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The adrenal glands were long regarded as emergency glands -- pouring out their internal secretions only when a person was confronted by a dangerous situation and had to resort to "fight or flight." Later, it was shown that adrenaline is so vital that humans cannot live for 4 seconds if it has been drained from the blood. An example is the sudden death that results from cyanide poisoning, which puts a stop to all oxidation in the body.

The chemical process of filtration of toxins through the kidneys depends upon oxidation, which is literally a process of burning. The adrenal secretions make oxidation possible. The body has extra depots for the manufacture and storage of adrenaline, such as the brain and the great nerve ganglia, the posterior pituitary, the sex glands, and scattered areas throughout the kidneys. This explains why some animals, and occasionally even humans, are able to live after removal of the adrenals. Another adrenal function is to regulate the strength of muscle tone; this includes the bowel muscle as well as the skeletal muscles. The adrenal glands lie against the upper poles of the kidneys, perched on them like caps.

FATIGUE FAST FOR EXHAUSTION

We run out of energy when the adrenal glands do not provide us with enough cortisone or when we have maltreated this organ with junk foods. The following 1-day fast is a European folk remedy to help restore adrenal function.

1. Soak 3 tablespoons alfalfa seeds in 1 quart of water overnight; then bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes.

2. Strain and drink as a breakfast beverage with a pinch of sea salt.

3. Drink the rest of the tea without salt throughout the day.

4. Blend 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds and 10 dates in 1 cup water, and eat slowly, chewing well. This restores energy beautifully.

Foods good for the adrenal glands are vitamin C, egg yolks, and lecithin.

ADRENAL STRESS

A craving for salt is one sign of adrenal stress. When craving salt, feed the glands with juices and foods that are high in organic sodium. These include beets and beet greens, spinach, parsley, celery, and carrots. In addition, foods rich in pantothenic acid such as mushrooms, split peas, perch, pecans, soybeans, lightly cooked egg yolks, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and lecithin stimulate the adrenal glands to produce hormones and increase output in response to stress. Anti-stress hormones are also produced in vitamin C rich foods, some of which include hot and sweet peppers, kale, parsley, broccoli, brussels sprouts, red cabbage, rose-hip tea, citrus fruits, and strawberries.

As for other nutrients that feed the adrenal glands, most fruits and vegetables are rich in potassium; magnesium is found in beet greens, spinach, and parsley; zinc is in gingerroot, parsley, and potatoes; and vitamin B6 is in kale, spinach, and sweet peppers. Whey has the highest natural sodium content of any food. Sodium has the ability to dissolve calcium deposits around the joints, and whey is beneficial for the relief of arthritis since it dissolves calcium deposits, allowing the bloodstream to carry them out of the body.

The following juice recipes are rich in anti-stress nutrients. Juice ingredients and drink several 8-ounce to 10-ounce servings a day during stressful times to protect your body from the adverse effects.

STRESS EXPRESS

GARDEN MARY

MIXED VEGGI

WINTER TISSUE CLEANSING

(Editor's Note: Good cleanse for "spring cleaning" the immune system as well.)

Oranges are a valuable winter food on our North American continent. They are full of vitamin C and are a good winter fasting food to discourage colds and cleanse the calcium deposits in the body. They strengthen the eyesight and immune system, and clear mucus from all bodily tissues.

TIME: Winter

TIME FRAME: 3 days

1. Make the juice as needed and drink 8-ounce portions throughout the day when hungry or thirsty. Have a minimum of 6 drinks per day.

2. Three times a day drink a warm herbal tea made from one of the following herbs: goldenseal leaf, comfrey, fenugreek, myrrh, echinacea, black walnut leaf, barberry, buchu, or catnip.

3. Utilize the internal bath of your choice, and take sweat baths or the Rosemary Bentonite Bath (chapter 7 in this book).

LYMPH CLEANSE

The "tree-like" lymphatic system in the body contains twice as much liquid as in the blood vessels. Lymphatic flow helps process and eliminate wastes resulting from the heat and energy created in rebuilding worn-out tissues. The lymphatic system makes it possible to fight off infections and other foreign agents. When the lymph nodes become clogged with waste products, we feel pain. A good massage therapist who specializes in Lymphatic Pulsatilis Techniques will be able to assist with lymphatic congestion.

The following lymph cleanse is especially useful to help relieve the toxic burden on the lymph system. If you come down with a winter cold or flu, be sure to do a lymph cleanse!

1. Drink the following on an empty stomach: 1 quart distilled water mixed with 2 level teaspoons sea salt.

2. Stroke your skin with a skin brush, using single strokes toward your heart.

3. Grate a heaping handful of raw ginger, wrap it in cheese cloth, and immerse it in your hot bath.

4. Drink a cup of hot ginger tea while bathing. Stay in the bath for a minimum of 20 minutes. Blue violet tea is also good for the lymphatic system.

5. Stay warm (wear a bathrobe, slippers, etc.) and go to bed.

6. Stay covered, warm, and sweating for 20 to 30 minutes or more.

7. Massage your body with equal parts olive and peanut oil combined with a few drops of peppermint or lavender, then take a cool soapy shower. (Optional: shower and skin brush again.)

8. Combine juices to make a total of 1 gallon. Use fresh pink grapefruit, oranges, and pineapples. Add 1 cup each of fresh lemon and lime juices to the gallon of juice. Fast on this for 2 days and drink plenty of distilled water.

ALUMINUM TOXICITY

There is no established function for aluminum in human nutrition, but it is used in many ways that filter into our foods. Aluminum weakens the living tissue of the alimentary canal -- the digestive tube from the mouth to the rectum. Many of aluminum's harmful effects result from its destruction of vitamins and the displacement of the minerals in the foods we eat. Yet, it is used in the water purification process and the manufacture of cooking pots, foil, table salt, baking powder, deodorants, certain antacids, some processed cheeses, and as a bleaching agent to whiten flour.

Usually, most of the aluminum taken into the body is ultimately excreted, but excessive amounts cause symptoms of poisoning. These include constipation, colic, loss of appetite, nausea, skin ailments, twitching of the leg muscles, excessive perspiration, and loss of energy. Motor paralysis, areas of local numbness, gastrointestinal inflammation, and senile dementia are also linked to aluminum toxicity.

Adele Davis reports that magnesium can displace aluminum in the body, and that aluminum toxicity was relieved after taking magnesium supplements.

This article is excerpted with permission from the book:

The Seasonal Detox Diet
by Carrie L'Esperance.

Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Healing Arts Press, a division of Inner Traditions Intl. ©1998, 2002. http://www.innertraditions.com

Info/Order this book.

About the Author

 CARRIE L'ESPERANCE, a certified iridologist and former gourmet food professional, has spent more than twenty-five years studying the healing systems of the world's cultures. She now specializes in helping clients discover the individual nutritional requirements that will allow them to feel and function at their best. She lives in San Francisco.

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