Do you feel tired, yet wired?  Do have trouble falling asleep at night or have trouble sleeping through the night?  Are you putting on pounds around that dreaded abdominal area?  Are you a mom who runs around feeling overwhelmed on most days?  If you answered yes to any of these, join the crowd and by the way, welcome to the Adrenal Fatigue Club.

Most of us understand the connection between chronic stress and cortisol.  Long term, emotional stress increases cortisol levels and generally wreaks havoc on our neuroendocrine and immune systems, making weight loss virtually impossible.  In fact, elevated cortisol triggers inflammation at the cellular level, and guess what?  Inflammation at the cellular level is where all of the nine degenerative disease processes begin.  Strike 1.

Over time, elevated cortisol compromises our thyroid functioning and hormonal balance.  This can make any perimenopausal woman feel like she is losing her mind while sitting in a heated oven.  Chronically elevated cortisol triggers thyroid dysfunction, which is also an underlying cause of panic disorder, anxiety, and depression (for which people are often misdiagnosed and inappropriately treated with psychiatric meds).  Strikes 2, 3, and 4. [Read more...]