Hello again: This is the last of our installments on burnout and the underlying systems dysfunctions that are the causes, perpetuators or activators of the fatigue that accompanies chronic activation of the stress-response systems. The most common things that I find in those with ‘burnout’ are the same things that I find with issues that underlie most chronic health conditions, and it is usually a combination of: ·        Latent or hidden infections ·        Gut and digestive issues, including food allergies/intolerances/sensitivities ·        Persistently living in ‘fight or flight’ with anxiety issues ·        Nutrient imbalances from poor dietary choices or unique metabolic needs not being met ·        Blood sugar imbalances such as insulin resistance, hypoglycemia, carb and sugar cravings ·        Trauma, new or old ·        Autoimmune disorders (frequently ... Read more

Hello again everyone: In the last newsletter, we unwound the controversy between stages of conditions where things are either white, black or grey…and with burnout, we went over the point that burnout is mostly a grey condition and should be called HPA axis dysregulation or dysfunction. We also mentioned that it most often results from chronic stress of multiple types that add up to create the feelings, signs and symptoms of burnout. When the cumulative stress of life grinds down our stress response systems, our mental, physical and biochemical reactions can become dysregulated, or dysfunctional. This is when we see things in the lab tests like the elevated or low morning cortisol, but overall normal total cortisol amounts in a day. Or we see that cortisol is low or normal all day but high at night when it should be at the lowest levels, and so on…the point is that these abnormal ... Read more

Hello again: Thanks for staying tuned for Part 4, as this subject is important and lends an understanding as to how chronic health conditions evolve and what to do about them…so this newsletter is a bit longer than usual. If you have not read this link, please do so to understand the issues, it is not that long and is pretty good: Read more

Hello once again everyone: So now we go into the lab tests to diagnose adrenal status, but before we do, we need to cover the two primary types of adrenal problems. Rarely, are the adrenal glands over active. This is called Cushing’s Disease and is suspected when you have high cortisol and blood pressure unresponsive to medication and other physical signs, such as a round or moon shaped face that you did not have before. Lab tests that confirm high cortisol then lead to the next step, which is undertaken with an endocrinologist to establish the possible cause. One possible cause is an adrenal or pituitary adenoma, and imaging studies may be ordered along with other lab tests to find out if this is a primary (an adrenal tumor) or secondary issue (a pituitary tumor). Mild increases of cortisol seen on blood and/or saliva tests without moon face or blood pressure concerns raise the ... Read more

Hello again: Here we continue the discussion about burnout, which is essentially our bodies response to prolonged and elevated stress. Whenever stress of ANY kind hits us, our brain signals our adrenal glands to pour out adrenalin and cortisol. Adrenalin gives us the energy rush to overcome the stress, and cortisol supports the stress response through multiple functions:

• Increases blood glucose by decreasing insulin release,
• Promotes gluconeogenesis by liver,
• Increases protein and lipid synthesis for energy,
• Acts with glucagon and epinephrine to produce a greater response,
• Anti-inflammatory effects.

• Weight gain mainly in the face, chest ... Read more

Hello again everyone: Most of us at some point in our lives, have felt burnt out. This is usually from chronic stress that is usually a combination of different types of stresses. These may include work and/or emotional and mental stress, biochemical stress and physical stress. Examples might be: working 50 to 70 hours per week; stressful work situations including how well we get along with our boss or co-workers; poor eating habits; recurrent illnesses; nutrient depletion and imbalances; poor sleep; lack of appropriate exercise; frustration in not achieving our purpose; relationship issues; substance abuse such as sugar and/or alcohol or food; medications; etc. Burn out is real, and now the medical profession has even given the condition it’s own diagnostic code: Z73.0 – Burn-out state of vital exhaustion Symptoms include: extreme fatigue; anxiety; insomnia; weariness; loss ... Read more