Food and Mood

August 6, 2006: News Release

Correcting Imbalances Caused by Stress

Kansas City, Mo. - Is stress a problem in your life? Research tells us that up to 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are now prompted by stress-related problems. What's creating all this stress? The junk foods and processed foods in our diets are highly stressful. Our jobs and the workplace contribute. Some 25-40% of workers nationally report stress burnout. Higher rates of chemical pollution cause a stress reaction in our body.

If you are dealing with stress consistently and fatigued more often than not, you could be dealing with an issue called 'adrenal fatigue'.

The response to stress is managed by the adrenal glands, according to Dr. Jennifer Allen, a Massage Therapy Training Institute nutrition instructor who has been appearing regularly on WDAF-TV's Midday news to talk about food and mood. Adrenal glands are small glands that sit on top of your kidneys and influence your body tremendously. They manufacture and release hormones ranging from sex hormones to stress hormones, specifically cortisol.

Are you sleepy sometimes in the afternoon? Do you seem to handle physical tasks more easily late in the day? If so, you already know about circadian rhythms.

Circadian Rhythms

Your body has more than 100 circadian rhythms. These are unique 24 hour cycles that influence your body's function, e.g. temperature, hormone levels (which affect mood), heart rate, blood pressure, and even your pain threshold.

Almost no area of your body is unaffected by circadian rhythms.

Cortisol, a hormone (chemical messenger) that is released by your adrenal glands in response to stress, has its own circadian rhythm. If the rhythm is out of range with normal, you can experience a number of symptoms:

Signs and Symptoms of Cortisol Imbalance:

• Fatigue (most common symptom)
• Headaches with physical or mental stress
• Weak immune system; allergies
• Slow starter in the morning
• Afternoon headache
• Blurred vision, unstable behavior
• Fullness or bloated feeling
• Crave sweets, caffeine, cigarettes
• Get shaky or lightheaded if meals are missed or delayed
• Eating relieves fatigue
• Irritable before meals
• Gastric ulcer
• Cannot fall or stay asleep

Cortisol is critical to body function. It regulates your blood pressure, cardiovascular activity, the immune system and metabolism. Cortisol imbalance is implicated in weight gain, heart disease, diabetes, depression, and lowered immunity.

Cortisol dramatically increases during moments of physical or psychological (emotional) stress such as receiving a parking ticket, a violent encounter, an argument, deadlines at work, or dealing with a physical ailment. With prolonged everyday stress, some people experience a drop in their cortisol level, which hinders body function and leads to decreased health and vitality.

Use Saliva Testing To Measure:
You can objectively measure how well your body is responding to stress by measuring your cortisol level throughout the day by using a salivary hormone panel. Saliva testing is economical, convenient, practical and has demonstrated scientific superiority.

Very accurate and supported by research, a salivary adrenal profile is available from a variety of sources. You typically find this type of testing used in the following clinic settings: D.C., N.D., D.O., C.C.N. (certified clinical nutritionist) or practices that offer an 'integrative' or 'wellness' approach.

When choosing a healthcare practitioner, you will want to ask the following questions:

• Do they utilize salivary testing in their assessment?
• How long have they been using this approach?
• How long do they allow for office visits (is adequate time allotted for appropriate explanation)
• What are some of the typical responses to care?
• Is there re-testing done, to measure progress/response? If so, when?

How Do You Correct An Adrenal/Cortisol Imbalance? Eating a healthier diet and getting enough exercise are important components. You also need to work with a knowledgeable healthcare provider to manage this. To correct an imbalance will require specialized nutritional support from a physician who can appropriately interpret the test and provide the necessary support.

Where Can You Learn More About This Topic?
Take the questionnaire at www.wellspring-center.com. From books such as Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome by Dr. James L. Wilson. For information about enrolling in Dr. Allen's nutrition course at the Massage Therapy Training Institute, please call 816-523-9140 or visit www.MassageTherapyTrainingInstitute.com.

• From books such as Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome by Dr. James L. Wilson.
• For information about enrolling in Dr. Allen's nutrition course at the Massage Therapy Training Institute, please call 816-523-9140 or visit www.mtti.net/apps/mtti/classes/.

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