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DRSladic.com
September 2023
THE MYTH OF ADRENAL FATIGUE What’s Really Going on Inside Your Body
When I meet new patients and see them for the first time in my office, many believe they know their diagnosis. Sometimes that diagnosis was given to them by another health care professional, and other times it’s one they think they have after reading an article or talking to a friend. One of the most common self-diagnoses I hear from patients is that they suffer from adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue is said to occur when the body is constantly in a fight or flight mode, and this continuous stress overworks the adrenal glands. When the adrenal glands are overworked, they stop functioning correctly and either don’t produce cortisol or it’s produced at the wrong times (like when you shouldn’t be stressed). This all leaves the body tired and the brain foggy.
glands of the “adrenal fatigued” participants were all functioning as usual and were anything but depleted. Before we move on, I will say that adrenal insufficiency is a real diagnosis, and it’s called Addison’s disease. However, Addison’s disease occurs when someone’s immune system attacks their adrenal glands and adrenal cortex, not because they’re constantly stressed. In all my years of practicing medicine, I’ve only encountered one patient who actually had Addison’s. It’s just not common. But back to adrenal fatigue. Most believers of adrenal fatigue suggest that to remedy your overworked glands, they must be “rejuvenated” or “fixed” somehow. This is simply part of the myth. So, why do so many people feel fatigued, have odd cravings, have trouble sleeping or waking up, have aches and pains, and even trouble healing? At the end of the day, it all comes down to stress, and that’s one thing we can all agree is accurate. When you’re continually emotionally, physically, or mentally stressed, it’s not that your adrenal glands are producing cortisol incorrectly; it’s that your body is more susceptible to inflammation and has difficulty performing recovery and repair.
Imagine a water jug with a spout on the bottom. They usually sit on the edges of countertops or tables, and people can fill cups by turning the knob or pressing a small lever. Your body is like the jug, and stress is what turns that lever and releases all your body’s resources. Even if you try to fill the jug, if the spout on the bottom is left open, there’s no way it will ever be full. So, instead of worrying about supplements or medication for your adrenal glands, you should focus on what you can do to fill the jug and what you can do so the spout on the bottom doesn’t open too often. The most important thing you can do to help your body recover from stress is to form healthy sleep habits, and I’ll share my advice for doing just that on page 2 of this newsletter. But aside from a good night’s rest, I’ll list the other things you can do to fill your jug and feel better on page 3. And finally, remember that when there’s a crisis or stressful event, you shouldn’t stop taking care of yourself. Focusing on recovery will help you navigate those hard times and feel better while doing it. –Dr. Tom Sladic
Adrenal fatigue is also a complete myth.
I don’t blame anyone who believes this myth because, for years, medical professionals believed it too. When I first began studying functional medicine, I was actually taught the adrenal fatigue theory! But that was all changed when researchers in Brazil analyzed 58 different “adrenal fatigue” studies and found that the cortisol levels of participants in those studies were normal. The adrenal
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THOUGHT OF THE MONTH
“Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations. The best is yet to come.”
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GROW A THRIVING GARDEN WHILE SAVING MONEY
BE SURE TO FOLLOW THESE STEPS!
While it may be the fall season now, the temperature is still warm enough to encourage root growth for a garden! During the fall, you can plant blueberries, broccoli, garlic, radishes, spinach, lettuce, and several flowers such as asters, calendulas, and cosmos. However, planting can become expensive, especially if you have large metal raised beds for your garden. It may take several bags of soil to fill your garden bed, which can quickly put a dent in your wallet. Is there anything you can do to save money?
weeds and other invasive plants from growing in your garden. And these limbs and twigs will provide much-needed bulk, minimizing the amount of soil needed to fill your containers. Step 3: Sprinkle grass clippings and shredded leaves. Nitrogen and carbon are essential to any garden because plants need nutrients to grow. While you can purchase nitrogen fertilizer at the store, recycling grass clippings and shredded leaves is a cheaper and environmentally friendly alternative. You can also toss food scraps on this layer for additional nutrients!
Yes! Follow these four steps and watch your garden — and greenbacks — flourish.
Step 4: Top with soil and compost. Finally, you can begin adding your soil. Because the bed is filled with other
Step 1: Lay down cardboard. After setting up your raised garden bed, add a layer of cardboard (any type of cardboard will do) to the bottom of it. This layer will prevent weeds lurking in the dirt underneath the cardboard from sprouting and growing in the soil you will add later.
materials, you won’t need as much! After applying a good amount of soil, you can add compost to the mix if desired. Once everything is to your liking and your beds are full of soil and nutrients, you’re
Step 2: Add sticks and small logs. Similar to cardboard, adding sticks and logs will prevent
ready to plant. Happy harvesting, everyone!
SLEEP YOUR STRESS AWAY The Ultimate Secret to Rejuvenating Body and Mind
We talked a lot on page 1 about the actual culprit of what many believe to be adrenal fatigue: stress. There are many ways to help your body recover from stress, but the most effective way to reduce stress is to get a good night’s sleep. Why? Because as you sleep, your body repairs any physical or mental “damage” that occurred during the day. These damages aren’t always a torn muscle, sprained leg, or achy back, but instead, fighting against any inflammation or infection. Sleep also allows your body to balance its hormones. So, if you struggle with getting enough sleep each night, there are a few things you can do to help yourself catch those z’s. No. 1: Journaling can put your mind at ease. One of the most common reasons my patients tell me they can’t sleep is due to a racing mind. The most powerful tool against this is, believe it or not, journaling!
Before you go to bed, open a journal and simply write down everything you’re thinking about. Think of it as a stream of consciousness; if you think it, you write it. The analogy I like is that you’re physically “clearing” your mind by doing two critical things. First, you’re telling your subconscious that you won’t forget all the important things you’re so worried about and that it’s safe to return to them later. Second, you’re exhausting yourself by writing out all of your thoughts. Writing is a lot more labor intensive than thinking, and by combining the two, you tire yourself from thinking about those things for the day. An empty mind means an easier time falling asleep! No. 2: Take magnesium! Aside from journaling, my number one recommendation to help people fall asleep is to take magnesium — NOT melatonin. This is because magnesium helps your body regulate its own melatonin instead of dumping artificial amounts of the hormone
into your body. As magnesium enables you to produce melatonin on its own, you’ll quickly fall asleep without needing a sleep aid to force you there. No. 3: Try Ashwagandha. If magnesium doesn’t help you, the next thing I recommend is Ashwagandha, which is a plant in the nightshade family. Many who take Ashwagandha supplements report feeling sleepier without pesky morning time grogginess!
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WALNUT AND VEGAN BLUE CHEESE TOMATO SALAD
RECHARGE YOUR LIFE Transform Fatigue Into Energy With These Stress-Fighting Tips
This salad makes a unique side dish and healthy next-day lunch!
On page 1, we discussed how stress is what makes your body feel fatigued, groggy, painful, and just completely out of sorts — not adrenal fatigue. And on page 2, we talked about how your best defense against stress is a good night’s sleep.
Ingredients
• 1/2 cup walnuts • 2 lbs ripe heirloom tomatoes • Kosher salt, to taste • Black pepper, to taste • 1/4 cup vegan blue cheese • 1 tbsp fresh dill
• Chopped fresh Italian parsley, to taste • 3 tbsp olive oil • 2 tbsp red wine or balsamic vinegar • 1 garlic clove, finely minced
But what if you’re getting eight hours of sleep a night and still feel tired, sluggish, and completely stressed out?
It’s a great question, and many of the people who believe they have adrenal fatigue have no problem sleeping and still report symptoms of the mythical illness. If this sounds like you, here are a few things you can do to reduce stress and help your body deal with it moving forward. No. 1: Recognize stress so you can counter it. The first and most important step to reducing your stress is realizing when you’re stressed in the first place. If your body shows signs of fatigue, exhaustion, and mental grogginess, something is happening. So, whenever you feel the symptoms you may have attributed initially to adrenal fatigue, take a second to ask yourself, “Is something stressing me out?” You may realize that the same things begin to pop up over and over whenever you experience symptoms, and you’ll know that those problems are the ones you need to solve to help your body combat stress.
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. On a baking sheet, toast the walnuts in the oven for 12–14 minutes. 2. Wash and slice the tomatoes. Place slices on a platter, slightly overlapping. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. 3. Scatter toasted walnuts and vegan blue cheese on top, followed by dill and preferred amount of parsley. 4. In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, wine or vinegar, and garlic to make the dressing. 5. Spoon dressing evenly over salad and serve. Directions
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Once you identify the problems, make a plan to solve them. What can you do to minimize their impact on your life?
No. 2: Take time for yourself. Even when people feel stressed, they often try to push through it because if they take a second off to recoup, they’re being “lazy.” This is entirely untrue, and the more you force your body to push through stress, the more damage you’re inflicting on yourself. Whenever you feel overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious, make time for yourself in the day to do what YOU want, even if that requires saying “no” to plans with others. No. 3: Ask others for help. One of the best things you can do to help reduce your stress is to talk with others about it. Often, you’ll find that your friends and family are going through the same thing! Or, maybe someone you know once tackled a similar issue and has some advice you can use that helped them manage their stress better.
Aster Blueberries Citizenship Grandparents Homework Labor Leaves Moonstone Prepare School Virgo Windy
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1. The Adrenal Fatigue Myth: The Real Culprit Behind Your Tiredness
2. Money-Saving Hacks for Your Fall Garden
These 3 Things Can Transform Your Nights
3. Walnut and Vegan Blue Cheese Tomato Salad
Dr. Sladic’s Tips to Revitalize Your Body and Tame Stress
4. Can’t Fall Asleep? Try This Brain Tapping Technique
SAY GOODBYE TO INSOMNIA: Discover the Brain Tapping Technique
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14.5% of Americans have trouble falling asleep every night — that’s more than 48 million people! If you’re part of this sleepless group, we’re pretty sure counting sheep isn’t cutting it. That’s why we’re sharing a sleep strategy that works naturally with your brain and can help you to fall asleep in less time than it would take to eat a bowl of cereal. The strategy is called “brain tapping,” and it involves using your hands to create “repeated rhythmic patterns,” which our brains naturally love .
nervous system. If this sounds familiar, you’ve likely heard of it before. Evolutionarily, our bodies have two states: fight or flight and rest and digest. The sympathetic nervous system controls our body during a fight or flight situation, and the parasympathetic nervous system controls rest and digestion. So, to fall asleep more quickly, we want to “trick” our bodies into activating our parasympathetic nervous system, or the rest and digest state.
each hand. You don’t have to hit your legs hard, just loud enough to hear the sound. Do this for 30 seconds. Then, after following the four-tap rhythm for 30 seconds, you’ll slow the taps even further to just two taps with about two seconds between each tap. Do this for about a minute or a minute and a half. Finally, you will slow the tapping to almost three seconds between each tap. You’ll do this for about four minutes, and during this phase, you also close your eyes and take slow deep breaths. After those final four minutes, you’ll be surprised how tired you feel and how quickly you can fall asleep. Sweet dreams!
So, how do you do it?
To start the brain-tapping process, sit on your bed or a chair. Then, tap your thighs lightly using your hands with palms facing down four times, with about one second between each tap and alternating between
The auditory rhythm will trigger the brain to “switch over” to the parasympathetic
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