Adrenal and Hormonal Imbalance

“The natural healing force within each one of us is the greatest force in getting well.” Hippocrates

The Endocrine System, which makes up all the organs and glands which secrete hormones, is a complex system. There is a strong interdependence between all of them. When one hormone is released, it affects many other hormones. This works by extensive feedback loops (for instance if there is too much hormone secreted by a gland, it feeds back a message to another gland to slow its production or secretion) that can create a domino effect throughout the body's entire hormone balance. It is a system that cannot be micro-managed, yet everyone seems to be trying to do exactly that.

Adrenal imbalance and hormonal imbalance are connected by areas of the brain known as the hypothalamus and the pituitary. Both help control feedback messaging loops within the endocrine system, receiving and relaying information about whether to increase or decrease hormonal output by the thyroid, adrenals, ovaries, and other tissues. When people are under a great deal of long-term stress, these feedback loops at first cause the hypothalamus to call for more and more adrenal cortisol, a situation called cortisol dominance. But over time, this demand saps the energetic reserves of not just our adrenal glands but of other important glands, too, including the ovaries. That results in further imbalance and can generate even more symptoms.