Stress Hormones And Immune Wellness

When someone keeps getting sick and never seems to fully recover, I begin to wonder if they are under chronic stress. Maybe they are a highly sensitive person, or neurodivergent (ADHD or Autism) and working extra hard to cope with the many demands of neurotypical expectations. Maybe they have been under pressure for years at their job or home.

Cortisol is the stress hormone. It is made by the adrenal glands in response to chronic stress. Cortisol is a steroid and will depress the immune system when dysfunctional. I typically wonder if cortisol is out of balance when I see a low normal white blood cell count in standard blood testing without any other obvious markers of disease. It has other functions in the body as well! It increases blood sugar and may contribute to weight gain. Chronically elevated cortisol may also influence the brain, interfering with clear thinking and short-term memory. Cortisol also increases when we are awake so when it is not optimal we can feel chronically fatigued. Now, assessing cortisol levels is not a simple task because it can be abnormally elevated or depressed at any time of the day. The gold standard for testing is a 4-point cortisol curve. Most doctors only run the morning cortisol which is often normal.

Reducing stress through breathwork can help balance cortisol and it is free! With breathwork focus on the exhalation, like you are cooling a cup of tea.

There are also many herbs. Most commonly referred to as adaptogenic herbs. As the name describes they help us adapt to chronic stress. They do this likely through modulating cortisol and sharpening our hypothalamus - pituitary - adrenal axis system. Many of these herbs also have immune-balancing actions as well.

Astragalus and ginseng are the ones that have this dual adaptogenic and immune-balancing action. From clinical experience, both can improve energy.

Magnolia bark is another herb that has a calming and cortisol-balancing effect.

Phosphatidylserine is a building block of our cell membranes and makes them more stable. When taken nutritionally we can improve our cellular response to stress. It may also sharpen communication between neurons in the brain making potential nutrition for attention and memory.

Over the past few posts, we have reviewed how herbs, vitamins, and nutrients can be useful for supporting immune wellness. As we continue our dive into immune wellness, in our next post, we will explain how the gut is often referred to as the right hand of the immune system.

References:

Immune system effects of echinacea, ginseng, and astragalus: a review: DOI: 10.1177/1534735403256419

Effect of Magnolia officinalis and Phellodendron amurense (Relora®) on cortisol and psychological mood state in moderately stressed subjects DOI: 10.1186/1550-2783-10-37

Phosphatidylserine and the human brain: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2014.10.014