Stress has become a synonymous, integral even, accompaniment of life in our fast-paced world. Generally regarded as "distress," our bodies struggle to re-establish physiological integrity at certain times, such as after working long hours, or when we have insufficient exercise, sleep and nutrition. Driven by persistent exposure to stressors, the body begins to lose its dynamic resilience and fails…
Tags: Neurotransmitters, Sleep, Stress, HPA Axis
The adaptogens represent a category of herbs that is almost commonplace for those individuals seeking to be healthier in today’s stressful environment. These remarkable herbs focus on helping the body resist the complex biological reactions that arise from the stressful events we daily encounter. Adaptogens work to increase the body’s resistance to physical, biological, emotional, and environmental…
Tags: Herbs, Stress, Adrenal and Cortisol
Treatment TakeawayOn awakening cortisol should increase about 50% in the first 30 minutes then begin to progressively drop the remainder of the day. Three, rather than one, early morning collections are what is needed to accurately assess the CAR; one immediately on waking, one 30 minutes later, and another at 1 hour. Thirty minutes after awakening from a good…
Tags: Stress, Cortisol Awakening Response, Saliva Testing, HPA Axis, Adrenal and Cortisol
It would not be an exaggeration to say that this book covers everything you need to know about the stress response system and how it affects our health. Dr. Guilliams reminds us that only 80 years ago the concept of stress as a biological process, and how the stress response is regulated by the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, was yet to be elucidated. He takes us back to the pioneering…
Tags: Stress, HPA Axis, Adrenal and Cortisol
As we roll into 2016 what is it that YOU hope to change, reinvent, reconsider, move towards or away from in the coming year? New Year’s resolutions are often among the most noble of ideas, centered on self-improvement, education, health, lifestyle and relationships. Yet statistics show that only eight percent of us successfully reach our aspirations. Experts tell us that the more specific the goal,…
Tags: Hormone Balance, Weight Management, Sleep, Stress, Patient Education
Practice Takeaway: Providers should be aware that three different body fluids – saliva, blood or urine – can be used to assess adrenal gland function, and should know each method’s advantages and disadvantages, when deciding how to test patients. Inadequate or excessive production or disrupted circadian patterns of cortisol synthesis by the adrenal glands in response to stressors can eventually…
Tags: Dried Urine Testing, Saliva Testing, Blood Spot Testing, Stress, Adrenal and Cortisol
Practical Takeaway: When adrenal glands become fatigued – typically as a result of prolonged, repetitive stress – the output of key regulatory hormones, like 'master stress hormone' cortisol, is diminished. Following my recent re-reading of Dr. James Wilson’s 2001 pioneering book, Adrenal Fatigue: the 21st Century Stress Syndrome, I took his advice and for the first time in months slept in on a…
Tags: Hormone Balance, Patient Education, Stress, Adrenal and Cortisol
The holiday rush is upon us and like everyone else you probably find yourself in a frenzy of shopping, parties, and the round of Christmas craft fairs, concerts, and happy hours with friends. Actually, I’m having far too much fun this season, but on top of work and chores, aging parents, aging dogs (who have lately forgotten they’re house trained), aging knees, and an empty nest (which is about to…
Tags: Hormone Balance, Patient Education, Weight Management, Stress
It certainly isn't news that hormones are involved in skin health. But it may be news that effects of declining estrogen levels are more obvious on the skin of the face than elsewhere on the body. How so? Read on. Lower Hormone Levels = Lower Skin Vitality. Women and their doctors have known for a long time that the decline in hormone levels as we age has a negative impact on skin properties, and we…
Tags: Skin Vitality, Hormone Balance, Stress, Thyroid Health
Stress and depression have both been linked with diabetes and heart disease, and if left untreated, can lead to more complications. Understanding these two contributing factors can help doctors formulate suitable treatment plans for their patients, so it is important to discuss the possibility of having either stress or depression with our health care providers even if they forget to ask. Stress…
Tags: Heart Health, Stress, Cardiovascular Disease
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