Areas of Focus

Anxiety, Stress and Adrenal Fatigue

With many stress-inducing global events and our national culture fostering a go-go-go mentality, our daily lives are filled with stress from morning until night.  Many people have demanding jobs, financial worries, traffic jams, relationship problems, health concerns, and hectic schedules as they take care of their homes, their job, their children, and sometimes elderly parents. It can be hard to find time to relax and de-stress. Add to this a poor diet, lack of sleep, exposure to toxins, negative thoughts, emotional trauma, and lack of exercise and you have a formula for adrenal exhaustion. And all the while our adrenal glands, often called our stress glands, are working overtime, trying to keep up and maintain homeostasis throughout the body. Prolonged stress can cause sleep problems, anxiety, and fatigue. If left unaddressed for too long our adrenal fatigue can cause depression, a lack of motivation, and make it difficult for us to function in our daily lives.

Some signs of adrenal fatigue include:

  • Difficulty handling daily stresses

  • Brain fog and poor memory

  • Irritability and anxiety

  • Low libido

  • Feelings of extreme tiredness

  • Insomnia

  • Abdominal fat

  • Cravings for sweets or salt 

  • Barely making it through the day

The good news is adrenal fatigue can be relieved and reversed by eating a healthy diet, taking time to nurture yourself, getting adequate sleep (natural assistance may be needed), moderate exercise, and taking the appropriate nutritional supplements. But where and how do you start? I’ll review your individual needs and help you make the necessary dietary changes, guide you towards the best exercise for you (It can be as simple as walking), give you self-nurturing, calming lifestyle changes, and suggest the right professional-grade whole food nutritional and herbal supplements to help you transform from feeling exhausted to feeling energized!   

  Gastro-Intestinal Dysfunction

Hippocrates, the Father of Modern Medicine, once said “All disease begins in the gut”. Many functional medicine practitioners also believe this is true. But most Americans eat the “Standard American Diet” (SAD) which is full of fast foods, highly processed foods, pesticides and food additives. We eat on the run and under stress. We eat too much unhealthy foods and not enough of healthy foods. No wonder so many people have developed Gastro-intestinal distress and dysfunction.  With roughly 70% of our immune system being located in our gut this becomes not just an uncomfortable situation but an immune problem as well.  Poor gut function means poor immune function.  This puts us at risk of developing any of a number of illnesses, from the common cold and flu to auto-immune diseases, because our immune system is weak and unable to protect us from disease.

Science understands there is a direct connection between the gut and the brain.  The gut in fact, is often referred to as the “Second Brain”. When we have poor gut function, we have poor brain function. Many neurotransmitters are produced in the gut such as serotonin and GABA, which controls our feelings of fear and anxiety.  The more balanced our gut microbiome is the better we can control these emotions.  There is a direct connection between gut health and anxiety and depression.  

Poor gut micro-biome has been associated with many autoimmune conditions like thyroid issues, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and  Type I diabetes, as well as obesity, Type 2 Diabetes, liver disease, chronic heart diseases, some cancers, HIV, Autism, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4425030/

 Signs and symptoms of poor gut function or poor gut microbiome include:

  • Stomach Upset – Gas, bloating, constipation, diarrhea, heartburn, acid reflux (Gerd)

  • Leaky Gut, SIBO, IBS, IBD, Crones, Colitis are all diagnoses of gut dysfunction

  • Fatigue

  • Difficulty sleeping

  • Food sensitivities and intolerances

  • Unexplained weight gain or weight loss

  • Strong cravings for sweets

  • Skin conditions

  • Migraines

  • Autoimmune disease

  • Anxiety, depression and mood swings

  • Loss of taste for meat

  • Burning sensation in stomach

  • Hormonal Imbalance

Healing the gut can have a dramatic impact on our overall health and the many symptoms and conditions affected or caused by poor gut health.  That is why many functional medicine practitioners believe that no matter what ails a person, always start by healing the gut. Changing our diet, reducing stress, getting moderate exercise and adequate sleep and taking the appropriate supplementation, including but not limited to pre-biotics and pro-biotics can help you bring your gut microbiome and overall gut health back to an optimal state.  

  Blood Sugar Dysregulation

Blood sugar dysregulation and diabetes specifically are major causes of death in our country and globally. And yet, Pre-Diabetes, Diabetes (Type 2) and Metabolic Syndrome are considered preventable and very treatable with lifestyle changes. Diabetes can cause other serious complications such as heart disease, kidney disease, nerve damage like diabetic neuropathy, poor circulation, vision problems like diabetic retinopathy, hearing loss, stroke, and increased risk of some cancers.  

If you are experiencing the following symptoms, you may have dysglycemia or blood sugar dysregulation:  

  • Increased thirst

  • Extreme hunger

  • Increased urination

  • Unusually dry skin

  • Irritability

  • Blurred vision

  • Fatigue

  • Dry mouth

  • Confusion

  • Shakiness

  • Anxiety

By making simple changes to your diet and lifestyle, getting regular, moderate exercise, replenishing certain vitamins and minerals and taking the appropriate whole food nutritional and herbal supplements diabetes and other forms of blood sugar dysregulation can be reduced or even reversed.

   Detox and Weight Loss

We’re exposed to toxins in our everyday life. Although our body is designed to detoxify itself, we introduce many more toxins into our body than it was ever designed to be exposed to, and our bodies are not able to keep up with that toxic burden. We’ve polluted our air, water, and food, all the things that we need to survive. Rather than creating health as they are meant to, they can now create illness instead. Toxins are hidden in food additives and preservatives, household cleaners, personal care products like lotions, cosmetics, hair care, pesticides, heavy metals, molds, and so much more. Toxins are everywhere. It’s impossible to avoid them.

These toxins may contribute to skin rashes, food cravings, weight gain, fatigue, sleep problems, low libido, brain fog, joint pain, indigestion, and other gastrointestinal upset and hormone dysregulation to name a few. In order to regain and maintain good health, we must eliminate these toxins from our body.

Some of the benefits of detoxification include:

  • Weight loss

  • Increased energy

  • Hormone rebalancing

  • Improved sleep

  • Clearer skin

  • Better circulation

  • Reduced aches and pains

  • More youthful appearance

  • Greater sense of overall wellbeing

I choose to do a detox (cleanse) program once or twice yearly.  The same program I use is what I use with my clients.  I believe it to be one of the best on the market. This is often the best way to begin a journey towards health, giving the greatest overall improvement of symptoms in the shortest amount of time.    

   Hormonal Imbalance

As women we certainly have our hormonal challenges, from the time we begin menstruation through perimenopause, menopause and post menopause. It can seem never ending. PMS, mood swings, cramps, hot flashes, insomnia, PCOS, Endometriosis, estrogen dominance or low estrogen, the problems can go on and on.

Hormonal problems don’t just affect women.  Men can suffer with them too. Andropause (otherwise known as male menopause) for example, affects many men over the age of 45.  Other male hormonal dysfunctions include Erectile dysfunction, enlarged prostate, low testosterone, Gynecomastia and more.    

Some symptoms of hormonal imbalance include:

  • Acne

  • Anxiety

  • Insomnia

  • Fatigue

  • Depression

  • Infertility

  • Low libido

  • Weight gain or weight loss

  • Hot flashes

  • Irregular periods

So many things can throw off our hormonal balance such as endocrine disruptors like xenoestrogens (estrogen imitators) found in our food, personal care products, plastic containers and bottles, cosmetics, food dyes and preservatives. Also, stress, a poor diet, pregnancy, menopause, even certain medications can cause our hormones to get out of whack.

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms or conditions, know that a healthy hormonal balance can be restored. Dietary changes, detoxification, regular exercise, stress management and appropriate whole food nutritional and herbal supplementation can help bring you back into a state of hormone harmony.