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Many people with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis have adrenal fatigue. My goal is not only to explain how this plays out, but also to give you some tips that will help you restore the health of your adrenal glands. In addition to being a licensed healthcare professional who has helped patients with adrenal fatigue, I was personally diagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid disorder, had stressed adrenal glands, and successfully restored the health of my adrenal glands.
While many people are aware of the common symptoms associated with adrenal fatigue (a constant feeling of exhaustion, trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, etc.), what many people don’t realize is that stressed adrenal glands can cause an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis to develop. The reason for this is that chronic adrenal fatigue can compromise the immune system. So, over a long period of time, this weakened immune system can make someone susceptible to an autoimmune thyroid disorder, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
The good news is that most cases of adrenal fatigue can be reversed. The problem is, most people don’t know how to do this as many just go out and buy some nutritional supplements at their local health food store, hoping this will help. Some will consult with a doctor or holistic practitioner, but the fact is, most doctors don’t know how to properly treat this common problem. I was also guilty of this when I first started practicing, since in my first years of practice I also simply told many of my patients to eat healthy, told them to take some supplements, etc.
3 main common causes of adrenal fatigue
The truth is that a good diet and adequate nutritional supplementation can help, but doing it alone will not be enough. To better understand this, let’s look at three of the main causes of adrenal fatigue:
Cause n. 1: chronic stress. This is one of the main causes of adrenal fatigue, since while the adrenal glands were meant to deal with acute stressful situations, they cannot effectively deal with chronic and prolonged stress. Unfortunately, we live in a society where most people have some form of chronic stress in their life, which over a period of months and years will take its toll on the adrenal glands, causing adrenal fatigue.
Cause # 2: Bad food to eat. Eating poorly can definitely affect the health of your adrenal glands and eventually contribute to adrenal fatigue. This is especially true for those who consume refined carbohydrates frequently, where many people fall into this category. The reason this can affect the adrenal glands is because refined foods remove both nutrients and fiber from the whole food source. While manufacturers replace some of the removed nutrients, these refined foods no longer have the fiber component to help slow absorption. What this means is that when you eat a refined food, it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and increases blood sugar levels.
So someone who is in the habit of eating refined carbohydrates throughout the day (sugary cereals and snacks, bread, pasta, etc.) will cause blood sugar levels to rise and fall, over and over again. Over a period of months and years, this will place a considerable amount of stress on the adrenal glands, as well as other endocrine glands in the body. While I’m not going to discuss the physiology behind it here, adrenal fatigue affects the hormones cortisol (released when blood sugar levels are too low) and insulin (released by the pancreas when blood sugar levels are high). . Over time, this can lead to lowered cortisol levels, which in turn can lead to chronic fatigue and many other symptoms associated with stressed adrenal glands. This can also lead to conditions like insulin resistance, diabetes, autoimmune thyroid disorders, etc.
Cause # 3: Not eating regularly. In addition to eating junk food frequently, many people are guilty of not eating consistently throughout the day. Many skip breakfast, which is not good either. Again, this is all related to balancing blood sugar levels, and if you skip breakfast and / or go more than a couple of hours without eating when you wake up, this will put a lot of stress on your adrenal glands, which will eventually lead to adrenal fatigue.
There are other causes of adrenal fatigue besides these three factors, but making these lifestyle changes can really work wonders when it comes to adrenal health.
How to Restore the Health of Your Adrenal Glands
So how can you reverse adrenal fatigue and restore the health of your adrenal glands? Here are some of the things you can do that will have a profound impact on adrenal health:
1. Better manage stress in your life. I realize this is not easy to do, but the fact is that if you don’t manage the stress in your life well, there is virtually no chance of restoring the health of your adrenal glands. Almost everyone deals with chronic stress, so I’m not suggesting that you can eliminate all the different stressors. However, most of us can handle stress better.
2. Reduce the amount of refined carbohydrates you eat. Although it would be great if you could completely eliminate all refined foods from your diet, even if you just drastically reduce the amount of refined foods you eat on a daily basis, it can be of great help. Eat more whole foods and try to make sure each meal has some protein. I personally grew up eating sugary cereals every morning for breakfast (Fruit Loops was my favorite), but these days I have a healthy protein shake for breakfast, which includes some berries (raspberries, blueberries and blackberries), some purified water , protein powder, flaxseed oil and an egg. And while this may not sound too appealing to you, it actually tastes good and gives me a lot of energy to start my day. If you really want it to be a little sweeter you can also add half a banana.
This does not mean that you should also start your day with a protein shake, as you can eat organic eggs or some other healthy source of protein. And no, organic cereal is not healthy! I mentioned this because some people think that just because a product is organic means that it is healthy, but this is not true. While it might be better than eating a non-organic brand, it is still a refined carbohydrate.
3. Eat regularly throughout the day … and don’t skip breakfast! In addition to eating breakfast, try not to go more than two hours throughout the day without eating. And by the way, going back to breakfast, you don’t have to eat a big breakfast to start your morning. I realize that many do not feel hungry upon waking up, but they still need some type of protein to start the day. Even if it’s just a few bites of something that’s high in protein, that’s better than eating nothing. I personally like the protein drink not only because it gives me some protein to start the day, but it also immediately hydrates my body, since I add two cups of purified water. So having breakfast when you wake up and then eating every two hours thereafter will do wonders for balancing your blood sugar levels.
4. Nutritional supplementation can help. Many people want to know if taking nutritional supplements and / or herbal remedies can help with adrenal fatigue. Personally, I think it’s best to consult with a natural endocrine practitioner, mainly because it’s not like all people with adrenal fatigue need to take the same supplements and herbs, and more people will need to take different dosages. The only herb I will mention that can help with sugar cravings is Gymnema. This is very effective in helping to eliminate any sugar cravings you may have. Once again, I recommend that you consult with a natural endocrine physician to find out what dosage to take, in addition to obtaining a high-quality product.
If you follow the advice I have given you, over time you will see your energy levels return, you will sleep better, and in general, you will feel much better. Not only can this help reverse adrenal fatigue, but in addition to incorporating other natural treatment methods, it can also help fully restore the health of someone who has Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. While some of these things you can certainly do on your own to help improve your adrenal health, if you suffer from Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and want to consider a natural treatment protocol, I recommend that you consult with a competent natural endocrine physician. After all, we are talking about a serious autoimmune thyroid disorder, and if you want optimal results, it is best to consult with an expert.
