Written by: Laura Flanagan, Senior Level Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Remember that your adrenal glands are your ‘fright or flight’ organs, and they play a very important role in blood sugar regulation. These little organs that sit on top of the kidneys almost like a little ‘beanie’ cap are the reason that we can run away from a bear if chased. They are also responsible for helping us get out of bed each morning. And they allow a mother the miraculous strength to lift a car off her trapped child. The adrenal glands produce several hormones necessary for survival.
Today’s fast-paced lifestyle has forced us into pushing our adrenal glands to the point of being worn out. For most of us, the adrenal glands struggle to keep up. When we overload the body with sugar, the pancreas releases insulin to help store all of the excess sugar. The pancreas will often respond by over-producing insulin and then we wind up with low blood sugar. This is the reason we experience a big ‘crash’ after enjoying a sugary treat. Low blood sugar is dangerous; it can cause weakness, dizziness, and fainting. This is viewed as an emergency by the body and that is when the adrenals kick in to produce epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol to help. Epinephrine and norepinephrine increase your heart rate and begin to dilate your lungs and pupils in preparation for fight or flight. Norepinephrine also raises your blood pressure. Cortisol is another stress hormone that frees up glucose (sugar) in the body during a fight or flight type of situation. I often refer to two regions of the brain involved in these operations: the hypothalamus and the pituitary. The hypothalamus can be thought of as the ‘president’ who puts forth orders to the ‘executive office’ (the pituitary gland) who carries out the order. These two areas of the brain work in a collaborative way to tell the adrenals to release cortisol when blood sugar is too low.
Now, in an ideal and balanced situation, the adrenals would only play a small role in blood sugar regulation. When we eat a meal high in carbohydrates these carbs are broken down into sugar in the body and when the blood sugar rises, the pancreas releases insulin to lower the blood sugar level. Whenever necessary, the adrenals may produce some hormones to help bring blood sugar back into balance. This is seldom the case, however and the biggest reason is because of the SAD (Standard American Diet) which is contains an overabundance of sugar. According to one Advances in Nutrition article, the average per capita sugar intake in the United States and England rose from 4 pounds (1.8 kg)/y in 1700 to >150 pounds (68.2 kg)/y in 2000. Unfortunately, there is sugar added to so many of our meals; it is in our coffee, protein bars, juices, and condiments among many others. Eating sugar all day requires our adrenal glands to constantly pump out epinephrine and cortisol with little rest. Adding fuel to the fire, high blood sugar is not the only stressor on our adrenal glands. The classic modern lifestyle is one where days are filled with busy and stressful activity, little sleep, and bombardment with environmental toxins. The human brain recognizes this stress and begins demanding the adrenals to produce even more cortisol to just so that we can get through our day. The cumulative effect of this chronic stress can lead to HPA Axis Dysregulation. I like to describe the HPA Axis as a network of interactions between the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands … almost in the way that we use email and the internet to connect and communicate. What does HPA Axis Dysregulation lead to? To name a few:
Memory problems
Brain fog/ difficulty concentrating
Difficulty sleeping
Chronic fatigue
Hormone imbalances
Skin problems
Reduced libido
Chronic inflammation
Adrenal fatigue is the former means by which people described this, but we now understand that there is so much more involved than just the adrenal glands and it is not just the adrenal glands that are involved, rather the entire HPA axis.
Now that we know about this condition – HPA Axis dysregulation – how can we support the HPA Axis? We can do so through blood sugar management. Below are a few powerful ways to balance blood sugar resulting in supporting the adrenal glands and the entire HPA Axis.
1. Consume nutrient-dense, whole foods from the earth
Nutrients that help support blood sugar regulation include B vitamins, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Chromium, Potassium, Magnesium, among others. Look to raw whole fruits and vegetables as well as nuts and certain meats as the best sources.
2. Increase your fat and protein intake
It is important to get a good balance of the 3 macronutrient fuel sources in your diet (fat, protein, and carbohydrates). Rather than focusing solely on what to ‘cut out’ of your diet, think about what you might add into your diet that will support your energy and help you feel great. When you do this, you will ‘crowd out’ the unhealthy foods that you may be turning to when you crave a snack during the day.
3. Evaluate how food impacts your mood and poop!
Yes – that’s right! I said ‘poop’! Something that we don’t often talk about in our culture, but it is very important. I encourage my clients to keep a ‘Food, Mood, Poop’ journal. In my Three-Month Functional Nutrition Transformation course, we support one another by sharing our ‘poop’ results during group meetings. We use the Bristol Stool Chart to describe bowl movements and have fun with ‘Poop Olympics’!
4. Exercise
Get your body moving! Movement helps to clean the body of stress hormones and use up excess blood sugar. You don’t have to train for a marathon … walking, light weight training, biking, vacuuming, raking, dancing, yoga – anything that gets you moving. Try a month free FUNctional Fitness Training with me to get started! Click here and add coupon code ‘freefun’.
5, Meditate
Create time for your peace of mind. This is probably the most important of all 5 ways in which you can support your HPA Axis. Unlike what most people believe, meditation is not about controlling the mind, it is about not allowing the mind to control us. It is not about clearing the mind of thoughts. It is about using the breath to still the mind and channel the thoughts. This allows the entire nervous system the opportunity to ‘reboot’. Whether you have never meditated in your life, or you are a seasoned practitioner, the 10-week Returning hOMe meditation course will assist you in ways unimaginable.
Begin with the subconscious mind though the power of meditation. Next focus on a nutrient dense, whole food diet combined with good proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Add in a daily exercise program and you will be well on your way to restoring and maintaining a healthy HPA Axis!
Laura Flanagan MS, RYT, Senior Level Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Laura Flanagan is a Molecular Biologist by education and career. She left her corporate job and moved to Costa Rica with her horse to open an Equine Therapy Center. Concurrently with her career as a scientist, she has been teaching Yoga and Meditation for over 20 years. Laura is a Yoga Instructor, Yamuna Body Rolling Instructor: Meditation Teacher, and Functional Nutrition Counselor ‒ trained through the Functional Nutrition Alliance. She is a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners. She specializes in Functional Blood Chemistry Analysis to offer clients a better understanding of biomarkers and how they impact their health. She directs the Socrates Center in Perez Zeledon, Costa Rica. She has helped thousands of clients with physical pain through her certification with Yamuna who uses a form of small ball therapy. She has used her Yoga, Body Rolling, Meditation, and Functional Nutrition practices to assist in her own recovery from breast cancer.
