What if those hunger pangs are a sign of low minerals?

The Hunger Shakes While Gaining Weight

I'm terrible at following rules. As in, if I don't know why a rule exists, I will find a way to break it or convince myself it's not necessary.

Enter the adrenal cocktail...

All the cool kids have been talking about the adrenal cocktail for forever and every wellness influencer has their favorite recipe.

Me? Well, it took a personal struggle to convince me it was so great. If you've been around a hot minute chances are you know at least part of my health story.

The relevant piece today involves a season of insulin resistance combined with low cortisol (particularly morning cortisol) and high reverse T3 due to poor conversion of T4 replacement thyroid hormone (if you're curious what those abbreviations mean, it's geek speak for thyroid patients in the know... we'll talk more later).

Anywho... in this particular chapter, I couldn't get full (even though I knew I was gaining weight... or at least inches, my pants barely buttoned). I had the hunger shakes. I'd eat. The shakes got worse. I was hangry. Felt depleted. The only thing that would "fix" that hollow hunger was dairy or a spoonful of sugar. Both of which are pretty serious signs of insulin resistance and glucose (blood sugar) not making its way into the body's cells (different tissues of the body have naturally varying levels of insulin sensitivity/resistance, some tissues felt like they were starving (enter my brain's screams for food) even while my fat cells (quite insulin sensitive) were well-fed).

I knew I had to do something to help with glucose uptake and everything I was already doing to support insulin sensitivity clearly wasn't enough. That's where a new friend helped. You may know her as Gemini. She told me "oh, what about the SGLT pathway?"

Why the adrenal cocktail is so helpful for insulin resistance

About 18 rabbitholes later, I had a much better understanding not just of why the adrenal cocktail is so important but HOW to make it work for you regardless of what symptoms you're struggling with.

The full article's posted below and just a quick reminder... I see all disease states as being merely an expression of a body in an energy crisis. Address the low energy state and symptoms disappear. Does that place me in the minority? Absolutely. Have I resolved more symptoms than you can shake a stick at? Yes.

The Recipe: An Adrenal Cocktail for MCAS, low sodium, and insatiable hunger

• 2 Tablespoons whole fruit juice (pomegranate, cranberry, or cherry are excellent choices if you're super sensitive)

• 1/4 teaspoon high quality salt (I'll explain why this very specific quantity below)***

• dash of cream of tartar or splash of coconut water (both rich in potassium)

• fill your cup to 8 ounces with warm/hot water (or coconut water your choice)

*** You'll find more about this very specific amount of salt below. Here's the thing... a good way to know this is too concentrated for you is feeling parched while you're drinking (especially in the esophagus) or several hours after drinking this cocktail.

This recipe is a starting point. I've used it short term (less than 1 week) to bridge energy gaps in a very specific population (typically low sodium levels of less than 140 on your CBC panel with insatiable hunger).

Typically, what people start to notice is that this concentration of salt's too much and they need to dilute more.

I highly encourage you to read this full article for an understanding of why this particular quantity of salt's included here.

The "Backdoor" Method: Getting Glucose into Cells Without Insulin

The adrenal cocktail does a few things:

1. Gives the brain an immediate hit of glucose (juice is actually preferred so your body doesn’t consume energy in breaking down the fruit, sugars from the juice hit the bloodstream much more quickly!). OJ (typical in most recipes) has a 1:1 ratio of fructose:glucose plus it’s rich in vitamin C (actually a critical nutrient for the adrenals, which is why you'll find it so frequently in adrenal cocktail recipes BUT... if you struggle with interstitial cystitis, MCAS, or GI distress or general inflammation, citrus can make things worse because of its tendency to activate mast cells).
   
   Again, if you struggle with inflammation, cherry or pomegranate are usually better tolerated than citrus.
   
   

2. Sodium and potassium: oftentimes, hunger is a cue that your cells are mineral thirsty/mineral hungry.
   
   Sodium and potassium are both involved in an alternate way for glucose to enter cells known as Secondary Active Transport. Here’s an overview of that system:
   

   • The Driving Force: The Na+/K+-ATPase pump uses ATP to push 3 Sodium ions (Na+) out of the cell and pull 2 Potassium ions (K+) in. (This is known as primary active transport and requires energy in the form of ATP... one of the body's main energy molecules).
     
     

   • The Gradient: This creates a massive electrochemical gradient where Sodium seeks to get back inside the cell by any way possible (state of high potential energy).
     
     

   • The Hitchhiker: The SGLT transporter acts like a revolving door. It only turns when Sodium enters. Glucose "hitchhikes" onto the Sodium; as Sodium rushes down its gradient into the cell, it pulls Glucose along with it into the cell. No energy is required for the SGLT transporter (but is for the primary active transport).
     
     The SGLT transporter is passive (meaning it doesn't require energy just a concentration gradient). However, normally to get the concentration gradient you need the Na+/K+ pump to turn. And this pump, the sodium-potassium pump requires energy. Needless to say, in a body struggling to meet energy demands, the sodium-potassium pumps are slow meaning there's not sufficient driving force (sodium gradient) for the SGLT transporter to work well.
     
     Let's unpack this.
     

Why cells struggle to receive glucose in a low energy (metabolic) state

And, why you should care.

The Na+/K+ATPase pump slows down when:

1. Your mitochondria struggle to make ATP (classic low energy state).

2. Sodium is low (commonly seen in chronic stress/chronic inflammation because the kidneys begin to struggle to retain sodium allowing more of it to pass out through the urine). Also common for low sodium in a hypothyroid state.

3. Potassium is low (which is also common in low metabolic tone and high stress states)

4. Magnesium is low: The Na+/K+-ATPase pump is Magnesium-dependent. Without Magnesium, the pump physically cannot turn.

Any or all of these conditions slow down the rate of the sodium-potassium pump. If you think of that pump as powering the revolving door that both sodium and glucose use to rush into cells (without the need for insulin), then one of the easiest things to do is increase the concentration of salt in the bloodstream and be sure that there's glucose available at the same time.

TLDR: the math for the nerdy girl

Which brings us back to that 1/4 teaspoon salt. 1/4 teaspoon salt weighs about 2.3 grams. Placing that in 240 mL of liquid (8 ounces liquid), we have about a 0.9% salt solution, often referred to as an isotonic solution (meaning it "matches" the tonicity of the cells of the body so that we don't push or pull water out of the cells). At face value, that sounds sufficient enough as an explanation, but it's a little more complicated than that.

Now technically, with 6L circulating blood in the body, 8 ounces of an isotonic salt solution will only increase sodium levels in the blood by about 2.5 mmol/L. For context, the plasma and the extracellular space (space between cells, where the sodium is pooling so to speak during the Na+/K+ pump exchange, both have a sodium concentration of about 135-145 mmol/L in healthy bodies.

Inside the cell, the sodium concentration is about 10-12 mmol/L (in healthy bodies). So what we're seeking to do is increase that gradient from the bloodstream (plasma) to the extracellular space to force sodium out of the bloodstream and into the extracellular space. We then have an even higher gradient (driving force) between the extracellular space (space outside) and the intracellular (space within) the cell.

Sodium, Potassium, and the "Hitchhiker" Effect

That sodium gradient plus the sugar from the fruit juice supports uptake of glucose. A few things about SGLT.

SGLT inhibitors are actually used (prescribed) for diabetes and other conditions. Again, this is where my take on disease and symptoms diverges from mainstream... I see a diabetic as someone who's in the middle of an energy crisis. The body is so energy starved it's shut down its ability to absorb glucose from the bloodstream with insulin (the normal route of "unlocking cell doors" to let glucose in). That doesn't mean the cells themselves don't need glucose. It's the main mechanism is shut down and there's likely a struggle with the sodium-potassium pumps that are energy driven.

The 99.9% Rule: My take on the cellular energy crisis

Are there cases where SGLT inhibitors may be necessary? Probably (these are approved drugs after all), and this will be a topic I'll write more about soon to expand on my thoughts here to add some color to this aspect. In the clients I work with, I actually see the opposite. Improving transport (kind of a "backdoor transport") of glucose into cells supports energy production. That said, if you're on an SGLT inhibitor, you'll definitely want to check with your doc before adding an adrenal cocktail (or 3) to your daily routine.

Another thing, if you've gotten used to googling something and relying on the AI summary at the top, it can be misleading regarding presence of SGLT on cell membranes (typically saying they're only present on cells of the gut). SGLT is expressed (to varying degrees) on many different cell types in the body and in my personal (lived) experience, my brain was the organ that was screaming "I'm starving!" For me, this adrenal cocktail was a sanity saver (and actually allowed me to feel full between meals).

Modifying the Adrenal Cocktail Recipe for your body's needs

NOTE #1: If you just read that and thought “I need to get a potassium pill.” Stop. Potassium is one of those minerals that when overdone has potentially devastating effects. The body needs it. The body knows how to get it from food. Potassium pills (generally speaking, depending on dosage/contraindications) can be too much of a good thing at once and can cause extreme effects.

The RDA for potassium is about 2.3 to 3.3 grams per day (depending on gender and age). I'm a big fan of "dosing" throughout the day and using foods and also cream of tartar as the potassium source.

Here's the unpacked version (the real why): while normal sodium ranges in the plasma/bloodstream/extracellular space is 135-145 mmol/L, normal potassium ranges are 4 to 4.6 mmol/L. Compared with intracellular concentration of 130 to 140 mmol/L. In other words, for potassium the concentration is opposite what it is for sodium. If you were to introduce an equivalent amount of potassium in the adrenal cocktail as sodium, the risk is disruption of the electric potential gradient between the extracellular fluid and the intracellular fluid.

NOTE #2: If you find that 1/4 teaspoon of salt causes your esophagus, mouth, tongues, lips to feel a bit raw or parched, you'll probably want to dilute in more water. Even though 1/4 teaspoon salt in a cup of water is isotonic (or near isotonic) salt solution, meaning it "shouldn't" dehydrate cells, we're not here to create more discomfort.

We're doing two things simultaneously:

1. increase the concentration of salt in the blood stream so that it drives the salt concentration in the extracellular space up so that we have a bigger driving force for those SGLT transporters to let salt and glucose into the cell even when there's an energy deficiency (insufficient ATP to power the sodium-potassium pump).

2. Do that in a way where we don't cause discomfort or create more cellular stress due to dehydrating the cells or the mucosa of the GI tract.

A good rule of thumb is dilute with an additional 2 ounces of warm water and if it's still causing that parched feeling, dilute with an extra 2 ounces of warm water.

Is Your Brain Starving? Why Low Sodium Triggers Adrenaline & Mast Cells

If you are low on sodium (because you are stressed, your adrenals are "leaking" salt, or you are over-hydrating with plain water), the SGLT doors in your gut and kidneys slow down.

• In the gut: You don't absorb the carbs you ate efficiently, leaving them to ferment (bloating) while your brain thinks you’re starving.
  

• In the kidneys: You lose more glucose in your urine, which is a massive waste of energy. (Also, ahem, that excess glucose becomes available to bacteria for fuel, which… establishes an environment where you’re more likely to develop an actual UTI).

Low sodium also leads to Low Blood Volume. When blood volume is low, the body compensates by increasing Adrenaline to keep blood pressure up.

As we've established: High Adrenaline = Mast Cell Activation = Bladder Flare.

Increasing salt intake (especially with a bit of fruit juice) does two things simultaneously:

1. It provides the pressure to "vacuum" glucose into the cells (SGLT).
   

2. It expands blood volume, which tells the brain it can lower adrenaline, which gets mast cells to stand down, reducing inflammation.

The Magnesium Spark: Why the Pump Won’t Turn Without It

What we haven't talked about yet is magnesium. That sodium-potassium pump requires magnesium (as do many other enzyme processed in the body). The RDA for magnesium is 400 mg. Magnesium glycinate is considered a highly bioavailable form. You may need well over 400 mg of magnesium daily especially if you have a heavy tox load (heavy metals, high inflammatory markers, etc.). Taking in split doses and even breaking the tablets in half or thirds usually helps with digestive trouble if magnesium causes diarrhea.

How do you know if this is working or if it's time to stop?

Reduction in hunger is the big sign this is working. If you are drinking two or three adrenal cocktails a day and suddenly one day feel a sense of "I might be getting a fever blister" or "This feels like I'm finally hydrated and plump at a cellular level." or "Huh, it feels like I've been swimming in the ocean for too long." then it's time to back off.

Ultimately, ensuring you're taking in salt in some shape, form, or fashion every day is essential for wellness but whether that looks like an adrenal cocktail or just adding 1/4 teaspoon salt to your 64 ounce cup each day is something you'll begin developing a more attuned sense for as you start noticing how each impacts hunger levels and other symptoms.

Is your body in a persistent energy crisis?

The Adrenal Cocktail is just one piece of the puzzle. If you’re struggling with "mystery symptoms," especially when you've been told your labs are normal, I help you make sense of your symptoms and map a way out of flares. My particular specialty areas are IC/chronic UTI, inflammation (whether autoimmune or otherwise), and MCAS. Book your initial consult with me here.

Disclaimer: This information is for educational and entertainment purposes only and is based on my personal lived experience and research. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

The "Adrenal Cocktail" involves significant shifts in mineral intake (sodium and potassium) which can affect blood pressure and kidney function. If you are taking blood pressure medication, SGLT inhibitors for diabetes, or have a history of kidney disease, please consult with your healthcare provider before adding this to your routine. Always listen to your body and work with a qualified practitioner when making changes to your supplement or nutritional protocol.