Acupuncture and Stress

Many people think of the causes of stress as being mental or emotional, such as having financial difficulty or losing a loved one.  You may not realize that stress can also be caused by numerous physical factors.  Examples of physical stress include visible conditions such as a broken foot or migraine headaches.  Physical stress also includes invisible conditions such as parasitic infections and food sensitivities.  Invisible physical stress can take the greatest toll on your health, because it can persist for years without any symptoms, and often goes undiagnosed and untreated.

Adrenal Hormone
Your adrenal gland produces hormones that help your body to cope with stress.  Under chronic stress these glands becomes fatigued, impairing hormone production and balance.  To resolve stress-related symptoms and health problems, the adrenal hormones must be balanced.  It is now possible to assess the health of your adrenal glands and pinpoint hormone imbalances.  This saliva test is inexpensive, easy to use and it evaluates the adrenal glands and identifies hormone imbalances.  It provides scientific guidance, so that I can develop a specific treatment plan to balance your adrenal hormones and correct health problems caused by stress.

Sex Hormones
The adrenal stress profile evaluates cortisol and DHEA levels and directs therapies that help your body handle stress.  I may also choose to measure levels of sex-specific hormones-helping women through menstrual cycles or menopause, and assisting men with their own midlife challenge, commonly referred to as andropause.

Symptoms of Stress
If you are suffering with any of the following, please contact my office, schedule a time for a consultation and complete this non-invasive and convenient test to identify and treat the causes of stress.        

Depression            Fatigue            Sleep Disorders            Allergies          Weight Gain
PMS                    Headache         Sinus Problems            Diminished Sex Drive  

Dr David Thomson BS DC

INSOMNIA

INSOMNIA LINKED WITH HORMONE IMBALANCE AND WEIGHT GAIN

Insomnia has long been associated with weight gain and obesity. Now researchers at UCLA have found out why.

In a study slated for publication in the May issue of the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology, Sarosh Motivala and colleagues looked at two hormones (ghrelin and leptin) that are primarily responsible for telling the body when it is hungry and when it is full. The study found that chronic insomnia disrupts one of these two hormones.

Researchers compared 24 healthy sleepers with 14 chronic insomniacs suffering from chronic insomnia and measured the levels of the two hormones at various times throughout the night. They found that while leptin levels averaged out over the night to be roughly the same between the two groups, levels of ghrelin were 30 percent lower in insomnia sufferers.

“The current study shows that insomnia patients have a dysregulation in energy balance that could explain why these patients gain weight over time,” notes Motivala. “This is an exciting finding because it highlights how diverse behaviors like sleep and eating are connected. We are just beginning to explore the possible consequences of these connections, but it is another example of the importance of a good night’s sleep for the body.”



Psychoneuroendocrinology – May 2009;34:540-45.