When Kathy came to see me at the Tahoma Clinic, she’d already been diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome by her physician. The first thing I had Kathy do was undergo an adrenal-function test.

This test measures how the adrenal glands respond to stress of any kind, physical or mental. Adrenal glands are stress-response glands and should make considerably more of each steroid hormone when stressed. It wouldn’t be normal for our hearts to beat at the same rate or even a little slower after exercise than before, and it isn’t normal for adrenal glands to make the same amount of hormone after stress as before. When they make less, weakness becomes a serious problem. They “go all out” just to keep you walking around. When they’re called on to do more…exercise,working hard…they just can’t do it.

If your adrenal glands are overstressed, stress reduction is a necessary part of recovery. But even though it’s necessary, it can’t usually do the job on its own. So Kathy began taking a number of supplements to combat her weak adrenal glands, beginning with cortisol, DHEA (15 milligrams per day), and salt. Extra salt is important in the production of a hormone called aldosterone. The main function of aldosterone is to regulate minerals like potassium and sodium, and it is a major factor in enabling our bodiesto retain salt. You couldn’t survive if your body didn’t retain salt. If you’re not eating much salt, your body has to make more aldosterone to make up for it.

But if salt intake is high, it’s actually normal for your adrenal glands not to make any aldosterone at all. So, if you eat enough salt, your adrenal glands don’t need to make aldosterone, and that saves them some work. Extra salt, cortisol, and DHEA help to rest theadrenal glands so they have more energy to repair themselves. But, you can help the repairs go even faster with the right diet, nutrients, herbs, and other supplements.

People with weak adrenal glands should neverfollow a low-carbohydrate diet. Weak adrenal glands are among the causes of low blood-sugar levels, and a low-carbohydrate diet is meant to control blood sugar. Perhaps the most surprising nutritional recommendation given for strengthening adrenal gland functioning is incorporating six or more pieces of licorice (with no added artificial color or sugar) into your diet daily. Licorice contains substances thatslow the liver’s breakdown of steroid hormones.

In addition to these dietary modifications, vitamins A, E, and the entire B complex are thought to help the functioning of the adrenal glands. Usually, any good multi-vitamin and B-complex supplements from a natural food store will contain enough. Other supplements found to be helpful in treating weak adrenal glands are “Adren-Plus” and an “adrenal glandular.” Adren-Plus is a combination of botanicals that have been shown to improve adrenal health. Adrenal glandulars are whole, dehydrated, animal adrenal cortex. Adren-Plus is available through the Tahoma Clinic Dispensary (www.tahoma-clinic.com).

Just two months after Kathy began treatment for her weak adrenal glands, she found that her old energy was back, and she was able to do things she hadn’t been able to do for years.

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