Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Cortisol and its role in Adrenal Resistance


If there's one work-horse hormone in the body, it's cortisol.

Cortisol, which is secreted by the adrenal gland, has a incredibly wide range of metabolic and non-metabolic effects all over the body. Throughout the day, its release is cyclic, like the thermostat in a house, rising and falling with our natural Circadian rhythm of sleeping, wakefulness, and eating. However, with added stress, the rhythm of cortisol is disrupted and we start seeing changes in our sleep patterns, memory, immune response, and blood sugar levels.

When a stressful event, like running to catch the bus, occurs, the hypothalamus releases corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) that starts the stress response cascade causing release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the anterior pituitary gland. ACTH acts on the adrenal gland, telling it to start pumping out more cortisol. That bus needs to be caught so you can get to work on time! This hormonal response to an external stressor, the approaching bus, takes only a few minutes to complete but, once activated, cortisol levels stay elevated for up an hour, even if you're seated safely on the bus with plenty of time to spare.

The persistence of cortisol is a survival tactic, keeping the body primed and ready in case another stressor presents itself. This is the normal stress response to occasional stress, a quick rise in cortisol and then a gradual denouement.

If, however, if you get to work and day after day is a crazy, non-stop day with no break for lunch let alone coffee, the normal stress response turns into a chronic stress response with a very different cortisol pattern. The chronically stressed individual does not have a dramatic spike in cortisol levels in response to a momentary stressor. Instead, there's a low-grade climb in cortisol over a prolonged time period that never falls back down to normal levels.

What's happened? Adrenal fatigue.

In a nutshell, after maintaining elevated cortisol for so long, the adrenal glands can no longer cope with an additional stress; they resist the signals from the brain and fail to release more cortisol. Adrenal fatigue, or resistance, results in impairment of the ability to deal with any type of stress.

The common cold or a minor annoyance becomes overwhelming to a person with resistance adrenal glands. They just can't cope and need to take serious time out to recharge their burnt out body so that cortisol production can normalize.

So, what can be done to counteract the damage done to the adrenal glands? First and foremost, find a way to deal with stress. Tapping, yoga, simple stretches, specific breathing techniques—these are all ways of reducing stress on the system. Secondly, get rid of refined foods. Proper nutrition helps the body perform properly.

Need help with either of those points? Contact me for a free 30-minute consultation. We will discuss your main points of concern and, hopefully, you will go away with a tip or two that will help you recover.

References

The Complete Doctor's Stress Solution by Penny Kendall-Reed and Dr. Stephen Reed. Robert Rose, 2004. Chapter 1, pages 36 - 41

Thursday, December 10, 2015

A GUIDE TO Healthy “DESK DINING”



We all recognize the challenges of being at a desk for the majority of the day. The following guidelines will help you to better manage these lifestyle challenges of office eating so you can sustain your energy levels, work smarter, and get more out of your day.

VENDING MACHINES, OFFICE TROLLEYS, AND TUCK SHOPS

Most of the foods on offer are high in saturated and total fat, sodium and/or sugar, and virtually devoid of fibre and vitamins.

Eating these foods on a regular basis may result in erratic blood sugar levels, leaving you with low energy, irritability, poor concentration, weight gain, and an increased risk of diabetes, heart attacks and stroke, gout, high blood pressure, cancer, and other diseases.

What to do:

¨ Before grabbing a snack, consider whether you rather need a break from what you’re doing. Going for a short walk or getting a breath of fresh air may be all you need to feel re-energized.

¨ Drink a glass of water as you may simply be dehydrated.

¨ Do not allow yourself to skip meals. Hungry people tend to make unhealthy food choices, particularly if tempting snacks are readily available.

CAFFEINE-RICH DRINKS

Although tea, coffee, and cocoa contain beneficial flavonoids and other antioxidants, the caffeine content limits their benefit. Overconsumption of caffeine often goes hand in hand with overconsumption of sugar and refined unhealthy snacks such as biscuits. Excess caffeine intake may cause feelings of anxiety, increased blood pressure, insomnia, and headaches. It can also be a digestive system irritant, causing heartburn, cramping, or diarrhea in sensitive individuals.

What to do:

¨ Before having a cup of tea or coffee, go for a short walk or a breath of fresh air as it may be all you need.

¨ Limit yourself to three cups of java per day. Hot chocolate, cola drinks, and energy drinks should not be consumed on a regular basis, but rather as an occasional treat.

¨ Avoid coffee and tea creamers, as they are high in saturated and trans fats, which increase the risk of diabetes, cancer, heart attacks, and stroke.

¨ Skip the sugar. The total daily sugar intake for an adult should be less than 10% of total energy, which equates to eight teaspoons of sugar per day for women and 12 teaspoons for men.

¨ With every cup of coffee or tea, drink a glass of water to quench your thirst.

¨ During cold and flu season, try hot water with a slice of lemon, orange, or fresh ginger in it. Herbal teas also count as water.

MEETINGS

If I had a dark chocolate bar for every time I heard about the muffins and donuts at meetings...The challenge with meetings is that either unhealthy foods are provided or none at all. Foods on offer during meetings typically are highly refined and high in fat. This can limit productivity and creativity – how sharp do you feel after a muffin with 4 tablespoons of sugar? - and promote, of course, weight gain.

What to do:

¨ Be proactive and if possible, organise healthy food platters for meetings. Source various catering outlets that provide delicious smart snack platters.

¨ Suggested snack platter items to your usual caterer: cucumber strips, cherry tomatoes,  hummus, celery sticks, berries, boiled eggs, chicken strips, grapes, snap peas, baby corn, pineapple, sweet peppers, smoked salmon, etc. Yummy and very power suit-friendly!

¨ Keep your own healthy snacks on hand to consume during or between back-to-back meetings.

¨ Ensure that water is available in all meetings along with the tea and coffee.

¨ Rather have a smart snack before meetings and then a beverage during the meeting.

¨ If you have to eat from unhealthy food platters, fill a plate of food once, keeping in mind that half should be vegetables or fruit. In this way, you end up eating a fairly balanced meal rather than too many high fat, high carbohydrate snacks if you nibble continuously.

¨ If there are four or fewer of you who need to have a meeting, consider going for a walk while addressing the issues at hand. This helps to reduce unhealthy snacking – and, bonus, it spurs creativity and let's everyone know that workplace wellness is part of the company values.

TRAVELING

This is a tricky one. Time zone changes on top of the the usual work stresses really make this a tough challenge for my corporate clients. Whether you spend a lot of time in a car or hotels, or fly across time zones, traveling disrupts your usual eating routine and can play havoc with healthier food choices.

What to do:

¨ The biggest challenge with meals served on aeroplanes is the almost complete lack of vegetables and fresh fruit. Make sure you do eat all the salad and vegetables that are served or ask for the vegetarian option.

¨ Should you wish to have a meal before boarding a plane, choose a salad-based meal with a small protein serving.

¨ Meal timing is the other challenge when traveling. A main meal should only be consumed four to five hours after the last main meal. Should you be served a meal one to two hours after a large meal, treat this meal as a snack, rather than consuming the whole meal.

¨ Fruit juices, soft drinks, and alcoholic beverages are, strictly speaking, too energy dense. Make water your beverage of choice. If you must imbibe, match every alcoholic drink with a glass of water.

¨ Drinking enough water is very important, as long flights are particularly dehydrating. Have a glass of water for every hour or so.

What do you do to stay healthy while at work or on travel? I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to comment below.