Fatigue and Burnout: Strategies for Adrenal Exhaustion and Just Plain Tiredness
Are you suffering from adrenal burnout and fatigue? Low thyroid function? Chronic fatigue or Fibromyalgia?
Do you have as much energy as you’d like to have?
What would you do if you had more energy? Think about what it would be like to pop out of bed in the morning, bright, cheery and ready for the day.
As you go through your day, you feel energized by your food, your conversations, your work and your activities. When asked by a friend or family member to participate in a fun evening activity , you always say yes,
without fear of losing steam at the end of the day, and being too tired to to do much more than flop on the couch.
You participate in activities you love, eat healthy meals, exercise and are fully present for your relationships. You never hear yourself utter the words, “I’m too tired.” Instead you say, “I feel so energized.”
Sound like a romantic fiction novel? This life is possible for you.
Fatigue, exhaustion, tiredness, weariness, low energy…whatever you choose to call it, it’s a real problem and it 
happens to real people like you. There are many causes. Some are obvious, others not so obvious. When I asked at one of my workshops for a show of hands of people who felt that were fatigued, or had low energy, all but 1 or 2 people raised their hands.
Then I proceeded to give one of my favorite definitions of fatigue. The definition goes something like this:
The decreased capacity or complete inability of an organism, an organ, or a part to function normally because of excessive stimulation or prolonged exertion.
I talked about how you may feel like you have plenty of energy (caffeine and other stimulants can give you that illusion), yes parts of you are operating sub par. Maybe your neurotransmitters are sluggish and you have difficulties with focus, or your digestion and you’re constipated, or your hormones, and you have menstrual irregularities.
It takes all of your parts working in harmony to achieve vibrant energy.
At the end of the presentation, one of the women who’d not considered herself fatigued, thanked me and said that she didn’t associate the sluggishness in her digestive tract with fatigue. She just figured it was “normal” for her. My talk inspired her to look at ways she could energize her digestion and thus improve her overall experience of vibrant health and high energy.
There are many causes of fatigue. Here are five:
- Underfed and toxic mitochondria
- Hormone imbalances – especially thyroid, adrenal, insulin and leptin
- Digestive Inefficiencies
- Autoimmune Processes
- Serious diseases, like cancer, heart disease and diabetes
I’ll be exploring the topic of fatigue and its underlying causes and strategies for identifying and removing them on my Creating a Vibrant Life Blog Talk Radio Show on Wednesday, March 24 at 12:30 PM central time.
We’ll demystify adrenal fatigue, and distinguish it from thyroid fatigue. We’ll share strategies, stories and inspiration, to help move you from exhausted to energized.
Submit your questions for me pertaining to fatigue and regaining energy in the comment box below so we can address your concerns on the show.
The shows are all recorded and you can access the recording and download to iTunes by going back to the show link afterward. There are archives of past shows there as well.
http://www.drritamarie.com/go/RadioShow
And watch for my article called Running on Empty in the spring edition of Purely Delicious Magazine, due out in April.
http://www.drritamarie.com/go/PurelyDelicious
I look forward to connecting with you soon.
Love, Health and Joy to You,
Dr. Ritamarie
P.S. Comment below: What are you committing to for your health? Today is day 22 of the 30 Day Sleep and Fun Challenge. I am happy to report that I have gotten more than 6 hours of sleep for 3 days straight. Over the weekend, I actually managed to get 9 hours! And my exercise is consistent again – almost everyday!
How about you? Commit below and make it happen.
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, BlogTalkRadio, Cancer, chronic fatigue, Cleansing Programs, energy, Exhaustion, fatigue, fatigue symptoms, fibromyalgia, hormonal imbalance, Hormone Imbalance, sleep, thyroid fatigue
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Holistic Nutrition, Vibrant Health
7 Essential Strategies for Optimal Hormone Balance
If you think that the symptoms of hormone imbalance are limited to the discomforts of PMS, hot flashes, and other common menopausal discomforts, and that the solution is medication or “white knuckling it”, you’re not alone. Hormone imbalances contribute to a myriad of common complaints that most people don’t consider hormone related, including inability to shed excess body fat, fatigue, hair loss, palpitations, skin proble
ms, and a host of others. Chronic and debilitating diseases like fibromyalgia, diabetes, osteoporosis and heart disease are hormone related as well.
There are 7 essential, yet often overlooked strategies for balancing your hormones that are crucial keys to living a vibrant, healthy and balanced life.
1) Adopt an Attitude of Gratitude. Stress is one of the key contributors to hormone imbalance. When you’re in a stressful situation, your body produces a cascade of chemicals—hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters –– that mobilize your body to escape or fight. This is what’s often known as fight flight mode, and most Americans live there 24/7. When this is chronic, the excessive demands of on your adrenal glands, the “stress soldiers”, causes less nutrients and hormone precursors to be available to make other hormones like estrogen, progesterone, testosterone and DHEA. Studies show that you can transform a stressful state through the power of deep breathing and appreciation. Take frequent deep breathing and appreciation breaks throughout the day to support your hormones.
2) Get Enough Sleep. While there is not a one size fits all prescription concerning the amount of sleep you need, you do need to figure out what your body really requires, and get it on a consistent basis. During sleep, your body takes out the broom and mop and goes to work cleaning up from the “mess” of the day. Insufficient sleep will leave you tiredfrom the metabolic debris that doesn’t get cleaned up and will throw your hormones into a tailspin. One particular hormone, called leptin, is particularly sensitive to variations in sleep cycle. Leptin controls your appetite and metabolic rate. Insufficient sleep will result in lower leptin levels leading to slower metabolism and weight gain.
3) Optimize your Digestion. Eating on the run, eating processed foods, trans fat containing foods and hard to 
digest, heavy meals will lead to undigested food particles, damage to your digestive track and physical stress. This can affect the adrenal glands just as significantly as physiological stress, leading to the same hormone imbalances as being “stressed-out”. Stick to unprocessed, whole fresh foods, eaten slowly and with gratitude. You can also take enzymes and probiotics to help your digestion purr.
4) Avoid plastic drinking and food containers. These contain what’s known as xenoestrogens, which are 
estrogen look alikes that bind to estrogen receptors. Xenoestrogens can cause endometriosis, ovarian cysts, breast cancer and fetal abnormalities. Other sources of xenoestrogens are detergents, some skin lotions and soaps, commercially raised meat and dairy, spermicides, and herbicides. The xenoestrogens leach from the plastic food containers into the food or water. Heat increases the amount of xenoestrogen that gets into the food or water. Use ceramic or glass as much as possible, NEVER heat anything in a plastic container,and use only pure, chemical free body and home care products.
5) Do periodic cleansing. Your liver works hard to keep your blood clean, but the overwhelming
number of toxins from both external and internal sources can overwhelm its capacity. As a result, toxins are stored in fat, leading to resistant weight loss. In addition, when the liver is overburdened by toxins it can’t adequately convert “used” hormones, to water soluble forms for excretion. As a result, these”used” hormones recirculate and bind to hormone receptors, thus displacing the active hormones. This is particularly problematic for estrogen, and can lead to such symptoms as PMS, hot flashes, mood swings and uncomfortable menses. Periodic breaks in the action with a green juice or green smoothie cleanse can restore balance.
6) Eat plenty of sea greens. In addition to containing all the minerals known
to be important in human health, and most likely many that have yet to be discovered, sea vegetables are powerful detoxifiers. They have the ability to bind heavy metals and carry them out of the body. Heavy metals can disrupt hormone balance. A study in 1998 in the Journal of Human Reproduction linked heavy metals with recurrent miscarriage. Their conclusion was that heavy metals negatively impacted both ovarian and pituitary function. Sea vegetables are especially important for thyroid hormone hormone production, as they contain iodine, a mineral that’s deficient in land vegetables due to mineral depletion of our soils. Studies have shown that a particular species of the sea vegetable kombu, called laminaria digitata actually contains T3 and T4, the thyroid hormones.
7) Run away from heated fats. When heated above about 118 degrees, unsaturated fats oxidize, prod
ucing free radicals that damage your glands, organs and cells. Free radical damage is one of the key underlying 
causes of hormone imbalance and most other health challenges. The heated oils disrupt your natural production of prostaglandins, small messengers that regulate everything from hormone production to smooth muscle contraction. Eat fats in their raw and unprocessed state and be sure to get enough omega 3 fatty acids daily, in the form of chia seed, flax seed, hemp seed, pumpkin seed and blue green algae.
Hormone balance is a complicated process. When the conditions are right, your glands will function normally and you’ll notice a difference in how you feel. It takes a bit of time and diligence to make the lifestyle and diet changes needed to have healthy hormone balance, and it’s worth it. Give yourself time to incorporate the changes. Seek the support of a natural health practitioner who can personalize your program, and add specific herbs and foods that support your uniqueness. Remember to stay focused on the solution rather than the problem, and appreciate the choices in front of you. While this is not a comprehensive list, it’s a great place for you to start to balance your hormones and live a happy, healthy life.
To learn more about how to balance your hormones, rebuild your libido and age gracefully, join Dr. Ritamarie and Kevin Gianni for a 3 part telecourse called “Ageless Woman’s Health.”
Here’s where to go to be a part of this educational event…
WomansHealthTeleseminar Registration
There are limited slots and the telecourse starts on the 8th of September at 9:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM PST. And each session is recorded just in case you can’t make one.
WomansHealthTeleseminar Registration
Love, health and Joy,
Dr. Ritamarie
Tags: Adrenal Fatigue, appreciation, chronic fatigue, Hormone Imbalance, hormone imbalances, Living Foods, Raw Foods, thyroid, women’s health
Posted in Adrenal Fatigue, Articles, Autoimmune, Exhaustion, Fatigue Treatment, Health Coach, Living Foods, Natural Hormone Support
