When I had my breakdown a few years back now, it was NOT the first one but it was my far the worst.
Building pressure leads to anxiety
I had been fighting a former employer and trying to take them to court for fraud and unconscionable conduct, I was trying to build a business, I had dozens of my formers clients calling me daily asking for help with the situation my former employer had put them in... it was endless and enormous stress, daily.
I was left with a manageable condition known in the medical circles as “non-Addisons Hypo-adrenia” or in normal speak, chronic adrenal fatigue or burnout. Basically, my adrenals had been so overworked for so long that they were, in fact, almost empty.
I read SO many books on how to fix myself because NO ONE in the medical community could help me. I was given medication after medication from Valium to 4 different types of anti-depressants, including Paxil, Lexapro and Effexor’s cousin, Pristiq most of which were “uppers” for me and had me bouncing off the walls.
I was acting like Martha Stewart on crack at one point – rushing from baking cookies, to sewing at the sewing machine, then starting on the dinner, then vacuuming then back to check the cookies then back to the machine and back to the kitchen to check on the dinner. Funny to think of now but terribly hard to live with and SO exhausting… disastrous combination when recovery from adrenal fatigue.
This was not my chronically overworked adrenal glands needed. They needed rest, restoration, rejuvenation. Medication was not going to give me that – I knew after about the 3rd change of pills.
I started scouring books and found a number of websites of people who journaled their journeys from hypoadrenia to recovery.
They all touted one thing commonly, across the board – the beneficial effects of Vitamin C.
So, I started popping Swisse Vitamin C tablets – up to 5000mg a day – and slowly I did start to recover.
Little did I know that Vitamin C powder would have been more effective and FASTER however you work with what you have and what you know at the time. I know NOW that powder is the most effective way to get your Vitamin C mega-dose needs met… unless you can get it via injection which is IDEAL but alas, almost impossible.
I was left with a manageable condition known in the medical circles as “non-Addisons Hypo-adrenia” or in normal speak, chronic adrenal fatigue or burnout. Basically, my adrenals had been so overworked for so long that they were, in fact, almost empty.
I read SO many books on how to fix myself because NO ONE in the medical community could help me. I was given medication after medication from Valium to 4 different types of anti-depressants, including Paxil, Lexapro and Effexor’s cousin, Pristiq most of which were “uppers” for me and had me bouncing off the walls.
I was acting like Martha Stewart on crack at one point – rushing from baking cookies, to sewing at the sewing machine, then starting on the dinner, then vacuuming then back to check the cookies then back to the machine and back to the kitchen to check on the dinner. Funny to think of now but terribly hard to live with and SO exhausting… disastrous combination when recovery from adrenal fatigue.
This was not my chronically overworked adrenal glands needed. They needed rest, restoration, rejuvenation. Medication was not going to give me that – I knew after about the 3rd change of pills.
I started scouring books and found a number of websites of people who journaled their journeys from hypoadrenia to recovery.
They all touted one thing commonly, across the board – the beneficial effects of Vitamin C.
So, I started popping Swisse Vitamin C tablets – up to 5000mg a day – and slowly I did start to recover.
Little did I know that Vitamin C powder would have been more effective and FASTER however you work with what you have and what you know at the time. I know NOW that powder is the most effective way to get your Vitamin C mega-dose needs met… unless you can get it via injection which is IDEAL but alas, almost impossible.
Animals avoid vitamin C deficiency with fruits
Why does Vitamin C help with things like anxiety, hypo-adrenia or adrenal fatigue?
A severe lack of vitamin C causes SCURVY.
Symptoms of scurvy include depression, psychosis, hallucinations and bleeding gums.
Rats without vitamin c, studies have found, become psychotic, depressed and violent. Animals such as apes get loads of vitamin C from their high vegetation and fruit diet and consequently rarely show signs and symptoms of psychosis… why? Because they do in fact ingest enough AND synthesise enough vitamin C to avoid any of these types of issues.
Anyway, we digress.
One of the biggest challenges facing the world today is ANXIETY. Anxiety is linked to over-active adrenal glands, pumping out too much adrenaline for too long (which in turn becomes cortisol, a hormone secreted to cope with long term stress but which, over time, depletes the body of minerals and is highly toxic and aging).
What happens when you nearly get hit by a car? You have an adrenal response. Your body jumps into protective mode. AFTER that happens and the danger has gone, what does your body go through?
You get the shakes. You might feel nauseas. You will feel a sense of dread or almost impending disaster in response to the disaster you avoided (funny little reaction that one!) You will feel stressed. You may want to lie down or take a rest pause to recover your composure.
That kind of stress is placed on us almost on a weekly if not DAILY basis. Therefore our body starts to react like we are almost in war or our lives are in danger, daily. We are constantly on edge, we are under constant pressure, feeling watched or feeling unsafe and insecure, dread and the feeling of impending disaster knots our stomachs every day… the list goes on and I’m sure, if you’re reading this, you are familiar with the symptoms.
So, that’s what’s going on – your body feels, all (or at least most) of the time that you aren’t safe. It is constantly in fight or flight. Anxiety is the bi-product of that way of living. You NEED to adjust your way of life to compensate for this. You NEED to wind down and pull back. Its vital for your health. You can’t just keep on popping pills and continuing along the same path. The pills will only cap the anxiety for a while – it will come back stronger and you will need to your medication, over and over again.
That is no way to live.
A severe lack of vitamin C causes SCURVY.
Symptoms of scurvy include depression, psychosis, hallucinations and bleeding gums.
Rats without vitamin c, studies have found, become psychotic, depressed and violent. Animals such as apes get loads of vitamin C from their high vegetation and fruit diet and consequently rarely show signs and symptoms of psychosis… why? Because they do in fact ingest enough AND synthesise enough vitamin C to avoid any of these types of issues.
Anyway, we digress.
One of the biggest challenges facing the world today is ANXIETY. Anxiety is linked to over-active adrenal glands, pumping out too much adrenaline for too long (which in turn becomes cortisol, a hormone secreted to cope with long term stress but which, over time, depletes the body of minerals and is highly toxic and aging).
What happens when you nearly get hit by a car? You have an adrenal response. Your body jumps into protective mode. AFTER that happens and the danger has gone, what does your body go through?
You get the shakes. You might feel nauseas. You will feel a sense of dread or almost impending disaster in response to the disaster you avoided (funny little reaction that one!) You will feel stressed. You may want to lie down or take a rest pause to recover your composure.
That kind of stress is placed on us almost on a weekly if not DAILY basis. Therefore our body starts to react like we are almost in war or our lives are in danger, daily. We are constantly on edge, we are under constant pressure, feeling watched or feeling unsafe and insecure, dread and the feeling of impending disaster knots our stomachs every day… the list goes on and I’m sure, if you’re reading this, you are familiar with the symptoms.
So, that’s what’s going on – your body feels, all (or at least most) of the time that you aren’t safe. It is constantly in fight or flight. Anxiety is the bi-product of that way of living. You NEED to adjust your way of life to compensate for this. You NEED to wind down and pull back. Its vital for your health. You can’t just keep on popping pills and continuing along the same path. The pills will only cap the anxiety for a while – it will come back stronger and you will need to your medication, over and over again.
That is no way to live.
Serotonnin is increased with Vitamin C
Vitamin C is shown to be one of the most important vitamins to aid in the recovery and healthy functionality of adrenal glands. In fact, it is found in the body in highest concentrations IN YOUR ADRENAL GLANDS AND BRAIN TISSUES.
It helps to regulate the secretion of adrenaline and cortisol which in turn lowers your “fight or flight” reaction and thereby, internally, lowering your anxiety. It cannot CURE your anxiety but it can certainly lessen the symptoms and assist your body in better dealing with the stress and strain of everyday life.
In addition, when our bodies are low in Vitamin C they cannot create enough serotonin. When vitamin C levels are higher or adequate, our serotonin levels are able to rise. When serotonin levels rise, our stress levels lower because serotonin is like oxygen – it calms the system.
Make sense?
There’s lots of ways Doctors will spin this, but that’s the basics of it all.
So, as I said, my anxiety and adrenal burnout came under control and recovery started and continued from the use of consistent amounts of high quality vitamin C.
I cannot recommend this highly enough to you, if you are suffering from adrenal fatigue or anxiety or both. It will help you recover faster, it will lessen your symptoms, it is a way you can free yourself of unnecessary and often toxic path of drugs that could lead to lifelong medicating.
It is worth a try. It is cheap, it is effective and it is vital to your mental health. Give it a go! You won’t regret it :-)
Love and LOADS of Vitamin C powder,
The Eco Mum xo
Sources:
End Fatigue
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Adrenal Fatigue Focus
Adrenal Fatigue – A 21st Century Syndrome
It helps to regulate the secretion of adrenaline and cortisol which in turn lowers your “fight or flight” reaction and thereby, internally, lowering your anxiety. It cannot CURE your anxiety but it can certainly lessen the symptoms and assist your body in better dealing with the stress and strain of everyday life.
In addition, when our bodies are low in Vitamin C they cannot create enough serotonin. When vitamin C levels are higher or adequate, our serotonin levels are able to rise. When serotonin levels rise, our stress levels lower because serotonin is like oxygen – it calms the system.
Make sense?
There’s lots of ways Doctors will spin this, but that’s the basics of it all.
So, as I said, my anxiety and adrenal burnout came under control and recovery started and continued from the use of consistent amounts of high quality vitamin C.
I cannot recommend this highly enough to you, if you are suffering from adrenal fatigue or anxiety or both. It will help you recover faster, it will lessen your symptoms, it is a way you can free yourself of unnecessary and often toxic path of drugs that could lead to lifelong medicating.
It is worth a try. It is cheap, it is effective and it is vital to your mental health. Give it a go! You won’t regret it :-)
Love and LOADS of Vitamin C powder,
The Eco Mum xo
Sources:
End Fatigue
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Adrenal Fatigue Focus
Adrenal Fatigue – A 21st Century Syndrome
