WRITTEN BY – DR NYJON ECCLES BSC MBBS MRCP PHD
Can you answer yes to one or more of the below?
- Tired for no reason?
- Having trouble getting up in the morning?
- Need coffee, salty or sweet snacks to keep going?
- Feeling run down and stressed?
- Struggling to keep up with life’s daily demands?
- Can’t bounce back from stress or illness?
- Not having fun anymore?
- Decreased sex drive?
If the answered is yes to one or more of these questions, you may be experiencing adrenal fatigue.
The Adrenal Stress Profile is a powerful and precise non-invasive salivary assay that evaluates bioactive levels of the body’s important stress hormones, cortisol and DHEA. This profile serves as a critical tool for uncovering biochemical imbalances underlying anxiety, depression, chronic fatigue,obesity, dysglycemia (blood sugar control problems), and a host of other clinical conditions.
The adrenal hormones cortisol and DHEA function to influence:
- Metabolism
- Thyroid function
- Anti-inflammatory response
- Resistance to stress
Changing the amounts of cortisol and DHEA can profoundly affect:
- Energy levels
- Resistance to disease
- Emotional states
- General sense of well-being
Although both DHEA and cortisol are produced by the adrenal cortex, they exhibit many opposing actions.
Cortisol
Many of cortisols physiological actions are geared toward the mobilization of reserves. Cortisol is released in large amounts in response to physical, physiological, and/or psychological stress.
When stressors persist, the secretion of glucocorticoids can be prolonged, leading to maladaptation of the adrenal cortex and adrenal hyperplasia.
Excess cortisol can adversely affect:
- Bone and muscle tissue
- Thyroid function
- Cardiovascular function
- Weight control
- Sleep
- Glucose regulation
- Immune defense
- Aging
Over time, cortisol secretion can become impaired, resulting in an inability to respond to stress as demonstrated in conditions such as:
- Chronic fatigue
- Menstrual problems
- Allergies
- Arthritis
DHEA, in contrast to cortisol, exerts mostly anabolic actions and balances the body’s stress response.
DHEA functions to:
- Provide substrate for the synthesis of sex hormones
- Guard against degenerative conditions associated with aging
- Influence immune function and energy production
- Affect insulin sensitivity, thyroid function, protein synthesis and others.
Imbalances of DHEA have been associated with:
- Impaired immunity
- Cancer
- Depression
- Panic disorder
- Insulin resistance
- Obesity
- Alzheimers disease
If you answered yes to one of the above questions, Dr Eccles can test your hormone levels to see if you are suffering from adrenal fatigue. To book in for your BHRT consultation, please call us on 0207 2244 622 or send us an email using the enquiry form.
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