Our functional medicine Los Angeles cares about you and your overall well-being. If you are interested in natural and holistic remedies for things like chronic pain, soreness, and your immune system, then adaptogenic herbs might be perfect for you.
Some experts call adaptogens “herbal medicine” due to the high amount of healing benefits they encompass. Adaptogens counteract a lot of the stress in your body, which in turn can lead to many issues with your physical and mental health, including neurological systems, endocrine systems, and immune systems.
As a functional medicine Burbank, we would love you to keep reading to learn more about these types of herbs and how they can help you.
1. How Exactly Do Adaptogens Work?
Adaptogens work by helping to balance the adrenal, pituitary, and hypothalamic glands. These glands work in your body’s stress responses. When you go through stress, your body goes through three steps:
- Step 1: The alarm phase
- Step 2: The resistance phase
- Step 3: The exhaustion phase
As your body deals with stressors such as strenuous exercise, it expels hormones that increase the performance of your muscles and lets you concentrate on the task at hand. You actually resist the stressor. As a result, you actually feel more energy due to the boost that your body gets. This helps you fight the stressor.
When you get tired, you start to go into the exhaustion phase. At step two, the resistance phase, it gets stretched out a bit more. This powerful part allows you to stay in this helpful stage a bit longer.
Adaptogens have some of the following effects on your body:
- Antidepressive effects
- Antifatigue effects
- Central nervous system stimulant
- Neuroprotective effects
2. The Benefits of Adaptogenic Herbs
When added as a supplement with medications for certain health issues, adaptogens could really help with well-being. In the past, they have helped people with heart health issues as well as some neurological problems.
Adaptogens also help with mental clarity for people with all kinds of health issues. For example, Arctic Root can help people with depression boost their productivity levels without any of the toxic side effects that those on antidepressants can often experience. The Arctic roots can also help people heal from the flu at a faster rate.
Schisandra, another adaptogen, helps people who deal with exhaustion and low mental energy. It has also been helpful in people with schizophrenia, some neurological issues, as well as lung functioning. While Schisandra is a stimulant, the body doesn’t get used to it at a fast rate. For this reason, you can use this adaptogen at the exact same doses as you do the others.
Adaptogens can be used to alleviate fatigue. They can also be helpful for dealing with the symptoms of many acute and chronic issues when used alongside other types of treatment. While most physicians may not be quick to prescribe adaptogens for random reasons, it might be helpful to take them if you deal with low levels of energy as a result of a medical issue.
3. Tips for Using Adaptogenic Herbs
Can anyone take adaptogenic herbs for complementary treatment of their health issues? Most people can take these types of herbs without ill effects. The only group of people that should be careful are pregnant or breastfeeding women. The usage of adaptogens has not been adequately studied in this group.
Another group that should take some caution before taking adaptogens is those on prescription medicines. If you fall into this group, you should talk to your physician as negative interactions can always happen.
Interested in taking advantage of a functional medicine Studio City? You can always count on us at Functional Medicine Los Angeles! Please do not hesitate to drop us a message if you have any concerns.