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weekly articles

Are You On An Island?

Although I don't know anybody who is actually stranded on a desert island, I think many people today feel as though they are deserted. We may be surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people, but many of us live as if we were alone on our island. We are lonely, insecure, lack companionship and fear social interactions. We are lost in a world of worry about what the future may hold for us. This sums up the feelings for many of us today even though our desert island may be blacktop and concrete instead of sand and ocean.

You Are Your Adrenals

While we have DNA from our parents and we are a product of our environment, there is something deeper than either that creates a fearful, timid, shy, introverted, negative-type of person who gets stuck on islands, versus one who is strong, enjoys competition and challenges, is passionate about life, has healthy muscle tone, and can laugh at themselves. The difference is in the adrenal glands.

I spend a lot of time at airports and enjoy people watching. Usually I can pick out those who have powerful adrenal function and those with adrenal insufficiency. If I were to see Pastor Joel Osteen walk through the airport, I would think that he is a person of great passion, positive outlook and strength. I do know that his personality is a product of his faith and belief in Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father, but Joel's lean muscular build, his full head of healthy, curly hair and his optimistic outlook on life are marks of strong adrenal glands. People like Joel, with strong adrenal gland function, often become successful business and sales people because they're optimistic, they enjoy challenges, they're competitive and have tremendous energy and endurance to pursue their dreams. They are not afraid to assume risks to reach their goals. In fact, I fully believe that the person with strong adrenal gland function will produce an income far greater than those suffering from adrenal insufficiency.

Those with weak adrenals, depending on the degree of insufficiency, have weak muscles, their lives are filled with fear, and they're afraid to tackle challenges that the strong adrenal person loves to face. They're afraid to speak up in front of people and would rather die than give a public speech. They are usually content to let others do it and they follow in the footsteps of the strong adrenal type people. They are often content just getting by and would prefer working in an occupation that allows them to be hidden away, usually behind closed doors and by themselves, and not having to bother confronting their peers. They are usually shy, timid and anti-social. They dislike anyone looking over their shoulder, and if this happens, they become nervous and tense. If they have to confront somebody either physically or mentally, many times after the episode, they will have to lie down and rest due to the exhaustion caused by the confrontation. People with weak adrenals usually have many symptoms associated with upper respiratory conditions. They are the ones who always have colds, allergies, hives and often they get everything that goes around. They are usually always sick and if not, they might even fake it.

Signs of Adrenal Insufficiency

People with weak adrenal glands typically experience these symptoms:

• Fatigue 94%
• Premenstrual tension 85%
• Mental depression 79%
• Inability to concentrate 77%
• Craving for sweets 75%
• Allergies 73%
• Apprehension 71%
• Headaches 68%
• Alcohol intolerance 66%

Go to my original article for a full questionnaire to determine your adrenal health.

I wrote a much more detailed article on Chronic Fatigue and Adrenal Function, including more signs and symptoms of weak adrenal glands, several months ago for those who want more in-depth information. You can read the article on my website at: http://www.terrytalksnutrition.com/weekly-articles/2009/10-09/

Address Your Adrenals

There are many nutrients that people with weak adrenals can use daily to supplement and strengthen their adrenal function. What I would recommend would be at least 200 mgs of vitamin C, 15 mgs of pregnenolone, 10 mgs of DHEA, 450 mgs of an extract of adrenal extracts, 450 mgs of L-tyrosine, 125 mgs of licorice extract, 10 mgs of P-5-P (pyridoxal-5-phosphate, which is a very special form of vitamin B-6), and 100 mgs of Rehmannia. Why this list of ingredients? The adrenals can only function with sufficient quantities of vitamin C daily. In fact, vitamin C is water soluble, so it's not stored in the body--but the one place it can be found is in the adrenal glands. Pregnenolone and DHEA are two very safe hormones that are produced by the adrenals and can improve their function, plus they are precursors for many other helpful hormones. The amino acid, L-tyrosine, is required to produce epinephrine and norepinephrine which are required for proper adrenal function. Vitamin B6 and pantothenic acid are vitamins required for proper adrenal function. Licorice root and Rehmannia can help make a huge difference in one's life, because they ask the adrenal glands to be more productive.

With all this said, you cannot continue to eat a junk food diet and expect to have strong, healthy adrenal glands. The United States has more junk food restaurants, more obese and overweight people and more people on prescription medications than any other country in the world. You would think that we would be a strong country, but the fast food and pharmaceutical industries are in the process of making us one of the unhealthiest countries in the world.

To recapture your health and strengthen your adrenals, consume a high protein diet, eat healthy fats and small amounts of healthy carbohydrates, lots of fruits and vegetables, and NO sugar, sweets, junk food, excessive alcohol or high carbohydrate foods. This may take a good deal of discipline, but you will be amazed at how you feel, the energy you have and the possibility of getting off prescription drugs as you get healthier. However, always consult your physician before you make any decision to eliminate or reduce any prescribed medications. Some medications are absolutely necessary for your health. Others are absolutely unnecessary, and many times a healthy diet and nutritional supplements can replace several of the over-the-counter drugs people are taking today.

Get Off The Island

If you were stranded on a real desert island, you would have three choices: give up and live a pale shadow of a life; set some signal fires and hope someone rescues you; or build a boat and rescue yourself. Since you are reading this article, I know you are not picking the first option. As for the second, I fear that rescues are few and far between. The hardest, but by far, the most successful option is to build a boat. Yes, it takes some effort, and yes, there may be times when the project is discouraging. But stick with it, have faith, and you can have your life back. Start making changes today for your better, happier, healthier, energetic tomorrow!

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