Stress, Neurotransmitters, Hormones & YOU!

Are you less stress resilient than you used to be? More overwhelmed by your demands? Irritable and burned out?

The four of us, Drs. Abbassi, Nunley, Massey and me, have been discussing this a lot as we have seen many patients recently who have been under chronic stress for a long, long time. They have sleep problems, brain fog, and do not wake up restored in the morning.

We have many patients who recall life in their 20s: able to focus, concentrate, stay on task, cope with the exigencies of daily life. They rested and relaxed when they could, and enjoyed their time off. Now the weekend is not enough: relationships are more conflictual, home life is not the respite it used to be, achievement doesn't come as easily, which only adds to the stress.

Here are some of the results of chronic stress:

• Insomnia
• Autism
• Poor mood, mood swings
• Anxiousness, irritability, agitation, tension, panic attacks
• Difficulty concentrating, focusing or remembering
• Headaches
• Fatigue, lack of energy
• Weight issues, especially food cravings

Often these symptoms are a result of the body's difficulty responding to chronic stress. The adrenals and brain just can't keep up with the demand. The supply of feel-good neurotransmitters and hormones are limited by diet, genetics and often exposure to toxins.

One helpful approach we've found is to take the following approach:
1. Replace the hormones that are depleted or out of balance, all with bioidentical hormones, all tailored to you and your particular physiology and integrated with your risk factors and genetic disposition. This includes estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, testosterone, cortisol, and thyroid. We often use supplements and nutrition to optimize results.
2. Measure neurotransmitters and develop a customized amino acid protocol based on your results.
3. Make lifestyle and nutritional adjustments, along with refinement of bioidentical hormones and amino acids as needed in the long-term.

We've found this is the best approach for reversing the impact of chronic stress. The result? Vitality. Joy. Love. Less conflict. Connectedness to True Self. Satisfaction. Contentment.