Good morning!! It’s acupuncture day and I am sooooo excited about it. I have been going for the last 3 years and can honestly say it has helped me so much. On appointment days I take it easy, plan to eat super clean, drink green juice and allow my body to rest + reset. If you struggle with chronic health issues, I can’t recommend acupuncture enough.

I had a request from Katie to write about my experience with Adrenal Fatigue and I am always happy to write about topics that may help you guys.

Before I share some tips that have helped me, please know that I use a blend of resources for personal education. Mostly from Dr. Asfour with California Center for Functional Medicine. I’ve been working with him for 2 years and have made more progress with him than any other doctor so far. He is a perfect blend of Medical Doctor + Functional Practitioner. I also use Medical Medium information and just my own research which leads me to a lot of trial + error. I encourage you to do your own research + listen to your body.

I’m going to assume you know what Adrenal Fatigue is for the sake of this post not being a million pages long. So now on to my tips….

My symptoms:

• Waking up in the morning with super high energy levels, then crashing in the afternoon.
• Going to bed by 7:00pm. Total grandma status, but I literally needed toothpicks for my eyes to stay up any later.
• Constant anxiety which made me even more exhausted.
• Caffeine was a requirement, not optional to function in the afternoon.
• Difficulty concentrating + brain fog

On my first visit with Dr.Asfour, he ran 57 tests. Yes, you read that right, fifty seven. One of them was for adrenal fatigue. He used the Dutch test Advanced Adrenal Assessment. It’s been awhile, so I don’t remember everything I did, but I know it was several urine samples taken throughout the day/evening.

My test results:

The test confirmed exactly how I was feeling my energy levels throughout the day, so it wasn’t a surprise, but made my brain happy to know I wasn’t making it up. My cortisol spiked in the morning and crashed in the afternoon.

More specifics if you’re interested.

Bringing the body back into balance:

There wasn’t one magic thing that fixed everything, it was a blend of a few supplements, diet & acupuncture. What worked for me, may not work for everyone. With anything, try a few things and see how your body reacts.

The first thing Dr. Asfour prescribed was Power Adapt which I swear made alllll the difference. It’s a blend of natural herbs, some that are adaptogenic that help stabilize energy levels throughout the day. For me, it worked wonders. It isn’t cheap, but it helped me to get back to working and living life with more stabilized energy.

Snacking every 2 hours: Specifically natural foods with potassium, sodium & sugar. This keeps your blood sugar steady so the adrenals don’t have to work too hard + they can focus on resting + restoring. Personally I’d have dates or avocado with spinach & a squeeze of lime & pinch of pink salt. If I missed a snack, I could literally feel my energy levels tank. On the flip side, when I had a snack, I could feel the energy come back. It’s really cool if you in tune with your body.

Cutting caffeine: This was a big one for me. I loved coffee. Well I still do, but my body just can not handle all of the caffeine. I’ve stayed away from it for so long now that if I accidently get a full caf coffee (I only order decaf now) I get so sick. I also get terrible anxiety. Anyway I found that cutting caffeine for a bit allowed my energy levels to self regulate. Nowadays I have a hot Earl Grey tea in the morning and for the most part do okay with it. There are some days my body can’t handle caffeine well at all + some days I do completely fine. I noticed a correlation with caffeine + my monthly cycle, so I know when to switch to herbal tea.

Acupuncture: Weekly sessions for about 2 months works wonders for me. I have no idea how it works, but it works. Also there’s something to be said about being surrounded in a healing, calm environment.

Transitioned to Lemon Balm: After finishing the first bottle of Power Adapt, I was feeling so much better, so I transitioned to Lemon Balm. It’s a much more affordable option and is very calming to the central nervous system. I don’t think starting with it would have helped me as much as Power Adapt, but it was a great transition.

On a side note, I prefer supplements in tincture form without alcohol when possible. I’m allergic to beef (gelatin) and they are easier for the body to breakdown + use right away.

Would you be interested in a post all about supplements? Brands I like, what I take, why I take them?

Do you have adrenal fatigue? If so, please leave your best tips in the comments. If you have any questions, feel free to leave them below or reach out through the contact tab at the top of the blog.