January 19, 2025 • 33 mins
Adrenal cocktails are trending on social media as a go-to solution for energy, stress resilience, and overall wellness—but do they actually work? In this episode of the Love Your Gut podcast, we break it all down. You’ll learn:
- What the adrenal glands do and why they’re critical for managing stress and energy.
- The science behind adrenal cocktails and why vitamin C, sodium, and potassium are the stars of the recipe.
- How to incorporate adrenal cocktails into your daily routine to combat fatigue, balance blood sugar, and support digestion.
- Why stress makes you crave sugar and salty foods—and how adrenal cocktails can help.
- The truth about high vs. low cortisol and how burnout can impact your health.
- Why personalized mineral testing with an HTMA test is the best long-term solution for addressing fatigue, hormonal imbalances, GI issues, and more.
Tune in now to learn how you can start supporting your adrenals and reclaim your energy with just one simple drink a day!
Links from this episode:
Don’t forget to download my free mineral guide which includes mineral mocktail & adrenal cocktail recipes tailored to specific health concerns like energy, sleep, and thyroid support!
Looking to win an HTMA bundle for free? Rate and review the podcast episode and send your review to: happygut@drheatherfinley.co with the subject line RATING FOR LYG PODCAST and we will pick a winner on January 24!
Ready to go beyond the basics? My HTMA bundle opens on February 10 and is perfect for anyone who wants personalized recommendations to meet their unique mineral needs.
Connect with Dr. Heather
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Heather Finley (00:03):
Welcome to the Love Your Gut Podcast.
I'm your host, Dr.
Heather Finley, registereddietitian and gut health
specialist.
I understand the frustration ofdealing with GI issues because
I've been there and I spent overtwo decades searching for
answers for my own gut issues ofconstipation, bloating, and
stomach pain.
I've dedicated my life tounderstanding and solving my own
(00:24):
gut issues.
And now I'm here to guide you.
On this podcast, I'll help youidentify the true root causes of
your discomfort.
So you can finally ditch yoursymptoms for good.
My goal is to empower you withthe knowledge and tools you need
so that you can love your gutand it will love you right back.
So if you're ready to learn alot, gain a deeper understanding
(00:46):
of your gut and find lastingrelief.
You are in the right place.
Welcome to the love your gutpodcast..............
Welcome back to the next episodeof the love your gut podcast.
So excited to be here with youtoday, talking about adrenal
cocktails.
If you scroll tick talk, whichmay or may not be around at the
(01:07):
time that I am releasing thisepisode, but if you scroll the
internet, Instagram, TikTok,anything, you've likely seen
people talking about adrenalcocktails, cortisol face, and
how adrenal cocktails can bethis like magical cure for your
stress.
So I want to break it down todayand answer the question, do
(01:28):
adrenal cocktails actually Sothe thing I want you to think
about is if you've ever hit thatlike 3pm slump and thought why
am I so tired all the time ormaybe you've caught yourself
googling how to stop cravingsugar while scrolling past, you
know, all the new year'sinformation at this point, all
(01:50):
the detoxes, the trends, etcetera.
It might seem like everyone isswearing by some kind of trend
to boost energy, curb cravings,improve digestion, and adrenal
cocktails is probably somethingthat you've seen.
So are they really a magicalfix?
And more importantly, could theyactually work for you?
So that's what we're going todive into today.
(02:12):
But first, By the end of thisepisode, I want you to
understand really what youradrenal glands actually do and
why they're so important.
You can imagine your adrenalglands.
They're kind of like yourthermostat for stress.
So when life gets busy orstressful or even exciting,
stress doesn't always have to benegative.
It could be really just a busy,exciting time in your life.
(02:33):
Your adrenals adjust your body'squote unquote settings to help
you handle stress.
They release hormones likecortisol, which you've probably
heard of to give you energy,keep things running.
But if you're stressed all thetime, that thermostat can get
stuck in overdrive, making youfeel cranky, tired, burnout.
I also want you by the end ofthis episode to understand what
(02:56):
the components of adrenalcocktails actually are and why
they help.
So things like vitamin C.
Sodium, potassium, vitamin C iskind of like the oil for your
stress thermostat, helpingeverything run smoothly.
Sodium is kind of the coolant,so it keeps your body balanced
and hydrated.
And then potassium is kind ofits sodium's teammate, just
(03:17):
helping to keep your stress incheck.
So your body doesn't get too hotor too cold.
I also want to talk about somecommon lifestyle factors that
could probably be putting extrastress on your adrenals.
life has challenges.
Maybe you're in a season whereyou're not sleeping.
Maybe you have a newborn likeme.
Maybe you are skipping meals.
(03:38):
Maybe you are dealing with toomuch stress from work.
We can't overload ourthermostats.
It's like, you know, I live inTexas and Dallas in the summer,
our AC is running constantly.
You can't overload it.
Eventually it kind of burns out.
So.
We're going to talk through someof that how adrenal cocktails
may or may not help you.
And then what testing might behelpful if you do find yourself
(04:00):
in kind of this like burnt outseason what to do to just take
kind of a sneak peek into yourbody's dashboard to see what's
running low, what you can doabout it, et cetera, et cetera.
So if any of this soundsfamiliar, you're constantly
tired.
But you can't seem to wind downat night.
Maybe you feel like you'resurviving on caffeine or sugar
(04:21):
or salty snacks, or that's whatyou're craving to get through
the day.
Maybe you're frustrated with gutissues, hormone symptoms, not
feeling your best.
There, these aren't isolatedproblems.
They're often connected todeeper imbalances like mineral
depletion that your adrenalglands are directly involved in.
And that's where adrenalcocktails and even better
(04:42):
customized mineral support canreally help you.
So grab your favorite drink,whether it's an adrenal cocktail
or not.
And let's.
Let's get into what makes theselittle glands so crucial for
your health why this trend hasgained so much attention and
really how you can takepractical steps to support your
body.
So let's start off with whatactually are the adrenal glands.
(05:05):
To be honest, the thing that Ifind most hilarious when I'm
scrolling the internet As all ofthese people talking about
adrenal cocktails and they, theydon't even know what the
adrenals are.
They couldn't explain to youwhat cortisol actually does.
I think cortisol is like thisdemonized thing constantly on
(05:26):
the internet.
And here's the thing, cortisolis actually a good thing.
We're not trying to get rid ofcortisol.
That would actually be terriblefor your health.
So we're trying to keep cortisolin check.
Make sure your cortisol rhythm.
is how it should be, but we'renot necessarily just trying to
get rid of all cortisol.
(05:47):
So that's something to just keepin mind, but your adrenal glands
are these two really smallorgans that sit on top of your
kidneys.
They're super tiny, but they'revery powerful.
They're part of your endocrinesystem.
Which is kind of like the body'smessaging network.
It uses hormones to sendsignals.
So there's two kind of keyfunctions of the adrenal glands.
(06:10):
Number one is stress response.
So when you are stressed, youradrenal glands release cortisol.
This is a stress hormone.
Again.
We need some of it.
Otherwise, if you didn't havecortisol, you wouldn't be able
to get out of bed in themorning.
Cortisol is actually what wakesyou up.
And so the goal is you want yourcortisol to be present in the
morning to rise about two hoursafter you wake up and then to
(06:33):
slowly decrease throughout theday because it has an inverse
relationship with melatonin.
So sometimes what we find isPeople's cortisol is just the
opposite of that, which is whythey can't get out of bed in the
morning and then they're wiredand tired at night.
So cortisol helps your bodyreact by increasing energy,
keeping your blood sugar steady,helping you focus during
(06:55):
stressful moments like a bigmeeting or intense workout.
And then secondly, the adrenalglands help with electrolyte
balance.
Specifically aldosterone, ithelps manage your sodium and
potassium levels, which are keyfor keeping you hydrated,
hydrated and maintaining normalblood pressure.
This is actually just to kind ofput some things together for
(07:16):
you.
If you've ever experienced lowblood pressure, this can
actually be related to youradrenal glands being completely
burnout as well.
I think oftentimes we think oflike really high stressful
seasons you know, and havinghigh blood pressure sometimes.
But when your body gets so burntout, it can actually go the
(07:36):
opposite way as well.
So back to kind of this stressthermostat analogy, you can
think of your adrenal glandskind of like the thermostat in
your house.
When life gets hot or stressful,they turn up the temperature.
hormones like cortisol to helpcool down and manage the heat.
If your thermostat is runningnonstop because of constant
(07:59):
stress, it can get overworked.
And just like a thermostat, youradrenal glands need regular
maintenance and care.
So there's a lot of things thatyou can do to support your
adrenal glands.
And one of the things that youcan do to support your adrenal
glands is to support nutrientsthat your body uses during
stress.
(08:20):
So there are three nutrientsthat I want to talk about.
Stress makes your adrenal glandswork harder.
And when they work harder, theyuse up more fuel in the form of
vitamins and minerals.
So the first one is vitamin C.
Your adrenal glands need verylarge amounts of vitamin C to
actually make and producecortisol.
(08:41):
When you're stressed, your bodyburns through vitamin C faster,
which is why you might feel rundown if you don't replenish it,
or why you might be getting sickmore often when you're in a
stressful season.
The next two minerals are sodiumand potassium.
These minerals help balancefluids in your body and are
essential for proper nerve andmuscle function.
(09:04):
I've had other episodes whereI've talked more specifically
about these minerals in relationto digestion and other hormone
things, but during stress, yourbody actually loses sodium and
potassium more quickly, andwhich can leave you feeling
dizzy, tired, Even craving saltysnacks.
We hear this from our clients alot where they're like, why am I
craving sugar or salty things?
(09:27):
And a lot of that goes back tostress and stress management.
So over time, chronic stress isgoing to deplete these nutrients
and many others, but these threespecifically leaving your
adrenal glands and you justfeeling fatigued and possibly
less resilient.
Of course, we can't just outsupplement our stress with
(09:48):
vitamin C, sodium and potassium.
There's lots of other things wecan do to support stress, which
I'm going to talk about.
However, these are the rawmaterials that your body needs
to help regulate the temperatureor the stress thermometer that's
going on and kind of cool downthis stress.
So while your adrenal glands areincredibly resilient, they're
(10:12):
not designed to handle constantstress day in and day out.
So when your stress thermostatis stuck on high, it can just
have this domino effectthroughout your body.
Leading to a wide range ofsymptoms and imbalances.
So chronic stress and taxedadrenals will impact your
overall health in many ways.
(10:32):
And number one that we see inour practice a lot is gut
issues.
Chronic stress disruptsdigestion as your body is
prioritizing this food intake.
Fight or flight response overbreaking down food properly.
So this can lead to bloating andgas because stress slows stomach
emptying and digestion.
(10:53):
This can lead to heartburn.
Cortisol can increase stomachacid production.
It can also increase gutdysbiosis.
So stress will weaken the gutlining and it can allow harmful
bacteria to overgrow leading toimbalances in the microbiome.
There is actual researchsupporting this, showing that
(11:14):
chronic stress will disrupt thebacteria in your gut.
So you can take All theprobiotics you want, you can
take all the antimicrobials youwant, but if you don't get your
stress in check, it will impactyour gut bacteria, which is so
cool and crazy.
Just how much the mind bodyconnection truly does matter.
The other way that chronicstress or taxed adrenals will
(11:37):
impact your overall health ishormone imbalances, which might
sound obvious.
Obviously we're talking aboutcortisol here, but.
The adrenal glands will play abig role in regulating hormone
production.
When they're overworked, it'sgoing to throw off the balance
of other hormones like estrogenand progesterone.
High cortisol is telling yourbody, Hey, it is not a safe
(11:59):
environment to Potentiallyovulate to potentially get
pregnant to potentially havenormal cycles because at the end
of the day, if you are amenstruating female, the
decision that your body ismaking every single month is, is
it safe to have a baby?
Whether you, that's your goal ornot.
But is it safe to have amenstrual cycle?
(12:20):
And if you're chronicallystressed and your adrenals are
taxed, that can be part of thereason maybe why you have an
irregular cycle or why you lostyour cycle.
So something to definitely thinkabout, but other symptoms
besides just irregular andmissing periods, PMS, estrogen
dominant symptoms like heavyperiods or even mood swings.
(12:42):
And then secondly, on under kindof this hormone umbrella is
thyroid hormones.
This was the case for me.
And I've talked a lot about thison the podcast, but when I was
going through probably the moststressful period in my life,
after my dad passed away From abattle with colon cancer, my
thyroid went wacko.
I definitely had what theinternet is now calling cortisol
(13:04):
face, but it wasn't actuallycortisol face.
It was a, well, it, I guess itwas, but it was definitely
thyroid related.
Chronic stress slowed my thyroidfunction.
It led to tons of fatigue, hairloss puffiness, et cetera.
And so at that point.
(13:24):
I didn't have what the internetcalled quote unquote cortisol
phase.
I actually had complete burnout.
My cortisol was super lowbecause of being chronically
stressed for way too long.
Another way that taxed adrenalscan impact you is sleep
disturbances.
So when you have a healthycortisol rhythm, Like I said
(13:47):
earlier, it does help wake youup in the morning and wind down
at night.
But if your cortisol is too highall the time, or at the wrong
time, you might experiencetrouble falling asleep.
High cortisol in the evening issomething really common that we
see with our clients.
They're like, why am I sleeping?
So freaking tired all day long.
And then it comes time to go tobed and I feel like I can do
(14:08):
everything.
I'm like superwoman.
I wanna clean my house and getall the chores done and do all
the things.
This is a cortisol problem,which is often blood sugar and
stress related.
Maybe waking up at night bloodsugar imbalances, which are
really common with adrenalstress can cause middle of the
night wake up.
I am so excited to tell youabout the awesome giveaway that
(14:29):
we are doing.
The HTMA hair mineral test isprobably the most popular test
that we run.
And I know so many of you areinterested in getting this done
for yourself.
So you have the opportunity towin the test and the one on one
appointment that goes with thetest to go over your results,
your custom protocol, et cetera,for free.
(14:51):
When you leave a rating andreview for this podcast.
So all you have to do is leaveyour rating and review,
screenshot it and send it tohappy gut at drheatherfinley.
co.
And in the subject line, justwrite podcast review.
And we will be picking one luckywinner to win the HTMA bundle.
(15:13):
So you can get this.
Completely for free just byleaving a podcast review.
So, so excited to see who getsto do this amazing test and I'm
excited in advance to read theratings and reviews.
And then lastly, feeling wiredbut tired, where your body's
tired but your brain just feelslike it's racing, kind of like I
(15:33):
described earlier.
Next would be weakened immunefunction.
So the interesting part aboutcortisol is that it's naturally
anti inflammatory, so this iswhy cortisol is not always a bad
thing.
But when it's elevated for toolong, it will suppress your
immune system, which makes youway more likely to catch colds
or infections, experience slowerhealing from injuries or
(15:57):
illnesses.
Maybe you feel like you catcheverything that your kids come
home with.
This can be stress and cortisolrelated.
Maybe you also feel like ittakes you longer to get better
where like.
Usually a cold will last you twodays and now it's taking you a
week to recover.
Cortisol can also just dampenyour immune system where you're
(16:17):
developing chronic inflammationleading to longer term health
issues or even autoimmuneissues.
You also may experience energycrashes and burn out which is
something that we see a tonOverworked adrenals pump out
high levels of cortisol whichkeep you going and over time
they struggle to keep up Whichcan lead to afternoon energy
(16:41):
crashes Relying on caffeine tojust kind of push through
Feeling tired even though you'resick sleeping really well, maybe
you sleep eight hours a nightand you still have trouble
getting out of bed in themorning or you're still tired
all day.
And then lastly, a overworkedadrenal system can lead to mood
and mental health issues.
(17:01):
Chronic stress will depleteserotonin and dope dopamine, the
feel good chemicals in yourbrain, which can increase
anxiety, irritability.
Can increase brain fog ordifficulty concentrating and
then just lead to feelings ofoverwhelm and sadness.
So this all ties together.
The body is interconnected andthe adrenal glands are at the
(17:23):
center of it all.
When they are overworked it canset off a chain reaction that
impacts your digestion, yourhormones.
Sleep, energy, immune function,mood, which is why it's so
important to take acomprehensive approach to your
stress and your adrenal healthand supporting your adrenals
with tools like adrenalcocktails can be helpful, but
(17:46):
really true recovery comes fromaddressing the root causes of
the stress and then ultimatelyreplenishing the nutrients that
your body really desperatelyneeds.
All right.
So the part that you have beenwaiting for, and if you're
hanging with me in this episodeand you hear a dog or you hear a
baby, or you hear the gardeners,you are not wrong.
(18:09):
They are all hanging out with mesomehow during this episode, the
gardeners showed up, the dog isgoing crazy.
And of course I have my sweetbaby with me.
So thanks for hanging in there,but what is an adrenal cocktail
and why is it so popular?
The standard recipe is reallysimple.
It's nutrient packed designed toreplenish those three key
(18:30):
minerals and vitamins that yourbody needs.
So the basic recipe is fourounces of orange juice, which is
the vitamin C source, a quarterteaspoon of mineral rich salt,
which is the sodium source.
And then a quarter teaspoon ofcream of tartar, which is the
source of potassium.
You can optionally add incollagen for protein, coconut
milk for healthy fats.
When you do this, it tastes likea literal creamsicle.
(18:52):
If you ever ate those popsiclesgrowing up, it is so good.
You just blend this all up,drink it cold over ice.
And it's delicious.
The role of each, eachingredient is vitamin C two,
which is essential for producingcortisol, the stress hormone.
It also helps the adrenal glandsrecover from stress, and then
also acts as a powerfulantioxidant, protecting your
(19:14):
cells from damage caused bychronic stress.
Sodium, which we ideally want amineral rich salt, like Celtic
salt, Redmond, real salt, etcetera.
It regulates hydration actuallyhelps your cells absorb water
and not constantly flush outwater.
So you're not peeing all thetime.
Both can be thrown off bystress, your hydration and your
(19:35):
blood pressure.
And then.
The potassium, the cream oftartar helps to maintain proper
fluid balance.
A lot of times when our clientssay that they're super puffy or
they're retaining fluid, theyneed a lot more potassium.
And when we run HTMA testing onclients, what we find is that
potassium is very, very oftenlow and most people need more
(19:59):
potassium also supports musclefunction, energy production.
And then, like I said, thecollagen, the coconut milk, add
protein to stabilize bloodsugar, healthy fats as well, to
keep you satisfied for longer.
So, the adrenal cocktail ispopular for several reasons.
Number one, it's simple andquick.
It takes less than a minute tomake it.
(20:20):
It doesn't require any time.
Fancy tools or strangeingredients or anything like
that.
It's effective.
A lot of our clients notice whenthey drink an adrenal cocktail,
they feel a quick boost inenergy.
They feel better hydrated.
They have fewer sugar or saltcravings.
Kind of give some of that likeself care vibe.
So taking the time to like.
Make something that you know isgoing to nourish you is a small
(20:43):
act of just showing up foryourself, which is really
meaningful during a stressfultime.
And then it's customizable.
You can adjust it.
You can add more sodium.
You can add more potassium.
You can swap orange juice forcoconut water.
You can add flavors like lemonjuice.
I mean, the options are honestlyendless for homemade adrenal
(21:03):
cocktails, which leads me toremind you that we have a free
mineral, mineral guide.
This is a multi page mineralguide that walks you through
exactly what adrenal cocktailsto make based off of your own
specific concerns.
So I have recipes for likeEnergy for thyroid for better
(21:26):
sleep, but that all havedifferent ratios of minerals.
And they're all different.
So some that are hot, some thatare cold and just a fun way to
kind of switch up the standardadrenal cocktail.
So if you haven't alreadydownloaded that guide, go ahead
and click the link in the shownotes and download it.
It's free.
There's lots of links andthere's even really easy powders
(21:47):
and supplements that you can buyto.
Kind of zhuzh up your adrenalcocktail, however you want.
As well as just recipes withthings that you might have in
your pantry.
So adrenal cocktails, they'reeasy.
They're enjoyable.
They can support you duringstress, but keep in mind,
they're just one piece of thepuzzle.
And that's what I want to talkabout next is, you know, adrenal
(22:11):
cocktails.
They're going to support stressresilience because they're
giving you that.
Nutrient repletion for energyand focus.
They're supporting electrolytebalance.
They're aiding in digestionbecause you need these minerals
to make stomach acid.
They can help with afternoonslumps.
They can help with all thesethings.
And so many of our clientsnotice a huge difference, but
(22:35):
they aren't going to replacemaking the lifestyle habits.
and the changes that you need tomake to support just stress
reduction overall.
So you might notice that whenyou're feeling drained mid
afternoon or you're having sugarsalt cravings, or you're having
(22:56):
just kind of that wired or tiredfeeling that adrenal cocktails
will help you.
You also might notice thatadrenal cocktails might make it
or might decrease your sugar orsalt cravings because when
you're stressed, your body burnsthrough glucose faster because
cortisol increases your need forquicker energy.
This is why you'll find yourselfreaching for sugary snacks or
(23:19):
carbs when you're overwhelmed.
That's your body doing exactlywhat it was designed to do.
So, similarly, stress can leadto sodium loss through the
urine, which crav Whichincreases the cravings for salty
foods.
Now let's address just thiscortisol based trend.
I mentioned it earlier.
(23:41):
So I want to just clear up somemisconceptions floating around
social media.
This is the idea that highcortisol is the root of all your
problems.
And sure, chronically elevatedcortisol can lead to things like
weight gain, especially aroundthe midsection.
Sleep disturbances, anxiety,that like puffy face that a lot
of people are posting about.
(24:02):
But what most people don'trealize is that low cortisol can
be just as problematic.
And if not worse, because afterprolonged periods of stress,
your adrenal glands can beburnout producing too little
cortisol.
So this shows up as reallysevere fatigue, feeling super
unmotivated or just kind of likeemotionally flat.
(24:23):
Difficulty recovering fromillness.
What a lot of people woulddescribe is just like, I feel
super burnout or kind of thisnarrative of like, I used to be
the most productive, energeticperson that I know, and now I'm
like struggling to make itthrough the day.
I've definitely been in thatsituation before.
And it's.
It's horrible.
(24:43):
You are wondering like, what theheck is wrong with me?
I used to be able to accomplish,you know, more before 8am than
anybody else.
And now I can barely get out ofbed.
So adrenal cocktails can behelpful in this situation.
But the question becomes like,how on earth did we get here?
You know, how on earth did weget to the point where now it's
(25:03):
not even a high cortisolproblem.
It is a complete low burnoutstate.
I had a client.
And I've had many clients whowas constantly tired by 3pm.
She was always craving saltyfoods, feeling like she just
needed coffee constantly.
She was drinking like four orfive cups of coffee a day.
(25:24):
She was a mom of, I think, threekids.
She was just wondering, like,how on earth did I get here?
She, did not feel like herselfat all.
She felt just emotionally flat.
And when we ran a Dutch panel onher to look at her cortisol
levels, she was completely flatlined.
(25:45):
So she didn't have that spike ofcortisol in the morning that we
want.
And then that dip throughout theday for sleep, she just had a
flat line, which is a verydistinct sign of burnout.
So as we kind of looked intowhat was going on, You know, she
was managing a lot.
She had a lot of what I callglass balls.
(26:06):
Like these are the balls in yourlife that you can't drop your
family possibly your career.
And then, you know, oftentimesin our lives we have rubber
balls.
Those are the ones like you candrop for your period of time,
but they'll bounce back up.
She had a lot of, Glass ball,she had aging parents, et
cetera.
So a lot of things she wasjuggling.
And on top of that, she was noteating enough.
(26:29):
She was running an insane amountof miles every day.
And her body just couldn't keepup anymore.
And so we had to make someserious adjustments because
there were a lot of glass ballsthat she could not drop at that
time.
So we had to.
Number one, make sure she wasgetting enough food trying to
get as much sleep as she couldpromoting a restful sleep by
(26:52):
getting rid of blue lights, etcetera, at night.
And actually decreasing herexercise load for that period.
We added in adrenal cocktailslike one or two a day.
She felt a noticeable increasein her energy.
She didn't need that, you know,third or fourth coffee anymore.
Her sugar cravings.
decreased.
(27:12):
Then we eventually did morecustomized mineral support based
on her testing.
But a lot of it started withjust those lifestyle changes
that she had to make as sheevaluated, okay, what's going on
in this season of my life andwhat can I actually drop for now
that's not going to shatter.
So if you are thinking of usingan adrenal cocktail, here's how
(27:34):
you can do it effectively.
Number one, start small andadjust as needed.
So start with one a day, ideallyduring a time when you often
feel low on energy.
If you're dealing withsignificant stress or fatigue,
you can increase this to two perday, like mid morning, mid
afternoon or morning and youknow, with lunch and just listen
to your body.
If you feel jittery, bloated,whatever it might be, you might
(27:56):
need to tweak the recipe or juststart with a smaller amount.
Sometimes when you really startpushing minerals too quick, you
can feel worse before you feelbetter, but you don't have to do
that if you go slow.
Ideally pair it with a balancedmeal to keep your blood sugar
stable.
So while adrenal cocktails arereally key in nutrients, they
(28:17):
don't replace a full meal andpair them with meals that
include protein, fats, fiber tostabilize your blood sugar.
Have it with a snack, whatever,and then experiment, keep it
interesting, swap out thedifferent juices for vitamin C
sources, use coconut water addcinnamon, make it hot, make it
cold, whatever you want.
Download the mineral guide justfrom some ideas.
(28:39):
And timing is everything.
So typically they work midmorning, mid afternoon, when you
feel stressed or fatigued itwouldn't necessarily be
something that you would want todrink like right before bed,
unless it was more of kind oflike a sleepy girl mocktail,
which I have recipes for that inthe guide that are like higher
in magnesium and things that aregoing to help your body.
(28:59):
wind down, but just make it partof your routine.
So if you tend to forget, set areminder pair it with your meals
so that you just remember tohave it, you know, with lunch or
whatever it might be.
And then just keep in mind thatthis is a great first step.
So adrenal cocktails are, youknow, very standard kind of one
size fits all with the sodium,the potassium, the vitamin C,
(29:21):
but they're not necessarilygoing to completely fix your,
mineral deficiencies.
And what works wonders for oneperson might not fully address
another's unique imbalances.
So for example, someone with lowmagnesium levels might feel
better with an adrenal cocktail,but still experience fatigue or
muscle cramps or poor sleep.
(29:41):
sleep because magnesium isneeded in their adrenal
cocktail.
Conversely, someone who's sodiumsensitive in a really high kind
of stress pattern sometimessodium can actually jump up.
They might need to adjust theamount of salt to avoid feeling
bloated.
So personalization is key.
We've worked with so manyclients that kind of fit the
narrative of like Afternoonfatigue, constant sugar
(30:04):
cravings.
They're like, I'm drinkingadrenal cocktails.
They're kind of helping, but Istill don't feel good.
And then we run HTMA testing,which is hair tissue mineral
analysis testing.
And we see all the otherminerals at play.
So we see low magnesium orpotassium or a high calcium to
phosphorus ratio, which canfurther just impact energy and
(30:27):
how somebody is feeling.
So with information from an HTM,a, we can create, create a
tailored plan that, you know, Isgoing to be a bit more
comprehensive than just astandard adrenal cocktail
recipe.
So the testing can be a superpowerful tool that just helps us
get to the root of what's goingon.
Many of, you know, we open theHTMA bundle which is the HTMA
(30:52):
test and then the consult to goover your results four times a
year.
It includes, like I said, thetest and then the
recommendations and kind ofprotocols, et cetera.
This is perfect for you if youare trying to tackle your
fatigue, your stress, yourhormone imbalances, your gut
issues, nothing's workingbecause minerals are really
(31:14):
foundational to every system inthe body and hopefully as you've
understood from this episode,stress is really at the root of
it all.
Although, you know, a lot oftimes we think of our stress as
like, I need to just meditatemore or I need to do something
that's going to be super timeconsuming.
Those things can help, butminerals can make your body more
(31:35):
resilient to stress as wellwhile you're working on
implementing some of thelifestyle pieces.
And you may have also tried alot of different things for your
gut issues or your hormoneissues, but if your body doesn't
have the raw materials to makewhat it needs, then you kind of
get stuck in this vicious cycleof not healing.
So.
The htma bundle is opening onFebruary 10th.
(31:58):
Spots are limited obviouslybecause this is a one on one
thing.
We always sell out same day, setyour alarms.
If you've downloaded the mineralguide, you are on the wait list.
So you would get the emailletting you know when the spots
are open.
But just to kind of wrap thisup, adrenal cocktails are
simple.
They're effective.
They can help support stressresilience.
(32:19):
They're effective when they'realso paired with healthy
lifestyle and stress management.
Testing your minerals is key.
That's what we would prefer formore like longer term support
but adrenal cocktails can be agreat place to start and just
giving your adrenal glands somenourishment and some self care
love.
So I hope that this episode washelpful.
(32:40):
Share it with a friend.
If you feel compelled, I wouldlove a rating and review so that
more people can find thispodcast and I will catch you
next time on the next episode ofthe love your podcast.
Thanks for tuning in.
Welcome to the Love Your Gut Podcast.
I'm your host, Dr.
Heather Finley, registereddietitian and gut health
specialist.
I understand the frustration ofdealing with GI issues because
I've been there and I spent overtwo decades searching for
answers for my own gut issues ofconstipation, bloating, and
stomach pain.
I've dedicated my life tounderstanding and solving my own
(00:24):
gut issues.
And now I'm here to guide you.
On this podcast, I'll help youidentify the true root causes of
your discomfort.
So you can finally ditch yoursymptoms for good.
My goal is to empower you withthe knowledge and tools you need
so that you can love your gutand it will love you right back.
So if you're ready to learn alot, gain a deeper understanding
(00:46):
of your gut and find lastingrelief.
You are in the right place.
Welcome to the love your gutpodcast..............
Welcome back to the next episodeof the love your gut podcast.
So excited to be here with youtoday, talking about adrenal
cocktails.
If you scroll tick talk, whichmay or may not be around at the
(01:07):
time that I am releasing thisepisode, but if you scroll the
internet, Instagram, TikTok,anything, you've likely seen
people talking about adrenalcocktails, cortisol face, and
how adrenal cocktails can bethis like magical cure for your
stress.
So I want to break it down todayand answer the question, do
(01:28):
adrenal cocktails actually Sothe thing I want you to think
about is if you've ever hit thatlike 3pm slump and thought why
am I so tired all the time ormaybe you've caught yourself
googling how to stop cravingsugar while scrolling past, you
know, all the new year'sinformation at this point, all
(01:50):
the detoxes, the trends, etcetera.
It might seem like everyone isswearing by some kind of trend
to boost energy, curb cravings,improve digestion, and adrenal
cocktails is probably somethingthat you've seen.
So are they really a magicalfix?
And more importantly, could theyactually work for you?
So that's what we're going todive into today.
(02:12):
But first, By the end of thisepisode, I want you to
understand really what youradrenal glands actually do and
why they're so important.
You can imagine your adrenalglands.
They're kind of like yourthermostat for stress.
So when life gets busy orstressful or even exciting,
stress doesn't always have to benegative.
It could be really just a busy,exciting time in your life.
(02:33):
Your adrenals adjust your body'squote unquote settings to help
you handle stress.
They release hormones likecortisol, which you've probably
heard of to give you energy,keep things running.
But if you're stressed all thetime, that thermostat can get
stuck in overdrive, making youfeel cranky, tired, burnout.
I also want you by the end ofthis episode to understand what
(02:56):
the components of adrenalcocktails actually are and why
they help.
So things like vitamin C.
Sodium, potassium, vitamin C iskind of like the oil for your
stress thermostat, helpingeverything run smoothly.
Sodium is kind of the coolant,so it keeps your body balanced
and hydrated.
And then potassium is kind ofits sodium's teammate, just
(03:17):
helping to keep your stress incheck.
So your body doesn't get too hotor too cold.
I also want to talk about somecommon lifestyle factors that
could probably be putting extrastress on your adrenals.
life has challenges.
Maybe you're in a season whereyou're not sleeping.
Maybe you have a newborn likeme.
Maybe you are skipping meals.
(03:38):
Maybe you are dealing with toomuch stress from work.
We can't overload ourthermostats.
It's like, you know, I live inTexas and Dallas in the summer,
our AC is running constantly.
You can't overload it.
Eventually it kind of burns out.
So.
We're going to talk through someof that how adrenal cocktails
may or may not help you.
And then what testing might behelpful if you do find yourself
(04:00):
in kind of this like burnt outseason what to do to just take
kind of a sneak peek into yourbody's dashboard to see what's
running low, what you can doabout it, et cetera, et cetera.
So if any of this soundsfamiliar, you're constantly
tired.
But you can't seem to wind downat night.
Maybe you feel like you'resurviving on caffeine or sugar
(04:21):
or salty snacks, or that's whatyou're craving to get through
the day.
Maybe you're frustrated with gutissues, hormone symptoms, not
feeling your best.
There, these aren't isolatedproblems.
They're often connected todeeper imbalances like mineral
depletion that your adrenalglands are directly involved in.
And that's where adrenalcocktails and even better
(04:42):
customized mineral support canreally help you.
So grab your favorite drink,whether it's an adrenal cocktail
or not.
And let's.
Let's get into what makes theselittle glands so crucial for
your health why this trend hasgained so much attention and
really how you can takepractical steps to support your
body.
So let's start off with whatactually are the adrenal glands.
(05:05):
To be honest, the thing that Ifind most hilarious when I'm
scrolling the internet As all ofthese people talking about
adrenal cocktails and they, theydon't even know what the
adrenals are.
They couldn't explain to youwhat cortisol actually does.
I think cortisol is like thisdemonized thing constantly on
(05:26):
the internet.
And here's the thing, cortisolis actually a good thing.
We're not trying to get rid ofcortisol.
That would actually be terriblefor your health.
So we're trying to keep cortisolin check.
Make sure your cortisol rhythm.
is how it should be, but we'renot necessarily just trying to
get rid of all cortisol.
(05:47):
So that's something to just keepin mind, but your adrenal glands
are these two really smallorgans that sit on top of your
kidneys.
They're super tiny, but they'revery powerful.
They're part of your endocrinesystem.
Which is kind of like the body'smessaging network.
It uses hormones to sendsignals.
So there's two kind of keyfunctions of the adrenal glands.
(06:10):
Number one is stress response.
So when you are stressed, youradrenal glands release cortisol.
This is a stress hormone.
Again.
We need some of it.
Otherwise, if you didn't havecortisol, you wouldn't be able
to get out of bed in themorning.
Cortisol is actually what wakesyou up.
And so the goal is you want yourcortisol to be present in the
morning to rise about two hoursafter you wake up and then to
(06:33):
slowly decrease throughout theday because it has an inverse
relationship with melatonin.
So sometimes what we find isPeople's cortisol is just the
opposite of that, which is whythey can't get out of bed in the
morning and then they're wiredand tired at night.
So cortisol helps your bodyreact by increasing energy,
keeping your blood sugar steady,helping you focus during
(06:55):
stressful moments like a bigmeeting or intense workout.
And then secondly, the adrenalglands help with electrolyte
balance.
Specifically aldosterone, ithelps manage your sodium and
potassium levels, which are keyfor keeping you hydrated,
hydrated and maintaining normalblood pressure.
This is actually just to kind ofput some things together for
(07:16):
you.
If you've ever experienced lowblood pressure, this can
actually be related to youradrenal glands being completely
burnout as well.
I think oftentimes we think oflike really high stressful
seasons you know, and havinghigh blood pressure sometimes.
But when your body gets so burntout, it can actually go the
(07:36):
opposite way as well.
So back to kind of this stressthermostat analogy, you can
think of your adrenal glandskind of like the thermostat in
your house.
When life gets hot or stressful,they turn up the temperature.
hormones like cortisol to helpcool down and manage the heat.
If your thermostat is runningnonstop because of constant
(07:59):
stress, it can get overworked.
And just like a thermostat, youradrenal glands need regular
maintenance and care.
So there's a lot of things thatyou can do to support your
adrenal glands.
And one of the things that youcan do to support your adrenal
glands is to support nutrientsthat your body uses during
stress.
(08:20):
So there are three nutrientsthat I want to talk about.
Stress makes your adrenal glandswork harder.
And when they work harder, theyuse up more fuel in the form of
vitamins and minerals.
So the first one is vitamin C.
Your adrenal glands need verylarge amounts of vitamin C to
actually make and producecortisol.
(08:41):
When you're stressed, your bodyburns through vitamin C faster,
which is why you might feel rundown if you don't replenish it,
or why you might be getting sickmore often when you're in a
stressful season.
The next two minerals are sodiumand potassium.
These minerals help balancefluids in your body and are
essential for proper nerve andmuscle function.
(09:04):
I've had other episodes whereI've talked more specifically
about these minerals in relationto digestion and other hormone
things, but during stress, yourbody actually loses sodium and
potassium more quickly, andwhich can leave you feeling
dizzy, tired, Even craving saltysnacks.
We hear this from our clients alot where they're like, why am I
craving sugar or salty things?
(09:27):
And a lot of that goes back tostress and stress management.
So over time, chronic stress isgoing to deplete these nutrients
and many others, but these threespecifically leaving your
adrenal glands and you justfeeling fatigued and possibly
less resilient.
Of course, we can't just outsupplement our stress with
(09:48):
vitamin C, sodium and potassium.
There's lots of other things wecan do to support stress, which
I'm going to talk about.
However, these are the rawmaterials that your body needs
to help regulate the temperatureor the stress thermometer that's
going on and kind of cool downthis stress.
So while your adrenal glands areincredibly resilient, they're
(10:12):
not designed to handle constantstress day in and day out.
So when your stress thermostatis stuck on high, it can just
have this domino effectthroughout your body.
Leading to a wide range ofsymptoms and imbalances.
So chronic stress and taxedadrenals will impact your
overall health in many ways.
(10:32):
And number one that we see inour practice a lot is gut
issues.
Chronic stress disruptsdigestion as your body is
prioritizing this food intake.
Fight or flight response overbreaking down food properly.
So this can lead to bloating andgas because stress slows stomach
emptying and digestion.
(10:53):
This can lead to heartburn.
Cortisol can increase stomachacid production.
It can also increase gutdysbiosis.
So stress will weaken the gutlining and it can allow harmful
bacteria to overgrow leading toimbalances in the microbiome.
There is actual researchsupporting this, showing that
(11:14):
chronic stress will disrupt thebacteria in your gut.
So you can take All theprobiotics you want, you can
take all the antimicrobials youwant, but if you don't get your
stress in check, it will impactyour gut bacteria, which is so
cool and crazy.
Just how much the mind bodyconnection truly does matter.
The other way that chronicstress or taxed adrenals will
(11:37):
impact your overall health ishormone imbalances, which might
sound obvious.
Obviously we're talking aboutcortisol here, but.
The adrenal glands will play abig role in regulating hormone
production.
When they're overworked, it'sgoing to throw off the balance
of other hormones like estrogenand progesterone.
High cortisol is telling yourbody, Hey, it is not a safe
(11:59):
environment to Potentiallyovulate to potentially get
pregnant to potentially havenormal cycles because at the end
of the day, if you are amenstruating female, the
decision that your body ismaking every single month is, is
it safe to have a baby?
Whether you, that's your goal ornot.
But is it safe to have amenstrual cycle?
(12:20):
And if you're chronicallystressed and your adrenals are
taxed, that can be part of thereason maybe why you have an
irregular cycle or why you lostyour cycle.
So something to definitely thinkabout, but other symptoms
besides just irregular andmissing periods, PMS, estrogen
dominant symptoms like heavyperiods or even mood swings.
(12:42):
And then secondly, on under kindof this hormone umbrella is
thyroid hormones.
This was the case for me.
And I've talked a lot about thison the podcast, but when I was
going through probably the moststressful period in my life,
after my dad passed away From abattle with colon cancer, my
thyroid went wacko.
I definitely had what theinternet is now calling cortisol
(13:04):
face, but it wasn't actuallycortisol face.
It was a, well, it, I guess itwas, but it was definitely
thyroid related.
Chronic stress slowed my thyroidfunction.
It led to tons of fatigue, hairloss puffiness, et cetera.
And so at that point.
(13:24):
I didn't have what the internetcalled quote unquote cortisol
phase.
I actually had complete burnout.
My cortisol was super lowbecause of being chronically
stressed for way too long.
Another way that taxed adrenalscan impact you is sleep
disturbances.
So when you have a healthycortisol rhythm, Like I said
(13:47):
earlier, it does help wake youup in the morning and wind down
at night.
But if your cortisol is too highall the time, or at the wrong
time, you might experiencetrouble falling asleep.
High cortisol in the evening issomething really common that we
see with our clients.
They're like, why am I sleeping?
So freaking tired all day long.
And then it comes time to go tobed and I feel like I can do
(14:08):
everything.
I'm like superwoman.
I wanna clean my house and getall the chores done and do all
the things.
This is a cortisol problem,which is often blood sugar and
stress related.
Maybe waking up at night bloodsugar imbalances, which are
really common with adrenalstress can cause middle of the
night wake up.
I am so excited to tell youabout the awesome giveaway that
(14:29):
we are doing.
The HTMA hair mineral test isprobably the most popular test
that we run.
And I know so many of you areinterested in getting this done
for yourself.
So you have the opportunity towin the test and the one on one
appointment that goes with thetest to go over your results,
your custom protocol, et cetera,for free.
(14:51):
When you leave a rating andreview for this podcast.
So all you have to do is leaveyour rating and review,
screenshot it and send it tohappy gut at drheatherfinley.
co.
And in the subject line, justwrite podcast review.
And we will be picking one luckywinner to win the HTMA bundle.
(15:13):
So you can get this.
Completely for free just byleaving a podcast review.
So, so excited to see who getsto do this amazing test and I'm
excited in advance to read theratings and reviews.
And then lastly, feeling wiredbut tired, where your body's
tired but your brain just feelslike it's racing, kind of like I
(15:33):
described earlier.
Next would be weakened immunefunction.
So the interesting part aboutcortisol is that it's naturally
anti inflammatory, so this iswhy cortisol is not always a bad
thing.
But when it's elevated for toolong, it will suppress your
immune system, which makes youway more likely to catch colds
or infections, experience slowerhealing from injuries or
(15:57):
illnesses.
Maybe you feel like you catcheverything that your kids come
home with.
This can be stress and cortisolrelated.
Maybe you also feel like ittakes you longer to get better
where like.
Usually a cold will last you twodays and now it's taking you a
week to recover.
Cortisol can also just dampenyour immune system where you're
(16:17):
developing chronic inflammationleading to longer term health
issues or even autoimmuneissues.
You also may experience energycrashes and burn out which is
something that we see a tonOverworked adrenals pump out
high levels of cortisol whichkeep you going and over time
they struggle to keep up Whichcan lead to afternoon energy
(16:41):
crashes Relying on caffeine tojust kind of push through
Feeling tired even though you'resick sleeping really well, maybe
you sleep eight hours a nightand you still have trouble
getting out of bed in themorning or you're still tired
all day.
And then lastly, a overworkedadrenal system can lead to mood
and mental health issues.
(17:01):
Chronic stress will depleteserotonin and dope dopamine, the
feel good chemicals in yourbrain, which can increase
anxiety, irritability.
Can increase brain fog ordifficulty concentrating and
then just lead to feelings ofoverwhelm and sadness.
So this all ties together.
The body is interconnected andthe adrenal glands are at the
(17:23):
center of it all.
When they are overworked it canset off a chain reaction that
impacts your digestion, yourhormones.
Sleep, energy, immune function,mood, which is why it's so
important to take acomprehensive approach to your
stress and your adrenal healthand supporting your adrenals
with tools like adrenalcocktails can be helpful, but
(17:46):
really true recovery comes fromaddressing the root causes of
the stress and then ultimatelyreplenishing the nutrients that
your body really desperatelyneeds.
All right.
So the part that you have beenwaiting for, and if you're
hanging with me in this episodeand you hear a dog or you hear a
baby, or you hear the gardeners,you are not wrong.
(18:09):
They are all hanging out with mesomehow during this episode, the
gardeners showed up, the dog isgoing crazy.
And of course I have my sweetbaby with me.
So thanks for hanging in there,but what is an adrenal cocktail
and why is it so popular?
The standard recipe is reallysimple.
It's nutrient packed designed toreplenish those three key
(18:30):
minerals and vitamins that yourbody needs.
So the basic recipe is fourounces of orange juice, which is
the vitamin C source, a quarterteaspoon of mineral rich salt,
which is the sodium source.
And then a quarter teaspoon ofcream of tartar, which is the
source of potassium.
You can optionally add incollagen for protein, coconut
milk for healthy fats.
When you do this, it tastes likea literal creamsicle.
(18:52):
If you ever ate those popsiclesgrowing up, it is so good.
You just blend this all up,drink it cold over ice.
And it's delicious.
The role of each, eachingredient is vitamin C two,
which is essential for producingcortisol, the stress hormone.
It also helps the adrenal glandsrecover from stress, and then
also acts as a powerfulantioxidant, protecting your
(19:14):
cells from damage caused bychronic stress.
Sodium, which we ideally want amineral rich salt, like Celtic
salt, Redmond, real salt, etcetera.
It regulates hydration actuallyhelps your cells absorb water
and not constantly flush outwater.
So you're not peeing all thetime.
Both can be thrown off bystress, your hydration and your
(19:35):
blood pressure.
And then.
The potassium, the cream oftartar helps to maintain proper
fluid balance.
A lot of times when our clientssay that they're super puffy or
they're retaining fluid, theyneed a lot more potassium.
And when we run HTMA testing onclients, what we find is that
potassium is very, very oftenlow and most people need more
(19:59):
potassium also supports musclefunction, energy production.
And then, like I said, thecollagen, the coconut milk, add
protein to stabilize bloodsugar, healthy fats as well, to
keep you satisfied for longer.
So, the adrenal cocktail ispopular for several reasons.
Number one, it's simple andquick.
It takes less than a minute tomake it.
(20:20):
It doesn't require any time.
Fancy tools or strangeingredients or anything like
that.
It's effective.
A lot of our clients notice whenthey drink an adrenal cocktail,
they feel a quick boost inenergy.
They feel better hydrated.
They have fewer sugar or saltcravings.
Kind of give some of that likeself care vibe.
So taking the time to like.
Make something that you know isgoing to nourish you is a small
(20:43):
act of just showing up foryourself, which is really
meaningful during a stressfultime.
And then it's customizable.
You can adjust it.
You can add more sodium.
You can add more potassium.
You can swap orange juice forcoconut water.
You can add flavors like lemonjuice.
I mean, the options are honestlyendless for homemade adrenal
(21:03):
cocktails, which leads me toremind you that we have a free
mineral, mineral guide.
This is a multi page mineralguide that walks you through
exactly what adrenal cocktailsto make based off of your own
specific concerns.
So I have recipes for likeEnergy for thyroid for better
(21:26):
sleep, but that all havedifferent ratios of minerals.
And they're all different.
So some that are hot, some thatare cold and just a fun way to
kind of switch up the standardadrenal cocktail.
So if you haven't alreadydownloaded that guide, go ahead
and click the link in the shownotes and download it.
It's free.
There's lots of links andthere's even really easy powders
(21:47):
and supplements that you can buyto.
Kind of zhuzh up your adrenalcocktail, however you want.
As well as just recipes withthings that you might have in
your pantry.
So adrenal cocktails, they'reeasy.
They're enjoyable.
They can support you duringstress, but keep in mind,
they're just one piece of thepuzzle.
And that's what I want to talkabout next is, you know, adrenal
(22:11):
cocktails.
They're going to support stressresilience because they're
giving you that.
Nutrient repletion for energyand focus.
They're supporting electrolytebalance.
They're aiding in digestionbecause you need these minerals
to make stomach acid.
They can help with afternoonslumps.
They can help with all thesethings.
And so many of our clientsnotice a huge difference, but
(22:35):
they aren't going to replacemaking the lifestyle habits.
and the changes that you need tomake to support just stress
reduction overall.
So you might notice that whenyou're feeling drained mid
afternoon or you're having sugarsalt cravings, or you're having
(22:56):
just kind of that wired or tiredfeeling that adrenal cocktails
will help you.
You also might notice thatadrenal cocktails might make it
or might decrease your sugar orsalt cravings because when
you're stressed, your body burnsthrough glucose faster because
cortisol increases your need forquicker energy.
This is why you'll find yourselfreaching for sugary snacks or
(23:19):
carbs when you're overwhelmed.
That's your body doing exactlywhat it was designed to do.
So, similarly, stress can leadto sodium loss through the
urine, which crav Whichincreases the cravings for salty
foods.
Now let's address just thiscortisol based trend.
I mentioned it earlier.
(23:41):
So I want to just clear up somemisconceptions floating around
social media.
This is the idea that highcortisol is the root of all your
problems.
And sure, chronically elevatedcortisol can lead to things like
weight gain, especially aroundthe midsection.
Sleep disturbances, anxiety,that like puffy face that a lot
of people are posting about.
(24:02):
But what most people don'trealize is that low cortisol can
be just as problematic.
And if not worse, because afterprolonged periods of stress,
your adrenal glands can beburnout producing too little
cortisol.
So this shows up as reallysevere fatigue, feeling super
unmotivated or just kind of likeemotionally flat.
(24:23):
Difficulty recovering fromillness.
What a lot of people woulddescribe is just like, I feel
super burnout or kind of thisnarrative of like, I used to be
the most productive, energeticperson that I know, and now I'm
like struggling to make itthrough the day.
I've definitely been in thatsituation before.
And it's.
It's horrible.
(24:43):
You are wondering like, what theheck is wrong with me?
I used to be able to accomplish,you know, more before 8am than
anybody else.
And now I can barely get out ofbed.
So adrenal cocktails can behelpful in this situation.
But the question becomes like,how on earth did we get here?
You know, how on earth did weget to the point where now it's
(25:03):
not even a high cortisolproblem.
It is a complete low burnoutstate.
I had a client.
And I've had many clients whowas constantly tired by 3pm.
She was always craving saltyfoods, feeling like she just
needed coffee constantly.
She was drinking like four orfive cups of coffee a day.
(25:24):
She was a mom of, I think, threekids.
She was just wondering, like,how on earth did I get here?
She, did not feel like herselfat all.
She felt just emotionally flat.
And when we ran a Dutch panel onher to look at her cortisol
levels, she was completely flatlined.
(25:45):
So she didn't have that spike ofcortisol in the morning that we
want.
And then that dip throughout theday for sleep, she just had a
flat line, which is a verydistinct sign of burnout.
So as we kind of looked intowhat was going on, You know, she
was managing a lot.
She had a lot of what I callglass balls.
(26:06):
Like these are the balls in yourlife that you can't drop your
family possibly your career.
And then, you know, oftentimesin our lives we have rubber
balls.
Those are the ones like you candrop for your period of time,
but they'll bounce back up.
She had a lot of, Glass ball,she had aging parents, et
cetera.
So a lot of things she wasjuggling.
And on top of that, she was noteating enough.
(26:29):
She was running an insane amountof miles every day.
And her body just couldn't keepup anymore.
And so we had to make someserious adjustments because
there were a lot of glass ballsthat she could not drop at that
time.
So we had to.
Number one, make sure she wasgetting enough food trying to
get as much sleep as she couldpromoting a restful sleep by
(26:52):
getting rid of blue lights, etcetera, at night.
And actually decreasing herexercise load for that period.
We added in adrenal cocktailslike one or two a day.
She felt a noticeable increasein her energy.
She didn't need that, you know,third or fourth coffee anymore.
Her sugar cravings.
decreased.
(27:12):
Then we eventually did morecustomized mineral support based
on her testing.
But a lot of it started withjust those lifestyle changes
that she had to make as sheevaluated, okay, what's going on
in this season of my life andwhat can I actually drop for now
that's not going to shatter.
So if you are thinking of usingan adrenal cocktail, here's how
(27:34):
you can do it effectively.
Number one, start small andadjust as needed.
So start with one a day, ideallyduring a time when you often
feel low on energy.
If you're dealing withsignificant stress or fatigue,
you can increase this to two perday, like mid morning, mid
afternoon or morning and youknow, with lunch and just listen
to your body.
If you feel jittery, bloated,whatever it might be, you might
(27:56):
need to tweak the recipe or juststart with a smaller amount.
Sometimes when you really startpushing minerals too quick, you
can feel worse before you feelbetter, but you don't have to do
that if you go slow.
Ideally pair it with a balancedmeal to keep your blood sugar
stable.
So while adrenal cocktails arereally key in nutrients, they
(28:17):
don't replace a full meal andpair them with meals that
include protein, fats, fiber tostabilize your blood sugar.
Have it with a snack, whatever,and then experiment, keep it
interesting, swap out thedifferent juices for vitamin C
sources, use coconut water addcinnamon, make it hot, make it
cold, whatever you want.
Download the mineral guide justfrom some ideas.
(28:39):
And timing is everything.
So typically they work midmorning, mid afternoon, when you
feel stressed or fatigued itwouldn't necessarily be
something that you would want todrink like right before bed,
unless it was more of kind oflike a sleepy girl mocktail,
which I have recipes for that inthe guide that are like higher
in magnesium and things that aregoing to help your body.
(28:59):
wind down, but just make it partof your routine.
So if you tend to forget, set areminder pair it with your meals
so that you just remember tohave it, you know, with lunch or
whatever it might be.
And then just keep in mind thatthis is a great first step.
So adrenal cocktails are, youknow, very standard kind of one
size fits all with the sodium,the potassium, the vitamin C,
(29:21):
but they're not necessarilygoing to completely fix your,
mineral deficiencies.
And what works wonders for oneperson might not fully address
another's unique imbalances.
So for example, someone with lowmagnesium levels might feel
better with an adrenal cocktail,but still experience fatigue or
muscle cramps or poor sleep.
(29:41):
sleep because magnesium isneeded in their adrenal
cocktail.
Conversely, someone who's sodiumsensitive in a really high kind
of stress pattern sometimessodium can actually jump up.
They might need to adjust theamount of salt to avoid feeling
bloated.
So personalization is key.
We've worked with so manyclients that kind of fit the
narrative of like Afternoonfatigue, constant sugar
(30:04):
cravings.
They're like, I'm drinkingadrenal cocktails.
They're kind of helping, but Istill don't feel good.
And then we run HTMA testing,which is hair tissue mineral
analysis testing.
And we see all the otherminerals at play.
So we see low magnesium orpotassium or a high calcium to
phosphorus ratio, which canfurther just impact energy and
(30:27):
how somebody is feeling.
So with information from an HTM,a, we can create, create a
tailored plan that, you know, Isgoing to be a bit more
comprehensive than just astandard adrenal cocktail
recipe.
So the testing can be a superpowerful tool that just helps us
get to the root of what's goingon.
Many of, you know, we open theHTMA bundle which is the HTMA
(30:52):
test and then the consult to goover your results four times a
year.
It includes, like I said, thetest and then the
recommendations and kind ofprotocols, et cetera.
This is perfect for you if youare trying to tackle your
fatigue, your stress, yourhormone imbalances, your gut
issues, nothing's workingbecause minerals are really
(31:14):
foundational to every system inthe body and hopefully as you've
understood from this episode,stress is really at the root of
it all.
Although, you know, a lot oftimes we think of our stress as
like, I need to just meditatemore or I need to do something
that's going to be super timeconsuming.
Those things can help, butminerals can make your body more
(31:35):
resilient to stress as wellwhile you're working on
implementing some of thelifestyle pieces.
And you may have also tried alot of different things for your
gut issues or your hormoneissues, but if your body doesn't
have the raw materials to makewhat it needs, then you kind of
get stuck in this vicious cycleof not healing.
So.
The htma bundle is opening onFebruary 10th.
(31:58):
Spots are limited obviouslybecause this is a one on one
thing.
We always sell out same day, setyour alarms.
If you've downloaded the mineralguide, you are on the wait list.
So you would get the emailletting you know when the spots
are open.
But just to kind of wrap thisup, adrenal cocktails are
simple.
They're effective.
They can help support stressresilience.
(32:19):
They're effective when they'realso paired with healthy
lifestyle and stress management.
Testing your minerals is key.
That's what we would prefer formore like longer term support
but adrenal cocktails can be agreat place to start and just
giving your adrenal glands somenourishment and some self care
love.
So I hope that this episode washelpful.
(32:40):
Share it with a friend.
If you feel compelled, I wouldlove a rating and review so that
more people can find thispodcast and I will catch you
next time on the next episode ofthe love your podcast.
Thanks for tuning in.
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