The Biggest Casualty of Stress is Our Health
Jill Clarey, ND, MH, CNHP, NHC

Most of the people who walk through my office door have many of the same imbalances: depression, pain, insomnia, hypothyroid, insulin resistance. They complain of cravings, anxiety, fatigue, low self-esteem, negativity, lack of motivation. They blame PMS or say they’re just overwhelmed. And to deal with it they’re self-medicating with nicotine, alcohol, or medication. They eat more sweets or, even worse, artificial sweeteners to “fight weight gain.” They come to see me when they think they’ve tried everything else.

I’ve found that many times the culprit lies in long-term lifestyle issues – poor diet and nutrition, lack of exercise, poor sleep patterns and relentless stress – which manifest themselves in adrenal stress and can be quantified by measuring hormone and neurotransmitter levels

I have been testing hormones and adrenal levels for years. I sometimes feel like a broken record explaining to clients the problems with their adrenals. “Are you exercising?” I ask.  “Sleeping? Under stress? Do you consume caffeine daily? How’s your diet?” I often find the answers to these questions distressing. And then I explain how long-term diet and lifestyle issues dictate much of the body’s overall health. Poor choices lead to imbalance – swings in blood-sugar levels, chronic systemic inflammation, cardiovascular stress, hypertension, insulin resistance, pain, and lipid imbalances. And all of these can originate with hormonal imbalance and adrenal stress, which are intricately entwined with neurotransmitter levels. I have recently begun testing them after training under Dr. Chip Watkins, Educator and Medical Director of Sanesco International. I now have a client fill out a neurotransmitter assessment form that indicates a client’s susceptibility to neurotransmitter imbalances in the central nervous system in addition to testing for two inhibitory and four excitatory neurotransmitters in urine.

Neurotransmitters, in simplistic terms, are chemical substances that send information from one nerve cell to another. Most people have heard of Serotonin, so let’s discuss that first. It is the primary inhibitory neurotransmitter found mostly in the gut-enteric nervous system. In fact 95 percent of the body’s serotonin is found there. Small quantities are also found in the central nervous system and blood platelets.

Low serotonin levels can lead to depression, PMS, hot flashes, insomnia, anxiety and carbohydrate cravings. In the eight months I have been testing them, I have yet to see someone with an initial serotonin level in the normal range, but with proper diet and lifestyle changes along with supplementation, the level shifts into the normal range with the first follow-up test.

Serotonin drops when cortisol levels rise. Cortisol is a gluco-corticoid that plays an important role in blood-sugar balance and is made in the adrenal glands. The body initiates cortisol production when it experiences stress. When cortisol rises, serotonin production is suppressed and we see a de-sensitization of serotonin uptake at a cellular level as well. Because of this, serotonin levels follow blood-sugar patterns. Low serotonin also lowers TSH, the thyroid-stimulating hormone. When you increase serotonin, you increase thyroid function.

Antidepressants like SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors) do not raise the available levels of serotonin; in fact they slow the serotonin uptake into the cell. It might help temporarily, but many clients using SSRIs tell me that the long-term results are disappointing. Look at it this way:  If your serotonin levels in your urine were a 76 – and the normal ranges run 150-300, you are at less than 50 percent. You won’t even feel your best until that number is upwards of the 300 range. Do you want to raise your levels or slow the uptake of the already low level of serotonin you have available?

Nutritional supplementation is an important weapon in this fight. Serotonin production is dependent upon tryptophan levels in the brain. Even with raised cortisol and abnormal TSH levels, you would benefit from 5HTP with adequate B6, magnesium, and niacin levels. Also, essential oils of Chamomile, Lavender, Marjoram, and Orange have a direct effect on serotonin production by the Raphe Nuclei for anxiety, stress, hypertension, anger, insomnia, and irritability. Don’t forget diet – I remind my clients every visit the importance of diet and a stress outlet! Exercise at least three days a week, eat a diet higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates.

Now let’s talk GABA, (Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid), the most important and widespread neurotransmitter in the brain. If you are deficient in GABA you might suffer from restlessness, excitability, irritability, anxiety, insomnia and feelings of dread or overwhelm. GABA works with serotonin to prevent over-excitation. Balancing serotonin and GABA induce relaxation, calmness and sleep. GABA’s main job in the central nervous system inhibits the brain’s most common excitatory neurotransmitters, nor epinephrine, epinephrine, and glutamate. By first bringing balance to the inhibitory neurotransmitters, according to Dr.Chip Watkins, it’s like fixing the brakes on a speeding train. You cannot add fuel until you have the brakes fixed.

If you feel hopeless, worthless, and have self-destructive tendencies and if you do not feel rested when you wake from a night’s sleep, you might want to have your dopamine levels tested. Dopamine deficiency can also result in ADD, depression, fatigue, rapid memory decay, shaking disorders, and obesity. Dopamine has numerous functions in the brain related to motor coordination, motivation, and mood. 

If you are hypertensive, anxious, aggressive, irritable, manic, insulin resistant, inflamed, and have numerous cardiovascular problems, you probably have an imbalance in your nor epinephrine and epinephrine levels. When you are under stress, not only do cortisol levels rise, but so do nor epinephrine levels. Long-term elevated levels cause fatigue in the adrenal glands. Nor epinephrine can only be converted to epinephrine if adequate cortisol is present. When the adrenals are fatigued you will most likely have systemic inflammation, a stressed cardiovascular system, and a problem using insulin effectively.

I individualize programs for all my clients; I work with people holistically. I stress diet, exercise, proper rest, essential oils, and supplements and I provide positive, unconditional support. These work together to make healthier tissues in the body. It takes a while to correct a chronic imbalance, no matter what the ailment. But I’ve found that once people stop putting toxins in their bodies every day and consistently rebuild with healthy raw materials and positive energy, balance is eventually regained. Getting healthy is a journey.

Jill Clarey is a second generation Classical Naturopath and has been practicing for 18 years. She and her mother opened the Greensboro, NC, health food store Herbs Instead in 1991. Since the store’s closing in 2003, Jill has had private practices in Greensboro and Garden City, NY. You can contact Jill at 336.456.4743, visit her website at thenaturalpathwithjillclarey.com, and follow her blog at jillsnaturalpath.blogspot.com.