Stress. It is such a common word, and it has become a mainstay in all of our lives. It’s like sugar: we know it’s not good for us but are rarely ever without it; so, it feels normal. We have normalized it. I’ve realized that many people deny that stress could be the cause for their low-functioning thyroid, imbalanced hormones, Hashimoto’s, poor digestive function, weight gain, or depression and anxiety. Many of us are looking for a complicated answer to an all too common problem. Stress and its long-term implications on our health is a bigger problem than we think.

Many of us have lost the ability to feel stress or have lost our resilience to stress. We forget that the modern world imposes constant stress on our bodies. Think about it: we take small computers everywhere we go, constantly checking messages, and getting bombarded with terrible news on Twitter/X. Not to mention the environmental exposures we endure: GMOs, parabens, phthalates, BPA, heavy metals, fragrances, and EMFs. Top that all off with the fact that we endured almost three years of a devastating pandemic and never truly processed or dealt with the impact it had on us. Then, life continues to happen, such as the tragic loss of a loved one, a terminal diagnosis, or a broken relationship, and we wonder why we’ve lost our resilience to manage stress.

We hear it all the time: “Stress accounts for the majority of all illness and disease.” But why? Because, the stress hormone, cortisol, which is released from the adrenal glands when the brain experiences a stressor is a CATABOLIC hormone, which means it breaks things down. Even as a practitioner, I think I’ve focused solely on the adrenal glands when it comes to stress, but in reality, it is the brain we need to worry about.

“People are disturbed not by a thing, but by their perception of a thing”–Epictetus

The brain perceives something as a threat (or not) and determines how concerning the threat is. It then sends out signals to the hypothalamus to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) to release cortisol from the adrenal glands. This is known as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Cortisol provokes the system-wide fight or flight response, and in theory, once the stressor is gone, we should go back to homeostasis or equilibrium. However, in some people, the system turns on and stays on.

We don’t weaken the adrenals with ongoing stress, we fry the brain (not to be overly dramatic, but I want you all to take this seriously.) The brain is responsible for flattened cortisol levels, not tired adrenal glands. It says, “I can’t take this anymore.” When we fry the brain with too much stress, every action of the HPA axis becomes dysregulated.

The HPA Axis

When we end up in a down-regulated stress response, it is a strong signal that the system has been injured and has switched to self-preservation mode, and your body can’t respond to stress anymore. When cortisol levels are low  (hypocortisolism), we are in a pro-inflammatory state and never get a break. This becomes an internal injury that accumulates over time. We are tired, inflamed, have brain fog, have elevated pain levels, and feel moody and depressed. The point is: that if our adrenal output of cortisol is low or becoming dysregulated, we need to figure out why the brain/body is compensating and address the threat.

Here are other ways stress can impact the body:

  1. Prefrontal cortex. This area of the brain is responsible for executive decision-making. With high stress, it begins to shrink. We lose the capacity to make good decisions.
  2. Amygdala. The amygdala is the part of the brain that controls our emotions and will swell with stress. The larger the amygdala, the less regulated a person tends to be.
  3. Microglial cells. These are specialized macrophages or white blood cells, that become activated and act as “thugs of the immune system,” promoting inflammation and tissue damage, i.e. “fire in the brain.”
  4. Immune system. With high cortisol, the immune system is suppressed, and it moves more into a TH2 dominant state, which causes atopic issues, such as asthma, allergies, eczema, elevated histamine, increased food sensitivities and intolerance, chronic hives, etc.
  5. Thyroid. Elevated cortisol can limit the conversion of T4 to T3, dumping it into reverse T3, which increases fatigue and diminishes our metabolic drive. It also decreases the uptake of necessary nutrients for thyroid production including selenium, magnesium, and zinc.
  6. Gut. High cortisol depletes stomach acid, thus decreasing our digestive capacity and making us more susceptible to small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), h. pylori and stomach ulcers, and intestinal permeability.
  7. Insulin resistance. Increased cortisol causes the release of glucose from the liver and promotes more insulin release from the pancreas. If left unchecked, this can cause dysregulation of blood sugar and resistance of insulin by our cells; thereby causing diabetes and weight gain.
  8. Reproductive system. Cortisol requires progesterone and this can leave your menstruation in a progesterone deficit, causing heavy periods, PMS, breast tenderness, and hot flashes.
  9. Finally, when cortisol is eventually turned down by the brain, we become more predisposed to autoimmune processes and an unregulated immune system. We are stuck in a proinflammatory state and the brain becomes injured either functionally and/or structurally. The deeper consequences of this can result in cancer and autoimmunity.

The body is a self-healing organism, so it’s really about clearing things out of the way so the body can heal itself. -Barbara Brennan

The good news is we can fix all of this! Phew! The body wants to heal and return to homeostasis, and it knows how to do it if we give it the tools it needs. Not only can we work on managing our stress response, but some nutrients can support and nourish the brain back to an optimal state of health.

  1. Do a saliva adrenal test with your provider!
  2. Work with your provider to ensure there isn’t an underlying infection, virus, or toxin that is causing low cortisol levels.
  3. Take L-theanine 1200mg daily (divided into 2 or 3 doses) – an amino acid that is found in green tea, protective against neuro excitotoxicity, increases alpha waves, and acts like a low-grade version of a benzodiazepine.
  4. Synapsin (RG3 a peptide that comes from ginseng + nicotinamide riboside) – decreases neuroinflammation, is neuroprotective, improves cognition, and is helpful for brain injuries and neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. It requires a prescription (which I can prescribe) from a compounding pharmacy and comes as a nasal spray that you use for 3 months on, 2 weeks off.
  5. Add a pinch of Redman or Celtic salt and minerals, like Concentrace, to your water to support your adrenal glands.
  6. Herbs – Ashwagandha, Cordyceps, Rhodiola, and Ginseng; these are all adaptogens that work in the brain, protecting the brain from the effects of cortisol.
  7. Meditation– try Insight Timer or Headspace.
  8. Stop overbooking your schedule, especially during the holidays. Say “no” more often, take time for yourself, do what you love, stop “people pleasing,” and firm up those boundaries.
  9. Infrared Sauna– 135-145 F for 60 minutes 2-3x/week.
  10. Breathwork (for example, inhale to the count of 5, exhale to the count of 8, or alternate nose breathing)
  11. Tapping– check out Tapping with T on YouTube.
  12. Vagus nerve training– this can include humming, gargling, cold water immersion, breathwork, etc., or working with a trained professional like my dear friend and colleague Dr. Renee Ostertag, DPT of Green Tree Mind.

I hope you all have a peaceful and joyful holiday season, and please DON’T STRESS ABOUT IT!

In Health,

Jessica Muniz, RN, MSN, NP-C