As discussed in my previous blog, chronic elevation of the stress hormone cortisol is one of the most significant root causes of health issues in many of my clients. It can have long-term effects on many aspects of health and well-being, including metabolism, sleep, brain, and mood.

Have you ever thought about what’s actually creating stress in your body? It might not be what you think.

In my 20+ years of practicing medicine, I have often found stress levels in my patients to be higher in May - especially for those with school-aged children. The problem with letting all that stress get to you is that higher levels of stress hormones can really MESS with your other hormones! The Stress-Hormone connection is REAL - and it’s a vicious cycle. As I often discuss with my patients, hormones “dance” with one another. When one set of hormones becomes imbalanced - this is likely to wreak havoc on other hormones.

Insulin resistance means that the cells in the body have become less responsive to insulin, which leads to elevated insulin and blood sugar levels. This leads to more belly fat, hunger/cravings, and fatigue - and if left unchecked, can lead to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even many cancers. That’s why it’s critical to take insulin resistance seriously.

Insulin resistance means that the cells in the body have become less responsive to insulin, which leads to elevated insulin and blood sugar levels. This leads to more belly fat, hunger/cravings, and fatigue - and if left unchecked, can lead to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and even many cancers. That’s why it’s critical to take insulin resistance seriously.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, each organ system of the body has a time of day that it is more active than others. For the liver? It’s 1-3am. That means that if you repeatedly wake up at 3am, it’s possible your liver is overworked or you need some additional support for detoxification.

As I have mentioned in prior blogs, your hormones dance with one another. This is why, when evaluating hormone balance, you have to take into account the various hormones interacting in your body. When one hormone becomes imbalanced this can lead to other hormonal imbalances. Stress hormones and thyroid hormones are good examples of this.