Its common to hear people talking about adrenal fatigue – otherwise known as adrenal exhaustion and a state of chronic fatigue, low immunity, and blood sugar imbalances. People often say they suffer from this for a long period of time, why don’t we take a step back when looking at fatigue?
Our body is made of hundreds and thousands of cells. Each cell has a component called the mitochondria. These mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell. Mitochondria are responsible for converting energy for our body to use. They are very important and are responsible for our energy levels.. They are also a very vulnerable target of underlying drivers of fatigue such as stress, infection, toxins etc
When our body has inflammation (possibly with the foods we eat, or toxins and chemicals we are exposed to) our mitochondria may become damaged and less productive. One of the first organs that is affected by this limited function is the brain.. Our brain uses approximately 20% of our bodies energy production and is the central regulatory organ in the stress response.
Instead of targeting the Adrenals as the driver for stress, why don’t we support the Mitochondria? It would make sense to support the Mitochondria as the direct driver for fatigue and energy production within our body.
- Magnesium has been shown to promote optimum mitochondrial function, improve sleep, reduce anxiety and depression and regulate the HPA axis.
- B vitamins are also another key staple. Almost every enzyme involved energy production requires one of the B vitamins. B vitamins are important for supporting brain health in fatigued patients and prevents brain atrophy.
By directly targeting the main drivers of stress and fatigue we are affecting more of the root cause of dysfunction and giving the body the best chance at healing. Come in and have a chat to us if you think that your body might need some more energy support.
As we grow older we find it more difficult to find the time to exercise, and nourish our bodies. Life gets busy, and time is precious. As we age our muscles decrease in mass and our bone density decreases. Bone Density is at its peak in our early 20’s, and decreases throughout life due to an imbalance in the remodelling of bone – too much bone is broken down and too little new bone is built back up, causing brittle bones which are prone to fracture.
Is the maintenance of bone strength as simple as taking an extra Calcium supplement? Yes our bones are made up of calcium and phosphorus, however taking a supplement does not directly go to the bone. When other organs need these minerals they take first priority and bone density further decreases.
Our hormones play a huge part in the regulation and regulation of bone activity. Estrogen is great at maintaining bone density. Estrogen levels decrease as women goes through menopause. Our bones also become weaker during this time. . How can we fix this? People who live a sedentary lifestyle loose bone density quicker than those who don’t. By participating in regular weight bearing exercise, putting gentle stress on your body you are helping to keep your bones strong and stop them from breaking down. Regular weight bearing exercise can include swimming, walking, aqua jogging or gentle weights.
Regular physical activity helps with many other aspects of improving your life including maintaining and improving memory, preventing dementia and Alzheimer’s, alleviating depression and making us happy, improves energy levels, decreases blood pressure, decreases cholesterol levels, and improves mobility and strengthens the heart.
Sleep is a crucial part of our daily routine. Sleep is so important for optimal performance and health. It is involved in healing and repair of damaged cells, boosting your immune system. It is also very important for recovering from the days’ activities, and recharging for the next. Some other really important reasons to get enough sleep include…
- Decrease inflammation – Inflammation is linked to heart disease, stroke, arthritis and premature aging. Research indicates that people who get less sleep (less than 6 hours) have higher levels of inflammatory proteins. Sleep restriction affects blood sugar and reduces insulin sensitivity. It has been shown to be associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes.
- Sharpen attention – Sleep is important for various aspects of brain function including cognition, concentration, productivity and performance.
- Helps with weight loss – The effect of sleep on weight gain is believed to be mediated by numerous factors such as hormones, hunger patterns and motivation to exercise. Good sleepers tend to have a smaller appetite than those who do not sleep as sleep deprivation is believed to cause poor appetite regulation.
- Lower stress – Help people have better control over their blood pressure
- Maximize athletic performance – Sleep has been shown to enhance athletic performance through significantly improving speed, accuracy, reaction times and mental wellbeing.
So how can you improve your sleep patterns? Find a routine that works for you – going to bed and getting up at the same time works really well as our body thrives on a regular sleep routine. Avoid stimulants such as caffeine, or sweets prior to heading to bed. Limit devices, bright lights and stress related work prior to bed allowing the mind to calm down. Magnesium helps the muscles to relax thereby helping the body to get to sleep more easily- Magnesium is the number one mineral to help stop cramping also
Do you experience tight shoulders and neck muscles, headaches, fatigue, dry skin, digestive and hormonal issues, and sensitivities to light and cold as well as always feeling the cold? Any of these symptoms could mean that your body is stuck in something we call Sympathetic dominance. This also means a state of stress or Fight and Flight!
Our Nervous system is very complicated; it contains our autonomic nervous system, which controls everything we do automatically – or without thinking about. That includes our heart rate, digestive system, hormones or endocrine system, sleep patterns, blood pressure and many more. The autonomic nervous system is split into 2 parts… The parasympathetic; meaning rest and digest. The sympathetic; meaning fight or flight. The sympathetic nervous system keeps us protected. Protected from predators or stressful events.
Think of when you may have had an extremely stressful and busy day, or have been running late. That stressed state that you feel is your body going into Sympathetic dominance. This is a natural protection response. When this happens our digestion slows down, reproductive systems slow down, and our immune system does not function as well. Our heart rate and blood pressure increases. This response is normal for a short period of time however if the stress remains for a prolonged period of time and the sympathetic nervous system goes into overdrive the bodies systems become compromised and this may lead to decreased ability to rest and sleep, poor immune system function, hormonal problems, digestive problems and many chronic problems.
The world we live in today is constantly busy and running at a million miles per hour, so most people I see are stuck in this sympathetic dominant state. Do you think a stressed system can effectively heal and repair? If we take the stress of the body it has a better chance at healing more efficiently and quickly.
If you think your Nervous system might be functioning in a state of stress or sympathetic dominance give us a call and have a chat to see if we can help your body to restore full healing potential.
It’s a known fact that every program, function, muscle and cell within our incredible body is controlled by nerves that travel from our brain, through our spine and exit at holes on each side of our vertebrae. From here they travel, sending messages throughout our body. This is called our Nervous System. The communication within our Nervous System allows us to adapt to the environment that we live in.
Throughout our lives we all go through such traumas in the form of physical – sports and accidents, emotional– work and relationships, and chemical- the environment that we live in and the food we choose to fuel our bodies with. These things all put stress on our Nervous system and can decrease its ability to adapt. Signals that our Nervous system is not functioning at optimum level may include injury, decreased immune function, fatigue, aches and pains, and decreased ability to relax and sleep.
Total Body Modification is an advanced Kinesiology technique designed to detect and correct most known body functions. Total body Modification looks at the imbalances within the body and makes appropriate corrections to the bodies’ bio-computer restoring imbalances within its electrical energy system.
The nervous system controls everything in our body through the communication between the brain and the spine. Under stress, nerves that control different functions can ‘blow a fuse’ and function is lost or decreased. When there is too much noise within the body, the Nervous system cannot function at optimum potential and faults within our biological computer begin to occur.
By using body access points, similar to acupuncture we can open the body’s biological computer and identify faults. Corrections along the spine correlate to nerve flow to each organ and by stimulating these points we stimulate the nervous system pathway to correct and return function to the particular program. By taking the stress off the system, the body can function at a more optimum level.
Just as important as getting a regular check up on our cars, or brushing our teeth to maintain their function, our spine needs to be checked due to the stresses and demands of life. If ignored and not maintained, decreased movement can lead to early deterioration, unhealthy nerves and early degeneration of the spinal column.
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