Ah, the 80s….back when there were no GMOs and no one ever even heard of gluten, never mind having to worry about avoiding it.
Honestly, I don’t know why this ad even came to me – nor do I know how I remember a commercial from 1981 when I can’t remember what I had for dinner yesterday. LOL
My play on words with this commercial obviously has nothing to do with homework or candy – although both can effect HORMONES.
My hormones have been contributing to fatigue, brain fog and body composition stalls, so I thought it would be helpful to share my story in case you might be dealing with unexplained symptoms or hormonal imbalances as well.
I posted a video over on the Nourished Path FB page (join here) that showed all my hormone lab results since 2009 if you want to check it out. Upon entering my forties, I’ve been doing salivary hormone testing for cortisol and sex hormones.
It’s been interesting to see my patterns of stress hormones go from too HIGH am cortisol output 7 years ago, to almost flatlining today, as graphed here (this was in October):
As you may know cortisol is a stress hormone produced and released from the Adrenal Cortex. The adrenals are two glands that sit atop the kidneys and respond to messages received from the brain – the Hypothalamus and Pituitary gland – in response to what the mind and body perceive as stress – either externally – an actual or perceived physical, mental or emotional threat – or internally – including stress within the body itself – like too high blood sugar, toxins, inflammation, immune activation or infections.
The cortisol pattern we’re aiming for is depicted by the middle line – or at least within the gray shaded area of the graph. My results are the dots :(.
When I started testing in 2009, my first morning cortisol level was above the peak of the graph. Also not a good curve.
At the time, I was a Senior Vice President at one of the largest bank’s in the world, managing a global team and over $300 Million worth of contracted corporate expenses. So, obvi, no stress there (wink wink).
I also was planning my departure from said career to do what I do now and this TERRIFIED me.
I was always wired for stress (Thanks, Mom!). I guess you could say I was addicted to it. If my email wasn’t pinging all day, I felt uneasy. If there wasn’t a fire to put out, I felt lost. Pretty twisted, right? I would wind down my day with at least 3-4 glasses of wine to finish it all off.
I’m still sort of wired for stress, but my life, schedule, family and career demands and my attention to self care, good nutrition, exercise, sleep and stress management are so much better than they used to be – even my wine consumption is way, way lower than it used to be…
So if I’m doing everything I can do right, why is my cortisol flat lining?
Working with my Naturopathic Doctor, we’re exploring a few possible contributors:
- Internal stress -“I want a business to succeed!” and so I put a lot of stress on myself – Reaching and helping more and more people and shifting the food/health landscape is my life’s mission. It’s a huge job and I’m just getting started really. As a solo-preneur and over-achiever, this could be taxing my adrenal output – even though I limit my work schedule – I still hold the stress and put pressure on myself. My mindset work and cranial sacral therapy, acupuncture, prayer, meditation and yoga is helping with this, but as wonderful and essential as all that is, sometimes…it just doesn’t reach the deep, deep patterns I hold.
- Menopause – When the ovaries stop producing sex hormones (estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, etc) the adrenals kick in to pick up the slack. If the adrenals are depleted, this makes it difficult for the body to keep up with demand for cortisol and DHEA especially. Add to this my Hashimoto’s – a sluggish thyroid – it’s no surprise I’d be more susceptible to adrenal dysregulation.
- Overexercise – GUILTY – I love to Crossfit in the morning. It gives me a jumpstart and makes me feel really good. But over doing it results in more hormone depletion and the body struggling to keep up with cortisol demand. I’m cutting down to scaled, 3X per week workouts with slow walking/hiking and yoga on the off days.
- Sleep – My doctor ordered a sleep study for me to make sure I’m getting deep, restorative sleep. Sleep deprivation will tax the adrenals.
- Carbs – This is not my problem, since I’m somewhat low carb – but not too low carb. I have about 2-3 servings of whole food based carbohydrates per day in the form of fruit, starchy veggies and occasional gluten free toast. A diet too low or high in carbohydrates can be very tough on hormonal balance depending on the person. Some keto camps disagree that carbs are necessary, but for me and my keto experiment last year, I definitely experienced a dip in hormonal function on strict keto (at around 50 grams of net carbs/day) – but everyone’s different – find your optimal food flow – what feels best in YOUR body.
- Heavy Metals – We’re not tackling this yet, but I have a history of mercury and lead toxicity which I treated several years ago. A couple of markers on some organic acid and other functional tests DID flag for mercury. Heavy Metals or any toxicity (mold, plastics, chemicals) cause internal stress on the body that can effect cortisol.
- Malabsorption – Some functional testing also showed some nutrient deficiencies despite my rigorous supplementation regime and a very nutrient dense diet. We’re doing an HCL challenge to make sure my stomach acid output is adequate which is necessary for nutrient absorption. If your body doesn’t have the nutrients it needs to function, that’s another internal stress that could deplete cortisol and cause fatigue.
- Gut imbalances/infection – Working on a new probiotic regime to help keep me in better balance.
- Caffeine – This is a toughee, because low A.M. cortisol makes it really, really tough for me to function. I did switch (again) to half decaf and I’ll work on tapering down even more. I only have 2 cups per day, but it could be effecting both my gut and causing stress that effects my adrenal output. I’ve given it up before, but I’m just trying to avoid having to do so again. I like my coffee!
- EMFs – (WTF?) These are Electro Magnetic Frequencies from WIFI signals. Some people are very sensitive to EMF. I hope to God I’m not one of them because we live for WIFI. This will be a last resort.
A super important point I want to make. More like an observation. Labs are great – like I share in the video, I’m a lab junkie. But I noticed when I got my latest labs and these somewhat bleak results, that I went from feeling really pumped and empowered to pretty down and drained. Kinda like the placebo effect – or that phenomenon when someone’s told they have 6 months to live and they die six month’s later. It’s like you believe what something outside of you says, more so than what you feel and believe inside.
I’m coming out of that down feeling and using this information to make some tweaks, but I had great awareness of the effects this data had on me. My beliefs are more powerful than a test. Sometimes we have to transcend what we consider as ‘reality’ and have faith in ourselves and our vision for our health and our lives. I have deep faith and an inner knowing that our bodies are self healing. The body is always seeking balance – homeostasis. So, I’m using this awareness and acknowledging my symptoms to learn more about my body and this complex topic so that I can help others, but I’m not going to let the labs make me feel flawed or that there is ‘something wrong with me”. I’m going to use them as the tool that they are.
What about you? Are you dealing with fatigue or unexplained symptoms? Do you test your hormones? How about the power of belief? Has “bad” news or labs or any life situation ever taken you off course in terms of your mindset and goals? How do you get back on the path?
Comment below or on the FB page!
Until next time,
xo Ev
PS: Product plug: I’ve taken this Adrenal support formula and it really helps with balance, energy and mood. It contains nutrients the adrenals require and adaptogenic herbs – meaning the herbs adapt to what your body needs – so if you’re low in energy, they provide a boost. If you’re wired, they calm you down. I’m taking the recommended dose twice a day during my rebalancing.
