APRIL 2015
What’s So Important About Your Adrenal Glands?
By Mary Ellen Hannon A few years ago
I did not know where my adrenal glands were located in my body let alone know what was im- portant about them. Six months ago I had a saliva test and learned I was verg- ing on having Stage 3 Adrenal Fatigue.
These two tiny walnut shaped glands sit on top of our kidneys and are re- sponsible for releasing the hormone cortisol as well as other essential hor- mones. I’ll just focus on cortisol for now since my test showed my cortisol level started out very low in the morning and by early afternoon was at the level it is supposed to be when you go to sleep at night. All I use to know about cortisol was that it was related to stress and we need to avoid stress to keep cortisol down to be healthy. When your cortisol level gets raised for a good reason in a flight or fright
situation an even smaller gland at the base of your brain steps in after the stressful event is over and tells the adrenals to stop releasing it. Seems pretty simple but apparently stress can be deep rooted, so that fact that I don’t usually appear or feel stressed allowed me to easily conclude that I was not a person who had to worry about cortisol. However, when your level of cortisol is continuously high for long periods of time the pituitary gland tells your adrenals to stop releasing cortisol – it figures out you don’t really need it as there is plenty in your blood stream already. It takes a lot of effort to get this complicated mind-body connection back in synch. What makes all this even worse is that the adrenals regulate sugar and salt balance and become more and more important in regulating and providing more of our sex hormones as we age. My diet has improved steadily
over the years and it took a big leap forward the past few years while I was studying nutrition and hor- mones. I approached nutrition with the same level of high enthusiasm that I had approached many other life endeavors. I could not get sati- ated. I often felt like I had more en- ergy than I knew what to do with it. Knowing what I know now, I’m guessing if my morning, noon, evening and night cortisol level had been tested three years ago it would have been quite high compared to what is considered the optimal range. Since we all have unique bodies
unfortunately there is no cookie cut- ter formula for this recovery. I highly recommend finding a Holistic Doc- tor to assist you with finding the right protocol for you. Here are some things I believe have been slowly working for me: plenty of rest,
good nutrition (a low fat diet is definitely out of the equation), walking a cou- ple of times everyday and the right supplements (Vitamin B and C Complex as well as Vitamin A and D) are essential to recovering from adrenal fatigue. The real key is to avoid it all together by taking a very simple saliva test
that measures your cortisol level four times throughout the day. With the re- sults in hand you will be more inclined to make necessary adjustments to your diet and life style before these incredibly important little glands get tired. Mary Ellen Hannon is an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach living
in Santa Cruz, CA. She leads workshops and does private consulting. For more infor- mation about her go to
www.shaktinutrition.com
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