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Adrenal Glands and Mood

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Adrenal hormones are often ignored in the conventional medical model until their levels reach extreme pathological elevations or deficiencies. However, the adrenals produce cortisol, DHEA, epinephrine (adrenaline), and norepinephrine, which are all critical to mood health, and when they are outside of an optimal range, mood is one of the first things affected. Imbalance in the adrenal glands typically results in depression, anxiety, insomnia, and fatigue, depending on whether the adrenal hormones are high or low. The adrenals also have a strong relationship with neurotransmitter production, thyroid hormone production, sex hormone production, and inflammation. So adrenal health is a pivotal aspect of treating depression and other mood issues. 

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Did You Know?

  • Some neurotransmitters require an appropriate amount of cortisol in order to form correctly, which compounds the effects of adrenal imbalance on mood. 

  • Cortisol, which is the main stress hormone in the body, is made from the same building blocks as Progesterone (a female sex hormone).  So when stress is high, or adrenal hormones are out of balance, the body preferentially chooses to produce cortisol instead of progesterone, which leads to additional sex hormone imbalances. This process is called the “progesterone shunt” or “progesterone steal”.  

  • When cortisol is high, the thyroid begins to produce ‘reverse T3’ instead of the active form of the hormone, so adrenal issues can also be at the root of some thyroid issues, both of which affect mood.

  • Cortisol is one of the main steroid hormones that the body produces, so when it is low, the body is unable to stop inflammatory reactions, and then pain, inflammation, and autoimmunity may increase. 

 

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