Hello friends!

This month we will be exploring the realm of STRESS. Not because I like the topic...in fact I try to do everything possible to AVOID stress but it is something that we are all familiar with and struggle with on a daily basis. I want to dive deeper into the physiological effects of stress and as the month progresses we will learn more about what you can do, naturally, to reduce the side effects of stress. I find that if we can connect with what is actually happening in our body we have a heightened awareness as to how to calm ourselves.

First, I wanted to explain what is physiologically going on in the body when we are having a stressful experience, particularly in our brain and adrenals (energy powerhouses). Our amygdala is a small, almond shaped part of the prefrontal cortex of our brain that perceives stress, real or not. This is also known as the fight, flight, or freeze response. I want you to pay special attention to the fact that even when the fear may be unconscious, our amygdala is still triggered and we experience the physiological effect. So what is that effect you ask?   First, there is increased permeability of chemicals to pass through the blood brain barrier because of this heightened state - ones made in & for our bodies and chemicals we are exposing ourselves to.

A hormonal response also occurs in the adrenal glands. Our adrenal glands are an important organ of the endocrine system which sit on top of the kidneys and regulate many processes throughout our day; particularly for regulating the stress response. The gland is split into two compartments: the medulla; which synthesize epinephrine (adrenaline) and noepinephrine and the cortex; producing cortisol and DHEA. All of these hormones and catecholemins play an essential role in managing our stress response but for the sake of keeping this out of a medical book, let's focus on the hormone Cortisol.

In my opinion, Cortisol could be considered our master hormone for when it is out of whack everything else tends to spiral downward. It is the hormone that regulates us waking up and going to sleep and everything that happens with our energy in between. Other functions of cortisol include:

• Regulation of blood sugar & pressure
• Anti-inflammatory agent
• Determines conversion of fats, carbs & proteins
• Helps maintain emotional stability & resistance to stress

A person with healthy levels of cortisol would begin their day with a high amount of cortisol (helping them to wakeup feeling refreshed) and end with low cortisol in which melatonin would kick in to take its place (thus we fall & stay asleep restfully). As I mentioned previously, whether or not our conscious mind perceives stress we can still have a response in our body. So, if our bodies perceive 100 situations in a day as being stressful, we are constantly experiencing influxes and reduction of cortisol. These stressors can be as minute as a persistent low level noise. With constant stimuli our cortisol curves can begin to resemble a ball bouncing rather than a nice smooth curve. So what does this mean for you? This could result in feeling wired AND tired...having bouts of extreme energy and then severe exhaustion. You could be experiencing headaches, weight gain, heart palpitations...the symptoms vary depending on the phase of adrenal fatigue and the hormonal storm that is occurring . Here are some symptoms associated with excess cortisol:

• Interference of skin regeneration & healing
• Increase in blood sugar - which can result in insulin resistance
• Demineralization of bones leading to osteoporosis
• Supressed Immune system
• Increased appetite & Cravings
• Weight gain (particularly around the middle) and visceral fat storage
• Linked to development of food allergies
• Increase risk of GI problems

• Breaks down tissue to release fat into the blood stream to supply nutrients
• Inhibits protein uptake by 70% while breaking down protein to supple energy to the muscles

With cases of low cortisol or DHEA further symptoms associated with adrenal deficiency can include:

• Lower back pain
• Dark circles under the eyes
• Dizziness & light headedness when standing
• Muscle twitches
• Heart palpitations
• Easily irritated
• Tendency to startle easy
• Vitiligo
• Brain fog
• Depression
• Constricted blood vessels

In addition to these associated symptoms, many diseases are associated with adrenal fatigue including:

• Cancer
• Asthma
• Auto-immune disorders
• Diabetes
• Angina
• Alzheimers
• IBS, IBD
• Hypertension

As you can see there are NUMEROUS indications of adrenal fatigue presented throughout our bodily systems. Which is why testing becomes so important. Measuring our cortisol curve throughout the day can give us a more thorough picture of what is happening with stress response and then a treatment plan can be customized to restore you back to health. Testing through saliva will give a much more accurate picture of what is going on with the cortisol curve throughout the day. Traditional testing has tested cortisol only once throughout the day through blood sample which may not be as accurate. Testing can be done locally at Natural Therapeutics and once your results are returned a comprehensive analysis will be done and dietary and supplementary recommendations will follow. Stress response can also be measured through a hair analysis which analyses the presence and absence of important minerals and ratios. Knowing where your adrenal health stands can serve as a great starting place to remedying overall health issues.