Adrenal Fatigue  ⁃ be careful with saliva tests

•  HPA axis dis regulation
•  HPA AXIS – key
•  Governs reaction to stress
•  Very impacted by stress
•  Cortisol is key hormone
•  Homeostasis disturbed in stress
•  Blood pressure , blood sugar are all affected

4 key drivers

• Perceived stress
• Blood sugar dis regulation
• Circadian disruption ( 24 hr rhythm ) — blue light, travel and jet lag, sleep deprivation and lack of vitamin D ( sunlight )
• Inflammation of any kind ( stresses HPA axis ) including microbiome issues, food allergies , food and chemical toxin exposure

Adrenal fatigue

• Not a sound concept about how adrenals stop producing cortisol and DHEA
• HPA dysfunction is the key
• Not actually low cortisol

BRAIN – key not just adrenals

• Cellular resistance to cortisol
• Decreased receptivity to cortisol !!!
• Hence cortisol stays high

Saliva tests

• Limited to free cortisol
• Not best marker
• Most is secreted in urine as metabolite
  Dutch Urine Test
• Precision analytical lab
• Best test
• “Dried urine total cortisol hormone test “
• Eliminates discrepancies
• Most accurate test

Brain and local tissue response is what drives cortisol problems not just the adrenals !!

HPA axis dysfunction

1. Perceived Stress
2. NUTS:
3. New, unpredictable, threat sense of what’s happening to us
4. Envirnonmental:
   • Circadian disruption
   • Blood sugar disruption
   • Lack of exercise
   • Inflammation – cytokines can raise cortisol levels. The body pumps up cortisol to deal with inflammation. If the inflammation is chronic – cortisol keeps getting released. This leads to cortisol resistance or down regulation of HPA axis.

Stress Response

• Fatigue
• Lethargy
• Sleep deprivation
• Poor memory
• Brain fog
• Postural hypotension
• Cold and flus
• Depression
• Cold hands and feet
• Tachycardia in am

Chronic disease affected by HPA axis regulation:

• Depression
• OCD
• PTSD
• Chronic fatigue syndrome

Allergies

• Gut microbiome – inflammation – HPA axis involved – inflammation – continuous cycle

Thoughts – huge player on stress response. It’s how the stress is perceived. Is it a threat or a challenge ?

Sense of urgency is a factor – do we need to address it right away ? Can it wait ?

Expand your time horizon.
Recognize that not all stress is harmful.

Diet and lifestyle changes to help HPA axis:

Reduce these

• Diet
• Blood sugar
• Exercise ( over or under )
• Sleep deprivation
• Negative thoughts
• Lack of relationships
• Money problems
• Unresolved conflicts

1. Dutch Urine Test

• Total cortisol

2. NUTS

3. Using strategies that quiet sympathetic nervous system- meditation / deep breathing.

4. Diet, sleep , social support, exercise

5. Often people lack knowledge and motivation.

See Paleo Rehab Program