Candida Yeast, could you have it? PART 1

For the next few days I am going to cover the who, what, when, where and why of Candida. For those of you that haven't heard of this before, you are not alone. While most of us have or have had yeast overgrowth in our systems in our lifetime, most cases go undiagnosed. Candida is an overgrowth of yeast in the the human body. Our digestive tract contains small amounts of yeast at all times, this is normal. However when a dysbiosis occurs with the good bacteria in the gut (that means an imbalance of bad to good bacteria), yeast organisms are able to overgrow. We run into real problems when the yeast is able to leave the digestive tract and enter the blood stream. This leads to a systemic problem which can affect the vagina, mouth, skin, urinary tract, organs, tissues, finger and toe nails. This is known as Candidiasis and is a considered a medical condition.

There are an alarming number of Canadians dealing with Candida due to the use of broad spectrum antibiotics. These over prescribed drugs disrupt the delicate bacteria balance in the body allowing yeast to proliferate. Other factors that can lead to an overgrowth of yeast in the body are:

• Steroids (such as asthma inhalers)
• Birth Control Pills
• Anti-inflammatory drugs
• A poor diet that is high in sugar and refined carbohydrates
• Stress
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Heavy metal toxicity or parasites

To find out if you may be dealing with Candida overgrowth, please do the attached quiz. At that link you will also find a quiz for children. You may have to cut and paste the link into your Internet window. Take some time to answer the questions, I will dive deeper into Candida in the coming days.

http://www.renewlife.ca/pdfs/condition/pdf2_condition_3_Self%20Test%20-%20Candida.pdf

If you cannot view the above link, please email me and I will email the quiz to you.

Busy Week!

Hi everyone, I am sorry that there hasn't been a post since Monday. Month end is always a very busy time. I am on a race to reach 2 goals: $4000 in sales Monday and Tuesday to reach my quota for September and then I need to get 4 pounds off by next Sunday (October 5th) to be down 30 pounds! Might be a challenge with a Girl's Weekend this weekend and two business lunches next week (Thai both days so it will be Mango Salad and Chicken Satay for me). But I have the goal in the forefront of my mind so I know I can achieve it.

Please remember that if you have any topics you want me to cover or questions you need answered, email me. Next week I am going to dive into the world of Candida overgrowth, some very cool stuff.

Have a wonderful weekend! :)

Happy Anniversary to me (and my hubby I suppose!)

Today is our one year wedding anniversary and we went away for a romantic weekend to Collingwood and Blue Mountain Village. We had an incredible time, it was great to get away just the two of us. We didn't follow our program this weekend but this morning we were both only up 1.5 pounds, not bad at all since I know it will be back off tomorrow. The food was awesome and something pretty awesome is happening to my stomach. I can't eat nearly as much as I used to be able to. When you drink a meal or two every day instead of eating it your stomach doesn't get stretched out so much. So now I am finding I am fuller much quicker. A plate of risotto would have never lasted in front of me a few months ago but on Saturday night at dinner, I could only eat 1/3 of what was on the plate. A wonderful feeling indeed!
I LOVE THIS WAY OF EATING!!

Choosing A Multivitamin

We have all seen the commercials about Multivitamins on TV: "Complete from A to Zinc" but is taking a daily multi really necessary? I think so but you have to choose carefully. I look at multivitamins to fill in gaps that might be missing in your diet. That being said, there is no substitute for good foods because they bring with them fiber, antioxidants, water and other benefits to our body. I also think that you need to look at your state of health and family history and supplement in addition to your multi. For example, if you are overweight with varicose veins and a family history of heart disease I would recommend a multi plus chromium, Vitamin E and Fish oil at a minimum. If you smoke, you need extra Vitamin C, E and B Vitamins. This is where seeing a Nutritionist (not a Dietitian, I will explain the difference in an upcoming blog) would be very beneficial.

So what multivitamin should you choose? Stay AWAY from the no-name and pharmacy brands such as Centrum and One A Day. Many of the vitamins in these supplements are synthetic form and your body cannot recognize them properly. In fact, some synthetic vitamins can actually harm the body (although you would have to take a lot). They use these forms to keep the product cheap but with multis, like anything in life, you get what you pay for. Also look at the list of "other" or "Non-medicinal" ingredients, it is longer than the list of nutrients in the product! This means there is a lot of crap (binders, fillers, artificial colours and preservatives) in amongst the vitamins which make it hard for your body to absorb.

For many people, a multivitamin is the only supplement they take so it is important to make sure it is of high quality, natural source, easy for the body to absorb and complete. Here are my recommendations for getting the best Multivitamin for you:

• Visit your local health food store or your natural health practitioner to get your multi, stay away from drugstores, grocery stores and Costco. In general the better products are at the health food store plus it is nice to support a small business.
• Try to ensure that your multi has a B 50 Complex in it, when you find this it is likely that all of the other vitamins and minerals are at a good level in the product. Ask for help and they will be able to show you the options with a B 50.
• Opt for capsules and softgels instead of tablets. Not all multivitamins in a tablet format are bad but with all of the binders to hold the tablet together, your body has to work harder to break them down. You may need to take 2-3 capsules but even if you only took one per day you would still be getting far more benefit than from taking one of the popular drug store brands.
• Take your multi after breakfast to avoid becoming nauseated. The B-vitamins can be hard on an empty stomach.
• You can buy multivitamins that are gender or age specific. I am not so concerned about gender specific vitamins, I just buy a good quality one that both my husband and I can take. However if you are a single woman or man, you might as well buy a good woman's or man's multi. As far as age goes, I do think that anyone over the age of 50 should buy an iron-free multi because excess iron can cause joint inflammation. All multis specific for this age group are iron free.

The ones I feel comfortable recommending when I am helping out at one of my health food stores are:

Platinum Naturals Super Multi (this is the one my husband and I take because it is in a soft gel, hemp oil base which helps with fat soluble vitamin absorption).

Progressive Nutrition MultiVitamins (these are age and gender specific however I think they do have a basic one as well).

Flora Multi

Other brands that are safe bets are Sisu, Natural Factors, New Chapter, Greens Multi and Now brand.

If you don't take one, go to your local health food store and buy a good multivitamin today. Look at it as a little bit of daily heath insurance.

Why Cleanse?? Part 2

So we know why we should cleanse right? Our bodies are not meant to deal with the burden that we place on them, cleansing helps to ease that burden.

So how do you cleanse? Well there are lots of different options actually but the 3 most common are: Fasting or Juicing, Nutritional Cleansing and Herbal Cleansing.

• Fasting or Juicing: Many cultures fast periodically for health or spiritual reasons. It is gaining popularity in western society and there are even retreats you can attend to fast in a controlled environment. How fasting works to cleanse is that it takes the burden of digestion off the body, allowing all of the bodies functions to perform better. Enzymes which are usually used for digesting food travel to the intestine and blood stream where they "clean" the system of dead and damaged cells, pollutants and unwanted bacterias. Fasting also gives the major organs a rest so that they can become rejuvenated. Sounds great right? Fasting is not for everyone, especially if you have a highly physically demanding job or blood sugar issues. Most people who fast do so for 3-10 days although there are people who do it for much longer. Please proceed with caution if you do decide to fast.
• Nutritional Cleansing: This is a wonderful way to cleanse the body by flooding it with minerals, vitamins and other nutrients. These nutrients help the fuel the body and nourish it so that it works optimally. When you support the body with the proper nutrition, your liver, kidneys, bowel etc all are able to release and eliminate toxins efficiently. Nutritional cleansing can and should be done on a regular basis.
• Herbal Cleansing: Currently this is likely the most popular way of cleansing the body. Herbal cleanses are usually sold as kits with products to cleanse the organs and support the bowel. It is very important that if you are going to cleanse your liver you make sure you are not constipated. If the toxins are dumped into the bowel and sit there, they will be reabsorbed. Either deal with the constipation first or buy a herbal cleanse that addresses that issue (2-3 bowel movements a day is ideal!). Herbal Cleanses use formulas of herbs, minerals and amino acids that help the organs of detoxification to increase their output. These kits usually last between 7 - 30 days (30 days is ideal to do the job fully although a 7 day cleanse done every month is also effective). You would do a 30 day cleanse 2-4 times per year.

As a general rule, these products we keep hearing about on the radio and TV infomercials are overpriced and under performing. To find a good cleanse, visit your local health food store or visit a Nutritionist. If you have any questions about cleansing, don't hesitate to email them to me.

Why Cleanse?? Part 1

We have all heard about cleansing or detoxing our body (not to be confused with the detox that Brittany Spears is forced into bi-weekly). We read about cleansing in magazines, hear ads on the radio (that product we keep hearing ads about is crap by the way) and see products line the shelves of our health food store. It seems like cleansing has exploded overnight but this is not true, in fact cultures have cleansed for thousands of years.
Is it necessary to cleanse our bodies? YES!! If you drink alcohol or smoke, you need to cleanse. If you sit in traffic and breath in the fumes from cars, you need to cleanse. If you use plastic, make up, lotions, pharmaceuticals, eat non-organic foods or dry cleaning, you need to cleanse. Basically if you live in this day and age, YOU NEED TO CLEANSE.

Our bodies are amazing machines and they cleanse every minute of every day. For example, our kidneys and liver cleanse toxins so that they can be removed from the body via urine and our bowel. If you were to ask a Doctor if you should cleanse, chances are they would say "Your body does it for you" and this is true to a degree. Our bodies are bombarded with more toxins than ever in history. Cancer rates are through the roof, kids are developing liver disease, our bodies are nutritionally depleted and still most Doctors refuse to acknowledge that this could be in part due to our toxic environment and bodies. Our bodies weren't designed to handle and process the amount and types of toxins it is faced with today.

A study conducted by Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the Environmental Working Group tested volunteers blood and urine and what they found was shocking. There was a total of 167 chemicals found, an average of 91 in each person. Of these toxins, 76 caused cancer, 91 are toxic to the brain and 79 cause birth defects. These industrial toxins were even found in high levels in infants. This is scary stuff. Check out www.toxicnation.ca for studies they are doing on Canadians including our politicians.

More on how the importance of cleansing tomorrow.

Falling off the Weight Loss Wagon!

Well I fell off the wagon, rolled into the ditch and haven't quite gotten up yet! This past weekend was one filled with company dinners, quick bites in between clients and big breakfasts and I am paying for it on the scale. All this food, sodium and the lack of water I drank turned into a 4 pound weight gain in 3 days. Now I know this isn't all fat but it feels discouraging all the same.

So why do I fall so hard when I do fall? Well one thing is clear to me, I have no willpower when I am exhausted. I don't do well with late night dinners (9 pm is late for me). I overindulge and then don't sleep well. I also have always had an all or nothing mentality. If I screw up, why not go crazy?? Life is a series of challenges and set backs and going crazy is what got me to this place! I need to learn to treat each meal individually and make my decision based on the big picture. Not sure if that makes sense so here is an example. If I know we are having a company dinner on Saturday, I need to make good decisions for breakfast and lunch. My thinking has always been (and I do know better!!) that if I am having a big dinner then the whole day is a write off so why not enjoy it. This is fat person thinking, not healthy person thinking.

So what have I learned this weekend:

1. Being this heavy is hard on the body. 2 days on my feet and I feel like I have been hit by a bus! Next year will be MUCH better, this is a promise to myself.
2. When I am tired, I need to sleep. If I have a meeting or engagement I can't get out of I need to eat earlier and then just have a light bite with the group.
3. If possible I need to decide what I want to eat before I go to the restaurant by checking out the menu online. It is too tempting to make bad choices in the moment. I need to plan to succeed.
4. Still be accountable to someone. Jon and I are doing this program together but no one I work with really knows what I am up to. If I had someone I was accountable to and whom I knew was looking out for me this past weekend, maybe I would have passed on the creme brulee and second martini.

So this is me coming clean and now I will brush myself off and climb back onto the wagon. It may be a bumpy ride sometimes but it is all worthwhile to reach the destination.

Busy time ahead!

Hi guys,

There will be no blog for a few days while I am off at our yearly tradeshow. Will be a trying weekend for the waistline but my goal is to stay the same. I will let you know how I do when I get back. Have a wonderful weekend!

Goal setting 101

Most successful people in the world know what they want and they have a plan to get it. Goal setting is consistent trait among top achievers especially with regards to fitness and business. It makes sense right? You are training for a marathon, you have milestones or things you need to accomplish to get there. You see yourself finishing that race but there is a process of training to get to that finish line.

In my professional life, I have always been a goal setter and it has led to a lot of success for me. I work in sales and if I didn't have goals or quotas, I would have nothing to strive for. But I have never consistently done goal setting in my personal life. Sure, I have set goals on New Years Eve to get in shape and have more fun etc. But I have never truly set goals in writing and kept them in the forefront of my mind.

One of my favorite business Gurus is Brian Tracy. He talks a lot about the process of goal setting in all of his books on sales and self improvement. Being that I want to be a top achiever now for my health, I am going to use the tools he sets out to set some goals for myself and I will share those tips with you.

• Goals must be PRESENT, PERSONAL and POSITIVE. So an example would be:

"I am smoke-free" is better than "Quit smoking".

• Goals must be measurable and have a time line:

"I am smoke-free by November 2nd, 2008"

• Goals are 100 times more effective if written down and 1000 times more effective if rewritten every day. Have a book by your bed or on your desk that you write and rewrite your goals in everyday.
• Goals are very personal and some people may decide to keep them private but sometimes sharing those goals creates a sense of accountability. I have shared with you my goal to lose 150 pounds, now I need to make it personal, positive and present to make it really effective. That would look something like:

"I weigh X pounds by July 2009" (still not quite ready to announce my weight)

I have seen the power of setting goals in my career now I am going to harness that power and apply it to my health. I hope these tips help you be able to do the same if you so choose.

Obese and Preggers, not a good mix

A big part of the reason I am really serious about losing the weight this time is that Jon and I would like to start our family in the next few years. My doctor freaked out when I mentioned it saying that being pregnant now would be a disaster. So I wanted to research myself to see what the issues really are and well....she was right. Scary stuff to follow!

The first issue is actually getting pregnant. Being fat can interfere with fertility because your fat stores changes the levels of sex hormones the body produces. Add into the mix that many fat women have polycystic ovaries (blog on PCOS to come) and getting knocked up becomes a huge challenge.

Once you are pregnant you have an increased risk for many serious issues:

• Preeclampsia: This is a condition which causes swelling, high blood pressure and fluid retention. This sucks for mom but can be very dangerous for baby because it can restrict placental blood flow.
• Gestational Diabetes: This prevents your body from breaking down sugars and can cause the baby to gain too much weight in utero causing a dangerous and difficult delivery. It has also been proven that babies with high birth weight are more likely to suffer from childhood obesity.
• Cesarean section: If you are obese you are more likely to have a slow and difficult labor, this increases the chance having to have a c-section (can they do a tummy tuck at the same time???).
• We are more likely also to experience difficulty in our postpartum recovery.

So if you are thinking of starting a family, NOW is the time to get in better shape. You don't have to be an Olympic athlete but losing 10-20% of your body weight will make a big difference.

Celebrations!

I thought Monday would be a great day to take a few minutes to celebrate successes. First off, my good friend started on this program a week ago and has lost 13 pounds!!!! I am so proud of her, keep up the good work!
Her successes makes mine look a little lame but I am happy all the same. I have lost 13 pounds in the last 4 weeks, making it 23 since July 28th. Not too bad considering I haven't been able to exercise with my knee injury. That means I am 15% of the way to losing 150 pounds!

My short-term goal is to lose 40 pounds between Sept 1st and Jan 1st, 2009. That is 10 pounds a month, very doable. I also want to begin exercising again, slow and steady this time so I don't end up injured again.

Another small success for me is that a month ago I could barely get my wedding rings on and some days I couldn't wear them at all. Now they slide on easily and I don't even have to lube my fingers up with lotion. Woooooo Hoooooo!

Thanks to everyone for their support. I am really enjoying writing the blog so I am glad you guys are enjoying reading it.

Happy Monday!

A question about CLA

HI Everyone,

Someone emailed me to ask me my thoughts on CLA (Conjugated Linoleic Acid) for weight loss. CLA is one of the only weight loss supplements that has been researched extensively and while the results look very promising, they are still inconclusive. CLA is a naturally occuring free fatty acid that is found in dairy products and meat. It is actually considered a trans fatty acid but not a harmful one like the ones in processed foods and margarine. It works by stopping small fat cells from getting larger, although the mechanism that it does this is not fully understood.

So what is the benefit of taking CLA? Studies have shown that it increases lean muscle gain and fat loss in the abdominal region. It also help people from regaining fat after dieting. CLA can also increase your immune system and there are some anti-cancer claims out there (obviously needs proper studies to back those claims up). Some studies have shown an increase in insulin resistance if taken long term while other studies have shown no effect on insulin uptake. This is the main reason I don't take it myself, my body is resistant enough to insulin so I don't want to take a chance. You take CLA in divided doses throughout the day and it seems the most effective dose is 3.4 grams a day (that would be 4 x 1000 mg capsules to get the proper amount of actual CLA).

My experience from talking to health food store personnel is that CLA works but it takes up to 2 months to notice any difference and the difference is not dramatic. As a supplement taking while following a healthy diet and exercise program, I think this shows promise. As a magic bullet, keep looking.

My top 10 favorite "healthy" foods

Got food on the brain this morning and thought I would do my top ten of favorite healthy foods. In no particular order :)

1. Food for Life Ezekiel English Muffins: These are awesome toasted with salsa and a poached omega 3 egg on them.
2. Organic Apples: I LOVE organic apples, I carry them with me in my car for after my lunch because they are nature's toothbrush. I also really like to make apple and peanut butter sandwiches.
3. Sunflower Kitchens Spicy Hummus: I don't have this often because it is hard to find but it is amazing. Best hummus ever!
4. Presidents Choice Burger First Multi grain buns: Now, generally I wouldn't consider wheat to be the healthiest option but I do love these buns. They are very thin and nutty flavoured. Great with peanut butter and apple. This is what Jon makes all of his sandwiches for work on now, he loves them.
5. Raincoast Trading Wild Skinless Boneless Sockeye Salmon: This stuff is amazing because all of the gross skin and bones (although the bones are good for you but I hate them) are out of the can. Only nice chunks of wild salmon are in the can. At around $4.99 a can, it is a great meal. I make salmon patties (salmon, one egg, dijon mustard, some whole grain cracker or bread crumbs, green onions, lemon juice and pepper) and saute them in a little olive oil with about a tsp of butter in it for taste. They are awesome!
6. Mashed Cauliflower: I love potatoes like most of us but I never buy them. When Jon and I were on our low carb diet we started making mashed cauliflower instead and we actually prefer the taste to mashed potatoes. All you do is steam the cauliflower until it is very tender, add a little butter, salt, pepper and light cream cheese and mash the hell out of it. Good times!
7. Legumes: Chick peas, lentils, black beans and kidney beans are my favorites but there are so many types of beans available and their uses are almost limitless. I use them in curries, pasta sauces (chick peas are awesome in place of protein in pasta sauce), chili, dips, soups etc. I buy organic canned (Eden organic or Presidents Choice Organic), just make sure to rinse them well to bring down the sodium levels. Rinsing will also make them less gassy (or you for that matter).
8. Presidents Choice Blue Menu Butter Chicken sauce: Ok so still not ideal but this sauce is amazing and has half the fat and calories of their regular Butter Chicken sauce. Make with chicken breast and throw in some veggies to increase the health quotient and it is a great treat once in awhile.
9. Slimcakes: So these are actually an Isagenix product that we just stumbled upon and they rock my socks. They are an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with 9 grams of fiber and 190 calories per cookie (they are big). Heated up, they are even better. We love these (maybe a little tooooo much).
10. Organic Fair trade coffee: So this is definitely one of my favorite things, although not necessarily healthy. It is very important to buy organic coffee because coffee crops are sprayed with tons of pesticides. Always buy fair trade because it helps to ensure fair pay for the workers in the fields and factories. I don't drink a lot of coffee now because of my adrenals but it is a real treat when I have it. My husband makes the best cup of coffee, one of the reasons I married him. We only buy organic, fair trade and there are so many options out there now that you can surely find one you will love.

So "These are a few of my favorite things". I have the urge to go watch the Sound of Music now.

Happy Friday Everyone!

Meals on the Run

HI guys,

This is a plug for a good friend of mine who is launching a new business providing freezer ready meals to people concerned with health and convenience. She uses only the freshest ingredients and organic where available and has ensured that the meals are portioned for weight loss.
She is a nutritionist who is passionate about making sure busy families don't have to sacrifice health for convenience. Her prices are amazingly affordable!
An example of meal options:
Pesto Chicken
Greek style Salmon
Blue Cheese Burger with Spring Onion

If you are interested in learning more, please email jenny.morden@vibranthealthcanada.com
or call her at 416-839-6510.

New study on "Sick" fat cells

Ok, as if my fat cells were not unsavory enough now I found out that they are sick!! A very cool new study from Temple University showed that the fat cells in Obese people were significantly different than those in lean people. There were several issues however the most notable was that the fat cells in obese people showed stress on the (big word alert) Endoplasmic Reticulum. The endoplasmic reticulum helps cells synthesize proteins and monitors how they are folded. When stressed, it produces several proteins that ultimately lead of Insulin Resistance.

This is very interesting stuff. I am insulin resistant and have been for quite some time. I was tested when I was a teenager with a glucose tolerance test (which SUCKED big time). Insulin resistance basically means that when your body releases insulin from the pancreas, the cells in the muscle, fat and liver do not respond and uptake it. This leads to high circulating blood glucose levels and forces the pancreas to secrete more insulin. In time, type 2 diabetes will develop in most people. Of course, this is not good.

Why this study is really cool because for years there have been theories about why insulin resistance develops and now they can link it to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER for short from now on). In this study it showed that in obese patients, levels of 19 proteins were higher in their fat cells. Several of these proteins were related to energy and fat metabolism. What the researchers concluded was that the ER might sense nutritional excess (overeating) and translate that excess into metabolic and inflammatory responses.

This is very interesting because it helps explain why diabetic people who have their stomach stapled show dramatic improvements in insulin resistance within days of surgery even before significant weight loss occurs. It seems that the immediate and dramatic decrease in calorie intake is responsible for this improvement. More and more is coming out about low calorie diets and increasing life span. Maybe this is a big contributing factor. Very cool stuff indeed!!

Long weekends are not good for my ass!

Well the last long weekend of the summer is over, hard to believe September is here. We had a busy weekend with bbq's and brunches, far too much food for a gal on a diet. Luckily I ended up with food poisoning yesterday (mother in law tried to kill me!) so maybe everything will balance out!?! :)
Back on the straight and narrow, I want to be down 40 pounds by Jan 1st 2009. 10 pounds a month is very doable I think.
Happy September everyone!

Why do I feel sooooo "burned out"? PART TWO

So once you figure out that your adrenals are running on empty, what can you do?
First thing is to try to remove the stressors in your life as much as possible or remove yourself from the stress by going on vacation. Jon and I rented a cottage for 2 weeks this summer and I noticed a difference in my energy levels within one day. If you are over-burdened at work, try to delegate some responsibilities elsewhere. If you need more help at home, hire a cleaning service or kick your partners ass. If you have friends who are dragging you down, distance yourself. You have to get as much of this stress under control as you can. It isn't easy but to get better, it is necessary.

The second thing you have to do is to change your sleeping habits. Try to be in bed by 10 pm (people with adrenal fatigue tend to get a second wind after 11 pm). Start winding down around 8 by turning all the lights down and trying to stay away from the TV or computer screen. The next point is VERY important: In the mornings try to sleep in as late as possible, to 9 AM if able. Between the hours of 7 and 9 AM your body produces the most cortisol that it will in the day so you will awake feeling much more rested and ready to take on the day. Take melatonin before bed if you have a hard time falling and staying asleep.

Food: What to eat and what to avoid

• Begin each morning with a glass of water with a sprinkle of sea salt in it (about a 1/2 teaspoon). If you suffer from high blood pressure skip this step.
• ALWAYS eat breakfast and preferably by 10 am.
• Skip fruit at breakfast and focus on high protein and grains. Fruit will spike your blood sugar too rapidly. Always avoid fruits that are high in potassium such as bananas,oranges and figs.
• Stay away from caffeine and refined sugars such as chocolate. I know it sucks but these stimulants further stress the adrenal glands and hopefully in time you will find you won't need them to keep you going throughout the day.
• Eat a high protein snack before bed if you have trouble falling asleep such as cottage cheese or yogurt.

There are also some good supplements you can take:

• Vitamin C daily 1000-2000 mgs
• Vitamin E mixed tocopherols 800 IU a day (2 x 400 IU capsules)
• B complex 50 mg twice daily plus added Pantothenic acid (1000 - 1500 mg/day).
• Magnesium citrate (400 mg) taken after 8 pm.
• AdrenaSENSE by Lorna Vanderhauge is a great supplement that contains many of the herbs (called adaptogens) that are recommended for strengthening the adrenals. It is easier than taking them all seperately. Another wonderful tonic filled with adaptogens and B vitamins is Ionix Supreme.
• You can also take adrenal extract (which is basically adrenal gland from bovine sources) and DHEA hormones but I only recommend doing this under the supervision and guidance of a Naturopathic doctor.

Adrenal fatigue takes quite a long time to remedy but you can feel the effects of some of these changes pretty quickly. Try sleeping in as much as possible and removing stress. Exercise is important but don't overwork your body. Keep it to brisk walking and light resistance training.

If you have any more questions about adrenal fatigue just drop me a line at louisevokins@gmail.com. Finding out that I had this syndrome has helped me immensely towards getting my life and energy back. Hopefully this info can help you.