How to look for HPA axis dysfunction on a HTMA test
If you’ve been following the trends in functional medicine, you may have heard of the phrase ‘HPA axis dysfunction’ or ‘adrenal fatigue’ or ‘HPA axis stress’ before.
But do you actually know what that looks like? Maybe you’re wondering if it applies to you and your situation. If you’re experiencing persistent fatigue, low energy, moodiness, brain fog, difficulty waking/sleeping, blood sugar crashes, racing mind, it is possible that this may apply to you. However, it’s best maybe to show you what ‘adrenal fatigue’ or HPA axis dysfunction actually looks like on a HTMA (hair tissue mineral analysis) test!
First of all, what is HPA axis dysfunction?
HPA stands for your Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal axis, which is basically how your brain communicates with the rest of your body and organs. Any type of stressor triggers the Hypothalamus to tell the Pituitary gland to send out corticotropin releasing hormone, which then tells the adrenal glands to produce adrenocorticotropic hormone to release glucocorticoids. This sends a feedback loop back to the Hypothalamus—if the stress is dealt with, you experience only an acute inflammation response, which is healthy. If the stressor is not addressed or there is an ongoing stressor, that feedback loop continues down to the adrenals to pump out cortisol. This is your main stress hormone responsible for raising blood sugar and pressure. Overtime, persistent, elevated cortisol can disrupt your hormonal balance and gut flora. Your body may then produce too much cortisol or in chronic situations, not enough cortisol as your body gets burnt out. This irregular pattern is what is known as HPA axis dysfunction.
I know, that was sort of a mouthful and it may sound all too confusing unless you’ve studied the neuroendocrine feedback loop! So to make it easier to understand, let’s have a look at it from a functional perspective!
Patient 1: low Calcium/Magnesium ratio, low Sodium & Potassium, overall inability to cope with stressors (adrenal fatigue)
Patient 2: high Calcium/Magnesium ratio, low Sodium/Potassium ratio, and 2 high-2 low pattern indicating high stress or alarm stage of HPA axis stress
Here are two examples of different forms of HPA axis dysfunction. The first graph shows overall flattened stress response capacity (Low Calcium, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium). The second graph shows a 2 high 2 low pattern of the first 4 minerals. What does this mean?
For the purpose of this article, we’re only looking at the first 4 minerals: Cal-Mag-Na-K
These essential minerals are the primary buffers for mitigating and managing stress or stimuli. Cal/Mag is your stress response and Na/K is your ability to cope or deal with that stress.
So when we see Na/K both low, this tells you that the body is no longer able to keep up with the stress demands or stimuli. And likewise, when Ca/Mag is super elevated, that tells you that the body is undergoing a lot of stress and it recruiting more of that calcium and magnesium from your cells to power up.
And not only are the mineral levels themselves important, but the ratios between the minerals tell us a lot more in terms of what’s going on. For example, if your Na/K ratio is high, this could mean that your body is trying to hold onto sodium for energy reserves, but this can elevate blood pressure and continue the cascade of being in ‘fight or flight’ mode.
There is honestly so much to the HTMA test and what it can tell us about how our bodies are functioning and what stage of HPA axis stress we’re in—whether we’re in a sympathetic or parasympathetic state.
With that said, the HTMA test is one of the best foundational labs to begin with if you want to utilize functional medicine lab testing as a part of your healing journey. It is easy to complete (all done from the comfort of your home) and provides you ample amount of information about your health.
The HTMA test is included in my Stress & Energy Reset program, which is the perfect starter program if you are experiencing symptoms of ‘adrenal fatigue’ and want some quick answers and solutions for how to reset your body. However, if you’re looking for deeper support, the test is also included in my 3mo Restore and 6mo Rebalance programs (with additional tests available)!
If you are interested in getting lab testing done or ready to work together, book a free connection call with me to determine with path is best for you! OR apply directly to my programs for a quicker response.