Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau

Educator, Coach, Life Strategist

What’s your adrenal story? Are you lazy? Are you crazy?

I am not a medical doctor. Use this information at your own risk. 

I’ve been writing about my journey to adrenal health (starting here), sharing my research, and explaining what has worked for me and countless sufferers I’ve met over the years. In the previous article, I recommended adding nutriceuticals to your diet. In upcoming articles, I’ll share even more tips for achieving adrenal balance.

Today’s topic is about looking back on your adrenal journey. This exercise is important since it identifies behaviors leading to adrenal imbalance in the first place. Looking to the past is crucial in avoiding the same kinds of problems in the future.

I’ll use myself as an example. Bear with me as I describe how long this took me to finally figure out.

Back to My Story 

The first time I experienced adrenal fatigue, I was married and in my early 30’s, juggling a challenging job with a stressful daily commute, and trying to deal with several difficult people who just wouldn’t go away. I didn’t know what it was then, but I see clearly in the rear view mirror. I was skipping meals and skipping sleep. Most days, I was even skipping going to the bathroom. I wasn’t taking proper care of myself.

The second time I had adrenal issues, I was chasing around a toddler and expecting another child, trying to maintain a successful career, and still be the kind of wife and mother I thought I should be. Also, those stressful people were still making me miserable — I hadn’t learned how to disconnect from others who stole my happiness. Again, I didn’t know what was going on. But, looking back, I see the stress I put on my adrenal glands (and, frankly, other parts of my body too).

In those early cases, I tried different things and eventually felt a little better. But I didn’t have a comprehensive plan for healing (articles like these weren’t available). Worse, I went back to the same habits after every crisis.

Which explains why it happened a third time after delivering a third child and enduring a houseful of foreign guests a few weeks later. I was beginning to understand myself at that point, so I knew some of the things that sent me over the edge (overscheduling myself, too high expectations, energy vampires, and house guests). Though I finally started disconnecting from people who caused me stress, I remained stubborn about the other life changes I really needed to make.

By the fourth time my adrenals went out, I studied about hormones and the human body and learned everything about natural healing I could get my hands on. Feeling the worst I’d ever felt in my life, I was desperate for answers. With no other choice, I finally put all the pieces together, and healed myself for good.

Examining past behaviors can prevent the same crisis from happening in the future #adrenal fatigue…

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What’s Your Story?

The reason I told you my history was so you would understand how these things can go. It isn’t mysterious, but a clear pattern of not listening to the body as it gradually falls apart.

As you can see, I wasn’t lazy and I wasn’t crazy — what happened to me was real (and perfectly understandable). No amount of being told I needed  exercise or a trip to the psychiatrist would’ve helped. In fact, those things only added guilt and frustration to a struggle that was already hard enough to figure out.

Maybe your story is like mine, or maybe it’s quite a bit different. Your body might be like mine, but probably it’s a little different, too. I could tell you what I did each time my adrenals broke down, but could never guarantee the same results. It’s like that list of stressors I wrote about. I felt better after eliminating certain stressors of mine, but there are likely others that really bother you.

What’s important, then, is to review your own life story. What kinds of things set you over the edge? What are your exact symptoms? When do you notice your adrenal fatigue is at its worst (morning, late at night, after a meal)? Do you notice anything different when you eat/don’t eat certain foods? Keeping a journal for a few weeks can be really helpful when answering these questions. If you’ve got recent labs or blood work, tuck those in your journal, too.

You’e not lazy or crazy. Here’s what to do. #adrenalfatigue #notlazyorcrazy

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Stick with me as we conclude this series in the next few articles (SUBSCRIBE on my home page if you like). If you start doing the things I’m suggesting, I think you’ll notice improvements very soon.

As a coach, writer, recovered over-doer and busyness addict, I understand the challenges of creating a balanced, healthy lifestyle while the mind tries to sabotage your success. In my journey to vibrant health, I created a personalized health system of nutrition and supplementation, lifestyle changes, and I retrained my mind and the energy of my body. I view my success as the formula to my happy, healthy life. I now empower other women to create their own personalized formulas, including the tools and strategies just right for them! Amazing life shifts come from our relationships. I look forward to helping you, too!

Targeted Supplements for Adrenal Health

I am not a medical doctor. Use this information at your own risk. This article may contain affiliate links.

I’ve been writing about my journey with adrenal fatigue (starting here), sharing some of my research, and explaining what has worked for me and others I’ve encountered over the years. In my previous article, I told you what I eat. In this article, I’ll tell you the other things I eat.

But, first, this.

Can You Heal Yourself?

My goal in writing this series was to to give you enough information to help yourself. Many people heal from dis-ease and illness on their own, so it’s possible to DIY the rebalancing of adrenal hormones, too.

On the other hand, what I’m sharing about today is confusing and more complicated than previous topics. If performed incorrectly, there’s the potential of disrupting health in other ways; frankly, it can even be dangerous. In light of the seriousness of this topic, it’s a good idea to hire a health partner for this part of  your healing. If you do, I recommend finding a natural, alternative, functional, integrative or holistic health practitioner to get this step right (that’s important, since traditional doctors are usually unable to help).

Taking Vitamins and Supplements

By now, most people know it’s impossible to get the nutrients our bodies need from food alone. At least, not from the foods readily available in this country, and certainly not in the quantities it would take for optimal health. It’s why so many Americans are chronically ill, why there’s a huge market for miracle products, and why advertisers are successful pushing systems to [allegedly] solve all manner of health issues.

I am of the opinion that every American would probably benefit by supplementing what they eat with “nutriceuticals” (the term used to describe vitamins, minerals, and other formulas designed to create health). But, instead of going with the latest all-in-one product or formulation, I think people should take a very exact approach.

To me, nutritional supplementation is like chemistry — it requires accuracy and precision, not just the dumping of substances into a container and waiting for a reaction. That’s my approach — full disclosure. I’m not big on multi-vitamins, unless someone needs exactly what is in the formulation, in exactly those doses.

Supplementation is like chemistry. It requires accuracy & precision #adrenalfatigue…

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Adrenal Support

Turns out, when the adrenals are imbalanced, nutritional supplementation is very important. Since the adrenals produce many hormones that perform many jobs, in addition to hormones themselves, other things can go out of balance, too. So, this is where the nutriceuticals come in, and where it becomes confusing trying to figure out which exact formulas will solve the imbalance.

Not everyone understands how vitamins and supplements work. I know I didn’t at first. What happens is that some  substances work together, while others interfere with each other in a way. Still others require their own support in order to even be effective. It’s a puzzle for sure, but a puzzle that someone with the right training can figure out quickly and easily.

When adrenals are imbalanced supplementation is really important. #adrenalfatigue #notlazyorcrazy

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I personally take many things when my adrenals are run down. I also take other things every single day of the year. Something I learned over the years is to tune in to all the areas of my body, not just the ones I think require support, and help them each individually. What that looks like, at least for me, is continually checking in, monitoring, tweaking, and changing the supplements I take throughout my life.

People want specifics, so I’ll share examples that work for me (but may not be appropriate for you): Though I eat well, I consume extra iodine. Even though I live in Florida, I watch my level of vitamin D3. For adrenal support, I add this magnesium powder into my green drinks. I use Holy Basil when stressed or very busy, enjoying this particular tea on a regular basis.

Those are just examples of products that work for me. I could tell you everything else I take, but I can’t tell you what your body requires. I wish I could give you a list, but because I care about you, I want you to get this part exactly right.

What I Recommend

What I recommend for supplementation is one of two things. Either A) do some testing on yourself (either muscle test, carefully experiment, get your own lab work, or all of the above) and do extensive research to learn what you need; or B) hire a professional.

If it’s your desire to study this field and take the DIY approach, do it. Though I warn you — it’s a part-time job! Or, if it’s within your budget to hire a practitioner, I highly recommend doing that instead.

In the next article, I’ll share additional techniques that may help re-balance adrenal hormones. You’re invited to SUBSCRIBE using the button on my home page, and the article will be delivered to your Inbox when it’s ready.

Hope to see you in the next article,

As a coach, writer, recovered over-doer and busyness addict, I understand the challenges of creating a balanced, healthy lifestyle while the mind tries to sabotage your success. In my journey to vibrant health, I created a personalized health system of nutrition and supplementation, lifestyle changes, and I retrained my mind and the energy of my body. I view my success as the formula to my happy, healthy life. I now empower other women to create their own personalized formulas, including the tools and strategies just right for them! Amazing life shifts come from our relationships. I look forward to helping you, too!

Adrenal Fatigue: What it is and how it happens

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I recently wrote an article about adrenal fatigue (here). In it, I revealed how I had suffered with adrenal exhaustion years ago, and I listed some of the symptoms I had when my adrenal fatigue was at its worst. The article is being shared rather widely, validating once again how many people suffer from adrenal issues and are searching for a cure. The information I shared wasn’t readily available when I looked for it in my 30’s and 40’s. That’s part of why I decided to share more about this problem with you today.

Though my adrenals have been fine for a long time, I began noticing they needed attention again this year. After dealing with a difficult problem over the last 10 months, I can’t say I’m surprised my adrenals began to speak out. If you think of the adrenal glands as the “first responders” of the body, it’s easy to see how they produce some of the first noticeable signs when the body falls out of balance again. Because the adrenals are quick to react but slow to calm down once they’ve been stressed too long, they produce a range of uncomfortable symptoms that are just too hard to ignore.

I’d like to offer a short anatomy lesson, for those who aren’t familiar with the location and job of the adrenal glands in the human body.

Learn what the adrenals do and how they do it #adrenalfatigue #notlazyorcrazy

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Adrenal Glands: A Quick Overview

Every one of us has 2 adrenal glands, each about the size of a thumb, which are located on top of each kidney on either side of the body. The primary job of the adrenal glands is to produce a variety of hormones (more than 50 I believe) that are necessary for human life. Most people have probably heard of the adrenal hormone called “adrenaline”, which is the one that comes to our rescue during times of extreme fear or situations requiring quick action. Adrenaline is the hormone that rushes blood to our heads so we can think clearly in emergencies. It also rushes blood to our hearts and muscles so they can briefly become super-powerful and quickly react to whatever emergency situation is at hand (think of the parent able to lift a vehicle off a child after an accident).

Another hormone released by the adrenals is “cortisol”. In a perfect world, cortisol would be released in precise dosages into the body throughout the day, helping us rise in the morning, perform our daily activities with an appropriate amount of energy, and feel ready to go to sleep at night. Cortisol function is disturbed when the adrenals are severely under stress, however. What would normally proceed like clockwork becomes greatly out of balance, and the changes in cortisol levels are felt as the various symptoms we commonly associate with adrenal fatigue or exhaustion. (See this list of symptoms.)

Typically, this excess cortisol produces a feeling of being on constant “high alert” without the ability to calm down. With the  adrenals overloaded and hormone levels unregulated in the cyclical way I described earlier, the body remains in a continually heightened state (some call it fear, nervousness, stress, or anxiety). It’s like the high alert can never be turned off. Which is why adrenal fatigue sufferers always feel so wired, so anxious, so nervous, and so jittery all the time; or in contrast, so utterly exhausted and practically unable to move when the alert has finally ended.

Fight or Flight Response

In reality, the stress response I’ve just described is life-saving and necessary for humans to react to real emergencies. If we look back in time to when humans would flee from wild animals or, later, human predators, we can understand why “fight or flight” is necessary for actual survival.

[An easy book for learning about stress and relaxation is, “The Relaxation Response” by Dr. Herbert Benson. If you’re interested in learning more, even though it’s an older book, it’s a good one to start out with.]

A problem today is that the human body hasn’t quite adapted to face the situations it’s living under in modern society.  We are constantly bombarded with information and other stimuli, and we’re surrounded by mock emergency situations, or at least those we perceive as being urgent RIGHT NOW. The typical American lifestyle can wreak havoc on a body not designed to handle the overload of modern western culture. Our bodies lose the ability to chill out between episodes of stressful activity and bounce back to its naturally restful state.

Here’s a simple equation representing what I’ve just said:

Modern living = too many emergencies = adrenals can’t rest = bodies unlearn how to calm down.

Here’s the translation:

The adrenals get fooled into thinking there’s an alarm going off all the time.

The adrenals get fooled into thinking there’s an alarm going off all the time. #adrenalfatigue…

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I’ve learned so much by healing myself and helping others over the years. In the next installment I’ll begin sharing specifics to start healing the adrenal glands. There’s a subscribe button at the very bottom of my home page if you want to follow along.

Here’s that book by Dr. Benson again (affiliate):

To your health and healing,

As a coach, writer, recovered over-doer and busyness addict, I understand the challenges of creating a balanced, healthy lifestyle while the mind tries to sabotage your success. In my journey to vibrant health, I created a personalized health system of nutrition and supplementation, lifestyle changes, and I retrained my mind and the energy of my body. I view my success as the formula to my happy, healthy life. I now empower other women to create their own personalized formulas, including the tools and strategies just right for them! Amazing life shifts come from our relationships. I look forward to helping you, too!

Adrenal Fatigue: Symptoms List (plus a little about my journey)

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I was first introduced to the adrenal glands by reading Dr. James L. Wilson’s book, “Adrenal Fatigue: 21st Century Stress Syndrome” (see it here). The first to discuss adrenal fatigue to my knowledge, Dr. Wilson’s words spoke to me like he was reading my mind. I had been struggling with a strange (and seemingly unrelated) set of symptoms for at least 15 years, probably longer since I’d ignored so many subtle signs prior. Aside from constantly feeling crummy, I was tired of being misunderstood by doctors who did nothing but hand me prescriptions for drugs  to shut me up.

That feeling when you find proof you’re not making stuff up #adrenalfatigue #notlazyorcrazy

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You know that feeling when you finally find proof that you’re not making stuff up? That book was the first time someone validated my intuition and told me to listen to what my body had to say. It was, you might say, my first step to freedom. (I just bought another copy as a kind of memorial to my health journey. I’d loaned my original copy so many times, it finally disappeared.)

The Start of My Journey

Before learning adrenal exhaustion was real,  I had reached the point where if one more person told me I was making it up, needed more exercise, needed to relax, needed a pain pill, needed an anti-depressant, needed to stop eating so much, needed to have more sex, or needed to get my head examined, I would explode. Believe me when I tell you I would’ve tried anything to feel better, but I was an educated woman who’d lived in this body a long time — I knew those weren’t what I needed to fix me.

I found zillions of people on the internet (usually women) who felt like I did. Knowing I wasn’t alone was incredibly empowering, since I had no idea this was even going on. By reading their stories and reflecting on my own, I grew in knowing there had to be answers beyond what traditional medicine currently understood. So began my journey to learn as much as I could about adrenal fatigue and restore myself once and for all.

In this article and others to come, I’ll talk more about my journey to solve adrenal fatigue. I plan to be transparent hoping my findings will also help you, too. Please remember I’m not a medical doctor so you’re agreeing to read/apply this information at your own risk. I’ll be brutally honest, though. After years of going to doctors, I’m confident I know more about the adrenals than most of the doctors you’ll ever meet.

Symptoms Inventory

I’ll begin by listing common symptoms. There are more than the ones on my list, but I’m naming some of the symptoms that personally affected me and I’ve observed in other women I know.

Also know the language I’m using isn’t clinical, but I’m writing this for real women to relate to right away.

Finally, understand these symptoms alone don’t necessary indicate adrenal exhaustion and could each have other causes. It’s the combination of a bunch of these symptoms together that likely indicates the adrenals are on the way out, or shot altogether. The grouping of these symptoms is what you want to pay attention to.

Common symptoms of adrenal fatigue/exhaustion/total wipeout:

  • Stress and anxiety, often extreme, and at unwarranted times (like when you’re relaxing or doing something fun, or when you know there’s not really much stress in your life)
  • Dizziness or faintness, like waves that strike for no reason at all
  • Inability to bounce back after emotional or psychological pressure (not like you used to anyway)
  • Excessively moody, weepy, touchy, or emotional (more than is usual for you)
  • Mental confusion, hard to focus, “brain fog” (having to re-read paragraphs several times, not able to think crisply and clearly)
  • Anger, irritability, argumentative (even when you know it’s not appropriate, but you can’t help it)
  • Fatigue during the day, especially in the afternoons (crawling up the stairs on all fours <sigh> as I did)
  • Wide awake at night when you need to go to bed, but staying up just to get some “me time” or to finally get things done
  • Neck pain, shoulder pain, headaches, pain in the trapezius or other muscles in those areas
  • Unexplained cough
  • Low blood pressure, or BP that doctors say is “low-normal” even if it isn’t normal for you
  • Feeling of hopelessness, despair, general depression, even though logic says you have a wonderful life
  • Low tolerance for people, stuff, and anything you used to be able to handle before
  • Autoimmune issues, like Hashimotos, or being told you have Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue
  • Skin issues, like rashes or hives, when they persist for years with no known cause
  • Excess fat storage, especially around the middle, and especially when you’re eating relatively well
  • Food cravings, for sweets, or for sweets that just don’t satisfy
  • Food cravings, for salty snacks, or some feeling you need extra salt
  • Food cravings for high fat foods, which fuel you for a little while until you crash again
  • Feeling better after a meal, or feeling worse after a meal
  • Over use of coffee or alcohol, more than you know you should (sometimes with guilt attached to using these substances to get through the day)
  • Crashes in between eating, and urgency to eat soon (scrambling to stuff something in your mouth)
  • Heartburn or indigestion
  • Gum bleeding or swelling
  • Sighing, gasping for air, feeling like you can’t fill up your lungs or get a full breath of air, but you keep trying anyway, so much it becomes an obsession
  • Blurry vision that comes and goes with no apparent cause, rubbing your eyes to clear them, getting glasses
  • Jaw pain, TMJ, teeth grinding at night, face tension or headaches from clenching so much
  • Heart pounding, racing or rapid heartbeat, even when resting, and especially when getting out of bed in the morning
  • Muscle cramps, “charley horses”, during the day, in bed, when you haven’t done any exercise or anything else to cause it
  • Constipation, irregular bowel movements, or different stools than you know is normal
  • Shaking or trembling, like having slightly shaky hands or an internal trembling in your mid-section
  • Low or no libido
  • Feeling like nothing is ever fun any more, you’re no fun, or there’s just no joy in life left
If you have these symptoms, you may have adrenal fatigue

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In future articles, I’ll describe some of the things that helped me and specific techniques that healed my adrenals for good. If you’d like to follow along, there’s a box where you can subscribe at the very bottom of my HOME PAGE.

Meanwhile, if you want to grab a copy of Dr. Wilson’s book, click the image (affiliate) below:

To your good health,

As a coach, writer, recovered over-doer and busyness addict, I understand the challenges of creating a balanced, healthy lifestyle while the mind tries to sabotage your success. In my journey to vibrant health, I created a personalized health system of nutrition and supplementation, lifestyle changes, and I retrained my mind and the energy of my body. I view my success as the formula to my happy, healthy life. I now empower other women to create their own personalized formulas, including the tools and strategies just right for them! Amazing life shifts come from our relationships. I look forward to helping you, too!

Positive Things Cause Stress, Too

I remember like it was yesterday. Expensive coffee in one hand, deals and coupons in the other, I looked forward to Christmas shopping all year. Black Friday always kicked off the holiday season for me. It was the one day all year that was virtually guaranteed to put me in a good mood for weeks to come, so I’d never miss it, no matter the ridiculous amount of planning it sometimes took to get the morning off.

If I was so happy, then why did I feel so run down? And how was I suddenly blind-sided with panic without a clue there was anything wrong? I can almost recreate the dizziness, the heart palpitations and feeling drenched in my own sweat. I remember thinking I might actually tip over, and how embarrassing that would be in the middle of J.C. Penney. Finding a place to sit down in the bedding department, I called my husband, who talked me through it until I caught my breath. The attack caught me utterly by surprise, as I hear from so many other women who report experiencing exactly the same thing.

Miserable as that was, I gained some big understanding that day. I had a real awakening about stress, dominating the lies I’d heard for years from doctors and drug companies. I realized that positive life experiences can be stressful, too. It doesn’t just take negative stuff to earn a stress response.

It doesn’t just take negative stuff to earn a stress response.

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This is a really big idea actually.

It’s not what you believed about stress just a few minutes ago, is it?

See, I  assumed relaxation and fun were antidotes for my stress, like some automatic way to cancel my symptoms. But what’s really true is that all kinds of experiences can be stressful, even positive ones. My body had just been on high alert so long, anything could have set me off — so it did.

Do you think you might be near a breaking point, too?

Have you considered where your stress is actually coming from?

Most of us think stress is a response to unpleasantness in our lives. But, if you think back to the last time you planned a party/welcomed a new baby/began an exciting new job, I think you’ll see what I mean.

Since that time, I’ve made life changes.  Major ones. If you experience stress, you can make life changes, too.

Even a happy life can make us stressed out. Remember it’s the stacking of many things that make us overloaded.

To your health and healing,

As a coach, writer, recovered over-doer and busyness addict, I understand the challenges of creating a balanced, healthy lifestyle while the mind tries to sabotage your success. In my journey to vibrant health, I created a personalized health system of nutrition and supplementation, lifestyle changes, and I retrained my mind and the energy of my body. I view my success as the formula to my happy, healthy life. I now empower other women to create their own personalized formulas, including the tools and strategies just right for them! Amazing life shifts come from our relationships. I look forward to helping you, too!