Why adrenal support is so crucial — and how Dr. Wentz can help.
Adrenal fatigue is more common than you think and can really negatively impact your life.
Last week, I got an email from a friend and colleague, Dr. Izabella Wentz (aka The Thyroid Pharmacist) an expert in adrenals & related health.
Recently, I’ve sensed my adrenals getting taxed and the timing of this email was uncanny. After reading it (— and subsequently signing up for the program) I felt a duty to share it with you since so much of modern life is adrenal and stress fueled. Her personal story is compelling and offers super practical advice to address.
My wife and I have had challenges with managing stress through some very stressful times over the past 7-10 years (selling a company, my father (and dear friend) passing, moving to a new place (Boulder, CO), starting Akamai, raising seed capital and bootstrapping it, raising teens, perimenopause, etc. Whew! — first world problems yes, stress creators nonetheless. Especially if you don’t have the tools.
It all came to a head for me — back in the spring/summer of 2015, I had a harrowing experience with adrenal fatigue that left me incapacitated for several months — the road to “full” recovery took over 6 mos. I can now look back on this painful experience as perhaps the most formative in my life — it further fueled my drive to seek the best tools, modalities & teachers — apply them, and share with others.
A few of the things I practice and study daily are CBT techniques, mediation, flow state exercise, eustress techniques, breath work, reading Stoics, psychological integration, the judicious use of powerful plant based medicines & supplements, etc. (For more see our beta Wellness Resources section).
This is what we do and encourage you to do the same for yourself and others.
- Inform
- Educate
- Empower
- Take action (pass this email on, sign up for the program — I just did)
We all need coaching and basic tools (and a keen awareness of the early warning signs of adrenal fatigue). Read on — and thank you, Dr. Wentz!
From: Dr. Izabella Wentz <info@thyroidpharmacist.com>
To: Vincent
Date: Jun 9, 2021, 9:07 AM
Subject: Why adrenal support is crucial to Hashimoto’s recovery
Hello Vince,
I remember when my integrative doctor suggested that I test for adrenal fatigue... I Googled it and found a “reputable source” that said adrenal fatigue was a made up disorder that didn’t exist.
Being a skeptical pharmacist, I put-off testing my adrenals — I had just ventured into the world of alternative medicine, and was always afraid of people trying to take advantage of me and take my money. (Though I later discovered they were simply trying to help!)
Eventually, I got to a point where I was so exhausted and irritable, despite taking thyroid medications and following a gluten-free diet, that I decided to take a closer look. I talked to my compounding pharmacist who specializes in hormones, and he said that adrenal fatigue interventions worked for many of his patients and suggested that I get mine tested.
Maybe it was hearing it from a fellow pharmacist, or maybe it was because he didn’t have anything to sell me, but I decided I would get tested. Sure enough, I had an advanced stage of adrenal fatigue (or HPA axis dysfunction), and the recommended treatments helped me feel tremendously better! But you may be wondering, what is adrenal fatigue and could it be impacting you?
In most cases, the problems originate in a communication breakdown within the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, known as the HPA axis. The HPA axis works in response to two types of stress: immediate stress and chronic stress.
In cases of immediate stress, the hypothalamus senses stress and sets off a hormone cascade that leads to our fight-or-flight response. The adrenals pump out extra hormones, and our bodies go into survival mode.
Survival mode means that instead of normal duties like metabolizing nutrients into energy, making hormones, and digesting and repairing itself, the body focuses on meeting the demand for cortisol and adrenaline. Once emergency levels of hormones settle down, the focus returns to body maintenance and upkeep.
But in cases of chronic stress — as occurs with sleep disorders, mental and emotional stress, metabolic and glycemic dysregulation, and inflammation — the never-ending presence of stressful, yet non-life-threatening situations, can lead to constant activation of the stress response. To help meet the demand for cortisol, your body decreases the production of hormones produced by the adrenals like progesterone, DHEA, and testosterone.
With enough chronic stress, the HPA axis becomes overwhelmed and desensitized, and stops sending messages to the adrenals to produce hormones, no matter what’s happening. Someone under chronic stress may even run out of nutrients required for proper adrenal function.
The symptoms of adrenal fatigue can be far reaching, extending to the whole body.
- Tired despite adequate sleep
- Overwhelm
- Trouble falling asleep or staying asleep
- Difficulty getting up in the morning
- Dependency on caffeine
- Craving salty foods (a.k.a. the “I just ate a whole bag of chips syndrome”)
- Craving sweet foods
- Increased effort required for everyday activities
- Intolerance to exercise
- Low blood pressure
- Feeling faint/dizzy when getting up quickly
- Easily startled
- Mental fog or trouble concentrating
- Alternating diarrhea/constipation
- Low blood sugar
- Decreased sex drive
- Decreased ability to handle stress
- Longer healing time
- Less enjoyment in life
- Feeling worse after skipping meals
- Increased PMS
- Reduced ability to make decisions
- Reduced productivity
- Poor memory
I know it’s quite a list, and I share it because your symptoms and experiences are NOT in your head! If any of these sound familiar, the best news you may hear today is that you can get better and heal from these frustrating symptoms.
The alternative medicine approach has focused on strategies like getting more sleep and less caffeine. These do work well for some people… But what if you can’t sleep more and can’t function without caffeine? And what if you’ve already tried those and failed? That’s why I put together the Adrenal Transformation Program — because I wanted a tangible way for people to find healing and hope again — and I’m so excited to announce that I’m re-opening enrollment for the program, TODAY!
The Adrenal Transformation Program consists of six healing steps that we address over six weeks. However, you will begin to experience results quickly! We focus on: Rest, Balancing Blood Sugar, De-Stressing, Reducing Inflammation, Replenishing Nutrients, and Building Resilience. If you’re a researcher like me, then you’ll want a deep dive into what these six steps entail, so here’s the website with all the information.
When your adrenals are healthy, you’ll experience increased energy, hormones that are regulated (no more emotional outbursts!), healthy weight management, and the ability to handle stress. Can you imagine not being triggered by your environment? Or exercising and feeling refreshed instead of drained, afterward?
This former participant, like many others, experienced increased energy and a reduction in joint pain, brain fog, headaches, and stress!
“This is an amazing program and I am so thankful for all the time, effort and care put into making it happen! So many wonderful things, it is hard to list them all! The fact that we have the program for 6 months is awesome, and will be a great opportunity for all of us to go back and work on the things in more depth. I am feeling better- my energy level has improved, my joint pain is much improved as well as reduction in brain fog, headaches and nervousness. The fact that I am feeling better is an inspiration to want to continue to use the program and to make many of the things we have learned lifelong habits and routines! I wasn’t expecting there to be so many different things other than diet and supplements and it’s really incredible how all encompassing this program is. It deals with not only the physical aspect of our bodies but emotional and spiritual aspects as well. So many excellent tools presented. Self care is so often forgotten and this program even addresses this in depth. Can’t say enough good things about this program and would highly recommend it to anyone!”
And this participant finally experienced digestive relief! Cue the praise hands emoji! :-)
"My mood has had a noticeable lift. The adrenal kickstart drink really gives me a boost in the morning. My bathroom habits are as close to normal as they've been in a LONG time. I was diagnosed with IBS-D, and only had 1 bout of diarrhea during this program, which is a big improvement for me!"
What if focusing on your health this summer changes everything… in six weeks or sooner? Why not give it a try and see what happens? Enroll today with no risk, and let’s get you well.
Warmly,
Dr. Izabella Wentz
Post author: Vincent Cobb, co-founder.
(First published 6.16.21)
