kidneys to be able to reabsorb the precious salt that would be otherwise urinated out. Those hormones are renin, angiotensin II, aldosterone, epinephrine, norepinephrine, adrenaline, and noradrenaline.
The production of the above hormones requires a significant amount of energy and a large number of mitochondria to produce ATP. The primary cause of mitochondrial malfunction is the lack of iodine. When the body lacks salt, its iodine stores are quickly depleted to produce an excessive amount of the stress hormones mentioned earlier, which are unnecessary if the body has an adequate amount of salt. Continual overproduction of hormones can result in adrenal fatigue.
Top Supplements for Adrenal Fatigue
Adrenal fatigue can be addressed with supplementation that targets all of the elements of burnout. Here are my go-to adrenal fatigue supplements for restored vitality.
Accelerated Ancient Salt®
Accelerated Ancient Salt® has numerous benefits.
This unique health salt helps support and alleviate adrenal fatigue by providing the necessary minerals to increase blood volume, shutting off the need to produce the excess seven stress hormones associated with chronic stress.
It also has a negative charge that helps pull out the positively charged toxins, parasites and undigested fats.
Furthermore, Accelerated Ancient Salt® is enhanced with scalar frequency to increase its adrenal restorative properties. It contains over 62 minerals to support intracellular hydration, ATP function and overall adrenal health.
Acceleradine® Iodine
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- Acceleradine® iodine helps:
- Increase ATP in the mitochondria by 18 times; mitochondrial failure is directly related to adrenal fatigue.
- Iodine is essential in cleansing the liver and dirty blood.
- Increase T4 and T3 thyroid hormones to optimize energy and thyroid function.
- Heal scar tissue inside the body created by dirty, acidic blood.
- Improve mood and lower “perceived” stress which helps lower the stress on the adrenals.
- Support cellular energy to ease the stress on the adrenals.
Acceleradine® iodine is the only single atom of iodine that can achieve 100% bioavailability in all 100 trillion cells in the body, not just the thyroid. Not only is it toxin and radiation-free, unlike most iodine supplements, it is enhanced with scalar frequency to help detox the body of toxins and radiation that contribute to adrenal fatigue. This truly unique iodine can help alleviate the effects of the Spike Protein that contributes to adrenal fatigue.
Accelerated Thyroid®
Because the thyroid is the master endocrine gland and affects the adrenals, supporting the thyroid is imperative to restoring proper adrenal function. Accelerated Thyroid® is the most comprehensive thyroid supplement that helps restore proper thyroid function, increase mood, lower “perceived” stress, increase energy and metabolism, and in turn, restore adrenal function.
Accelerated Thyroid® is composed of the ancient Ayurvedic formula Kanchnara known to detox the thyroid, support metabolism, help with water retention, and dissolve thyroid cysts, in addition to grass fed freeze dried glandular that provides all of the natural amino acids and natural substances to facilitate thyroid health. Accelerated Thyroid® is then enhanced with scalar frequencies to help detox the thyroid from toxins and radiation that slow its function and tax the adrenals, in addition to alleviating hypothyroidism.
Accelerated Fast®
Accelerated Fast® kicks the body into a state of ketosis, where blood sugar stabilizes and stress hormones diminish. As a result, it is easy to incorporate intermittent fasting and a low carb diet, as the sugar cravings subside; just this alone can help improve adrenal function.
Accelerated Cogniblast™
Part of the cause of Adrenal Fatigue is heightened “perceived stress.” Cogniblast™ helps improve mood, lower stress, and increase energy so that you feel less stressed and can help the adrenals recover. Cogniblast also aids in:
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- Enhance mood and motivation
- Enhance focus, concentration, and memory
- Lowers stress and anxiety
- Increase ATP and cellular energy
Adrenosen
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- Adrenosen helps relieve adrenal fatigue and is based on an ancient Chinese remedy. Adrenosen helps:
- Address burn-out, especially when accompanied by aching, pain or digestive disturbances
- Restore energy, sense of well-being, and mental acuity
- Alleviate non-specific dry coughing, dyspepsia, and leukorrhea
- Support the adrenal, pituitary and thyroid glands
- Athletes replenish their systems
Ashwagandha
An adaptogenic herb, Ashwagandha is well known for being a health tonic and restorative agent that:
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- Supports body and mind in combating daily life stress
- Reduces anxiety and stress levels
- Increases vitality, stamina and energy
- Improves both physical and mental performance
- Helps to support relaxation of mind
- Helps to promote restful sleep
Lifewave Stem Cell Patches for Adrenal Fatigue
Energy Enhancer Patch
This patch increases energy, ATP and mitochondrial health that has been depleted from adrenal fatigue. It reduces fatigue, strengthens all organs and increases the “life force” or “qi” in the body. It also increases fat oxidation and helps the body become more efficient in burning body fat for energy.
Aeon Patch
The Aeon patch helps alleviate stress and improve mood, which will take pressure off of the adrenals. It helps balance the brain, calm the mind, reduce cortisol, reduce heart rate and blood pressure, and elevate dhea.
X39 Stem Cell Activation Patch
This patch activates the body’s own stem cell production to accelerate restoration of the body, including adrenal health. This peptide resets over 4000 genes; many people see an improvement in sleep, energy, and adrenal health.
Lifestyle Changes to Improve Adrenal Health
Adrenal fatigue cannot be reversed through supplements alone; changes to lifestyle are imperative. For expedited adrenal restoration, I recommend implementing the following lifestyle changes:
Sleep
Sleep is the body’s time to restore and repair; it is imperative to get at least 7-9 hours of sleep per night for complete adrenal restoration.
Moderate Exercise
Too much cardio exercise will add additional stress on the body, break down your muscles, encourage weight gain from excess cortisol release, and may delay adrenal recovery. Until the adrenals are restored, focus on lifting weights, yoga, stretching, and walking to encourage muscle growth and lowering cortisol levels.
Eliminate Processed Foods and Sugar
Processed foods and sugar deplete ATP and lower mitochondrial health which will negatively impact energy levels and cause adrenal and thyroid health to suffer. Furthermore, these foods will cause blood sugar and insulin to rise, inflammation throughout the body to increase, and toxins to build in the liver, thyroid, and throughout the body. All of these factors will lower mitochondrial health, increase stress on the body, and deplete the adrenals.
Focus on Eating Wild Animal Protein
Protein sources like bison, elk, deer, lamb, and wild fish provide the most nutrient dense food to support optimal health to restore energy and adrenal health.
Proteins like chicken, conventionally raised beef, pork, and turkey have amyloid proteins which are misfolded proteins that cannot be broken down in the body. They get deposited in tissues, trip gut pathogens to overtake the good bacteria, and cause leaky gut and malnutrition. These proteins will not support adrenal health and will require additional energy for the body to get rid of it.
Stay Hydrated
Proper hydration with ample water, iodine and salt is necessary to support adrenal health. Most people are dehydrated. Hydrating with just water can deplete the body of the necessary minerals for intracellular hydration.
Sara Banta
Sara Banta is a Stanford University Graduate with a Degree in Economics and Psychology, and a certified Natural Supplement Expert & Graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Sara is the Founder of Accelerated Health Products and host of the health & wellness podcast, Accelerated Health Radio.
