Stress and Adrenal Support

CONTROLLING HORMONES THAT SUPPORT KEY BODILY FUNCTIONS

Dr. Tennant’s^® Stress and Adrenal Support
is designed to support the lack of adrenaline.

Our adrenal glands, and their ability to function properly, are very important to our overall health and impact some very important bodily functions such as:

• Your body temperature
• Your blood pressure reading
• The rate of your pulse
• Your ability to deal with stress
• Your ability to multitask
• Your memory
• The secretion of cortisol and weight management

HOW ARE YOUR ADRENALS FUNCTIONING?

• Do you wake up at 6:00-7:00 a.m. feeling great, rested, and revived with plenty of energy?
• Do you go to sleep easily around 9:00-10:00 p.m. and sleep 8-9 uninterrupted hours?
• Do you have sustained energy all day from the time you wake up until the time you go to sleep?

• Would you say your memory is great?

If you said NO to any, or all of the above, you may want to read on to learn about your adrenal glands and how, if not working properly, they may be impacting your health and wellness.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF YOUR ADRENAL GLANDS?

The adrenal glands (which are part of the endocrine system) are small walnut-sized glands that are located above the kidneys.

They are triangular-shaped and are about the size and color of a fortune cookie. Each gland consists of a medulla (the center of the gland) which is surrounded by the cortex (outer part of the gland).

Together these glands produce several key hormones that control almost every function in the body.

Role of the Medulla (Inner)

The inner adrenal glands, the Medulla, is responsible for producing catecholamines, or adrenaline-type hormones such as epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Have you ever experienced that sudden panic feeling and anxiety when something happens unexpectedly? If you have, then you probably also experienced tingles and felt like you were ready to either run away or stand up and fight. This is usually referred to as the "fight-or-flight" syndrome, and it is caused by the sudden release of adrenaline from our adrenal glands.

The Role of the Adrenal Cortex (Outer)

The adrenal cortex produces a handful of hormones that are essential for your body to balance fluids and electrolytes (salt). The adrenal cortex has three layers and each layer has specific functions:

• Zona Glomerulosa produces the hormone aldosterone as well as some small amounts of progesterone (a sex hormone).
  
  
• Zona Fasciculata primarily produces cortisol.
  
  
• Zona Reticularis stores cholesterol for steroidogenesis (the making of steroid hormones and the secretion of sex hormones such as estrogen and testosterone in small amounts).

UNDERSTANDING THE ADRENAL RHYTHM AND ITS IMPORTANCE TO YOUR HEALTH

Did you know?

Without a minimum amount of sleep, which for many of us is about 8 hours of sleep, the adrenal glands cannot fully recover from the day’s stressors and the body cannot repair!

An abnormal adrenal rhythm can influence many functions of the body in many ways.

Let's take a look at what happens when the normal Adrenal Rhythm starts to change...

Energy Production

Muscle & Joint Function

Abnormal adrenal rhythms are known to compromise tissue healing, reduced tissue repair, and increased tissue breakdown which can lead to muscle and joint wasting with chronic pain.

Bone Health

The adrenal rhythm determines how well we build bone. If the night and morning cortisol levels are elevated, our bones do not rebuild well and we are more prone to osteoporosis. Stress is the enemy of the bones. In postmenopausal women, the effect of stress worsens due to female hormone imbalances.

Immune Health

Sleep Quality

The ability to enter REM sleep cycles and experience regenerative sleep is interrupted by high cortisol values at night and in the morning. A chronic lack of REM sleep can reduce a person’s mental vitality and vigor and induce depression.

Skin Regeneration

Human skin regenerates mostly during the night. With higher night cortisol values, less skin regeneration takes place. Therefore a normal cortisol rhythm is essential for optimal skin health.

Thyroid Function

The level of cortisol at the cellular level controls thyroid hormone production. Often, hypothyroid symptoms such as fatigue and low body temperature are due to adrenal dysfunction.

Grain Intolerance & Stress Response

Approximately 12% to 18% of the U.S. population suffers from a genetic intolerance to grains, such as wheat, rye or barley contained in cereals, bread and pasta.

The gut becomes inflamed within 30 minutes after consuming grains and this can lead to an adrenal stress response, increased cortisol, and reduced Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA: which is an important precursor hormone. Precursors are substances that are converted by the body into hormones).

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)

A common hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis defect in CFS is impaired corticotrophin release. As a result, low cortisol and eventual adrenal atrophy may be observed. Depleted adrenals with flat rhythms are often seen when using adrenal function testing.

Glycemic Dysregulation

Chronic hypoglycemia can impair normal adrenal function by repetitive overstimulation of cortisol production. Recurring exposure to high cortisol will impair insulin activity and invariably lead to insulin resistance and beta-cell exhaustion (diabetes). The ASI™ panel investigates the insulin-cortisol relationship under real-life conditions to allow targeted and meaningful interventions. This panel is useful in the following clinical situations: rapid weight gain and obesity, deranged blood lipids, sugar blues, early diabetes, and associated emotional disturbances.

Allergies/Autoimmune Disorders

More than 50 years ago, Dr. W. Jefferies (author of Safe Uses of cortisol) discovered that patients with environmentally-triggered allergies and autoimmune diseases dramatically benefited when given cortisol for other purposes. More recently, German researchers reported that disruption of the adrenal axis and cytokine relationships lead to predisposition and aggravation of autoimmune diseases. The findings of the ASI™ help identify patients with autoimmune diseases and adrenal problems who can benefit from cortisol supplements.

Depression/ADD

If you were to search online, you could find several recent publications reporting a hyperactive HPA axis in depressed patients. Elevated midnight salivary cortisol is now considered one of the best tests in diagnosing endogenous depression. Other anomalies in cortisol rhythm usually accompany the midnight elevation. On the other hand, cortisol elevations and rhythm disruptions throughout the day are typical of attention deficit disorders (ADD).

THE ADRENAL-THYROID CONNECTION

It is very important to understand the connection between the thyroid and the adrenals.

There are millions of people who are diagnosed with thyroid conditions many of whom also have dysfunctional adrenals. In addition, many individuals who are tested for adrenal dysfunction tend to have diagnosed thyroid issues.

A dysfunctional thyroid
may be secondary to dysfunctional adrenals.

Let’s look at how the Adrenals play a role in Thyroid Function...

It is important to understand that, in most cases, the malfunctioning thyroid gland is not the actual cause of the problem. Other areas of the body are usually responsible for the thyroid condition; and, while different areas of the body can be affected, in many cases it’s the weakened adrenal glands that lead to the development of the thyroid condition. The reason this is important to understand is that when the adrenal glands are causing the thyroid gland to malfunction, a healthcare professional often aims their treatment directly at the thyroid gland and ignores the adrenals. If this is the case, there is absolutely no chance of restoring the patient’s health back to normal.

Although this seems quite obvious, most endocrinologists and general medical practitioners focus on the thyroid alone rather than include the adrenal glands when a patient is presenting with thyroid symptoms. It is common that the doctor will take a case history, perform an exam, and request simple thyroid blood tests usually only for TSH levels; then assuming the TSH is high or low, prescribe thyroid medication for the rest of the patient’s life (or sometimes RAI for those with hyperthyroidism). Why don’t they evaluate the entire endocrine system, including the adrenal glands? The primary reason is that medical doctors are not typically trained to do so in medical school.

How can weakened adrenal glands lead to the development of a thyroid condition?