Greetings Dear Readers,

We’re nearing the end of winter in the northern hemisphere and many of you are experiencing fatigue or depression (sometimes depression in TCM can be about Qi or energy deficiency –  there’s not enough energy for the body and the energy debt can bring the mind down with it).  Just understand that this fatigue is seasonally normal.  The winter months are a time of rest and retreat (hibernation).  Many of us keep working too hard and staying up late over the winter causing exhaustion in early spring.  If we’ve pushed ourselves too hard for too long we may experience adrenal fatigue also known as adrenal burn-out.  In TCM adrenal burn-out is Kidney deficiency (the adrenals sit on top of the kidneys).  Please do yourself a favour and listen to your body.  If it’s asking for rest, please try to prioritize rest and sleep when you need it.  Your body works miracles during rest and sleep time, detoxifying your liver, cleaning your blood, clearing your mind, rejuvenating your glands.

Many people become addicted to caffeine because caffeine stimulates the adrenals to release cortisol which activates the sympathetic nervous system.  When the adrenals are healthy they will produce cortisol naturally and release it at the right time, mainly first thing in the morning.  Healthy adrenals gets us leaping out of bed in the morning and starting the day with a bang. Remember that from childhood? When we’ve been working too much and under too much stress, the adrenals can get weak.  So may reach for caffeine to stimulate the gland chemically.  The addiction to caffeine, even the desire for caffeine in the first place indicates that the adrenals (Kidney yang) is weak.  People try to force themselves off of caffeine, kicking the habit through will power alone.  This is a good start but often the person will continue to crave the caffeine because the adrenals are crying out for nourishment.  The following list of foods and supplements gets to the root of the problem by giving the adrenals the nutritional boost they need.

1. Royal Jelly – a powerful longevity tonic in TCM, try to buy fresh, refrigerated

2. Acerola Cherry concentrate – contains extremely high levels of Vitamin C, 1/2 Tablespoon=500% of the daily recommended requirement, vitamin C is important to adrenal health

3. Salty foods  – naturally occurring sodium is found in high doses in celery, seaweed, Himalayan or Celtic sea salt.  Use in moderation.

4. Bee Pollen – contains high amounts of B vitamins to heal your nerves and reduce perception of stress

5. Maca – supports and heals the adrenals, an adaptogen

Happy Healing!

Yours in health,

Cynthia