The HPA axis is an acronym for hypothalmus, pituitary, adrenal. This is a complex network within your nervous system that reacts to physiological stressors by the communication of these glands through hormones. Stress can be environmental, physical, or emotional and has direct ties to your health and wellness, particularly when patterns go on for increased periods of time.
Looking from the top down, stress impacts production of saliva in your mouth. It is important to understand that saliva plays a role in the beginning of digestion with food being mechanically broken down. Stress can increase or decrease hydrochloric acid production in your stomach, aka stomach acid, changing the pH, or level of acidity, in your stomach. This will then impact the ability of the valves and sphincters leading to the stomach and out of the stomach from normally opening and closing. A result is impaired peristalsis, or movement of the lining of the stomach and gut, affecting mobility and the motility of nutrients through the system. The big picture of what is affected is proper digestion. If you cannot normally process and digest what you eat, it does not even matter what you put in your mouth – you will not benefit from it as it was intended to provide nutrients to your cells. This is where the term “leaky gut” comes in. The intestine must be properly permeable to let in what is supposed to get into your body and properly prevent what is not. The reactions that lead to discomfort and sometimes life-threatening symptoms, which we call food allergies or sensitivities, are related to this impaired function of the gut lining.
Cortisol, a steroid hormone, is released by way of the HPA axis when stress is high or when blood sugar levels are too low. The purpose of this is to allow fuel to be released for the heart and skeletal muscles to continue working properly.
Let’s connect that back to the use of something like an adrenal cocktail that consists of liquid and minerals. If you are supporting your body midday, preventing the stress to the above mentioned HPA system, the resulting negative effects from a stressed-out system do not occur or occur less frequently, allowing your gut to heal and prevent reactions to the food you eat. These are the details of your health that are so important to understand in order to see the value in taking care of your body daily. Health and wellness is multifactorial. Something like an adrenal cocktail is just one piece of the picture to optimizing how you function and feel in your body.
Photo credit to Nutritional Therapy Association student guide 2021: Blood Sugar Regulation.
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