What’s the point of highlighting common types of stress?⁣⁣

⁣⁣⁣⁣Because it all means the same thing to the brain… “we’re in danger and run for your life”, so the body responds accordingly.⁣⁣
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⁣⁣And the longer your body remains in a stressed state, the more your body is going to ensure you slow down!⁣⁣
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⁣⁣While short bursts of stress are okay and keep our immune system primed, unresolved chronic stress – IN ANY FORM - takes a toll on our adrenals (those 2 triangular shaped glands that sit on top of our kidneys at the back) and drains micronutrient reserves (i.e. vitamin C, B’s, trace minerals, magnesium, etc).⁣⁣
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⁣⁣In times of acute stress like dodging an accident or preparing for an important deadline, your brain (i.e. ????ypothalamus & ????ituitary) opens a line of communication with the ????drenals (called the “???????????? ????????????????”) to produce stress hormones – mainly cortisol.⁣⁣
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⁣⁣Cortisol is anti-inflammatory and gives us the boost of energy to whether that stress.
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⁣⁣But when the stress becomes chronic, the HPA axis actually starts to decrease stress hormone production as a survival mechanism to PROTECT you!
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⁣⁣At this stage, you could feel tired, have aches & pains in the morning, have trouble waking up, have low motivation, low libido, insomnia and are just flat out exhausted all the time. ⁣⁣
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⁣⁣Metabolism slows down, fertility comes to a screeching halt, blood sugar becomes an issue, and life just feels really hard.⁣⁣
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⁣⁣What can you do?⁣⁣
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⁣⁣????????Honor your body’s signals & help it feel safe again:⁣⁣
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⁣⁣✔️Slow down, do less⁣⁣
⁣⁣✔️Sleep by 10/10:30pm⁣⁣
⁣⁣✔️Swap higher intensity workouts with yoga⁣⁣
⁣⁣✔️Work on past traumas⁣⁣
⁣⁣✔️Find & remove hidden gut/oral infections like parasites and mold mycotoxins⁣⁣
⁣⁣✔️Nourish the adrenals & supplement with adaptogens or glandulars if needed⁣⁣
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Not only do our hormones get affected, but so do the nerves that innervate the adrenal glands as well as the surrounding muscles (hamstrings, gracilis, and sartorius specifically) that provide support to the pelvis and lower back:⁣
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⁣????????The hamstrings (back of thigh muscles) connect from the knee to the back of the pelvis;⁣
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⁣????????The gracilis (aka groin muscle) connects to the inside of the pelvis;⁣
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⁣????????The sartorius, the longest muscle in the body, goes from the inside of the knee all the way up to the top of the pelvis;⁣
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⁣When the adrenal glands are under chronic stress (as explained above), these muscles become imbalanced and cause instability to the pelvis which makes one more prone to lower back injuries and pain.⁣
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⁣For similar reasons, the inner thigh and knee are also common pain points and prone to injuries, as are the ankles and shins.⁣
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⁣Again, there are many possible reasons for lower back pain that should be ruled out, but adrenal dysfunction is definitely one to keep on your radar.⁣
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⁣Other symptoms that could indicate a need to support the adrenals:⁣
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⁣✔️Tend to be a “night owl”⁣
⁣✔️Difficulty falling asleep⁣
⁣✔️Slow starter in the morning⁣
⁣✔️Get dizzy when standing up suddenly⁣
⁣✔️Crave salt⁣
⁣✔️Headache after exercising⁣
⁣✔️Tendency to need sunglasses⁣
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Doing less and inducing a “vacation state” is really the best adrenal support there is, but sometimes stressors can go on for far too long and our body needs additional support: Adrenal Adaptogens

As the name implies, adaptogens help our body adapt to stress by normalizing cortisol and the entire hormonal axis (HPATG), amongst other benefits.⁣
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⁣All adaptogens are nourishing to the adrenal glands, however some have a more boosting effect while others are more calming as pictured above. See further below for product examples.⁣
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⁣How do you know which type you need?⁣
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⁣Well, you can go based on symptoms, but since the body’s stress response goes through different stages of adaptation, I recommend the DUTCH Adrenal test to know exactly how best to support my clients.⁣
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⁣If testing isn’t an option for you, here’s a symptom overview of the different extremes:⁣
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⁣???????????????????????? ???????????????????????????????? due to a hyper stimulated stress axis (stressed & wired/anxious all the time):⁣
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⁣✔️Insomnia (racing mind)⁣
⁣✔️Wired & tired⁣
⁣✔️Poor digestion⁣
⁣✔️Racing heart, hypertension⁣
⁣✔️May get sick easily⁣
⁣✔️Anxiety⁣
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⁣????????If stress becomes chronic, you then get symptoms of ???????????? ???????????????????????????????? (stressed & exhausted all the time):⁣
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⁣✔️Exhaustion, fatigue⁣
⁣✔️Lethargic⁣
⁣✔️Weakness, pain & inflammation⁣
⁣✔️Dizziness, hypotension⁣
⁣✔️Low motivation⁣
⁣✔️Depression⁣
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⁣????????For general adrenal irregularity, for example when someone has low energy in the morning and higher energy at night, a blend of both types usually works well.⁣
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⁣⚠️Note: licorice is contraindicated for anyone with unmanaged hypertension and rhodiola may be stimulating to some.⁣

Find below some of my favorite adrenal adaptogens, you can access them through my dispensary here.

As always, go low and slow and work with a functional practitioner to find the best fit for your unique needs.⁣ If you need more support and guidance on getting to the root cause, consider joining the B Better membership.⁣
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⁣⁣⁣If you have any comments or questions, please leave them below. And don't forget to share this article with those who need this.❤️