Overcoming Adrenal Fatigue - Body, Mind and spirit

Recovering from Adrenal Fatigue

Kyle Christensen, DC, ND, MH February 2017

Adrenal fatigue has reached epidemic proportions due to many factors.  Adrenal Fatigue often is accompanied by insomnia, chronic tiredness, anxiety, indigestion, a leaky gut syndrome and allergies. I have found that overcoming this malady requires much more than popping a few pills.  We must first understand how we got where we are, so we can turn it around.  The goal is to not simply feel better.  Our design is to be better – body, mind and spirit. Too much emphasis today in health care is placed on managing symptoms – simply feeling better.  You do not want to manage your adrenal fatigue. You want to overcome adrenal fatigue.  I believe that by truly understanding how adrenal fatigue developed and making the required changes with a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual approach, you can regain (or get for the first time) true deep and lasting health, vitality and peace of heart and mind.

Signs & Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue

·      Difficulty getting up in the morning

·      Fatigue not relieved by sleep

·      Craving salty foods, sugary food or stimulants

·      Lack of energy

·      Increased effort to do everyday tasks

·      Decreased sex drive

·      Decreased ability to handle stress

·      Increased time to recover from illness, injury or trauma (Key Tip Off: Chronic Respiratory Infections with a longer recovery period)

·      Mild Depression

·      Increased PMS

·      Increased symptoms if you skip a meal

·      Less focused thought (fuzzy brain)

·      Hard time remembering things

·      Decreased tolerance

·      Tired in the afternoon – After lunch “blues”

·      Get a second wind in the evening when you should be settling down for sleep

·      Decreased productivity

·      Weakness in strength and stamina – especially after a little exertion

·      Weight gain and can’t lose weight – regardless of calorie restriction diet or amount of exercise

The Underpinnings of Adrenal Health

How did you get here?

The devil knows that if he can get you distracted, you will be much less likely to be an effective instrument in Gods hands.  He knows that if your thoughts dwell on fear, anxiety, worry and stress then your bodies chemistry will shift resulting in disease, pain and fatigue.  Anything that takes away from your freedom produces fear.  Anytime, we are humiliated, oppressed, victimized, verbally, emotionally, physically, or sexually abused, our spirits and faith can be crushed with the result being fear, stress, anxiety and worry. 

How thoughts created neurologic patterns. 

A neurologic pathway that is travelled frequently can become neurologic super highway that will rule and dominate the entire landscape of your thought life. The diagrams of nerves below show demonstrate nerves with few branches (weak or less traveled memories) vs a nerve (on the Right) with very strong memory. The more a memory is revisted, the more branches are formed.

Thoughts, beliefs and attitudes effect brain chemistry causing the release of hormones that drive our physiology and health for good or for ill. The more you meditate on a thought, the more branches you will grow on the nerves.  Positive, healthy, godly thoughts will result in the body secreting positive hormones and chemicals. Negative thoughts such as fear, anger, worry, anxiety, guilt and self-condemnation will cause negative hormones to be released resulting in toxicity and sickness.

Fear is the root of stress.  Fear is a spiritual force that activates more than 1,400 known potentially harmful physical and chemical responses in your body. And activates more than 30 different hormones and neurotransmitters. Fear and Faith are opposing spiritual forces.  Both project into the future and demand to be fulfilled – however then cannot coexist.

As Faith Decreases, Fear will Increase.  As Faith Increases, Fear will Decrease.

Just as your thought life can cause disease, your thoughts can also bring about healing.  It all is a matter of what you allow your mind to dwell on.  The more you dwell or think about something, the more branches you will grow and the more the tenor of those thought will manifest in your conscious and subconscious life.  For Joy or Sadness. We suggest letting virtue (the godly emotions) garnish your thoughts occasionally? – NO! Unceasingly. Then you will be drawn to God and your relationship to God and Christ will grow.

To better understand how your adrenal glands got worn out, let us first review the three stages of stress.

3 Stages of Stress

Stage 1 of Stress: The Alarm Stage – Sympathetic or Fight/Fright/flight Response

This stage of stress is essential for survival. This is the “sweaty hands, heart beating fast, adrenalin pumping” reaction that was designed by God as a survival mechanism in emergencies.  This mechanism helps us to avoid or get out of harms way.

The brain becomes highly alert – you focus and think clearly.

The heart rate increases to pump more blood to the muscles and brain.

The muscles receive more blood, oxygen and energy – to run away or fight as the case may dictate.

The liver dumps glucose (sugar) and fats into the bloodstream to increase the energy to the brain, heart and muscles.

The spleen (which stores reserves of blood) contracts and discharges more blood into the blood stream.

The breathing increases and the trachea (windpipe) dilates so you can breath more air and get more oxygen into your brain, heart and muscles.

The blood is diverted away from your skin and digestive tract and sent to the brain, heart and muscles.

As a result of this Alarm Stage response, you are more alert, stronger and more focused enabling you to react quickly to the situation at hand. During stage 1, memory is built more efficiently and effectively.  The adrenal hormones adrenalin and cortisol in small amounts to keep you alert and focused. These hormones have a built-in positive feedback cycle that shuts the output of these hormones (via the hypothalamus and pituitary gland) so that this cycle is a short-term response.

Stage 2 of Stress: Resistance Stage/Acute Long Term Stress

If you are in Stage 1 of stress too long or when it is triggered by negative, toxic thoughts, you shift into Stage 2 of Stress.  You shift from being alert and focused to being anxious, fearful, worried, angry or bitter.  The hypothalamus sends a signal for more and more adrenalin and cortisol to be produced. Cortisol ultimately causes the immune system to weaken and results in the release of excess histamine – which causes inflammation. The hallmark of Stage 2 Stress is too much cortisol and adrenalin chaotically flowing through your whole body.  Overtime, these hormones can be destructive.  They are not designed to flow continuously, but in short bursts.  A burst of stress is healthier than a constant, continuous daily flow of stress.  The result can be a state of illness mentally and physically. What God created to help you in an emergency has now begun to destroy your health. 

As high levels of cortisol flow over the brain, it causes the branches of memory on your nerves to temporarily shrink so you have difficulty accessing memories.  The result is fuzzy thinking, difficulty concentrating and creativity is stifled.  It is during Stage 2 of stress that you start feeling unwell with vague symptoms such as fatigue, constant aches and pains and getting sick more often. 

You can stay in this stage of stress for 10, 20, 30 years or more.  You can shift in and out of stage 2. When you get enough rest or relaxation, the stress hormones calm down and you will rejuvenate a bit.  But then the stress and worry begins again and you become tired, fatigued and pain ridden far too easily.  Over time, you shift back into stage 2 more easily and quickly until you shift into Stage 3.

Stage 3 of Stress (Exhaustion Stage)

The whole stress system never stops reacting

The adrenal glands (on top of the kidneys) become enlarged

All organs are on a heightened alert for too long, organs don’t relax and become exhausted

Organ and system breakdown

Memory and all mental functions decrease

You feel very ill

Feeling of loss of control and failure

Over time your mind and emotions simply burn out

Tissue damage occurs

ANALOGY OF THE BROAD SWORD –why you’ve lost your strength and stamina

As the adrenal glands become stressed, fatigued and weakened, many notice that their joint pop and click more than they used to.  One of the functions of the adrenalin and the adrenal glands is to assist us in times of acute stress. As we engage in armed conflict – for example swinging a heavy broad sword – the ligaments that support the joints stretch – with each weighted swing- when adrenalin is flowing as it should the muscles will snap back into strength and action. With adrenal fatigue, as the ligaments are stretched, the muscle goes weak. Try this for yourself. Hold your arm outstretched. Have a friend gently push down on the arm against your resistance. Next take the arm by the wrist and stretch the arm – like you are pulling the arm out from the shoulder socket – be gentle it doesn’t take much force. Then re-test the strength of the arm like you did before. If you are in a state of adrenal fatigue, the arm will be much weaker.

ANALOGY OF BARBARIANS AT THE GATE – Why you CANNOT lose weight

Barbarians at the Gate 

In times past, strong walls and fortifications were built around cities to protect the people within. The physical threats to life and limb were very real.  Not only did our towns and villages adapt to potential threats but so did our bodies. 
Realizing the danger and futility of attacking a well fortified city, the enemy (in this case "the barbarians") would surround the city walls and engage in a siege.  Nothing comes in and nothing or no one gets out.  They would literally starve the enemy into submission.
Living within the walls of a city under siege, no doubt was very stressful. In a starving city, the skinny people died first. Those carrying extra weight, although as hungry as their neighbor, could out live them. 

So why discuss barbarians and cities under siege.  Simple.  This same physiology and genetic programming that has been perpetuated down through the centuries to you and me.
As the barbarian pour through the mountain pass toward the city, people gather behind the safety of tall, thick, dense walls.  The citizens prepare their defenses.  But within days, it becomes apparent they are not under attack, but under siege.  Then the nerve-racking silence and waiting begins.
Today, we may not have barbarians thundering down the mountainside, but when we experience stress in our lives, our bodies can respond as did our ancestors under the threat of invasion.  When under stress, the adrenal glands with time will fatigue.  Heck, those barbarians pound their drums all night long!  Remember, that skinny people die first. When you experience prolonged stress, your body knows that survival is more important that a fit and trim figure. 

So here's what I see.  Someone comes to my office and among other problems is the inability to lose weight.  They've tried many diets and often what they eat is far healthier than most people.  In spite of their fatigue, they exercise but still cannot lose any weight.  I almost always find that their adrenal glands are fatigued, sometimes, the thyroid gland as well. And even the hormones, estrogen and testosterone can be whacked out.

So here's my point.  If you've got barbarians threatening siege or even storming the gates in your life, you are not going to be able to lose weight. (Remember the skinny people). Before you can reach your fightin' weight, you've got to heal your adrenal glands and thyroid.  Then you will have energy.  One sign of adrenal fatigue is waking up in the morning exhausted rather than refreshed. 
While healing your body can be simple, it may not be easy.  It can require some significant changes (all for the better) in your lifestyle.  Our goal is to heal and rebuild the body, rather than manage your symptoms.  Remember, the reason you should be taking any supplement or drug is so that you don't have to take it anymore. 
Do YOU hear those barbarian drums beating?

High levels of stress hormones are like the acid in a battery that can begin to corrode or damage the nervous system.

You system can become so exhausted resulting in you becoming susceptible to viruses, bacteria and even cancer.  The immune system becomes too tired and compromised to mount the strong healthy response to fight.

Understand that your brain takes your thought life and converts it into a chemical and physical reactions. Stress, fear and anxiety create an acid in the body and can actually damage the receptors on the surface of cells dulling their ability to respond to the positive chemicals and attract the negative chemicals.  We can damage our body for years with toxic thinking, worry, stress and anxiety, if we begin to think correctly, these damaged tissues can begin to heal.  Proverbs 14:30 “A calm and undisturbed mind and heart are life and health of the body..”

Proverbs 17:22 “A happy heart is good medicine and a cheerful mind works healing, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.”

Toxic Retention

The membrane or cell walls are semi-permeable, or in other words they act like a filter.  The cell walls allow for oxygen and nutrients to enter the cell and waste products to exit the cell.  The high levels of stress hormones that occur during stage 2 and 3 of stress cause the cell walls to become stiff and rigid.  As a result the good stuff can get in easily and the bad stuff can’t get out so easy and gets stuck inside the cell.  The result is cells that are toxic and don’t work like they are designed to.  A lot of focus can be put into detoxifying the body. Chelation therapy helps to get toxins, particularly heavy metals such as mercury out of the body.  However, if the cell walls have been compromised due to chronic stress, studies show that even after chelation therapy, the toxins build right back up.  Toxins held too long within the cells result in damage of those cells and the organelles, which run cellular function.

This is another example of trying to fix a problem that is spiritual (mental/emotional) through physical means.  If the underlying cause is not addressed and remedied, you haven’t really corrected the problem – even though you will experience temporary symptomatic relief.

Fear, anxiety, stress and worry cause the retention of toxins.  Which also leads to allergies – which seems to go hand-in-hand with adrenal fatigue. Allergies are simply the body overreacting to foods or environmental factors that are normal.  If the body is overwhelmed with stress and negative hormones, the immune system becomes compromised and normal foods, etc. are misinterpreted as physical threats or allergies.  A faulty program is written on the immune and nervous systems, which results in recurring allergies. Allergy elimination treatments are very useful in changing the faulty programming, but it is also necessary to correct the underlying cause, which is mental, emotional and very often genetically inherited.  We inherit not only our physical characteristics, but also mental, emotional and spiritual qualities and dispositions.

When you are in right relationship with God, Yourself and Others and there is no fear, anxiety and stress in your thought life, your body cleanses itself of toxins.

Stressors – From Within and Without

When we experience, in life, situations where we may not have the skills, support, experiences or tools to deal with, these experiences or memories. They can be suppressed or stuffed down into the subconscious mind. While these experiences may not be available to conscious recall, they can influence our thought life resulting in fear, anxiety or an under current of stress.  Once these neurologic pathways have been established any future experience perceived by our senses can act as a trigger resulting in the activation of subconscious feelings that may or may not be associated with distinct memories. 

EXAMPLE OF CHILD PICKED UP LATE

As an infant you are fussy.  Loving mom and dad check the diaper, see that you’re fed and that all of your needs have been cared for. Mom and dad have had a long hard day are tired. Finally, in their exhausted state, they decide you will just need to cry yourself to sleep. You are fine. They love you. They tuck you into bed, turn out the light and close the door. Suddenly, in your infant mind you realize you have been abandoned. Not really, but that is what your heart and mind feel.  Fast-forward ten years, mom drops you off at the library and tells you to be waiting for her to be picked up at 2:30. You go out at 2:30 and she’s not there. You begin to worry. Those long suppressed feelings of abandonment well up and by 2:45 when mom arrives, you are an emotional wreck.  My point here is that feeling long buried can be triggered and influence our life, our thinking and behavior (and our chemistry and physiology) many years later. And these past emotions can surge forth regardless of our cognitive reasoning of their illogicality in the current situation.

Whether your thoughts are conscious or unconscious, there is a corresponding nerve signal, hormone, neurotransmitter or chemical released. If your thought life is one of worry, fear, anxiety or stress your nervous and immune system will be put into a state of disease, fatigue, insomnia and pain. Unresolved issues (abuse, bitterness, low self-esteem, etc.) will rob you of peace and subconsciously cause an undercurrent of stress keeping you in a stage 2 or 3 level of life.  If the dis-ease is not dealt with, your body will stay in dis-ease until you actually develop the disease. 

The Bible alone teaches us repeatedly to fear not. (over 500 times). No system in the body is spared when fear, anxiety and stress is running rampant in your thought life.  That is why so many diseases today develop because of fear, anxiety and stress.  As the brain (hypothalamus) responds to improper thinking and lack of peace, adrenal fatigue and many other diseases become manifest.  The good news is you can change your brain. Old thought patterns and programs can be changed and reprogrammed creating new neurologic pathways. Old neurologic pathways (or super highways) can then recede and be covered up from disuse and lack of travel.

Your life will be full of stressful circumstances, which cannot always be in your control.  However, you can control your thought life and how we react to those circumstances so that stress doesn’t affect you as harmfully. Instilling an attitude of gratitude is one secret. Understand that even our most severe trials can be for our good (in the long run). As we thank God even for our setbacks and challenges, things will begin to change. It will start with your understanding, but will permeate through all that you see and do.

As you mind starts going to those stressful thoughts, you have the ability to shift your thinking or stop and that can stop the negative stress reactions in your body.

Different Types of Fear

There are two types of fear that we deal with: Superficial fears and Deeper fears.

Superficial fears are those such as dealing with money, meeting deadlines, and worry about our families safety.

                            

Deeper fears are the ones that get us.  These are fears that come from victimization or a breach in relationships and a broken heart – fear of man, fear of failure, fear of abandonment, fear of rejection, rear of being vulnerable or trusting somebody again, etc.  The fear that causes health problems are not the fear of flying or of spiders but it is the breakdown of relationships.

If you have not been loved, covered, nurtured, forgiven, accepted, if you’ve been abused (verbally, emotionally, physically, sexually), if you are driven and into perfectionism because you feel your are loved based on your performance – Then fear is at your door.

When you have a breach in relationship with someone, there is a spirit of fear that comes with it. If you are not sure, then imagine meeting that person at the grocery store and see what happens to you inside.

Do you worry that you are going to fail someone elses expectations, including God’s?  Is someone going to like you or not like you? Are you fearful about what other think of you? Do you measure up?

1 John 4:18 teaches that there is no fear in love. So I suppose if you are feeling perfectly loved, you would have not fear.  Fear rarely comes as a frontal assault, but comes as feelings, impressions, not feeling safe, feelings of insecurity, projections of what could go wrong, etc. 

Competition, success orientation, driven-ness, performance, perfectionism, win-at-all-cost – these are all disease makers. Perfectionism is an attempt to feel loved and complete through works. The basis for love in perfectionism is what you do, not who you are.  Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia and many other diseases result from this perfectionism thinking. Understand that God loves you for who you are, not your performance.  Just as a parent continues to love a misbehaving or struggling child, God loves you because you His daughter, or His son. He loves you and will be patient with you. He will work with you and never give up on you, because you are His.

In today’s society, your identity is what you do. How you measure up against others. Survival of the fittest. Competition, comparison.  This is the society and world and even churches of our day.  There are pecking orders. There is judgment and lots of talking behind the scenes and behind your back. Parents who are not careful, put their children into a straightjacket of performance and perfectionism where they are suffocating in fear while you are trying to form your kids into something that God never intended them to be.

We are losing too many from God because the bar has been set so high that the love, joy and peace that the Gospel brings becomes unattainable.

Unless you have been delivered from that fear and you renew your mind through true and deep conversion to God and Christ, that fear will stay with you for the rest of your life and can interfere with all of your relationships.  You will not be able to fully give and receive love.  You won’t like being around people, because you won’t trust them. Some will back off and say “I’ll never allow myself to be vulnerable again.  I’ll just withdraw inwardly and put a wall of protection around my heart. Nobody is ever going to hurt me again.”

Satan and his minions know exactly what they are doing.  When you suffer from Adrenal Fatigue and unresolved fear, anxiety and stress, the enemy through the mind-body connection is releasing excessive quantities of cortisol that is damaging almost every organ system in your body.  No wonder you don’t feel good!

Not only do you not trust others, you don’t even trust yourself in relationships.  You have a spirit of fear coming out of insecurity in relationships that will cause you to withdraw in fear. You don’t fell loved or even worthy of love.  You may feel like God doesn’t love you, you don’t love yourself and you feel like others don’t love you. 

Fear can even come in, in early childhood and even in the womb through inherited iniquity.  Colic is an example of inherited fear from the parents.

Strife

Strife includes bickering, arguing, fighting, gossiping, heated disagreements and angry undercurrents. The female immune system seems to take the brunt of the strife at home, and as a result is more susceptible to emotional and spiritual damage. The negative hormones rise faster in women and stay longer.  Strife puts you into a toxic state, weakens the immune system and sets you up for illness, infection and disease. Strife will block you from healing.

Romans 12:18 “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.”

James 3:16 “For where there is envying and strife, the is confusion and every evil work.”

Unforgiveness is a luxury you cannot afford.

Unforgiveness, Bitterness, anger, rage and resentment will also put your body into Stage 2 and 3 Stress leading to cancer, cardiovascular disease, pain disorders and stomach ulcers.

Inadequate Rest or Acceleration Syndrome – rush, Rush, RUSH! Busy, BUSY! Keeps the stress hormones high and constantly flowing. They create a “white noise effect” that increases anxiety, makes your thinking foggy and impairs your ability to concentrate resulting in you feeling agitated, frustrated, tearful or even aggressive.  Of course, the high stress will rob you of your health and happiness.

Guarding Your Heart

What you watch, read and listen to can put in to you the spirit of fear, torment, tragedy and horror.  What you expose your mind to can set the tone and pattern for your thoughts. So you like horror movies and books. You “enjoy” harsh dissonant music. As long as you understand that these will ultimately contribute to your ill health and unhappiness, then it is your free will to imbibe in these things.  God will force no one into the joy of his light and presence. Expose your mind to inspiring media and music and you will soon feel the difference.

You can recover from Adrenal Fatigue! You can heal completely, thoroughly and deeply.  

RECOVERY FROM ADRENAL FATIGUE

Body, Mind & Spirit

Some tools and strategies

1. Change your thinking

Understand that your mind is like a stage.  You are the director of the performance.  It is up to your discretion who and what gets stage presence.  When dark characters lurk on to the stage, do you give them audience and let them perform their dark, fearful or lustful acts or do you chase them off with light love and righteousness.  Darkness cannot tolerate and exist in the light, hymns of praise or God’s word.  When fear, worry, anxiety and stress enter your thoughts cast them out with love and faith. Have a go-to song, scripture or thought that you can immediately jump to when negative, fearful, or worrisome thought crosses the threshold of our mind. This is SOOOOO important. You do not have the luxury of entertaining negative thoughts. Surely they will come, however, you must cry out to God. “God, Help Me!” “Forgive me of these unhealthy thoughts that are pulling me from You.”

2. Cast out negative, unclean, or foul spirits or demons/devils in the name of Jesus

Often the negative You may need to cast negative spirits out in the name of Jesus. “In the name of Jesus, I cast out the spirit of fear, anxiety, depression, or whatever.”  And in Christ name, I bring in the light, love and comfort of the Holy Spirit. I ask for angels of peace, comfort and protection. How often do you need to do this?  Initially, it may need to cast out devils, demons, unclean spirits again and again. Every 3 minutes, 30 times per day.  As you persist, these unwanted thoughts that drag you down will become less and less frequent. It is important that you stick with it and be persistent in your efforts.  This does take effort, so commit yourself to health and to God and you will see progress.

There are two categories of negative spirits – Devils or demons and Unclean spirits.

Devils or demons are the followers of Satan who were cast down to earth after the rebellion in heaven. They never had physical bodies and are more interested in power or control than the physical lusts and appetites and addiction.

Unclean Spirits are those individuals who lived a mortal life and died. Rather than “go to the light”, they are angry, frustrated, addicted and when invited to come to the light basically said “hell, NO!” They roam the earth angry, frustrated and tempt men and women with the sins of the flesh in order that they may participate through them.

3. Journaling

 Here are a few suggestions.

1. It is important to gain a testimony or a spiritual witness of Who You Are In Christ.  This is best done through a study the scriptures. Not simply reading Bible verses, but digging to discover for yourself and within yourself, what they really mean.  I recommend doing this with a scripture journal.  The way I do it is like this:

·       Start with a brief prayer – “Heavenly Father, please bless me as I study your word in the scriptures.  Open my heart and mind to understand what I am directed to study.  I pray for your blessing, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

·       Next choose a verse and write it out in your journal (my scripture journal is a Composition notebook from Walmart, cost: 50 cents). There is something about writing that allows the brain to process things at a deeper level.

·       Next re-write the verse in your own words with commentary.  What does it really mean to you at this point in your life?  At this point, I am also checking footnotes and cross referencing to other resources, various translations. Ponder, really study to figure out what it means, pray for insight and understanding.  You can spend a whole 30 or 60 minutes exploring one verse or passage of scripture. Go where you feel inspired or prompted.

·       When you are finished with your session, offer a prayer of gratitude.  This is a prayer of gratitude ONLY. Do not ask for anything.  This was initially hard for me.  But it really is liberating to come to God without the intent of wanting anything, only expressing thanks.

·       Consider writing your prayer. This is an excellent way to commune with God, speak praises to Him and be directed by the spirit.  You will find that your words/writing will be spiritual guided and will be very uplifting.

4.  Laugh and Sing. 

For the anxious, fearful, worried, stressed and depressed soul, laughing, and singing may be hard, even distasteful.  I have found that the easiest way is to go to YouTube and follow along with one of the many laughter yoga or laughing meditation videos.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hf2umYCKr8

Admittedly, this is kind of silly, but understand that laughing will change the physiology of the depressed brain. Our bodies don’t know the difference between pretend laughing and real laughing, and will reap the same positive effects. So go ahead, go online and give it a try. Make it a healthy habit. It is so much easier to laugh with others or a friend.

Laugh at least 10 to 15 minutes daily.  This is Full belly laughter, not just watching a funny video and chuckling at the punch line or conclusion. Join in with Laughter Yoga and you will get the idea. 

Sing songs – hymns of praise.  It is much easier to sing with others than by yourself.  If your sad friend doesn’t want to sing – you sing out and encourage them to join in.  Awkward!  But get over it, this is a rescue effort.  We need to get singing again.  Gone are the days when we traveled and did not have radio and sang as a family in the car.  Modern media tends to isolate us.  Go to this online link to listen and learn some hymns of praise: http://unlockingthebible.org/most-popular-christian-hymns/

Learn a new song each week – Sing it like you mean it

5. Get adequate rest and sleep and recreation.

Remember, stress, anxiety, fear and worry will rob you of your motivation to fight and rise above it.  That is why YOU are needed. As you work with your friend and loved one, not only will they be lifted from their darkness, but so will you.  Daily study time together will be mutually beneficial.  Boy, this sounds like work doesn’t it? Well, it is. But it can be life saving work.

6. The spiritual recovery from adrenal fatigue

Perfect Love Casts out Fear (1 John 4:18)            

1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear has torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”

If you want to defeat Adrenal Fatigue or any disease that is caused by fear that comes from a breakdown in relationships, you are going to have to be prepared to receive love again. You are going to have to be prepared to be vulnerable again and to trust again. You are going to have to be prepared to have your fears driven out. You need to be willing to have your mind renewed by changing your thinking.  The antidote to fear is love. Heart walls, put in place for protection, will need to be broken down and removed.

Fear is torment.  If you worry, if you are stressed, if you are anxious, you are tormented. On the other hand, if you have peace, you have no torment. And yes, you can have peace even as life’s storms rage around you.  The torment of fear is what is behind most psychiatric conditions, such as schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder, psychosis, phobias, panic attacks and anxiety disorders.  It is a tormenting hell between the ears and in the depth of the heart.  If you have fear you do not have a sound mind.

2 Timothy 1:7 “God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.” If you have fear, love is held at a distance.

If you have fear, you have not been made perfect in love.  This means that you have fear because you have a breach somewhere in your relationships: 

·      Between you and God, (Are you mad at God?)

·      Between you and yourself, (you won’t forgive yourself)

·      Between you and another person (someone who should have loved you, cared for you, nurtured you, protected you, etc.)

Relationships can bring the greatest joy and the most intense pain. The fear that comes from broken relationships is the foundation of disease.  That fear is going to stay there until you are delivered from it with perfect love that casts out fear. The antidote to these deep fears (coming out of broken relationships) is to receive perfect love, which is the love of our Heavenly Father. 

The perfect love, from the Father of our spirits, really does cast out fear.  Healing begins with people having empathy for one another, having compassion for one another and being prepared to do what it takes to show love to a person who needs help. Each of us, all of us, have such extreme value that Jesus, the son of God found it worthwhile to give his life to save them, to save you. Nobody is expendable. Everybody has value. Everybody.

Begin as part of your spiritual practice to ask for God’s Perfect Love.  Your prayer can be as simple as “God Help Me!” God will heal you in your own unique and individual way according to the work He wants to do in your heart. Be patient. This is not a check list item on your to-do list. This is life. Your life. Your relationship with the Eternal God of Heaven and Earth. The God who fathered your spirit and is guiding you along the treacherous pathway back to Him as you garner the pre-designated experiences necessary for your knowledge and growth.  Remember, the pathway to heaven goes right through hell. And it is only through hardship, trials and pain that we can return to God.

Who You Are in Christ

The best way to renew your mind and experience inner transformation is by knowing, thinking and speaking out loud Who You Are In Christ

You are not just an ordinary person; You are a child of the living God. You are an heir of God and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ. You are not just a sinner; You are a NEW creation in Jesus. You are part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. YOU are one of God’s CHOSEN people.

Please feel free to print and copy and duplicate this list! Repeat it and rehearse it and remember it. THIS is who you are in Christ! Use these references as a jumping point to your scripture journal study. Speak out on this daily until your mind is renewed and you develop a healthy self-image.  The following compilation of scripture is to get you started and is not a religious ritual.

 “I am a precious woman (or man) of great value and worth because Jesus, the King of kings, died and paid a great price for me. I am a royal daughter (or son) for I have a crown of glory and honor on my head, and I am wearing Jesus’ royal robes of righteousness. (Isaiah 61:10; Psalm 8:5). God accepts and approves of me. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139). There is now no condemna­tion for me in Christ. (Romans 8:1). Therefore I accept myself, and love who I am and the way I am made.

Father, I am who You say I am: I am called by God. (2 Timothy 1:9). I was chosen by God before the foundations of the world to be set apart for Him. (Jeremiah 1:5). (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 2:9; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; John 15:16). I am God’s child. (Romans 8:15 -16). I am born again of the Incorruptible seed of the living Word of God that endures forever. (1 Peter 1:23). I am forgiven of all my sins and the blood of Jesus has washed away my guilt and shame. (Ephesians 1:4 & 7; 1 John 2:12; 1 John 1:9; Colossians 1:14). I am a new creation in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:17). I am holy and blameless in God’s sight, even above reproach, before Him in love. (Ephesians 1:4). I am the righteous­ness of God, which means that I am approved, acceptable and in right relationship with Him.(Romans 3:21). I have full access to the Father. (Ephesians 2:18) and can fearlessly, confidently and boldly draw near to His throne. (Hebrews 4:16). I am blessed and I am God’s favorite. (Galatians 3:9). I am the apple of God’s eye and my name is inscribed on the palm of His hand. (Zechariah 2:8; Psalm 17:8; Isaiah 49:16). I am stamped with the seal of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13). I am established to the end. (1 Corinthians 1:8). I am being changed into His image and He Who began this good work in me will bring it to completion. (2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 1:6) I am God’s workmanship, recreated in Christ for good works. (Ephesians 2:10). I am an ambassador for Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:20). I am complete in Him. (Colossians 2:10). I am the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19). I have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5).

I am a joint heir with Christ and He has qualified me to share in His inheritance. (Romans 8:17; Colossians 1:12; Ephesians 1:11). I am redeemed from the curse of the law and Abraham’s blessings are mine. (Galatians 3:13). I am redeemed from the futile way of life inherited from the tradition of my forefathers and am purchased with the precious blood of Christ. (1 Peter 1:18-19). I have been delivered from the control and dominion of the devil and have been translated into God’s kingdom of love. (Colossians 1:13). I am set free. (John 8:36; Galatians 5:1; John 8:31 – 34). I am dead to sin and alive with Christ. (Romans 6:11; Ephesians 2:5). I am raised up with Christ and am seated with Him in heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:6).   

Because I am born of God the evil one cannot touch me. (1 John 5:18). I have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness and I am a partaker of His divine nature. (2 Peter 1:3-4). I am blessed with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer. (Ephesians 1:3). I am firmly rooted, built up and established in my faith (Colossians 2:7) and I have faith that can move mountains. (Mathew 16:20).

Father, I can do what You say I can do: I am a victorious over-comer (1 John 5:4; Revelations 2:11), a mighty woman (or man) of valor a champion overcoming warrior, who possesses dignity and honor. (Judges 6:12). I am more than a conqueror. (Romans 8:35). All circumstances are under my feet. (Psalm 8:6). In all things I gain a surpassing victory (Rom 8:37) and in all things God leads me to triumph in Christ. (2 Corinthians 2:14). Through my union with God, I am strong in the Lord and the power of His might. (Ephesians 6:10). I have strength for all things in Christ who empowers me. I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency. (Philippians 4:13). Everything I put my hand to prospers. (Psalm 1:1 – 3). I am the head and not the tail, above only and not beneath. (Deuteronomy 28:13). Greater is He that lives in me than he that is in the world. (1 John 4:4). Be­cause I believe in, lean on, trust and rely on God, I do the things that Jesus did, and greater things will I do, for His Spirit within me knows no limit. (John 14:12 – 14). Therefore I believe that all things are possible and limit not the Holy One within me. (Philippians 4:13). I received power when the Holy Spirit came upon me, so every place I go and all I do, I do in the power of the Spirit: I have power to lay hands on the sick and see them recover (each and every one), and at my command, in the Name of Jesus all demonic powers are cast out and all people are set free; I have authority over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt me. (Mark 16:17–18). As Jesus is, so am I in this world (1 John 4:17) and the immeasurable, unlimited and surpassing power of God is on the inside of me! (Ephesians 1:19). The same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in me! (Ephesians  1:20)

Who You Are in God’s Eyes

The best way to renew your mind and experience inner transformation is by knowing, thinking and speaking aloud Who You Are in Gods Eyes. (This may seem similar to who you are in Christ, but spend the extra time and do both of these exercises)

Reaffirm who you are in God’s eyes.  Write an affirmation that applies specifically to you.  Read it every day.  Tweak it, adjust it, re-write it, learn it, believe it and internalize it.  Get a spiritual witness from God through the Holy Spirit of its truthfulness.  If you just read words but don’t feel of their truthfulness then you aren’t getting it.  Drive the truth of your life and your purpose from God deep into your soul.  A testimony is in your head, but conversion is in your heart. Through the spirit of prophecy insight can be revealed by someone inspired who can help you understand who you are in God’s eyes. Incorporate inspired revealed knowledge into your written affirmation.

Here is an example to get you started.

God has a plan, not simply a grand scale plan, but a plan for me individually. My Heavenly Father loves me. That love never changes. It is not influenced by my appearance, my possessions, or by the amount of money I have. It is not changed by my talents or abilities. Just as a parent continues to love a misbehaving or struggling child, God loves me because I am his daughter, or his son. He loves me and will be patient with me. He will work with me and never give up on me, because I am His. I have within me the eternal spark of the divine.

In my pre-earth life existence (Jeremiah 1:5) I exhibited “exceeding faith and good works.” I fought with my faith and testimony to defend the plan that was presented by God. I knew the plan was good, and I knew that the Savior would do what He said He would do—because I knew Him! I stood with Him, and I was eager for my opportunity to come to earth. I knew what was going to be required of me. I knew it would be difficult, and yet I was confident not only that I could accomplish my divine mission but that I could make a difference. And as Jesus touches hearts and lives, one by one, so too can I make a difference to the one.

7. Work to overcome sin, addiction, and negative behaviors. Repentance means changing your heart.  It is not so much of being reproved and admitting guilt, but repentance means coming to God.  Putting off your old self and renewing yourself, it is a process.  You cannot be happy if you are doing things that are harmful to your mind or body. Addiction to substances (alcohol, marijuana, soda pop, sugar, etc.), pornography, sports, or whatever form of escape or selfishness that draws you away from God and happiness must be healed.  Determine to make the necessary changes to become sober and out of these forms of bondage.  You cannot be happy or free when addictive urges drive and occupy your thoughts.  Healing is a process, but you must work toward getting yourself right with yourself and right with God.

When negative thoughts, desires, or urges enter your mind, you must cast them out. You may say, either aloud or in your mind, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I cast out this spirit of lust, (or sadness, or desire for sugar or whatever). I cast you out and ask God for angels of strength, comfort, and protection.” How many times a day will you need to cast out the negative or repent of unwanted or unhealthy thoughts? In the beginning, maybe 30 times a day.  But as you heal it will be less and less.

8. Forgiveness of past hurt, traumas and negative experiences is critical.  Much of what we struggle with is the result of inherited iniquity.  It literally is the genetically passed down predisposition to feel or act out negatively. Whether you’ve inherited great grandpa’s temper or grandma’s feelings of being a victim, these are things which must be brought to God in prayer to seek forgiveness not just because of their influence in your life, but to break the bonds of sins in the lives of those who have passed on. Forgiveness means to LET GO. Twelve step programs teach: LET GO & LET GOD. As we do so, we can be blessed with the Grace of God and release toxic poisons from our souls and even genetic coding within the DNA can be changed. In the name of Jesus, you may need to cast out the spirit of regret, self-condemnation, self-rejection, self-hatred, un-forgiveness and any other negative influence that may be weighing you down. You may need to do this for your struggling friend as they may not have the faith and fortitude to do so themself. Un-forgiveness is a luxury you cannot afford. “Vengeance is mine, says God.” God requires us to forgive all who have wronged us.  And that includes forgiving yourself for wronging You or anyone else in your life.

Understand that the poison that infects our soul through harmful relationships, through sin, through life’s journey CAN ONLY BE REMOVED BY GOD, through His grace.  It is the grace of God we seek.  As we give God our heart, He can take it, heal it and return it within your breast healing, sanctified and whole. 

9. Service. In order to overcome depression (and any state of “dis-ease”, we must get out of ourselves. One of lives greatest distractions is not feeling well.  When you don’t feel well in body or mind, it can become the primary focus.  By getting out and doing something positive for someone else, we can be lifted from the problems that ail us. “When you are in the service of your fellow man, you are only in the service of your God.” So get out and do something that will bless the life of another.  Take your depressed friend by the hand and pull them along if needs be. Service can be tricky for those driven to perform or serve others based on guilt or the need to be accepted or loved.  You must work to listen to spiritual prompting and learn to serve in love for God.

10. The physical recovery from Adrenal Fatigue

Nutritional factors that are important for healing fatigued adrenal glands include: B vitamins, Vitamin C, Magnesium, Adrenal glandular , Probiotics – gelatin supports probiotic growth and balance, Omega-3 fatty acids, Vitamin D3, Amino acids – bone broth protein, and herbs such as Maca Root, Ashwagandha, Eleuthero root (Siberian ginseng), Rhodiola.

Before you run off to the market with credit card in hand, consider the food version of healing your adrenal glands.  The point here is this – if you are to heal, your body has to have access to these nutrients and have the ability to utilize them.  There are, of course, foods that are harmful.  Soda pop is loaded, of course, with high-fructose corn syrup, processed or artificial sweetener/sugar. This ultra sweet chemicals are absorbed into your blood stream and acts as an irritant along the walls of your arteries. Akin to 1200 grit sand paper.  Sand paper of this grit is really not that rough, but if you persistently rub after a time you can rub something raw.  Inflammation ensues. To put out this fire, this irritation and inflammation, the body sends cholesterol to soothe and heal. 

However, as this irritant persists, which occurs throughout your entire body, because now you are addicted to sugar – your body maintains a low level of underlying stress. Eventually, things begin to break down.  You are tired, don’t feel good, are anxious and irritable and no one seems to be able to fix you. Heck, you may have even shaped up your diet, but without healing the damaged or irritated tissues, your body can remain in a state of distress, fatigue and microscopic injury.

Hippocrates in 400 B.C. proclaimed that all disease begins in the gut. Another way to look at this is that all healing must also begin in the gut or the digestive tract.  A poorly functioning digestive tract is also a major reason why people suffer from nutritional deficiencies. Even if your diet is super healthy, if you cannot absorb and assimilate the nutrients you eat, they will do you no good.

So back to helping adrenal fatigue. Let me paint to you how to heal with diet and lifestyle and then mention the supplement alternative as we go.

Understand that the spiritual, mental and emotional aspects of adrenal recovery is the most important thing we can do, but we must also heal the digestive tract.  This is done with nutrient and mineral rich Bone Broth. Making broth by simmering bones (for 12-24 hours) will soothe and heal the sensitive lining of the leaky gut by providing collagen, gelatin and amino acids in a form that your body can readily use.  Bone broth should become part of a delicious healthy lifestyle.  In the stockpot of every

upscale restaurant are bones simmering for amazing broths, sauces and gravy. Bone broth protein powders or gelatin as a supplement can be used, but it is not quite as good as real homemade bone broth. At the dinner table bone broth generally looks and tastes like delicious amazing soup.

Probiotics are the healthy bacteria that live in the digestive tract.  They are necessary in immune function, digestion and protecting us from toxins. Probiotics however need fertile soil in which to grow. 

This is why I find bone broth such an important part of healing the gut.  You cannot get well by taking probiotic supplements or foods if the intestinal lining is damaged, leaky or flawed. Bone broth and gelatin establish the healthy soil in which probiotics can grow. I believe the best probiotics are homemade in the form of sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir, kvass, kombucha and sourdough. Strive to get three different sources of probiotics each day. You can do a capsule and two of the above listed foods.

Magnesium – Stress causes secretion of epinephrine (adrenaline) and cortisol resulting in magnesium loss.  If you are in a constant state of stress, you will use up magnesium very quickly. In advanced adrenal fatigue, hypothyroidism can become an issue and magnesium can increase fatigue. 

This is one way you can determine whether your adrenal fatigue is in an early or more advance stage.

Does an Epsom salt bath wipe you out? If so, you may be in advanced Adrenal Fatigue. Sources of magnesium are found in dark leafy greens, nuts and seeds, avocados, fish, bananas and dark chocolate.

B Complex vitamins – increase metabolic pathways and boost energy levels.  Helps to create adrenal hormones, and aids in cellular repair. The B vitamins are found in abundance in whole grains, healthy meats, nuts and seeds, beans and lentils and leafy greens. If gluten intolerance is an issue, you will need to heal the digestive tract and eliminate the gluten allergy before you reintroduce gluten. Most do very well using gluten containing grains in the form of sourdough.

Vitamin C – boosts the immune system, and protects from free-radicals. Vitamin C is a building block for adrenal recovery. Take vitamins from whole food sources rather than the isolated chemical. For example, take vitamin C complex rather than Ascorbic acid or one if its derivative.

Vitamin D – physical and emotional stress can deplete vitamin D. Vitamin D is necessary for the enzyme that produces adrenal hormones. Sunshine converts an oil or cholesterol on the skin to vitamin D.  This is best source of Vitamin D. 4,000 – 5,000 IU daily is generally recommended. Or 15 to 30 minutes of sunshine daily (the darker your complexion, the more sun is needed).

Glandular Supplements – In times past (at least in our culture), people would reserve the organ meats for those who had specific problems.  For example, the sweetbread (pancreas and thymus glands) were eaten by those with blood sugar issues.  The body would take the nutrients of the pancreas from lets say a pig or cow and use that as nutritional building blocks to rebuild and strengthen the persons pancreas, thus helping the blood sugar or diabetic issues.  Likewise, we can use the adrenal glands from a cow, put in tablet form to provide you with specific nutritional components to strengthen and rebuild the adrenal gland.  We have had great success with the product Drenatrophin from Standard Process. Most people start with 2 tablet twice daily.  Expect to be on this product for at least 3 to 6 months. 

Omega-3 Fatty Acids and the healthy fats – fish oil, butter, coconut oil are all important in reducing inflammation and relieve the workload on the adrenal glands. The supplement alternative would be Cod Liver Oil or Omega-3 capsules

Melatonin – as most who suffer from adrenal fatigue do not get enough or quality sleep, we often find that a non-pharmaceutical supplement works well for many. Many find success combining Melatonin, Valerian and L-Tryptophan. They can be use to calm and relax frazzled nerves.

Herbs – Maca root, Rhodiola, Siberian Ginseng, Ashwagandha and Licorice root are all proven to benefit and strengthen the adrenal glands and help restore them to healthy function. We recommend making and using our Adrenal Recovery Herbal Remedy.  Take 2 dropperfuls to 1 teaspoon 2 to 3 times daily. Many have enjoyed tremendous results with this supplement.  Learn how to make this remedy on your own and save.

So here is my point with all of this.  In order for a person to truly overcome chronic tiredness or adrenal fatigue, it is necessary to strengthen, support and even rebuild the adrenal glands.  The goal is not to simply manage the problem like what is done with hypothyroidism. Which basically ignores the fatigued thyroid gland by giving the patient thyroid hormone directly.  This medical approach gives the body the required thyroid hormone, but does nothing to heal or restore the underlying problem.  Your goal with the adrenal glands should be to truly heal and restore the body.  This is done by healing the body, mind AND spirit.

It is interesting to note that this same approach for the healing the adrenal glands, also works also for many of the autoimmune syndromes, which often result in these same hormonal deficiencies (adrenal, thyroid, estrogen, testosterone, etc.). 

I hear far too often, “Isn’t there just something I can take?” Honestly, No, there isn’t. In order to change your life (from being sick and drug dependent), you must change your lifestyle. This means healing the mind and your thought life. This means forgiveness and truly understanding IN YOUR HEART, Who You Are in Christ and Who You Are in God’s Eyes. Healing also encompasses changing the way you eat – which necessitates spending time in the kitchen making food from quality ingredients from scratch.  It necessitates that you get some sunshine, exercise and go to bed early.  It may mean that you find healthier forms of entertainment – too much time in front of a video or computer screen will slowly but steadily suck the life out of you. 

Can you restore your health without supplements.  YES, but it takes work, planning and preparation. I often find that a combination of diet, lifestyle changes and a few key supplements will give you the fastest results. Obtaining good health will take more than a casual commitment. For many, it will need to be a major physical, emotional, mental and even spiritual shift. Transformation is possible. If your goal is health, sit down with a loved one and do it together. It is a road of spiritual adventure and discovery.

Blessings,

Dr. Kyle D. Christensen, DC, ND, MH                                                                           

 April 2017