Nourish Your Adrenal Glands
When the adrenal glands and brain are misfiring it can make you feel like you’re in a tailspin. Employing the lifestyle therapies in this article can help ease anxiety, along with incorporating nutrients for thyroid health.
Consider B5, found in shiitake mushrooms, and vitamin C, found in red bell peppers, can provide your adrenal glands with what they need to function.
Eating regular meals can help support adrenal health as well. Avoid skipping meals, especially if you find yourself feeling hangry. Intermittent fasting may be fine for you, but be sure to listen to what your body needs.
Consider a blend of calming herbs like Passion flower and Ashwagandha, along with the amino acids phosphatidyl serine and L-theanine to help bring the chill into your evenings. Adrenal Calm is what we use in my clinic because it contains nutrients to support healthy cortisol levels and calm the mind in the evenings.
Add Natural Adrenal Support
Mild to moderate anxiety is a common symptom of adrenal imbalance. To help women reduce their anxiety symptoms, weve found success with phytotherapy to help restore and re-balance the adrenals. Learn about Adaptisol and Serinisol, our doctor-formulated adrenal health supplements. Combined with good, consistent nutrition and a few lifestyle adjustments, taking the time to address your adrenal imbalance limits the effects of stress on your body, solving the major physical causes of your anxiety symptoms.
“Within two weeks of stopping your supplements, my symptoms returned, including the anxiety. So I went back on them and within just a few days I started feeling better again.”– Darah, Adrenal Health Program customer
Weve seen our approach work for thousands of women! To assess your adrenal symptoms, take our on-line Adrenal Health Profile. To understand if you have a combination of hormonal imbalances present, take our Symptom Checker quiz to evaluate your hormonal health.
If you have questions and want to talk to a real woman, call us toll-free at 1-800-448-4919. Were here to listen and help.
Mental Health Is A Pertinent Part Of Our Wellbeing: Wellness Does Not Only Encompass Physical Health But Also Our Mental And Emotional Health Mental Health Can Affect All Aspects Of Our Lives And Can Often Have Hidden
In this article weâll be answering questions like:
- How do my hormones impact my mental health?
- How does my PCOS, endometriosis, thyroid disorder, or other hormonal imbalance make me more likely to suffer from poor mental health?
- What emotional symptoms should I look out for?
- Could my psychiatric medication be affecting my hormonal health or catalyzing a hormone imbalance?
- How can I take charge of my mental and hormonal health?
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What Are The Symptoms Of An Anxiety Disorder
A great variety of physical symptoms may result from anxiety disorders. As a matter of fact, patients are often brought to emergency rooms with symptoms of heart attacks, strokes, or other severe ailments, only to be diagnosed with panic attacks or severe anxiety. It is easy to see how the symptoms below, which may occur in varying combinations, can be mistaken for those of a traumatic physical event:
- Irrational panic or fear
- Shortness of breath, chest tightness
- Sweaty or numb palms and/or feet
- Feeling very hot or very cold
- Heart palpitations
- Dry mouth
- Feeling of impending death
Although an overactive thyroid gland will more often trigger bodily symptoms that are similar to panic symptoms, occasionally an underactive thyroid gland has been associated with anxiety and panic attacks as well. This is another reason Dr. Goldstone checks all hormone levels in the body. If your level of thyroid hormone or any other hormone is off, she replaces and balances them with bio-identical hormones.
What Are The Core Symptoms
When hormones are healthy, you tend to feel vibrant and energetic. When the hormones that affect your brain neurohormones are off, you are off. You may experience symptoms that change the way you think, feel, and act in negative ways. It also makes you more vulnerable to conditions like anxiety, depression, and even psychosis. If nobody checks your hormone levels, you will never know the root cause of your issues. And if your hormones are the problem, no amount of psychiatric medications will get you right.
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Is Anxiety A Chemical Imbalance
Anxiety disorders can be linked to chemical imbalances in the body, along with other physiological factors such as sleep, diet, and exercise. So too, hormone imbalances can also reduce or increase your anxiety. Progesterone, the female sex hormone, stimulates the part in the brain that is responsible to your fight-or-flight responses and may trigger your anxiety. Low testosterone contributes to anxiety as well, as it regulates the part of the brain that is responsible to assess social threats and emotions of others to allow us to lead a healthy social life. Stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol induce our anxiety in safe, normal scenarios like a job interview or a date. And oxytocin can intensify memories and generate dread towards future similar events.
Here is a more detailed overview of these hormones and how they work:
Thyroid: The Mood & Energy Regulator
The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located in your lower neck that plays a powerful role in keeping your brain and body healthy. This gland regulates how your body uses energy, and it also has a strong impact on the brain because it controls the production of many neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, serotonin, and GABA. Problems occur when thyroid dysfunction causes the gland to produce too little hormone or too much hormone .
Hypothyroidism: Brain SPECT scans of people with hypothyroidism show overall decreased brain activity, which often leads to depression, cognitive impairment, anxiety, and brain fog.
Hyperthyroidism: An overactive thyroid produces too much hormone, making everything in your body work too fast. It can feel like youre in hyper-driveyou feel jittery and edgy, as though youve had way too much caffeine.
Common Symptoms of Thyroid Dysfunction
| Hypothyroidism |
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While Imbalanced Hormones Can Leave You More Likely To Experience Anxiety Depression And Other Mental Health Issues It Is Also Important To Know That Psychiatric Medications Can Create Or Worsen Off
That said, remember that every body is unique and for many, the benefits of these medications will outweigh the negative symptoms. This section is intended to be educational and give you a starting point if you want to discuss the impact of these medications on your hormones with your doctor. Do not make any changes to your medication regimen without consulting your care team.
Reduce Your Inflammation Levels
Dr. Bay says that anti-inflammatory diets and nutritional therapies have also been effective when it comes to addressing inflammation that might lead to depressive or anxious mood issues.
Studies have also shown that stress-induced inflammation can be addressed by stress reduction techniques such as breathing exercises and meditation, she says. These are all conservative, safe, and effective approaches to improve depression and anxiety in those with endocrine disorders.
In the end, the mind and body are interconnected. Rather than thinking of them as separate, its smart to think of them as one machine with many moving parts.
For this reason, be sure to advocate for yourself with your health care providers and ask for a systemic examination of your issues.
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What Conditions Are Caused By Hormonal Imbalances
Dozens of medical conditions are caused by hormone issues. For most hormones, having too much or too little of them causes symptoms and issues with your health. While many of these imbalances require treatment, some can be temporary and may go away on their own. Some of the most common hormone-related conditions include:
How Is An Anxiety Disorder Diagnosed
As noted, anxiety disorders present physical symptoms that can often be confused with other medical conditions. If you are experiencing symptoms and are unsure of whether the underlying cause is illness or anxiety, you should always have a physical exam performed by a doctor to rule out any indication of physical illness. When you visit the Southern California Center for Anti-Aging, you have the advantage of consulting with Dr. Goldstone, who is a board-certified internal medicine physician as well as an anti-aging specialist. In addition to being fully prepared to differentiate the underlying causes of your symptoms, both through physical examination and taking a thorough medical and psychological history . In addition, she will perform comprehensive laboratory analysis to determine your hormone levels and if they are unbalanced, she will replace and balance them with bioidentical hormones. prescribe hormones and/or supplements that may be helpful to you, and If necessary she will refer you to a mental healthcare professional.
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Depression Anxiety Irritability And Low Moods Can Hormonal Imbalances Be The Cause
Depression, Anxiety, Irritability and Low Moods Can Hormonal Imbalances Be the Cause?
Hormones are chemical messengers that regulate the processes and activities throughout the body including our moods, metabolism, energy levels, our periods, fertility, stress response, sugar cravings, weight and many others.
It is not surprising that for many women, hormonal imbalance is an overlooked cause of many symptoms, while for others it may unfortunately be brushed under the rug and even considered as normal.
Its important to understand that while hormonal changes are normal and in fact expected, there is no need to suffer through them.
If you are struggling with low moods, anxiety, depression or mood swings, any of these symptoms could be caused or triggered by underlying hormonal imbalances.
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Curing Anxiety Without Hormonal Drugs
When hormonal imbalances cause anxiety, curing it completely can be tough. In some cases, you may need to seek out professional assistance, especially if a condition is causing the hormonal issues, such as those caused by the thyroid.
But even if your hormones are causing your anxiety, anxiety reduction tips can still successfully help you cope with that anxiety, and in some cases once your anxiety is reduced, your hormones may even go back to normal.
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Can Hormones Cause Anxiety
Hormone imbalances are a major cause of anxiety in men and women. As men and women age, hormone levels fluctuate and decline. Changing estrogen and progesterone levels, such as those which occur during the monthly menstrual cycle in women, or during the perimenopausal and menopause years can cause anxiety or depression. Too much estrogen production in relation to progesterone production is called estrogen dominance. Estrogen dominance. causes water retention, tension, anxiety, and irritability.
Changes in the level of testosterone in both men and women have been associated with anxiety. Testosterone helps protect the nervous system by boosting the action of gamma-aminobutyric acid and serotonin. However, with aging, declining testosterone levels may lead to anxiety and depression.There is an increase in anxiety and frequency of panic attacks during PMS, post-childbirth, perimenopause and menopause and andropause. These are all times in life when the hormones are fluctuating.
Can Lifestyle Make A Difference
Lifestyle factors can have a great effect on your hormone balance.
Factors such as
- Eating a lot of processed food
- Eating too little
- Eating a lot of sugar
- Drinking alcohol
- Stressful situations
- Long term stress
This can all have an effect on your hormone balance. In the case of sleep, disrupted hormones can make it harder to sleep well too so this can become a self-perpetuating cycle.
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Anxiety Can Be Induced During Times Of Hormonal Change
With regard to womens health, anxiety is the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric disease, affecting nearly one in three women in their lifetime. Many women experience reproductive cycle mood symptoms during times of hormonal changes. These include premenstrual symptoms , postpartum blues and perimenopausal mood changes. These symptoms, although apparent, are not typically pathologic and are often transient. Should they evolve into more severe symptoms, patients may be experiencing premenstrual dysphoric disorder , postpartum depression or anxiety, or a mood disorder outside the reproductive realm such as major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder.
Some of the specific hormones that play a role in increased or decreased levels of anxiety are estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, oxytocin, and stress steroids such as cortisol and adrenaline. The drop in estrogen and progesterone that occurs at the end of a womens menstrual cycle may cause anxiety and other mood symptoms. This is similar to the drop experienced during perimenopause, the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause. Low levels of testosterone have also been linked to elevated worry or panic. Oxytocin, on the other hand, has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety.
Can Hormones Be Causing My Anxiety
The short answer is yes! Traditionally, the medical community has viewed anxiety as a condition that stems from an imbalance in brain neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine. While this is true for some, it is not the cause for all cases of anxiety. Hormones can play a huge role in anxiety and other mood disorders.
Hormones are chemical messengers that travel throughout the body sending signals to organs instructing them to perform certain functions. People often think about hormones as they relate to women and the menstrual cycle. This is a major hormone pathway, however, there are many other hormones performing various functions throughout the body. There are hormones that have an affect on mood and are known to be associated with anxiety, these include: cortisol, thyroid hormones, sex hormones, and adrenaline.
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Hormone Related Causes Of Anxiety In Women
Comments: 18 | May 30th, 2018
Anxiety affects 40 million adults in the U.S. Women are twice as likely to have an anxiety disorder as men.
Do these sound familiar?
Are you nervous and irritable? Do you often feel scared for no reason? Do you feel impending doom? Do you have feelings of panic? Are you often ill at ease or worried?
We have all felt anxiety at certain times, but what about when it starts to happen more frequently and take over your life? These feelings are very uncomfortable and can interfere with your daily activities. Things that you never used to worry about can almost paralyze you with fear now. Some women have such extreme anxiety that they dont want to leave their home. Why is this happening? What has changed to make us feel so anxious? Could it be as simple as a hormonal deficiency? Women are more likely to experience anxiety during times of hormonal fluctuation and decline. Lets address five common hormone related causes of anxiety in women.
First of all, what is anxiety?
5 Common Causes of Anxiety in Women
1. Adrenal Fatigue
2. Hypothyroidism
3. Estrogen Dominance
Chronically elevated levels of estrogen can actually induce depression and anxiety by causing functional hypothyroidism. Also, a woman with estrogen dominance may have the adequate levels of total cortisol in her bloodstream, but her free, available cortisol level may be very low. Only free cortisol can actually be used by the cells.
4. Estrogen Deficiency
5. Low Testosterone
Research
Estrogen And Postmenopausal Depression
At menopause, estrogen levels fall to very low levels. Interestingly, taking oral estrogen does not improve depression in women after menopause. In large trials evaluating hormone replacement therapy, women taking estrogen reported the same mental health as women taking placebo. After menopause, womens rates of depression fall, becoming similar to men of the same age.
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When Should You Seek Help
If you suspect that your birth control is causing depression or other side effects, speak with your doctor. In some cases, they might encourage you to change your method of birth control. They might also prescribe antidepressant medications, refer you to a mental health specialist for counseling, or recommend other treatment.
Potential signs and symptoms of depression include:
- frequent or lasting feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or emptiness
- frequent or lasting feelings of worry, anxiety, irritability, or frustration
- frequent or lasting feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or self-blame
- loss of interest in activities that used to intrigue or please you
- changes to your appetite or weight
- changes to your sleep habits
- lack of energy
- slowed movements, speech, or thought
- difficulty concentrating, making decisions, or remembering things
If you develop signs or symptoms of depression, let your doctor know. If you experience suicidal thoughts or urges, seek help right away. Tell someone you trust or contact a free suicide prevention service for confidential support.
Do Iuds Cause Depression
Some studies suggest that hormonal IUDs and other hormonal methods of birth control for example, birth control pills may raise the risk of depression. Other studies have found no link at all.
One of the largest studies on birth control and depression was completed in Denmark in 2016. The researchers studied 14 years worth of data from more than 1 million women, aged 15 to 34 years old. They excluded women with a past history of depression or antidepressant use.
They found that 2.2 percent of women who used hormonal birth control methods were prescribed antidepressants in a year, compared to 1.7 percent of women who didnt use hormonal birth control.
Women who used a hormonal IUD were 1.4 times more likely than women who didnt use hormonal birth control to be prescribed antidepressants. They also had a slightly higher chance of being diagnosed with depression in a psychiatric hospital. The risk was greater for younger women, between the ages of 15 and 19 years old.
Other studies have found no link between hormonal birth control and depression. In a review published in 2018, researchers looked at 26 studies on progestin-only contraceptives, including five studies on hormonal IUDs. Only one study linked hormonal IUDs to higher risk of depression. The other four studies found no link between hormonal IUDs and depression.
Unlike hormonal IUDs, copper IUDs dont contain any progestin or other hormones. They havent been linked to higher risk of depression.
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