Are you stressed? Fatigued? Do you rely on caffeine to get you through the day?  Have you noticed an increase in belly fat? Do you crave sweets or salt?  Are you more irritable? Do you have trouble sleeping? If any of these sounds familiar, your adrenal glands may be out of balance.

The adrenal glands are also your “stress glands” because they help you cope with physical and emotional stress. You have two adrenal glands; one on top of each

kidney. When you experience stress, like running late for an appointment or skipping meals and allowing your blood sugar to drop, your adrenal glands get turned on and produce chemicals to help you cope. What are these chemicals and what do they do?

Cortisol: this is one of the major chemicals produced by the adrenal glands. It serves many vital functions in the body including:

• Maintain proper blood sugar between meals
• Reduce inflammation
• Keep the immune system in balance Emotional stability

High Cortisol: When ideal levels of cortisol are being produced it is very beneficial to your body. However, when too little or too much cortisol is being produced, problems arise. Excess cortisol can lead to suppression of your immune system, increased body fat (especially around the belly), decreased lean muscle mass, high blood sugar, low thyroid function and poor short term memory.

Low Cortisol: If you have been under stress for prolonged periods of time, your adrenal glands may be exhausted; this leads to low levels of cortisol. Low cortisol can cause low blood sugar, irritability, headaches and fatigue. Your immune system will not be kept in check and you could become susceptible to autoimmune disease and increased inflammation or pain. Insomnia may now be problem and you may not sleep well through the night and possibly wake up feeling hot or sweaty.

Additional Functions: Your adrenal glands also produce other chemicals that keep your body healthy and working properly such as:

• Regulate body fluid and water weight
• Balance sodium (salt) in the body
• Blood pressure
• Hormone balance
• Metabolism and weight-loss
• Mood and emotional state
• Healthy digestion
• Blood cell production
• Thyroid balance

As with any other system in the body, balance and optimal function is key. Too much cortisol or too little creates health problems. Restoring balance to this system can be achieved by removing stressors and supporting the nutrient needs of the adrenal glands.

Adrenal Stressors: common adrenal gland stressors include poor blood sugar control, food intolerances or allergies, toxins, gut flora imbalances, chronic infections, lack of exercise and poor diet.

Adrenal Support: the adrenal glands have nutrient requirements that must be met if they are to function properly. It should also be noted that these glands may require above and beyond support if your body is under a great deal of stress. Nutrients like vitamin B5, B6, B12, vitamin C, zinc and tyrosine can be beneficial to the adrenal glands when used appropriately.

Are your adrenal glands out of balance? The only way to find out is to have them tested. Functional medicine physicians often employ adrenal gland testing to determine if these glands are overactive or underactive. Once the imbalance has been identified, an appropriate treatment plan can be created to get things back on track again! The importance of adrenal gland health cannot be overstated; the multitude of functions these glands carry out are essential to good health.  If you would like more information about adrenal gland health, functional medicine or Dr. Sexton, please contact our office.

Do your own research, inform yourself and ask lots of questions. When collecting information you MUST consider the source. There is no shortage of false, misleading, outdated, profit-driven and utterly biased information in healthcare today; even from the most respected sources.