Download module 3 - Nicole Jardim

NICOLE JARDIM
WOMEN’S HOLISTIC HEALTH COACH
MODULE 3
YOUR ENDOCRINE SYSTEM: PUTTING THE PRETTY PIECES TOGETHER
YOUR ENDOCRINE SYSTEM – THE BRAIN/BODY CONNECTION
The endocrine system is made up of glands that produce and secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream. It
is one of the most sensitive communication networks in your body. The major glands that make up the
endocrine system are the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal glands, pancreas, pineal gland,
and the ovaries.
These glands and the hormones they release influence almost every cell, organ, and function of our bodies. The
endocrine system is instrumental in regulating mood, growth and development, digestion, thyroid and
metabolism, as well as sexual function and reproductive processes. These glands are all interconnected – when
one gland isn’t functioning well another one will help it out!
So what exactly are hormones? Hormones are the body's chemical messengers; they transfer information and
instructions from one set of cells to another. Whether you feel the need to sleep, warm up, cool down, eat a
candy bar, grab a coffee, or have a quickie, your desires and actions can be traced back to your hormonal
activity. Hormone levels can be influenced by many factors such as sporadic episodes of poor diet, high stress,
emotional trauma, illness, or strenuous physical exercise. Sometimes something as simple as a family holiday or
a week with the in-laws will play havoc with our hormones!
Endocrine Glands and their Related Organs Metabolism
Thyroid: Helps maintain overall balance in the body. It produces thyroxine (T4), which is converted into T3. The
thyroid’s main function is storage and usage of energy. In addition, it affects body temperature, the menstrual
cycle, skin hydration, brain development and cholesterol levels.
Pancreas: Produces insulin to keep your blood sugar balanced.
Adrenal Glands: Produce DHEA (the mother hormone) which is a precursor to all your major sex hormones.
They also produce adrenaline and cortisol, which support you during times of acute or chronic stress.
Kidneys: Are the your body’s disposal and recycling system. They filter out toxins and wastes from your blood,
which are then processed into urine and excreted. The kidneys work in conjunction with a number of endocrine
glands to maintain hormonal balance.
Anti-Stagnation
Liver: Is the powerhouse of detoxification in your body. It breaks down dietary fats and removes toxins and
excess hormones like estrogen and cortisol.
Heart: Pumps blood, which carries vital nutrients to organs and helps remove waste products from your body.
Menstrual Cycle Regulation
Hypothalamus & Pituitary Glands: The hypothalamus gives instructions to the pituitary gland, which then
produces hormones to stimulate endocrine glands. It sends follicle-stimulating hormone and Iuteinizing hormone
to the ovaries to stimulate ovulation each month.
Ovaries: Produce eggs and release one each month as well as produce estrogen and progesterone.
Uterus: Is responsible for many functions including menstruation, egg implantation, gestation and birth. It is
highly responsive to hormones and this allows it to adapt to each phase of your menstrual cycle and the different
stages of your reproductive life.
A Step-­‐by-­‐Step Breakdown of the Endocrine System’s Hormonal Functions 1. The signaling for the release of hormones originates in an area of the brain called the hypothalamus.
2. It constantly scans your body’s hormone levels and based on its findings, it tells the pituitary gland to
release hormones known as stimulating hormones.
3. The pituitary’s stimulating hormones act on the adrenal glands, thyroid gland and the ovaries.
4. Each of these glands then responds to the stimulation from the pituitary by secreting hormones specific
to their unique function in the body.
5. The adrenal glands secrete cortisol, the thyroid gland secretes thyroid hormones and the ovaries
secrete estrogen and progesterone.
6. The hormones released by these glands send messages back to the hypothalamus telling it to instruct
the pituitary to release more or less stimulating hormones. This is known as a negative feedback loop.
The hypothalamus continues to scan the body and the cycle continues.
You are probably wondering how something like chronic stress can affect your weight and your fertility
right? Well, here is the answer. If you are experiencing internal or external stress, your hypothalamus is
prompted to release a hormone called Corticotropin Releasing Hormone or CRH. This hormone tells the
pituitary gland to send a message to the adrenal glands to make more cortisol!
Too much CRH and cortisol inhibit the production of thyroid hormones, thus decreasing the function of the
thyroid. This leads to weight gain, poor concentration, fatigue and many other symptoms associated with thyroid
dysfunction and adrenal fatigue. This inhibition of your thyroid function can take place behind the scenes for
many years and also go undetected in blood work. This is why so many women are caught off guard when
diagnosed with a thyroid disorder because usually everything is fine and then “suddenly” they start to feel awful.
FOCUS ON THE ADRENAL GLANDS – IT
ALL STARTS HERE!
The adrenal glands are small endocrine glands that sit on top of the kidneys. They produce the hormones
Pregnenolone (the Mother Hormone), DHEA, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, cortisol and epinephrine
(adrenaline). The adrenal glands are your body’s first line of defense against the stresses of daily living - they
give orders to the reproductive organs, play a role in metabolism and regulate the fight-or-flight stress response.
Cortisol is the main stress hormone made in your adrenal glands and it’s designed to get you out of danger.
When you’re stressed, you feel the positive effects of cortisol – the rise of energy, the sharp focus, the charge.
It has 3 main jobs: raise blood sugar (to feed muscles so you can run or fight), raise blood pressure, and
modulate immune function.
There are two key points about a healthy stress response that need to be emphasized: First, it takes
priority over all other metabolic functions in the body and second, it wasn’t designed to last very long.
Our ancestors used this response to escape life-threatening situations like running from wooly mammoths! Their
adrenals would release adrenaline and cortisol. This would immediately increase their heart rate and blood
pressure, release energy stores for immediate use, shut down digestion and other secondary functions, and
sharpen their senses. Thousands of years later, our bodies still respond the same way, except nowadays we are
not running away from anything! In the past there would be acute moments of stress followed by periods of rest
but today we are in a constant state of chronic stress.
There are two types of stress – external stress and internal stress. External sources of stress could be a
demanding job, relationship turmoil or living in a polluted city. Internal sources of stress include poor eating
habits, skipping meals or reliance on caffeine. When you skip meals or consume something that doesn’t work for
your metabolism – sugar, caffeine, refined flour products – or you have extreme amounts of external stress, your
adrenals over-produce cortisol and it’s level rises in your body.
If this were to happen once or twice a month it would be okay, but for most of us it happens every single day
with absolutely no let-up. This eventually leads to what is known as the “cortisol switch”, where your body not
only recognizes the positive aspects of cortisol but starts recognizing the negative aspects of cortisol too.
Example: You drink a cup of coffee and feel like a rock star for 30 minutes. Then you hit a wall and get all
anxious and jittery. Your blood sugar drops and you begin to feel heavy and deflated.
Here’s the deal: When cortisol is high for long periods of time, it inhibits the production of
Pregnenolone. Many of the hormones that support your menstrual cycle, your energy levels and your
libido are derived from Pregnenolone – thyroid hormones, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone in
particular. If pregnenolone production slows down, then you stop producing adequate amounts of these
sex hormones. And this in turn leads to a hormonal disruption because these main players aren’t being
produced in the right amounts.
Over time, sustained high cortisol is linked to high blood pressure, diabetes, increased belly fat, brain changes
such as atrophy of the hippocampus (where memory is synthesized), depression, insomnia, loss of sex drive,
and fertility problems. FACT: fat cells in the belly have four times more cortisol receptors compared to fat cells
elsewhere, so your muffin top just keeps growing as your cortisol climbs and stays high.
This stress and ultimate burnout of the adrenal glands is known as Adrenal Fatigue or Dysfunction.
Signs and symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue or Cortisol dysfunction:
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Inability to maintain steady energy levels throughout the day - Reliance on refined carbs and caffeine
Fatigue (lack of energy in the morning, even after a full nights sleep)
Tired but wired feeling, poor sleep (difficulty winding down or staying asleep)
Dark circles under the eyes
Brain fog and forgetfulness – ADD, scattered thoughts, inability to focus on one task for long
Fertility issues – difficulty getting pregnant
Unexplained hair loss
Sensitivity to light, or difficulty seeing at night
Cravings for salt and/or sugar
Weight gain in the mid-section – the dreaded muffin top
Low stamina for stress, and easily irritated, high anxiety, panic attacks
Poor immunity; high incidence of colds and flu; chronic infections (bacterial, viral, fungal, yeast)
Light-headedness, dizziness upon standing up
Dry, unhealthy skin with excess pigmentation, adult acne
Lack of libido or no libido, cystic breasts
If the adrenals are constantly over-worked every day for years on end, the entire endocrine system becomes
deficient and stops functioning properly. This is why the food you eat and proper stress management is
CRUCIAL to begin healing your hormonal imbalances. Once your adrenal function is restored, cortisol
production is reduced and your adrenals resume normal function and production of hormones.
SUPPORTING
THE
ADRENAL GLANDS
There are a number of practices you can integrate into your life to restore healthy adrenal function. Instead of
working harder you need to be working smarter. My suggestions below are the perfect place to start.
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Practice saying “probably not or no”. Women are programmed to overcommit, overprovide and
people please, often at the expense of our own health and our stress response and adrenal function.
This week when someone asks you to do something that you know will stress you and your adrenals,
practice saying "Probably not...(pause), but let me think about it." No guilt allowed! You can take it
further by creating a “yes and no list” for yourself. What are your absolute yes’s and no’s for this week?
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Prioritize your commitments. I want you to clear the decks. Make a list of all your activities,
commitments and to-do’s and identify what you can stop doing. Before adding a new task or
commitment, ask yourself this question: “Will doing this recharge my batteries or deplete them?” If the
activity will deplete them, then either don’t do it or find a smarter way of doing it.
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Let go of your addiction to struggle. We’ve been taught that we have to struggle to be good at
something or to be successful in life but all it does is burn out our adrenal glands. We are unable to be
resourceful when we are struggling. This week start paying attention to what you’re struggling with and
see how it shows up for you. What is one thing you could do this week to reduce struggle in your life?
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Laptop curfew. Reduce your light at night. Too much light at night actually stimulates your adrenals to
produce more cortisol to keep you awake and energized. This prevents you from being able to wind
down properly and actually get a proper night of sleep. Here’s what to do. After 9pm turn off as many
lights in your house as possible. Do light candles, they make everyone look pretty and they’re kinda
sexy too. Give yourself a laptop curfew, this means no laptops in bed. That bright screen is keeping you
up at night.
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Sleep! You must rest if you are going to help your adrenals get stronger and getting enough sleep is the
most effective modality. That means making an effort to go to bed every night by 10pm and sleeping for
at least seven hours. Many people have actual sleep issues. I highly recommend the Zeo Sleep
Manager for people who don’t sleep well during the night.
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Handle your stress response. Just as there are many ways to get stressed out, there are myriad ways
to help your body relax. Deep breathing exercises, a yoga class, massage, qi gong, meditation practice,
prayer, taking a walk, reading a book, a grounding morning routine, time with girlfriends, dance breaks,
taking a bath. All of these exercises have an incredible impact on your stress response.
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Walk barefoot on the earth. This may sound a little woo woo but there is actually scientific evidence
that walking barefoot on the earth, grass or beach can help reset your adrenal function and improve
chronic fatigue. This is because the earth has a negative electrical potential and when we’re in contact
with it, the earth’s electrons balance our bodies’ electrons. Most of the time we’re all frazzled out by the
harmful electromagnetic fields emitted by man-made products – computers, phones, hair dryers, home
appliances etc.
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Support yourself nutritionally. Eat regular meals, especially breakfast, which include high-quality
protein, whole grains and good fats. Supporting your body’s natural rhythms by properly timing meals to
prevent dramatic dips in blood sugar has lots of benefits: it minimizes cortisol output and frees up your
adrenals to perform their secondary functions, and also gives you more sustained energy throughout
the day. Properly timed, adequate nutrition will make you much more resilient to your daily stressors.
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Supplement. B-Complex vitamins have numerous benefits that include reducing feelings of stress,
increasing energy and promoting a more restful sleep. 2000mg of fish oil a day reduces cortisol levels.
Rhodiola is great for high cortisol levels. It is an herb and one of the forms of ginseng, and it’s the bestproven botanical treatment for lowering cortisol levels.
Healing your adrenals will provide you with the energy you need to execute on the vision you have
created for your life.
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH VITAMIN D?
In the last five years there has been a lot of talk in the medical world
about Vitamin D. It has been found that approximately 75% of Americans
are deficient. This issue is cause for concern, as low Vitamin D levels are
related to a number of health conditions. Low levels of Vitamin D in the
body (cholecalciferol or Vitamin D3) are connected with a number of
conditions, including osteoporosis, insulin resistance and diabetes,
cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, depression, chronic pain
and multiple sclerosis, menstrual migraines, infertility and breast cancer.
A study published in "Cancer Causes & Control" in March 2010
indicates that vitamin D can help balance the levels of estrogen and
progesterone in young women and help prevent a hormonal imbalance that might promote breast cancer.
A recent study on women with PCOS found that Vitamin D deficiency seems to be linked to the condition. After
vitamin D supplementation, absent and/or irregular menstrual cycles began to normalize and dysfunctional
uterine bleeding stopped in many participants.
A recent study by scientists at the University of Massachusetts found that a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D
can help control some emotional symptoms of PMS, such as anxiety, irritability and tearfulness. This is
because it reduces too high estrogen levels in women.
How much do we need? Natural sunlight is as much a nutrient as food and water. Given enough sunshine, people need no Vitamin D from foods.
Therefore, the best source for natural Vitamin D, is sunlight when possible. The body stores significant reserves of
vitamin D in the liver, spleen, bones, and brain, which is helpful in countries where there is little sun in the winter. These
stores can then be used slowly during the darker months. However, many people in these areas need foods and
supplementation in addition to sunlight.
Most health experts recommend amounts between 1000IU and 5000IU a day. To prevent Vitamin D deficiency, people
should expose their face, hands and arms to the sun, three or more times a week, for 10-20 minutes, depending on the
person’s skin, the season, and the distance from the Equator. The best time of day for this is 9am-4pm in the winter,
and 8am-5pm in the summer.
Most importantly, this exposure to the sun should be without sunscreen, as sunscreen interferes with the production of
Vitamin D. Remember this: A sunscreen with SPF 8 gives you only 5% of your normal Vitamin D production; any
SPF higher than that insures you get NONE. The liberal use of sunblock is partly to blame for the current vitamin D
deficiency epidemic.
Vitamin D from Food Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin but acts more like a hormone in your body, because your body can manufacture it.
Vitamin D3 in foods is found mostly in fish oils. It can also be made synthetically by ultraviolet light irradiation of a
derivative of cholesterol. Vitamin D2 is a different synthetic form, known as ergocalciferol. The Vitamin D added to milk, a
practice begun in the 1930's to prevent rickets, can be either one of those two synthetic forms. However, according to
studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine, seven out of ten samples of milk contained less than 80% of
the amount listed on the label, five didn’t even have 50%, and 14% of the skim milk samples had no Vitamin D at all.
How to Increase Vitamin D Intake from Foods 1. Consume wild ocean fatty fish such as mackerel and salmon (make sure to eat the
skin!) two or three servings per week are quite sufficient.
2. There are vitamin D precursors in plant foods and leafy greens, known as ergosterols;
parsley is a particularly rich source. So are mushrooms, especially Shitake and
Maitake mushrooms. Placing mushrooms in the sun dramatically increases their
vitamin D levels too.
3. Grind a teaspoon to tablespoon of flax seeds in a coffee or spice grinder once a
day. Add just before serving to porridges, grains, breads, or even drinks. According
to Paul Stitt, a biochemist and author of Beating the Food Giants, the regular
consumption of flax seeds increases vitamin D levels as well as the retention of
calcium, magnesium, and phosphates.
4. Cod Liver Oil is the classic Vitamin D source that has been used for generations in
Northern Europe, where there is little sun and therefore much less opportunity to obtain
this nutrient. If you have little exposure to the sun, in whatever season, don’t neglect
cod liver oil. Take the equivalent of one teaspoon a day.
So eat lots of fatty ocean fish, parsley, and shiitake mushrooms, take a walk in the sun! Vitamin D from food sources is
fat-soluble which means it is absorbed through the intestines in the company of essential fatty acids. So eat plenty of
good quality healthful fats to keep enough vitamin D in your body for your health and well-being
NOTE: This means that a low fat diet could be damaging to your hormonal health, your fertility and your bones!
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EAT YOUR OCEAN VEGGIES!
Seaweeds are among the healthiest foods on the planet, packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. They are particularly rich
in the mineral iodine, which has important benefits to the thyroid. Adequate iodine decreases the ability of estrogen to adhere to
estrogen receptors in the breast and thus reduces or eliminates cyclical breast pain. In addition, iodine is one of the most powerful
anti-viral and antibacterial substances on the plant so it helps keep the mouth, stomach and vagina healthy.
Here are four of my favorite seaweeds, available at health food stores or www.edenfoods.com
Wakame - Pappardella-like leaves with a salty-sweet zest
Nutritional Benefits
Wakame is the “woman's seaweed” because it is full of osteoporosis-preventing calcium
and magnesium, which help relieve menstrual cramping, improve sleep and relieve
bloating. Studies show that Wakame's pigment, fucoxanthin, improves insulin resistance.
Hello, awesome!
Kitchen Prep
Wakame is most commonly used in miso soup. It swells up significantly when soaked in
water and cooked, so a little goes a long way. It also has a tough, spiny piece running down
the middle of it—which should be cut up small—and it takes a little longer to cook, so add it
first. Wakame can also be soaked until tender and used in salads.
Nori - Papery sheets with a mild earthy taste
Nutritional Benefits
Nori is the seaweed used for making sushi. It is one of the richest in protein (up to 50
percent of the plant's dry weight). Nori contains vitamins C (a potent antioxidant) and the
compound taurine, which helps control cholesterol.
Kitchen Prep
For a snack, toast strips of nori in the oven at low heat. Or cover a sheet with cooked
brown rice; add a layer of sliced carrots, celery, cucumber, avocado, and a dash of wasabi.
Roll it up and dip in a sauce of tamari, toasted-sesame oil, ginger, and rice vinegar.
Kombu (Kelp) - Leafy kelp with a full-bodied, savory flavor
Nutritional Benefits
Kombu is prized as a source of iodine, which is needed to produce the two key thyroid
hormones that control metabolism.
Kitchen Prep
To make a flavorful broth called dashi (the chicken stock of Japan), simmer a strip of dried
kombu in water for five minutes. And next time you cook beans, throw a 1-inch piece of
kombu in the pot; the plant's glutamic acid renders the beans more easily digestible and
less gassy.
Spirulina
Comes in tablets, capsules and powder
Nutritional Benefits
Spirulina is actually a sea algae. Its bright green color can be attributed to its high amount
of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll, the phytochemical that gives leaves, plants and algae their
green hues, is the plant equivalent of the oxygen-carrying red pigment hemoglobin in red
blood cells. Spirulina contains almost all the vitamins and minerals we need on a daily
basis. And it contains Omega-3 fatty acids. One ounce contains the same amount of
protein as two eggs.
Kitchen Prep
Spirulina usually comes in powder form and can be mixed into fruit smoothies, stirred into
soups or sprinkled on salads. You can also mix it into guacamole.
SESSION #3 – TAKE-HOME GUIDELINES & PRACTICES
THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM •
Implement ONE practice this week to start restoring your adrenal gland health. You can start by simply
saying no to something that you don’t think will serve you.
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Take a look at the other practices to see what really resonates with you. Introduce some more of these
practices. One a week is usually a good place to start.
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If you are having trouble with sleep, I highly recommend the Zeo Sleep Manager to help you address
this problem.
VITAMIN D •
Get your vitamin D levels tested if you are unsure about your levels.
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Start to incorporate one variety of mushrooms into your diet this week. Shitake or Maitake mushrooms
are great options. Make sure to put them out in the sun for just 30 minutes to increase their vitamin D
content.
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Add a 1-2 tablespoons or parsley to some of your meals this week.
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Get out in the sun for 10-20 minutes a day without sunblock!
OCEAN VEGGIES •
Purchase one type of seaweed and add it to just one meal this week.
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Eventually you should work your way up to eating sea vegetables in 3-5 meals a week.