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.

Book a Connection Call

Apply for Coaching

5 Ways to Lower Cortisol, Stress, and Inflammation This Year

It’s been a pretty rough few years to say the least. We’ve all gone through difficult situations and circumstances and if you’re someone who’s been trying to stay on top of your health, you’ll know how challenging it’s been to prioritize that through it all.

Thankfully, it’s not impossible.

Even when we go through stressful situations in life, we can still make space for our healing.

When we prioritize our well-being first, we’re actually better able to take care of those around us. We become more productive, more approachable, more centered, and have more purpose.

On the other hand, when we neglect our health and needs, we actually signal to our brain that we’re operating under stress. Even if it’s saying yes when you mean no, or putting off your healthy habits, or staying up late to answer emails, you’re telling your brain that you cannot rest yet. And that puts your nervous system under a Sympathetic (Stress) state.

When you operate in the Sympathetic Nervous System, your blood vessels constrict, eyes dilate, breath shortens, and blood pressure raises. This raises cortisol and inflammation. In the short term, acute inflammation is useful and beneficial. However, when you operate like this for longer periods, this can downregulate your thyroid and shut down your reproductive system. Your body will always prioritize survival over reproduction.

So how can you prevent from staying too long in the Sympathetic state and lower stress and inflammation?

Here are some of my favorite ways to support your nervous system and lower system inflammation:

1) create healthy boundaries with yourself and others

2) get plenty of sleep, uninterrupted

3) create a holy space or ritual for your meals

4) exercising according to your needs and not by obligation

5) letting go of things out of your control

The last one is probably my favorite because it has the biggest impact on your nervous system.

When you try so hard to make sure things go your way in life, you restrict yourself from the freedom and peace you can have, both in your mind and body. And in that case, you can entrap yourself with negative thoughts or feelings when life doesn’t happen the way you want. Our thoughts and emotions influence our responses and it all goes back into the same stress feedback system. Negative thoughts and emotions trigger the Sympathetic System. Healthy thoughts and emotional regulation trigger a balance between the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic, which is your rest and digest state.

I know it can be hard in the beginning, learning how to rewire your thought patterns, but it could completely change your health and your life.

Many things, as we know now, are out of our control. But one thing we can control is how we respond to that and how we choose to prioritize our own health and mental well-being.

If you have been struggling to find that balance, or don’t know where to start with your health journey, reaching out for support may be the first step! It’s an act of surrendering and knowing that you cannot do it all nor control it all.

Spaces are filling up soon, but book a free call or apply to my Stress & Energy Reset if you’re looking for immediate 1:1 support for your health today.

The Masculine Era and it’s Impact on Fertility

“In the United States, among heterosexual women aged 15 to 49 years with no prior births, about 1 in 5 (19%) are unable to get pregnant after one year of trying. Also, about 1 in 4 (26%) women in this group have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term.” [cdc.gov]

There is a fight for fertility.

Over the last few decades, fertility rates have gone down drastically. And you may be thinking, well women today are more focused on their careers so it makes sense. But I want to focus in on this and shed light into other areas that affect women’s health and fertility that you may not have considered yet.

What is infertility?

Infertility is the inability to conceive or get pregnant after one year of having unprotected sex with the intent of becoming pregnant. It also includes the inability to maintain a pregnancy or carry a pregnancy to term (miscarriages).

Fertility is more than just the ability to conceive, it’s a huge indicator of homeostasis and health in a woman’s body.

One of the major factors contributing to the decline of childbirths and fertility, is likely due to the fact that more women in today’s culture are prioritizing careers over having families. With the delay in reproduction and increase in age, the chances of becoming pregnant do diminish. Unfortunately for women, unlike men, our eggs (which we cannot produce more of) only have a finite, controlled lifespan.

To truly understand the connection between social economical influences and fertility, we have to consider what the implications or consequences of this ‘hustle culture’ and prioritizing work-first lifestyle have on women’s health.

The era of the masculine woman.

Before you go thinking that I am against women’s rights or freedom, I want you to understand that I am speaking from a clinical and biological perspective. This is also something I have personally experienced in my own health.

Our culture has inevitably shifted to a more masculine environment, which places more of a burden for women to step up to their male counterparts. It is almost impossible now for the average family to rely on only the husband to work. Of course, some women desire to be leaders and to be financially independent, but there is something else going on.

This new age of ‘hustle’ and ‘work-grind’ has its own side affects. Populations of women around the globe are now experiencing hormonal shifts or imbalances because of this. More young women have been placed on hormonal birth control, which has led to an epidemic of women in their 20s and 30s with hormonal imbalances like PCOS, endometriosis, Hypothyroidism, insulin resistance, and more.

The clinical implications?

The reason why the ‘masculine era’ is detrimental to women’s fertility and hormones is because of the amount of stress that is placed on the body.

We have women working full time jobs, on top of raising families, some with multiple jobs, single moms, women starting businesses, etc. We are BUSY. And busyness comes with stress. Not only emotional stress, but physical stress. Not only physical stress, but psychological stress. We are not eating proper meals, skipping meals in between functions. We are eating on-the-go, not fully digesting food. We are overworking and overexercising ourselves. We are over-supplementing and over-medicated. We are quite frankly, doing it all with not enough nourishment to fuel all of our activities.

When we look at the biological woman, fertility and healthy hormone function rely on consistency, reliability, nourishment, and rest. Consistency and reliability in routine, meaning meal timing and portions, regular movement, sleep schedules, etc. Half of the entire female fertility cycle is dependent on the parasympathetic nervous system state, which includes rest and nourishment. This is a key factor in sustaining a pregnancy all through term.

When we neglect these important pieces of our health, cortisol (our stress hormone) rises and stays elevated until we burn out because our blood sugar is all over the place. Estrogen at the same time becomes elevated causing Estrogen Dominance, which is responsible for SO many hormonal imbalances like acne, weight gain, cramps, hair thinning, bloat, anxiety, and fatigue. Progesterone tanks and low levels affect our menstrual cycles and chances of ovulation or pregnancy. Testosterone may also increase as DHEA levels rise, leading to higher cases of PCOS, which diminishes fertility rates.

So when we look at the big picture, it’s more than just about equality. It’s the implications masculine hustle culture has on women’s health.

I have reviewed countless lab tests and have found Estrogen Dominance in almost every case. I’ve worked with women with hormonal imbalances, many of them showcasing imbalances in their adrenal function (stress and blood sugar) and nutritional deficiencies. I’ve seen women who have lost their period due to stress.

It is not a coincidence.

Luteal insufficiency graphs

How can I improve my hormone health and fertility?

Reverse the above. Start prioritizing your body over demands. If you are aiming to become pregnant, begin nourishing your body! Sleep adequately, move your body everyday gently, supplement only bio-individually, and work on regulating your nervous system.

Make sure to eat enough protein every day. 90-120grams of protein per day is sufficient, lean more to 120 grams if you have more strenuous daily activities.

Research about the toxins in your home and begin swapping products out to reduce endocrine mimicking products (endocrine disruptors that mimic estrogen in the body). You want Estrogen and Progesterone to be balanced in order for ovulation to occur and to support the uterine lining through pregnancy.

Work with a certified practitioner to get functional lab testing done to find out what underlying imbalances you have and address them appropriately. Your practitioner will be able to support you in making the right decisions for targeted supplementation.

And of course, lower your stress load. Stress causes oxidation and stagnation in the body. Realign yourself with your values and reprioritize your list of to-dos to create a healthier lifestyle.

If you are struggling with infertility today, I encourage you to look inwards and see what areas feel neglected, and start there. If you need professional support, please book a call to see what your options are for lab testing and guidance.