Can Stress Affect Your Thyroid Condition?
One thing almost all thyroid patients tell me is this, “Dr. King, I have had a very stressful life!” It doesn’t matter if you have Hashimoto’s Disease, Grave’s Disease, hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, adrenal gland dysfunction will make your symptoms worse. Whether it has been a physical, chemical or emotional stressor, stress will drive the adrenal glands into an abnormal state of function, causing excessive amounts of cortisol to be released.
Insomnia is normally the result of adrenal gland dysfunction. I have worked with hundreds of patients over the last 10 years that had sleep disturbances due to adrenal gland dysfunction.
Many patients know that cortisol stores belly fat. Excessive cortisol is the culprit for many thyroid patients’ metabolism frustrations.
Cortisol will eat away at the gastrointestinal lining, causing Leaky Gut Syndrome/Intestinal Permeability (I grew up with this). Healthy GI function is EXTREMELY important for a healthy immune system (the GI tract makes up for 80% of the immune system). He is a big secret; a majority of Hashimoto’s patients struggle with GI dysfunction that is due to adrenal gland dysfunction.
One thing we know, cortisol in excessive amounts will pass your blood brain barrier. You have a barrier that surrounds the brain protecting it from large foreign particles. Alcohol, medications, and hormones are some of the chemicals that will pass the blood brain barrier. We all know what happens when alcohol passes the barrier! When cortisol passes the barrier, it destroys neurons! Specifically, it targets the hippocampus, which when destroyed will cause dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease (I watched my grandfather struggle with this the last five years of his life due in part to Type II Diabetes).
Abnormal stress will contribute to these conditions. Why is this important to you? Because the adrenal glands impact the thyroid gland via the hypothalamus-pituitary axis. If the adrenal glands are not functioning properly, neither will your thyroid gland. If your adrenal glands are not functioning properly, you are predisposing yourself to dementia, Alzheimer’s.
Adrenal gland dysfunction is one of the main “pieces” to thyroid gland patients’ puzzle. If this piece of the puzzle is not understood, and not tested properly, your health will continue to deteriorate. You must make sure that your adrenal glands are working and functioning as they were intended to in order for your thyroid gland to work properly.
If you would like to talk more about your health condition, give my staff a call (866) 375-4641 to schedule your complimentary phone consultation.
