adrenal fatigue Archives • Alison Mitchell Naturopath

How a Neurodivergent-Affirming Naturopath Supports ADHD – Addressing the root causes of ADHD symptoms

Alison — Mon, 07 Apr 2025 05:34:50 +0000

If you’ve ever felt like the conventional way ADHD is talked about doesn’t quite sit right with you—you’re not alone. At my clinic, we take a neurodivergent-affirming approach, which means we don’t view ADHD as something “wrong” that needs to be fixed. Instead, we recognise it as a different way of thinking, feeling, and being in the world—a neurotype that comes with its own strengths and challenges. (And sometimes a few extra browser tabs open in the brain at once.)

Being a neurodivergent-affirming naturopath means meeting people where they are—not trying to make them act more “neurotypical,” but helping them work with their brain, not against it. It’s about understanding the unique experiences of people of all ages with ADHD and working together to reduce overwhelm, improve wellbeing, and find practical ways to support the body and mind, while also recognising what drives the painful parts of ADHD to get worse.

Understanding the ADHD Brain

ADHD is often misunderstood as simply a problem with focus or restlessness, but it goes much deeper than that. At the heart of ADHD is a challenge with self-regulation—of attention, emotions, behaviour, and thoughts. For many, it’s not just hard to pay attention—it can also be hard to stop paying attention, especially when they’re hyperfocused on something interesting.

On a brain level, people with ADHD often have differences in the dopamine system, which affects motivation, reward, and the ability to get started on (or finish) tasks. There’s also increased activity in a part of the brain called the Default Mode Network, which is responsible for things like imagination, planning, and daydreaming. This can lead to creativity and out-of-the-box thinking, but also rumination and trouble switching gears into action.

Another key area impacted is executive functioning—the part of the brain responsible for planning, organisation, working memory, and impulse control. This can make tasks like remembering appointments, managing time, or staying on top of household chores feel incredibly overwhelming. What might seem simple to others—like starting a load of laundry or replying to a text—can require an enormous amount of mental energy. It’s not laziness or lack of motivation; it’s often a neurological bottleneck in translating intention into action.

This is why understanding the ADHD brain is so important. It helps us move away from judgment and toward compassion—for ourselves or the people we love who are navigating life with ADHD. When we know what’s going on beneath the surface, we can begin to tailor support strategies that are actually helpful, not just well-meaning.

What Makes ADHD Symptoms Worse?

While ADHD is something you’re born with, certain factors can make the symptoms more intense or harder to manage. These can vary from person to person, but here are some of the most common ones I see in clinic:

🔥 Systemic Inflammation

Inflammation in the body can impact brain health and increase ADHD symptoms. Causes might include:

Gut microbiome imbalances (your gut and brain are pen pals, basically)
Leaky gut
Nutritional deficiencies (especially omega-3s)
Stealth infections (the kind you don’t even know you’re hosting)

🥦 Nutritional Deficiencies

Our nutrient status has a wide reaching impact on many parts of out health and wellbeing. Deficiencies can cause certain biochemical processes such as neurotransmitter formation, immune decisions or hormonal messenging to go awry, which will definitely affect ADHD. Common culprits for worsening ADHD symptoms include low levels of:

Omega-3 fatty acids
Protein
Zinc, magnesium, and iron

🌸 Hormonal Fluctuations

Hormones and ADHD have a very interesting relationship. Many women notice their symptoms flare up around perimenopause, postpartum, or throughout their cycle. If you’ve felt like your brain turns into a tumble dryer of emotions and forgetfulness at certain times of the month, it’s not your imagination—it’s hormones doing their thing. (I spoke about this in a reel not long ago).

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🍬 Blood Sugar Imbalances

Ever get hangry and forget your own name at the same time? Blood sugar crashes can feel eerily similar to ADHD meltdowns, and also worsen the imbalances long term. Keeping things steady helps a lot.

😥 Stress & Burnout

Living in a world not designed for ADHD brains is exhausting. Add in responsibilities, deadlines, and trying to “act normal,” and it’s no wonder so many adults with ADHD—especially women—are burnt out. You weren’t meant to do life on hard mode 24/7. The more pressure a person is under, the more their ADHD symptoms can flare as it takes a toll on their internal reserves. This is especially true for women who’ve been “masking” their symptoms for years and are experiencing deep mental fatigue or burnout. (Want to get your nervous system back into balance – I’ve made a program to help you understand what causes stress to the body while implement small achievable changes to get back into balance. Check it out here: Beat Burnout

😴 Sleep Disorders

Sleep issues are very common in people with ADHD and can make their symptoms a lot worse. This study found a strong link between sleep disordered breathing in children with ADHD and their symptoms improved after having their tonsils/adenoids removed. It’s not just obstructive sleep apnoea that causes ADHD to flare up though, this study found many other causes of sleep issues to worsen ADHD (and also showed a correlation with low iron stores).

🧬 Connective Tissue Health

There’s a growing link between ADHD and issues like joint hypermobility and connective tissue concerns, which may be part of the body’s inflammatory story too.

You’re Not Alone—And Support Is Available

If any of this resonates with you, I want you to know that you’re not alone—and you don’t have to figure it out all by yourself. As a naturopath, we work with patients (adults and children) to identify the underlying factors that might be making their ADHD symptoms worse and create realistic, personalised treatment plans that help support their brain and body.

If you’d like to explore working together, you’re welcome to get in touch.

And if you’re looking for a simple place to start, I created the Kitchen Novice eBook and Meal Plan to help you build healthier eating habits. It’s designed to be easy to follow, even on a busy schedule, and focuses on reducing inflammation and keeping blood sugar stable—two key foundations for supporting ADHD naturally.

The post How a Neurodivergent-Affirming Naturopath Supports ADHD – Addressing the root causes of ADHD symptoms appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

Healing Autoimmune Disease by sorting out gut health, hormonal health and mould

Alison — Fri, 04 Oct 2019 06:22:05 +0000

Guts and Girl Bits Podcast #41 with Jenn Malecha

In this episode I’m joined with Jenn Malecha – also know as the (W)holistic Health Boss. I had a great time chatting with Jenn about her own health journey but she shared a lot of knowledge about functioning testing and considerations for chronic health conditions.

We talk about how if you have a chronic illness, you need to look at getting your hormones and gut health under control to achieve long lasting results, and we also chat about black mould.

We discuss:

Jenn’s journey with her health overcoming autoimmune disease by battling hormone imbalance, mould and gut issues.
The benefit of functional testing to put together the puzzle of your health, especially talking about the DUTCH test to look at your hormones and stress hormones indepth, and microbiome (stool) test options.
How for some people, black mould can dramatically affect your health, and what to do to get on top of it.
What major hormonal issues Jenn sees affecting women’s health.
How to work out the causes of why you are chronically ill and putting that information together.
Adrenal fatigue and nervous exhaustion.
What are the nutrients and supplements Jenn thinks most people would benefit from.
Her top lifestyle recommendations to improve health and wellbeing.

The Podcast

Have a listen here on on the embedded player below.

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You can find out more about Jenn here:

the W(holisitic) Health Boss

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Adrenal Fatigue – Part 2

Alison — Thu, 26 Nov 2015 20:04:05 +0000

Health & Wellbeing Podcast Episode #16

In this episode Lisa and I continue our chat about Adrenal Fatigue, and this time we’re talking what to do about it.

If you experience adrenal fatigue there is a lot that can be done about it. In this episode we give you some guidance about the strategies that may need to be put in place, such as diet change, adjusting exercise levels, improving sleep, and what herbs we love for adrenal fatigue.

The thing about adrenal fatigue is that it’s not a straight forward condition. So while employing these strategies will help, it may be necessary to consult a practitioner who can help you work out the more complicated drivers of your condition.

Check out Part 1 here

Lisa is a Naturopath, lecturer and writer as as well as an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant. Lisa has an interest in treating thyroid and adrenal health. Her practice is in Caringbah in South Sydney.

Connect with Lisa:

Website: http://lisacostabirnaturopath.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LisaCostaBirNaturopath
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lisacostabirnaturopath/

Click here to Subscribe on iTunes
Click here to Subscribe on Youtube

Podcast Breakdown

0:00 Intro and Disclaimer
2:00 The stages of Adrenal Fatigue based on tests and how that affects it’s treatment
3:05 Lifestyle recommendations for Adrenal Fatigue Stages
3:58 Over-exercising could be stopping you losing weight and recovering properly
5:54 When it’s lack of activity that starts the fatigue
8:00 Using herbs to support your ability to cope with training for an event
8:57 What sort of exercise to do if you have Adrenal Fatigue
12:10 Stage 3 Adrenal Fatigue misconceptions
14:22 Diet for Adrenal Fatigue: Balanced blood sugar levels, whole foods. adequate protein, nutrient dense diet, to snack or not to snack, caffeine.
17:10 Food intolerances and Adrenal fatigue
17:53 Reducing sugar
18:05 Keeping your gut healthy, fermented foods, gelatin, prebiotics
19:00 Seaweed
19:10 Sleep
24:30 Vitamin C
26:57 Magnesium
29:03 B Vitamins
30:40 Nutrient depletors
30:58 Adequate nutrient levels to begin with reduces the effect of stress (read more here: www.naturopathnsw.com.au/vitamin-c-and-stress-research-update)
32:04 Phosphatidylserine
32:52 Using test results to determine treatment
34:50 Herbs for Adrenal Fatigue.
37:25 Adrenal fatigue is not always straight forward, and it doesn’t have the most accurate name. Seeing a practitioner can help you target your treatment.
39:58 Immune involvement in Adrenal Fatigue and the importance of treating the gut.

The post Adrenal Fatigue – Part 2 appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

Adrenal Fatigue – Part 1

Alison — Sun, 15 Nov 2015 20:21:32 +0000

Health and Wellbeing Podcast Episode #15 with guest Lisa Costa Bir

In this episode Lisa and I chat about Adrenal Fatigue – what it is, what symptoms it can cause, what’s actually happening in the body, and how to test for it.

Adrenal fatigue is something many people experience varying symptoms of at some stage, but the condition is often poorly understood and at times passed off as a ‘fake’ condition. In this episode we address this.

Check out Part 2 – what you can do about it, here.

Lisa is a Naturopath, lecturer and writer as as well as an Ayurvedic Lifestyle Consultant. Lisa has an interest in treating thyroid and adrenal health. Her practice is in Caringbah in South Sydney.

Connect with Lisa:

Website: http://lisacostabirnaturopath.com.au/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LisaCostaBirNaturopath
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lisacostabirnaturopath/

Subscribe on iTunes
Click here to subscribe on YouTube

Podcast Breakdown

0:00 Intro and disclaimer
0:43 Welcome
1:25 What is Adrenal fatigue and what are the different stages?
3:21 Adrenal fatigue and chronic fatigue syndrome.
5:16 Triggers of adrenal fatigue (in particular the many forms of stress)
5:52 Inflammation as a form of stress
8:40 Adrenal fatigue affecting ability to heal from injuries, illnesses and infections, e.g. Blastocystis and H. pylori
11:39 Is adrenal fatigue real?
12:36 The role of the neurotransmitter orexin in causing fatigue.
14:17 Testing for adrenal fatigue
18:20 Using test results for targeted treatment
19:17 What are the symptoms of adrenal fatigue
21:10 Blood sugar level imbalances a big part of the adrenal fatigue picture, and can also mimic the symptoms of adrenal fatigue.
22:13 Looking at other hormones in adrenal fatigue (e.g. progesterone) and other tests that may be helpful
26:13 More about the role of inflammation in adrenal fatigue/HPA axis dysfunction
30:11 How to get in contact.

The post Adrenal Fatigue – Part 1 appeared first on Alison Mitchell Naturopath.

Stress and the Nervous System – Podcast

Alison — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 21:09:50 +0000

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Health and Wellbeing Podcast #4

It’s time for podcast number four, and in this one I talk with fellow naturopath Laura Burton about stress, neurotransmitter health, adrenal health, ways to deal with and reduce stress via diet and lifestyle techniques.

Laura is a clinical naturopath practicing in St Leonards and Dural. Her key areas of interest are female hormone disorders, digestive health, stress & adrenal fatigue. Through her clinical experience Laura has identified the prevalence of stress in our everyday lives and sees it as the most common cause or exacerbating factor of her patients health conditions. Laura believes that we need to get back to basics and work on our ability to release and manage stress in order to prevent and treat disease.

Last year Laura set herself the mission to reach beyond the walls of her clinics and send her de-stress message out to Australian and New Zealand households through the Burton Health Tea Club. Each month she sends love letters and tea packages to her members to inject joy and excitement into their days and to remind them to slow down, relax and reconnect while sipping on a cup of organic herbal tea.

You can connect with Laura via her website www.burtonhealth.com.au, on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.

Want to subscribe to get podcasts automatically? You can do that here: https://itunes.apple.com/au/podcast/health-wellbeing-podcast/id1006574743

Podcast Breakdown:

4:27 What have Laura and I been up to? Laura has been busy with her Tea Club and clinic life, and I have been busy in the clinic as well. I also have the Stress Talk coming up this Saturday at Windsor.

5:50 Stress has a big impact on our everyday life and it can be difficult to recognise stress because it comes in so many different forms. Sneaky stress!

7:00 The impact of over-exercising or the wrong forms of exercise on stress and adrenal health.

8:22 Stress impacts on nervous system balance.

8:54 The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.

9:24 Serotonin

10:45 Histamine

12:52 GABA

14:14 Dopamine

14:46 Adenosine

15:26 Laura talks about diet and nutrients for neurotransmitter and mood health

17:30 Digestive health is important in neurotransmitter health because we need to be able to breakdown our foods to absorb the nutrients required for neurotransmitter production

18:22 Vitamin C and other nutrients required for neurotransmitters and adrenal health

21:28 Iron supplementation risks, haemochromatosis and anxiety

22:40 Laura sums up how a balanced diet can usually provide the variety of

22:11 Adrenal health: How norepinephrine and epinephrine work in the body, and why high cortisol can impede muscle gain from exercise. Chronic stress can suppress out immune system and reduce our ability to heal from injuries.

24:50 Adrenal fatigue symptoms we’d look for in clinic.

26:36 Saliva testing for adrenal fatigue

28:00 Diet and lifestyle ways to deal with adrenal fatigue

29:29 Hugs for relieving stress!

30:39 Meditation increases dopamine and serotonin

31:09 Mindfulness, meditation and breathing exercises. One moment meditation video can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6eFFCi12v8

35:29 Changing our mindset and ways of thinking

37:43 Gratitude practice

40:31 Our favourite stress herbs

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