I shared my very personal story in my book “LIFE IS NOT A RACE” my struggles with adrenal exhaustion since 2013. I talk throughout the book about HPA Axis dysfunction or dysregulation as well as adrenal fatigue or adrenal dysfunction or adrenal exhaustion. It is all about stress- the various forms about stress and how stress impacts our WHOLE body. I talk about my hormonal cascade that has occurred since my “fall from the mountain top” in the beginning of 2013… and I am still healing. We can only lab test so many times and take so many supplements – but how do we know if they are working for us and helping us heal from the inside out? Lifestyle habits and mindset are major elements in transforming the WHOLE person- or part of what I term The WHOLESTIC Method.
Finally, four years later and thousands of dollars (and doctor visits), I am learning so much about the importance of building the foundations first and finding the root cause to our symptoms- already dig deeper to find the why!? The role of the adrenal glands is so crucial to our health, not only as stress management but to immune system, blood sugar handling and our hormones. How can we discover the root cause of our multiple health symptoms in my program to become a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner. The hormone cortisol plays a main roll in testing for adrenal dysfunction as well as hormone issues- that leads to a domino effect of our hormones or rather a hormone cascade. I have experienced this dysfunction for over four years… and now I am putting the pieces of the puzzle together.
Let’s talk today about the impact chronically elevated cortisol and how it disrupts Endocrine System balance. The Endocrine Cascade
First of all- we need to realize how the body is all connected and we need to treat it as a WHOLE system. If the adrenal glands are constantly activated from various forms of stress then we are continuously stimulating the Hypothalamus to tell the pituitary gland who then notifies the adrenal gland to release the hormone cortisol to deal with the perceived threat. Any time we activate or do anything too often or too frequently we increase the risk of breaking something or over use injury which leads to dysfunction. That dysfunction doesn’t only impact the adrenal glands but the entire endocrine system as it all works together. If one hormone is overly depended on- becomes worn out or exhausted of working too often then we are at risk for creating a hormonal cascade or a domino effect in the hormonal system (endocrine system).
Ou
r endocrine system is like an orchestra- the band must work all together. Or think of the endocrine system as a car- our car needs to be tuned up to keep running as the car parts must all work together to have the car running properly. If the car is not tuned up then the car is most likely to break down in one way or the other.
Let’s take a step back and review which organs are involved in the endocrine system?
- hypothalamus
- pituitary
- thyroid
- parathyroids
- adrenals
- pineal body
- The reproductive organs (ovaries and testes)
- The pancreas is also a part of the endocrine system; it has a role in hormone production as well as in digestion
The main goal of the endocrine glands are to secrete hormones into the bloodstream- acting as messengers as they control and coordinate processes or activities all throughout the body. The adrenal glands come up often in our Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP) as we discuss working on the foundations with a client first before we move to the next step. We don’t want to chase symptoms- as I did for years and share in my story –Life is Not a Race…It is a Journey: Learn how to pace the WHOLE you with The WHOLESTIC Method
The endocrine system is just like an orchestra- all hormones impact each other. The adrenal glands have multiple roles as they are responsible for releasing the hormone cortisol which helps regulate metabolism and helps us to respond to stress as well as aldosterone which regulates blood pressure, water retention and sodium/potassium levels. Other hormones produced in the adrenal glands include:
- estrogen
- progesterone
- steroids
- cortisol and cortisone
- Neurotransmitter/chemicals- adrenaline (epinephrine), norepinephrine, and dopamine.
Remember as I share in my book, too much of anything is toxic…too little of anything leads to deficiency. When the adrenal glands produce too much cortisol or too little- dysfunction is going to be the end result as we will be out of balance and homeostasis will not be achieved. The adrenal glands are our own main internal emergency system- and they work with the hypothalamus and pituitary gland to perceive the stress and then respond to the stress by releasing the hormone cortisol. Once cortisol becomes low on supply but the various stressors (diet, life, financial, chemical, environmental, exercise and more forms of stress) keep coming non-stop, our body needs to figure out a solution to continue putting out these perceived “fires”. The adrenal gland function is a priority over our reproduction system, metabolic rate and other endocrine functions. So if we are low on our main form of responding to the stress or “fire” – cortisol- then we need to find a back up plan to keep putting out the fires. We need to call up the backup emergency response team- and pull other nutrients and hormones away from their main jobs to come over and replace the hormone cortisol’s main role.
What happens if pregenalone and other hormones main jobs? Well they are put on hold so they can help their team mates in putting out the fire… but what if the fires don’t stop and they can’t put them out? The endocrine cascade. When our cortisol levels are chronically high – our liver and pancreas take a hit. I think of cortisol as water coming out of a faucet- it is to be turned on and off… not constantly turned on as a leaky faucet. The result of the constant drip could eventually lead to a loss of supple- the water well runs dry and can’t keep up with the demand.
Remember how to hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal glands work together – forming the HPA Axis. Well if the hormone cortisol that is released from the adrenal glands is chronically elevated the stress on the entire endocrine system will be experienced- as with my experience.
There aree multiple ways that chronic elevated cortisol disrupts Endocrine System balance includes:
- Low T3 (Thyroid)
- Low DHEA
- Low Progesterone
- Pituitary Imbalance
- Estrogen Dominance
- Adrogen Dominance
- Thyroid Metabolism
The pancreas and liver take a hit as well as they release hormones – since the pancreas released insulin and cortisol increases the output of insulin (by responding to an emergency). The result of too much cortisol will require the pancreas to release more insulin as the liver is making more glucose to keep up with the demand (as a response from the increased cortisol). The insulin receptors on the cells get exhausted as they have to keep knocking on the cells to ask for entry to uptake the excess blood glucose levels. Eventually the cell receptors don’t respond fast enough resulting in working the pancreas too much. Then we get insulin resistance from the elevated cortisol levels which leads to more problems-
- poor mineral absorption by cells
- inflammation issues- excess insulin blocks our Prostaglandin One pathway
- elevated blood pressure and cholesterol
- increased estrogen levels in men
- increased testosterone level in women
The impact of stress on our WHOLE health from the inside out is a long list of symptoms and issues… first step is to learn now to stop living life as a race, pace ourselves and eat real whole nutrient dense foods! Focus on the elements of The WHOLESTIC Method and the foundations of Nutritional Therapy Association!
References:
https://www.endocrineweb.com/endocrinology/overview-adrenal-glands
