Low cortisol levels and how to improve cortisol function with Dr. Alan Christianson
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- Опубликовано: 5 июн 2015
- Low cortisol levels and how to improve cortisol function with Dr. Alan Christianson drchristian.com/blog
Dr. Alan Christianson here. This is going to be a very tactical podcast about improving your cortisol metabolism. In my new book, THE ADRENAL RESET DIET, I call this being “crashed.” I talk about different levels of adrenal distress, and “crashed” is the lowest level. At this level, people can be horribly fatigued, depressed, have aches and pains and just not be functioning well. It can also badly affect sleep, weaken the immune system and probably create a long-term risk. It’s a big deal and very important to correct.
My patient’s previous doctors felt it would be helpful for her cortisol to be higher, so they gave her hydrocortisone pills. Ironically, taking cortisol was not a path back to health. Hydrocortisone is very similar to the cortisol your body makes, so it increased her cortisol levels. The problem was she put on 20 pounds in the first few weeks. This had never happened to her. Her weight had fluctuated no more than four pounds all of her adult life. She was in her mid-40's, and her weight had remained the same since high school-until she took the hydrocortisone. Besides the weight gain, she had severe acne, fluid retention, thinning hair and severe anxiety.
So, why didn't it help to take the cortisol? Well, here is what is going on: When you have an adrenal disease, the adrenal glands cannot do what the body wants them to do. The biggest adrenal disease is Addison's disease, which is an autoimmunity of the adrenals. The immune system attacks the adrenals and breaks them down to where they cannot produce enough hormone for your needs. There is a signal from the pituitary gland to the adrenals, telling them to make hormones. This signal is a hormone the pituitary gland releases called ACTH or adrenocorticotropic hormone. In cases of Addison's disease, there is no cortisol being made, and there is a very high level of ACTH. So, your brain is yelling at your adrenals to work, and they are not working.
When you have adrenal dysfunction, like my patient had, it is a different story. I address adrenal dysfunction in my new book, where I cover the levels of adrenal distress: crashed, wired or tired, or stressed. If we look at the ACTH level, it will not be elevated. There is low cortisol, but the body wants low cortisol. In my patient’s case, her system did not really want the cortisol from her own body. She was capable of making it, and she did make it at certain times, but her body did not want it because it was really run-down and exhausted. So, it took rest, relaxation, rejuvenation and restoring her cycles and daily rhythms for her body to want to make cortisol again. Pouring cortisol into her body (through the pills) was fighting against what the body was trying to achieve. That is why she had so many, troubling side effects.
If you are crashed, take a look at the chapter on crashed in the new book and think about botanical medicines. Think about timing of light. Think a lot about rest and all the factors that give rise to it. Your blood sugar is a critical one, too. So, manage all the factors that raise your resiliency, and know you can do better and your cortisol production can come back again. If you take cortisol, you are not giving your body what it wants. You are giving your body what it is trying to avoid. You will also make it harder for your body to make more cortisol because you will pull away from your adrenals that much further.
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You mentioned all the problems of Hydrocortison but you never mentioned the solution.
Were thankful that you understand these things, but more clarity is needed for the average person. We need answers and solutions as well as information.
This is true he has the right outlook on recover thank you!
Thankyou Sir for your expertise.
Great Dr.Alan
he didn't really even say anything other than it is possible to improve cortisol somehow...but no how
a trick : you can watch movies at Flixzone. I've been using it for watching a lot of movies during the lockdown.
@Stephen Kamryn Definitely, I have been watching on flixzone} for since november myself =)
It's in the description, rest, rejuvenation, relaxation. Good luck
I am just realizing I have this
Thank you for the advice
I definitely don’t want to take any medication. I would love to know the foods to eat.
Just bought your book,
This was very helpful. If you have time can you explain timing of light and adrenal insufficiency natural treatment without hydrocortisone. I like what you said but I still have so many questions!
He did not show the solution yet?
What I know about timing of light is we need to go under the sun within 30 mins from Waking up. This help our adrenal release more cortisol in the morning.
What herbs are recommended in the case of low cortisol, to bring them up.
Best laugh ever!
can you make a video about diets for people that don't make cortisol due to pituitary damage. For people taking hydrocortisone due to a pituitary tumor and how to manage weight. low carb, high carb, low and high fat, fruit no fruit. I have heard it all and I'm confused now. Thanks!
thank you dr❤
You're welcome, thank you for watching!
I have very low cortisol, I have difficulties in losing weight I was diagnosed with insulin resistance 20 years ago. I have severe ra , hypothyroidism and sworjen syndrome.
My mom was been treated pituitary adenoma by surgery and then radiotherapy. Several years later her pituitary gland seems to shrink in function , not able to secrete ACTH , and cortisol level is too low . She got the symptoms of heaviness in chest, sometimes stomach and is not feeling fresh and energetic . She was initially taking prednisone with dose of 5 mg in the morning and 2.5 mg in the evening . Since the symptoms does not subside, or increase more , doctor prescribed 20 mg in morning and 10 in morning for a week . And now she is having moon face and. Still not fresh and energetic. Please help those who knows
Hi dr would vitamin c help for low cortisol?
Use adrenal cortex extract by Thorne! That stuff is magical and may be for people who don’t quite need hydrocortisone
Is the supplement good for low Cortisol And low DHEA as well as being safe if you have hypertension?
Is It safe?
My 18 year old son has low cortisol levels and hydro cortisol didn’t help him. I’m going to get that Adrenal Cortex Extract by Thorne. Don’t suppose you know if he should also be supplementing on DHEA?
How would I be able to be treated by you for this?
Yes, please help me. I have been diagnosed with Addison’s disease and I would like for my body to produce its own cortisol and that’s what I’m trying to do so what you recommend to help build my cortisol would really help. Thank you so much for this video. God bless you.🥰🌅💕🦋
My father recently have low cortisol level but normal acth. What does that mean.
I may be having low cortisol: fatigue, body aches, low energy. I find 1,000 mg of glutamine seems to give me energy for a few hours. Please comment. Thanks.
Thank you for this information. Struggling for so long with this, but never heard this!
This is me!
Thank you for watching!
a few weeks ago my doctor found out that my cortisol is extreamly low (between 0,1 and 0,3 in the morning)
but the specialists in my are won't take new patients exept it`s an emergence
would that count? bc most days I feel like I`m barley functioning :')
Is Rhodiola safe to take for low cortisol? I keep hearing great for high cort,but can it raise low?
Don't think.so
Hello Doc, i have made A LOT of blood tests and seen many doctors and the hormone test showed that my cortisol in very low and ACTH is Low.. i got so skinny because of that although i eat good, So what do you think is the best for me is it Cortisol medication or what exactly? plus i will be traveling for a while so do i have to worry on this and just eat well and try to be more happy or what? i also take Clonazepam for anxiety ''i have been on it on a while way before this happened'' Also my Vitamin D is low and they gave me a supplement for that to help. I would appreciate your answer and help Thank you so Much Doctor.^^
MidoTV Adventure I've lost a ton of weight also
Me too 20kg in 2 years
Hydrocortisone didn’t help my son, he’s 18 diagnosed with low cortisol. Guess I’m going to have to buy the book cos doctors don’t have a clue. Thanks for this insight as was needed.
You're welcome!
What's the treatment for steroid induced adrenal insufficiency???
Used steroids continuously for several months suddenly got severe fatigue one day after that chronic fatigue headache backache stomach ache eye pain insomnia for the past one year... Went to a endocrinologist he simply gave me antidepressants and sent me away.... My post synacten is just 6 which should be more than 20 I think... But still he didn't treat me and iam still suffering from all this
Do you see patients or do you just give advice over zoom meetings and stuff like that?
i take only 1.25mg hc in the morning .this might sound ridiculously low but it works for me and gives me plenty of energy.i tried 2.5mg and was a little too much.its all in the dose.
i knew in the mornings i was struggling alot to wake up or stay awake.i did an adrenal stress index test which showed my 1st level at 7.30 to be a little below the reference level.the next one also few hours later was slightly below.i first tried 5mg and also 2.5mg but found 1.25mg was enough for me which i take at 7.30 in the am.now lot more energy.you really need to test your salivary levels to confirm.you can easily order hc from online pharmacies which is what i do.i not ever go to doctors they are a joke in uk.
hydrocortisone is cheap enough.not the synthetic ones which is stronger and more harmful over time.
even low amounts of cortisol arent without side effects but they are very subtle over time.you might notice some mood disturbances.it makes me very slightly aggressive and id say anxiety levels very slightly higher.overall the most positive aspect is you have alot of energy in the tank and you have to weigh up the pros and cons and experiment on yourself and how you feel.
Any updates on your situation?
I'm currently having an issue (21yo male) where I'm exhausted all the time, besides short bursts of energy occasionally. It is hard to focus, and I feel like I get aches and pains a lot, and I get sick more often than others around me. It feels like no matter how much (or little) sleep I get, it's just not enough. I do tend to get stressed out, which can make it hard to fall asleep because my mind is racing. I took a basic metabolism test from Everlywell that checked my thyroid levels, free testosterone, and cortisol, and everything was normal except for my cortisol levels, which were measured at 0.8 ng/mL where the normal range doesn't dip below 1.5. I dont know what to do so I'm gonna try to take a magnesium supplement that is supposed to help.
Hi how its going today? I have the same thing going on. In my Case I got more tired from Magnesium. I took a month high doses of Thiamin HCL(1000mg a day) know I can tolerate Magnesium better and I think I'm a bit less tired .
Did you try Dessicated Adrenal Cortex? That also helps a little bit.
But I don't found the root cause until know so I wonder if you have made any improvement?
PS: Did you test for sleep apnea?
I read that magnesium may lower cortisol... but that licorice and panax ginseng increase cortisol production. Take 4-6 weeks then a short break.
I didn't understand. Why did the body make less cortisol or didn't want to make More ?
Maybe heavy metal toxicity
My ACTH plasma came back low, is it possible to increase it naturally??? I rather go the natural route then fill my body with steroids.
How to improve adrenal function?
Look up the adrenal reset diet.
Great video! I have very low Cortisol (it’s at 4 in the morning) and have had a hard time swallowing food off and on for years. When food sticks in my esophagus, I get very dizzy for hours and it feels like I’m not getting enough oxygen to my brain even though I’m able to breathe. I’m curious if it’s possibly related to the low Cortisol. I’ve done a barium swallow study, the test where they put you to sleep and look down the esophagus, had a camera look down my nose into my throat 3 different times. These conventional doctors cannot figure it out and I can’t afford to keep going to them and leave with no answers. I’m scared. Some days it’s a lot worse and I feel like I’m going to pass out. I think it’s possibly inflammation from the low Cortisol. I’m just unsure of why the swallowing symptoms went away for months and then came back. They also tell me my Cortisol is fine because when they inject the ACTH, it goes up. I don’t think they’re right about it being fine.
You probably have adrenal fatigue, I know it’s scary I’m going through it currently but you’re not alone. Please let me know how I can help.
I’d definitely go see a neuropathic doctor who recognizes adrenal fatigue because modern common medicine doesn’t recognize adrenal fatigue
Eating/ drinking protein can help with the dizziness and passing out feeling
Making sure the protein is plant based
Also look into supplements for adrenal fatigue online, also you’ll probably want something for stress as well
Yes I’ve experienced that. I’m finding supplements and relaxation is helping and having a low stress job
High dose vitamin C IV’s helped my extreme fatigue tons. Still have low Cortisol though and not sure why. My doctors can’t figure it out.,
@Denis Dougherty it's all so confusing. I was told real vitamin c helps the adrenals
@Denis Doc if you have high cortisol levels due to oxidative stress taking an antioxidant like vitamin c will lower cortisol. This is because your body produces cortisol in an attempt to deal with stressful situations - remove the cause of biological stress and you no longer need to produce as much. With hypoadrenalism, you aren't able to naturally deal with stress at all - as you cannot produce cortisol in response.. so lowering the need for cortisol is also good in this case I'd assume.
I'm a little worried. My current IHP has me on Adapt and liquid DHEA morning and noon to move up my cortisol. Then night time Seriphos. Well, I go to the gym in the morning and finish up around the noon time, which doesn't work with cortisol "meds" and it's problems. Hence, I have problems figuring all this out. I power lift and do this in the AM after I drop off my son to school. Now, I take a pre workout. I know this can be a "no no" but come on! It's not much different than coffee and i don't drink coffee. The only caffeine I take in is that one shot in the AM to get my workout going. So.. I have some questions about my "proprietary blends". I'm going to a new IHP on Thursday, Dr. Maz.
what can I do about adrenal dysfunction..........
@Lord Trump I have one of the sickest senses of humour going... that was not funny. You are not funny.
Any updates on your situation?
This video is an advertisement for his book. Plenty of doctors on RUclips found the formula to making money and this is not it. Actually help people in your videos and see the patrons line up. Instead you act like your here to help, only to not give any answers or solutions. Subscribed then unsubscribed. I read all the comments and not a single question was answered by him.
Let the man make his money
Exactly a 6min infomercial basically
So what. What makes him different than anyone else on RUclips. There are people exploiting their children and getting pregnant just for more subscribers! I guess I’ll have to buy his book.
i have copd and fybromyalga and have a crap life ,i came off predinisone and i was fine ,but put a stone on now they are putting back on presnisone as i done produce and cortsol why ??
BADPOM your life is crap? stop fucking turning to drugs to help your "crap" life. everyone has a "crap" life if they dont handle it properly. deal with your shit, on your own...soul search, and stop looking for drugs to manipulate your nervous system.
I did and i do
I do do life on my own but having lung dieses as well makes life shit ,and if you had listened i have come of lots of drugs on my own
ignore them. those who dont go through it will never know. i get it.
if they had bothered to look at my you tube channel ,they would have seen i had made changes to my life ,
but hay i'm not judgeing anyone just myself ,,,,
good for you! doesnt matter though, you were not being nasty to anyone so they had no reason to talk to you that way. my mom is sick. has been sick since 2008 after a systemic case of poison ivy/sumac. she didnt do anything except what the docs told her. eight years of suffering, and four docs who only said fibro., she found out by accident its her adrenals. hopefully she will get well now. guess they would make a rude comment to her as well.smh. she has been depressed and sounds like you " crap life" but when your life is stolen and replaced with pain and fatigue, how else would you expect a person to feel. i wish you the best!
I truly believe God Almighty sent you to me on this video because this is what I am trying to do. I want my body to produce someone I want my body to heal and start producing it on and be normal with rest and taking care of the way I eat my nutrition and stay away from the sugary jump. Any thing that you can give an information to help? I would really appreciate it. Thank you, sir. God bless you.🥰💕🦋🌅
I've got a pituatry tumour and have had tests which show my cortisol is low. The thing is I feel fine. None of the classic symptoms of low cortisol. My diet isn't the best but it's not horrific and I exercise regularly. My Drs want me to start taking hydrocortisone but I fear the side effects and some of the points you make really make sense. Don't know what to do.
Any updates on your situation?
@Denis Dougherty No. I refused the medication. About a year after my first message on here the Drs got in contact asking to do more tests. Had a second Insulin Stress Test and found my cortisol and other blood work to be fine. The tumour had a small bleed, or at least that's their theory as it has gotten smaller (about the size of a hazelnut) in MRI. Subsequent MRIs have shown it hasn't grown and is a case of regular blood tests and MRI.
@@Rot05 Sorry, I didn't see your message. I've replied to someone else on this thread with an update.
@@seanfleming1599 have you looked into Addison's disease / Adrenal insufficiency? They result in low cortisol levels also.
@@Rot05 At the time I did. But as I say after additional blood work my levels of cortisol and adrenaline (and others) are all fine. I never had symptoms of addison's or any other hypopituitarism. I'm under the care of a consultant now and have three blood tests and an MRI once a year.
I should clarify the reason I had tests in first place wasn't due to symptoms. I had been referred for an MRI by an ENT Dr investigating tinnitus. It was then they found the tumour and the saga of the pituitary began.
Doctor, what are the "simple herbs" that will help cortisol? I have low morning cortisol and am borderline hypothyroid. I've been taking L-Tyrosine 250 mg daily and feel so much better. I'd love to know the herbs you suggest. Thank you!
I've found that licorice is helpful for me. The GAIA brand adrenal support supplements helped and then just using licorice extract.
@@clintpot8521 How much licorice do you take?
I tried ashwagandha and it messed me up like crazy. I am kinda afraid of adaptogens now.
@@Arrasel hard to say what an individual should take without seeing a practitioner. Stress leads to adrenal fatigue so an investigation into the cause of stress - physical, mental, emotional, can all be part of the drain that keeps the adrenals working hard. Different forms of stress would lead to different herbs to relieve, plus lifestyle changes and diet changes...
@@clintpot8521 Well, I eat Paleo and I am way better than I was.
Practitioners here in europe are greedy and extra stupid.
I don't have functional medicine here.
@@Arrasel Consider the ketogenic diet if you want to up your game thru diet. There's a very successful doctor named Darren Schmidt on youtube. You can watch his videos for support. Research lactic acidosis to understand how to heal cells on a cellular level. The rest is easy once you understand this concept.
Omg. What herbs ??? People need help !!!
🙄... exactly
STOP making videos all talk HOW TO IMPROVE CORTISOL? all you talk about some woman taking meds
Fiona jordan your stupid he's doing a great job for those of us with this problem
Agreed. Same patient. Doesn’t give dosage or lab details.