Adaptogens and Stress Related Decline

By Dr. Diane Spindler CTN

To understand how adrenal fatigue develops, it is important to understand the original, evolutionary function of the adrenal glands. The adrenals are apricot-sized glands located on top of each kidney, and are important control centers for many of the body's hormones and stress response. The outer layer, or cortex of the gland, produces hormones including cortisol, DHEA, estrogen and testosterone. The center of the gland produces adrenaline, the hormone for which they are named.
 
Our ancestors, experienced occasional demands of stress, sometimes extreme but followed by rest.  Today we're constantly over-worked, under-nourished, exposed to environmental toxins, experience relentless mental worries and fears, pushing ourselves mentally and physically.

Cortisol, one of the adrenal’s key hormones, helps us meet these challenges by converting proteins into energy, releasing glycogen and counteracting inflammation. For a short time, that's okay.  But at sustained high levels, cortisol gradually tears your body down and is the main reason we gain weight around the midsection.

Sustained high cortisol levels destroy healthy muscle and bone; slow down healing and normal cell replacement; strip our bio-chemicals needed to make other vital hormones; impair digestion, metabolism and mental function; interfere with healthy endocrine function; and weaken your immune system. Adrenal dysfunction may be a factor in many related conditions, including fibromyalgia, hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, premature menopause and others.  

Adaptogens are herbs that help the body achieve an adaptive response to stress and increase the body’s ability to cope with stress more effectively.   Adaptogens can increase stamina, strengthen immune, balance cortisol levels and relieve stress.  Since all of our critical physiological systems depend on and are influenced by the Hypothalamus – Pituitary – Adrenal  (HPA) axis in concert with the sympathetic nervous system, the health of our glands, tissues and organs are greatly affected as well.  The immune, neurological, endocrine, and neurotransmitter systems cannot stay in good working order if we are constantly exposed to situations that trigger the physiological stress response.  This is where the adaptogens are getting a lot of attention, because as they are so appropriately named, these medicinal plants help our body adapt to stress, and help curtail stress related decline in overall health.