Hormone Imbalance due to Stress

The Most Common Form of Hormone Imbalance

You've probably heard of the hormone cortisol being called the 'stress hormone'.  While is is true that cortisol has a primary influence on stress it also supports a wide variety of other physiological roles.  It is responsible for three major actions that keep you alive: raising blood sugar, increasing blood pressure and regulating inflammation.  
Stress. It’s everywhere. The shoulder-tensing kind of stress that leaves you wired but tired, and taunts you to reach for that pick me up of sugar or coffee. Then comes the guilt because you know you aren't handling it appropriately.  That's when we are stressed about our stress and that doesn't help! So, let’s take a look at the hormone cortisol as it relates to the stress response to get a clearer understanding of the biochemical state of the body when we experience hyperarousal (that is, the scientific term for what we might so very eloquently call “freaking out”) and explore how we can return the body to a state of balance and stability.

What is Cortisol?

In order to fully understand stress management and to discover a place of balance with out daily stress, it is important to understand cortisol’s dynamic influence on our everyday function. At the most basic level, cortisol is a hormone- a chemical substance that acts as a messenger to direct the activity of certain cells or organs in the body. You’ve probably heard of cortisol being called “the stress hormone,” but it is also responsible for three major mechanisms that help to keep the body in a state of balance, or homeostasis: raising blood sugar, increasing blood pressure and regulating inflammation. Through these mechanisms, cortisol essentially influences nearly all that we do, and is directly responsible for modulating:

• digestion
• circulation
• sleep/wake patterns
• physical activity
• sexual response
• behavior and mood

So, with this prestigious list of roles and responsibilities, why is it that experts suggest that cortisol imbalance is the most common form of hormone imbalance in the modern world?

Stress, The HPA Axis and Cortisol

Cortisol is released by the cortex (or outer layer) of your adrenal glands. It is naturally secreted in an ebb and flow rhythm that repeats daily. Ideally, cortisol is highest in the morning to help us to wake up in a productive, alert, and energetic manner. It then tapers throughout the day and evening, lowest at night when we are meant to be sleeping soundly, and at which point the soothing, anti-inflammatory hormone melatonin takes over.
In addition to this daily cycle that helps us wake up in the morning and go to sleep at night, cortisol is released as part of the natural human stress response. In threatening situations, a surge of cortisol primes the body to react swiftly and appropriately. This very primal system is called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Whenever a stressor is perceived, the hypothalamus (a gland in the brain) signals to the pituitary (a hormone gland in the brain) that something is up. The pituitary then sends a chemical alarm via the hormone ACTH, signaling to the adrenals (the glands atop your kidneys) to release a burst of cortisol and other hormones like adrenaline, preparing the body for “flight or fight” mode. This is where cortisol’s three primary mechanisms really come in handy: the surge increases glucose to the muscles so that one can fight or run, and blood pressure is raised to ensure a plentiful supply of fresh oxygen to the brain so that one is able to think clearly. Simultaneously, non-immediate functions such as digestion, sexual arousal and immune system reactions are temporarily suppressed, enabling energy to flow more steadily towards the vital functions that keep us alive. When the threat subsides, the alarm in the hypothalamus is shut off and the body is restored to a state of harmony, recovering and awaiting the next alert.

Adrenal Burnout

This method works great when there is an accident or medical emergency. Yet unfortunately the HPA Axis responds not only to those acute stressors, but also to those that are anticipated and perceived- our looming worries and fears. The HPA system is helpless in differentiating between psychosocial stressors like getting stuck in traffic or planning a dinner party, and physical threats such as being in a burning building. Therefore if we aren't careful, our daily life can have stressors everywhere and worry is rampant, so the HPA alarm is almost constantly stuck in the glowing red ON position. Cortisol levels soar in an unruly and destructive manner at bizarre times of the day and night, and suddenly small tasks such as packing a lunch or responding to an email, morph into treacherous evil threats that we feel like we just can’t handle.
Over time, the body simply can’t compensate for this hormonal instability and we start to burn out. The adrenals simply cannot keep up with the burden of constantly being told to secrete cortisol, and our systems slowly falter and shut down under such demands. This phenomenon is often called adrenal fatigue, and is coupled with the experience of such troublesome conditions as heart disease, sleep problems, digestive issues, depression, memory impairment, excessive weight gain and worsening skin conditions.

Rebalancing Cortisol

As much as we might close our eyes tightly and try to resist and control it, stress is an inherent part of life. However, through adequate nourishment and care, we are able to put the body's biochemical systems back on track, shifting the way that we relate to stress so that it does not shatter our everyday experience and stifle our creative expression. Building a nutrient dense diet is essential to healing the adrenals, as is participating in healthy fitness that involves adequate amounts of rest and recovery. That's why practitioners at Healing Arts work with the biofeedback from your body to devise a detailed diet and lifestyle plan that works for you. Here are some of the things that we test for to help support and rebuild the adrenal glands.  

Fish Oil

Extensive research has shown that a high quality fish oil like cod liver oil, tuna oil or krill oil, rich in omega-3s and fat-soluble vitamins, can effectively lower cortisol levels that were increased by mental stress. Fish oil, especially when coupled with a source of vitamin K2, also provides the foundational nutrients that are beneficial in replenishing depleted hormonal stores and adrenal gland reserves.

 Deep Breathing

Due to our desk-sitting habits and stress-driven culture, many of us have actually altered the musculature of our natural posture and have become rapid, shallow, chest breathers. This breath habit compromises oxygen flow, weakens the abdominals, causes adrenal strain, compresses organs, creates lower back pain, and stimulates adrenaline-cortisol release. Learning how to breathe properly can neutralize this effect and turn off the HPA alarm.

Magnesium

Numerous studies have found that the frequent release of adrenaline and cortisol involved in an unresolved stress response is strongly correlated with decreased magnesium. What’s worse? It all works in a vicious cycle: because lack of magnesium can cause anxiety, sleep disturbance and depression.

B Vitamins

According to research, B vitamins, particularly Vitamin B5 (pantethine), work to reduce the hypersecretion of cortisol. Paradoxically, excess cortisol depletes B vitamins from the system, so people with high stress levels tend to be extremely deficient in these powerful vitamins. The B vitamins are most effective when taken together, thus eating foods that are high in all B vitamins such as liver, or taking high quality B vitamin supplements is crucial in restoring energy levels.

Earthing

Studies have shown that practicing grounding is one of the most effective ways to restore natural hormonal rhythms during sleep, resynchronizing cortisol to its innate rhythm. Earthing, or grounding, is the practice of reconnecting with the earth’s healing energy by allowing bare skin to come into direct contact with the earth's surface. This can be done by walking barefoot outside on the dirt or sand, swimming in lakes or in the ocean, or by the use of exquisitely designed earthing products which bring earth’s energy into the home using a grounded electrical system or grounding rod.

Having Trouble Losing Weight? Learn About Weight Loss Resistance.

Have you every tried to lose weight and you are doing all the right things and the scale isn’t budging?  Or you have lost weight but now you have plateaued and working out harder isn’t making a difference? I have just read and researched this weekend about something called Weight Loss Resistance and it was like the light bulb going off in my head.  I couldn’t wait to sit down and write about it.  I do enjoy writing but usually I can wait so excitement has gotten the best of me!

I have helped people lose weight for over 11 years now and while most are successful there are the stubborn few that despite eating well, exercising and supporting their body with the right nutrition through whole food supplements that don’t lose weight like expected.  I have seen it take time due to the adrenals being burnt out.  In these situations the first step is to rebuild the adrenals so the body can then drop the weight.  To learn more read The Truth About Weight Loss.

But in Weight Loss Resistance the body has this underlining inflammation that needs to be addressed for the body to let go of the fat.  You still have to watch what you eat and exercise too. But overcoming Weight Loss Resistance makes those changes work like they’re supposed to. And it makes them stick too.

Once you kill your own Weight Loss Resistance, you’ll never struggle to lose weight again. You’ll never feel like your own body is against you.

 

Scientists gathered together a group of 16,616 men and non-pregnant women. They set out to conduct the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. In this experiment they found that overweight people had more of a certain destructive protein in their blood than the thinner people.

This was true for both men and women. And it was true for both young and old too. If one of the subjects was overweight or obese, they tested for higher levels of this harmful protein called C-Reactive Protein, or CRP for short. Excess CRP in the blood indicates one thing: low level systemic inflammation which you will see later doesn’t let the body lose weight. Often CRP is found in people with diseases like gout, arthritis, and lupus. Since these are inflammatory diseases, you’d expect elevated CRP levels. But it was a shock to find the same kind of low-level chronic inflammation in people who had no other issues than some extra weight!

Having this low-level chronic inflammation creates stress on the blood-brain barrier.  The barrier is there to let good things from the blood go in and keep bad stuff out.  The blood pumping through your body right now has nutrients in it. It has oxygen in it. And often it has toxins and bad bacteria too. That’s why we have a blood-brain barrier and it works really well unless you’re overweight! This is because CRP breaks down the blood-brain barrier slightly. It eats tiny holes in the barrier, allowing some of the bad stuff in.  In other words, elevated CRP causes a toxic brain.

Now these are small holes. But they’re big enough to let toxic bacteria get in and damage the brain.  It’s not like brain damage that ruins your memory or harms your thinking ability. But overtime, it’s just as harmful. This bad bacteria that leaks into your brain inflames a gland in the brain called the hypothalamus.  The hypothalamus connects the brain with the hormones by sending out hormone signals that control a variety of metabolic functions like the energy output of your body and nutrient metabolism.  But when your hypothalamus is inflamed, it doesn’t work so well. When it misfires it doesn’t get the signals from the body about how much leptin the body has which is the cause of Weight Loss Resistance.  Leptin is inside every one of our fat cells. The more fat cells we have, the more leptin we have. As we gain weight, our fat cells get bigger. And the bigger our fat cells the more leptin we produce then too. 

Leptin is supposed to signal your brain to put the brakes on your food intake. It’s the hormone that’s supposed to drive us to maintain a healthy weight. Except, as you’ve just learned, when the hypothalamus is inflamed, this pathway malfunctions.  It doesn’t see all the leptin. So, it puts your body in ‘starvation mode.’ And it instructs you to eat more food so you can produce more leptin. This malfunction explains why many overweight people don’t have an ‘off switch’ when it comes to eating and overeating becomes a problem.  Your body is caught in starvation mode, even when you’re clearly not starving.  And no matter how hard you try, your hypothalamus will always be working against you … thinking you’re starving … instructing you to eat more.

So how do we get the CRP level down to heal the blood brain barrier?  We heal this by getting rid of the inflammation.  There are a lot of reasons for inflammation in the body.  It could be our diet.  The most inflammatory foods are white refined sugar, coffee, and alcohol.  It could be heavy metals or chemicals that our body is having trouble detoxing.  It could be immune stressors in the body that the immune system can’t handle like bad bacteria, old viruses, fungus, mold or parasites.  This is why we muscle test for these things in the office.  The whole point of health in the office is to detox the body and with the right nutrition the body can heal.  So besides getting checked for what toxins you have, what is the right nutrition? 

Curcumin (which is found in turmeric spice) has been proven over and over again in clinical studies spanning more than 50 years to be a powerful anti-inflammatory.  In fact, it is the strongest anti-inflammatory I know and it’s been shown to be more powerful than many harmful medications that we take every day. But that doesn’t mean you should be rushing out to the grocery store to buy turmeric. If you’re going to sprinkle turmeric on your food or drink golden milk it will help but if you are going to take a turmeric supplement, you have to make sure it contains curcumin. And it should contain at least 60% curcumin.

So if you are having trouble losing weight at your next visit let’s test what toxins may be causing inflammation and then test curcumin and other natural anti-inflammatory supplements and reverse Weight Loss Resistance!

The Truth About Weight Loss

When people come to my office to lose weight I must first explain to them that I am not a ‘quick fix’ doctor and that my patients are in it not to just lose weight but to create a healthier body. True health is about lifestyle changes. While my weight loss patients make adjustments in their lifestyle to follow the guidance I give them they go through 3 phases. The first phase is the transition to restore the metabolism. Once that is established then the body can start losing weight (step 2) and then the final step is to maintain optimal health.
The transition is a journey of healing. You can only be in your transition if you are improving your nutrition and lifestyle habits.
During the transition one’s hormones will change in response to the nutrition and lifestyle changes that are being made and this allows the body to heal. However, balanced hormones will not happen immediately—there are sequential steps of healing that everyone must take.
When a patient starts their transition process by improving their habits, their body will begin to rebalance its hormones. Their body will also rebuild at the cellular level with nutrients that were not available during previous poor habits. The more damaged the current metabolism, the longer it will take for this process to be completed.
When one has healed their metabolism, they are primed to lose fat weight, if needed. Once they have lost all their excess fat, they are through steps 1 and 2.

The Three Transition Stages
For most people, the transition (step 1) to a healthy metabolism consists of three main stages. Here is what you may expect as you journey through your transition to health. You begin at your initial starting point and then enter 1) a healing phase. Then you enter a 2) fat burning phase, if you need to burn fat before you finally reach a 3) healed state. Depending on your current metabolism, your body may skip the healing and/or fat-burning phases.
Let's look at each stage in more detail:
Healing phase
Fat-burning phase
Healed state
The Initial Starting Point
The initial starting point is your current metabolism type and age when you start improving your habits and begin entering your transition. Listed to the right are the four metabolism types an individual can have.
Insulin-sensitive with healthy adrenal glands
Insulin-sensitive with burned-out adrenal glands
Insulin-resistant with healthy adrenal glands
Insulin-resistant with burned-out adrenal glands



These metabolism types are not genetic but acquired. Everyone begins life insulin-sensitive with healthy adrenal glands. It is only after years of poor nutrition and lifestyle habits that you may become insulin-resistant or have burned-out adrenal glands—or have both conditions.
Your age and how long you have had your current metabolism affect the duration of your transition. The older you are and the longer your metabolism has been damaged, the longer it will take for you to complete your transition.

Insulin-sensitive
It is normal to be insulin-sensitive. You are insulin-sensitive if your body responds to all the actions of insulin, including the ability to make and store fats.
The following is what happens when you eat carbohydrates if you are insulin sensitive:
Sugar is taken up by your liver.
Excess sugar in your liver is turned into triglycerides and cholesterol.
Triglycerides and cholesterol are taken up by various cells of your body.
Sugar is also taken up by your cells.
When all the sugar and fats are in your cells, blood-sugar levels start to drop and insulin levels go back down.
You eat again and the whole process starts all over
Insulin-resistant
Eventually, from sustained high levels of insulin, you become completely insulin-resistant. All your cells are completely overfilled with fats and sugar, and they barely respond to the action of insulin. At this point you usually have high triglyceride blood levels. (High triglyceride levels are not indicators of insulin resistance only. Smoking, stress, birth control pills and drinking alcohol can raise triglyceride levels in your bloodstream also, but that does not necessarily mean that you are insulin-resistant. Do not diagnose yourself as insulin-resistant from your triglyceride blood test alone.)
When you are insulin-resistant, you have high fasting insulin levels, you usually carry your excess fat weight around your midsection and you have one or more of the following symptoms or diseases.
Abnormal cholesterol profiles: High triglyceride levels with low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels and high apolipoprotein B levels.
Hypertension: Sustained high blood pressure.
Type II diabetes: Sustained high levels of sugar in the bloodstream.
Coronary atheroscelrosis: Plaques in the heart arteries which may cause a heart attack when they rupture.
Cerebral atheroscelrosis: Plaques in the brain which may cause a stroke when they rupture.
Cancers: Abnormal cell growth. Breast, prostate and colon cancers are the most common cancers associated with high insulin levels.
Stein Leventhal Syndrome (SLS): SLS is a female clinical condition of infertility (anovulatory menstrual cycles), acne and/or facial hair.
There are three paths that lead to insulin resistance:
Years of high insulin levels due to poor nutrition and lifestyle habits.
Years of high adrenaline and/or cortisol levels due to poor nutrition and lifestyle habits.
Years of high insulin, adrenaline and cortisol levels due to poor nutrition and lifestyle habits.
If you recognize that you are on any of these paths, now is the time to change your habits!

Your Goal
Your goal is to stay or become insulin-sensitive and to have healthy adrenal glands or to heal them. Therefore, the goal metabolism to have is insulin sensitive with healthy adrenal glands and then and only then will the weight loss start happening! Know that there is hope and weight loss just has to be approached holistically with the ultimate goal is changing how your body responds to insulin. This way you lose weight AND keep it off!

Having Trouble Sleeping? Try Sleep Snack

When one of my patients asked me if a mixture of sugar and salt would help her fall asleep I instantly wanted to say, 'Of course not!'. Such a thing is something she read online and even when asking me my professional opinion she said that maybe she was asking as an excuse to feed her sweet tooth. But instead of saying no, curiosity got the best of me and when she sent me the link and I did my research I was surprised at how the data did add up. I still don't like the idea of eating sugar so I think a simple carb with a healthy protein is the best way to go.

I love to test new things on myself first before recommending it to patients but this natural remedy is hard to test unless you have trouble sleeping. So for those of you who try it I would love the feedback!

How to Make a Sleep Snack:

It’s either a spoonful of nut butter and some honey or avocado on a gluten-free cracker right before bed.  The protein plus the carb will help you sleep deeper and get better quality sleep.

You can eat it before you go to bed as you get ready for sleep, or leave on your night stand for if you wake up in the night.

There’s a reason why your eyes snap open at 3 am. You’re having a biochemical reaction to excessive amounts of stress hormones floating throughout your body that’s trying to sleep. In a healthy body with a healthy metabolism, hormone levels cycle moderately through highs and lows throughout the day. When you have a stressed metabolism, natural peaks of stress hormone levels spike to abnormal highs, initiating a stress response. When this happens at night, it seriously disrupts sleep patterns, and often causes you to wake up—often leaving you so wired up that you’re unable to fall back asleep.

Once the body has the right balance of blood sugar and especially if you are not as stressed you won't necessarily need the sleep snack but if you take it when it's not needed it definitely won't do any harm. Either way have, 'sweet dreams'!

For other tips on sleeping well, read my other blog on sleeping tips or listen to my podcast on For Better Sleep.