Adrenal gland stress effects joint health health....really.

Excess cortisol can weaken you ligaments and create injuries.

One of the greatest health issues of our day is functional adrenal gland stress. Our adrenal glands are the back up system for your body. When you are under stress they supply your body with hormones that help you to keep going.

Types of adrenal gland stress:

• Structural = Misalignment of joints, muscle pulls, trigger points, arthritis
• Chemical = Toxic fumes, food additives, food allergies, refined sugar, infection
• Emotional = Type “A” personality or being “High strung”, worry, fear, anxiety, mental and emotional abuse
• Thermal = Extended periods of being too cold or hot, alternating extremes of too cold or hot.

Adrenal Gland Cortex Hormones:

• Pregnenolone
• Progesterone
• DHEA
• Testosterone
• Estrogen
• Aldosterone
• Cortisone
• Cortisol

You may of heard of some of the above hormones. They are pretty important and many people have them artificially supplied by doctors when they have health issues. The right thing to do is to get your adrenal glands working properly again. They know better than any doctor what hormones you need, at what time and how much.

Alright… back to the ligaments!

Excess stress that is not resolved over a long period of time causes prolonged secretion of cortisol which can break down your ligaments. This can lead to injuries and chronic joint problems. A simple stretch to a joint can cause a “ligament stretch reaction” as show in this video.

What can you do to stop this?

In cases like this your adrenal glands need to be brought out of their alarm reaction state. This can be done by finding what the stresses are in your life, removing them, and helping your body to regain it’s original balance.

With treatment from a  chiropractic doctor using kinesiological testing, you will need to see what reflexes may need to be addressed, what nutrients you may need to rebalance your body and what structural imbalances need to be corrected.

You will also need to be doing eating well. The adrenal glands can not heal while you are eating refined sugars, foods that you are sensitive to and not snacking regularly on quality foods.

Sometimes the adrenal glands can recover quickly (a few weeks) but sometimes if a person is well into the “Exhaustion” stage of the adrenal alarm reaction it may take a few years. The best way to measure your cortisol levels by  doing an Adrenal Stress Index test to determine your lab values for this hormone.  At Optimal Health & Wellness Center, we don't guess, we test.  Once known, we can determine the best course of care to get you back your health and the energy to live life to the fullest.