Stress and Adrenal Dysregulation

The Adrenal Glands and Stress

  1. Stress refers to anything that disturbs an individual’s physical, mental, or emotional equilibrium.
  2. The body has numerous stress response mechanisms and stress can affect the body in many different ways.
  3. The job of the adrenals is to help the body maintain stability and equilibrium.

Autonomic Nervous System

  1. Sympathetic: Mobilize the body’s nervous system fight-or-flight response. It is, however, constantly active at a basic level to maintain homeostasis.
  2. Parasympathetic: Responsible for stimulation of “rest-and-digest” or “feed and breed.
  3. Enteric: Consists of a mesh-like system of neurons that governs the function of the gastrointestinal system.

What is Stress

  1. A force that tends to strain or deform.
  2. A physical, chemical, or emotional factor that causes bodily or mental tension and may be a factor in disease causation.

Stressors

  1. Physical: Fractures, muscle injuries, nerve compression, joint subluxations.
  2. Emotional/Mental: Fear, Excitement, Worry, Anxiety, etc.
  3. Chemical – Environmental Pollutants, Smoke, Heavy Metals, Drugs, Toxic Food, Vaccines, Infections, etc.
  4. Predestined: Job, Family, Location, etc. which can be difficult changed or avoided.

How We React to Stress

  1. What We Eat: Too much sugar, processed fats, skipped meals, not enough pure water, etc.
  2. How We Digest: Overeating, poor digestion, toxin-producing bacteria and yeasts.
  3. How We Assimilate: Decreased absorption, rapid transit time, inflammation, etc.
  4. How We Eliminate: Constipation, Faulty Detoxification.
  5. What We Do: Occupation, Exhaustion, Toxic Workplace.
  6. How We Breathe: Shallow Breathing, Reverse Breathing, Smog, Smoke, etc.
  7. What We Think: Negative thoughts, Attitudes, Emotions.
  8. What We Inherit: Genetic weakness (Epigenetic adaption)

Top Cause of Dysfunctional Cortisol/Stress Response

  1. Mental and Emotional: “How we perceive an event, rather than the event itself, is most important in generating a stress response”
  2. Imbalanced Blood Sugar Control: “Simple Carbohydrate ingestion leads to rapid elevations in blood sugar which ultimately leads to ‘up & down’ dysregulation via insulin and cortisol responses.”
  3. Everything Else!

Forms of Stress

  1. External Stressors
    1. Toxic exposure
    2. Light cycle disruptions
    3. Allergies
    4. Temperature extremes
    5. Trauma
    6. Overwork (physical and/or mental)
  2. Internal or physiological
    1. Dietary imbalances
    2. Nutrient deficiencies
    3. Lack of sleep
    4. Blood sugar dysregulation (Dysglycemia)
    5. Chronic infections
    6. Pain
    7. Excessive exercise
    8. Chronic inflammation
  3. Mental
    1. Emotional strain: anger, fear, worry, guilt
    2. Anxiety
    3. Depression

The Stress Response

The stress response involves two Major Systems:

  1. Catecholamines (Epinephrine/NorEpinephrine): Prepare the body to act
  2. Cortisol: Mobilizes energy (glucose) and other substances to fuel the action.

Cortisol Activity in the Body

  1. Increases glucose formation, and protein breakdown
  2. Increases glucose utilization by the CNS
  3. Increases “insulin resistance” in peripheral system
  4. Suppresses gastric emptying, slows digestion
  5. Inhibits sex hormone effects and production
  6. Suppresses immune function
  7. Alters thyroid function, production, and effectiveness
  8. Depletes the body of Magnesium, Zinc, Glutamine, Carnitine, etc

Stress Adaptation Response – Three Phases

  1. Alarm reaction
  2. Resistance and compensation
  3. Adrenal maladaptation and adrenal hypo-function
Normal Progression of Stages in Adrenal Exhaustion

 

Illustrating Pregnenolone Steal