Oh, the harmful effects of chronically elevated cortisol!  What damages your body organs? Elevated cortisol. What is one cause of excess belly fat? Cortisol.

What elevates your cortisol?  S-T-R-E-S-S.

Yes, we all know the things we should do to lower our stress, but when you find yourself in an ongoing, overwhelming situation, it is so very difficult to do so. Sometimes we just need a little help.

Recently, I was made aware of a product called Confianza, manufactured by the company It Works. A nutritionist friend, whom I deeply respect, called me one day, over-the-top with excitement about some supplements that she was recommending to me. Totally based upon her recommendation, sight unseen, I ordered the Confianza product as well as the vitamin/mineral supplement and greens.

One day a couple weeks later, my friend who knows me so well called. During the conversation she paused and said, “Rosie, you seem so calm and focused.”

“Calm and focused”? Those are exactly the words that the company uses to describe the effects of this organic, naturally produced product.

So intrigued was I by her sincere comment, atypical for me, only then did I set about researching the ingredients. . .

Confianza Anti-Stress Formula

Serving Size 2 Tablets / Servings per container: 30

Proprietary Blend: 1,100mg

Epimedium grandiflorum extract (10% flavonoids as icariin) (whole plan), Tribulus terrestris extract (stem and root) (20% saponins), Eleutheroroot extract (0.8% total eleutherosides) (root), Rhodiola rosea extract (1>0% total rosavins) (root), Schizandra chinensis estract (fruit).

I then started taking a good look into ALL of their products, AND attended their annual national convention. I am blown away by the integrity of this company – so much so, that I have now become a company Distributor. No wonder my nutritionist friend was so excited.

You can learn more about the company and products by visiting my web site, www.RosieBrown.ItWorks.net. If you have questions, feel free to email me at rosiebrown@myarbonne.com or call (812) 430-5541.

Have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!  :  )

“The Menopause Power Webinar Series” by Diana Schwarzbein, M.D., is a true testimony of her stated mission to educate women. Listen to her series, and your life will change for the better.

Schwarzbein is the author of The Schwarzbein Principle and The Schwarzbein Principle II – The Transition.

Schwarzbein’s endocrinology perspective is a follows:

1. Menopause is the permanent loss of the sex hormone system.
2. Improperly treating or ignoring menopause increases a woman’s risk for diseases such as heart attacks, osteoporosis, cancer, and diabetes.
3. Treat the cause of menopause, not just treat the symptoms.
4. Menopause can be effectively and safely treated with Hormone Balancing Therapy^TM (HBTx).

The Schwarzbein Principle Program consists of:

Step One: Healthy Nutrition

Step Two: Stress Management Emphasizing Sleep

Step Three: Reduce or Completely Avoid Toxins

Step Four: Appropriate Amounts and Types of Exercise

Step Five: Restore Hormone Balance – HBTx

Last week’s articles discussed stress, which is demonstrated by both high and low cortisol. See http://rosiebrownrn.com/low-cortisol-also-indicates-stress/ and http://rosiebrownrn.com/this-anti-stress-formula-works/.

Schwarzbein’s Stress Management Program emphasizes:

1. Sleep—goal is 8 to 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep (not even to get up once to go to the bathroom).
2. Slow down your busy life.
3. Learn how to handle stresses better.

Notes that I took during this section of her webinar included:

• Emphasize sleep! Sleep is the time that your body rebuilds itself. Aging is all about allowing the body to rebuild.
• Sleep allows your body to lower adrenalin and cortisol.
• Melatonin is a hormone. Don’t take melatonin. The levels in the melatonin purchased over the counter are too high and has to be processed through the liver.
• Melatonin will down-regulate your body’s own production of serotonin. It can cause depression if you take it too long.
• Get your body to produce melatonin. If you must supplement with something, try tryptophan or 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), which is a precursor to serotonin, which then converts to melatonin.
• The number one reason for insomnia in menopausal women is estradiol/progesterone balance.
• Just being busy is a stress and will break you down.
• Honor aging—slow down. Slow down the “using” process.

In the next upcoming articles, I will continue to share Dr. Schwarzbein’s gems of wisdom from her webinar series. We will all have a more wonderful life if we tune into the information she is teaching us.

Following yesterday’s article, http://rosiebrownrn.com/this-anti-stress-formula-works/, a friend wrote to me:

“Wow—you are right. . . I can see why you are excited. . . what if your Cortisol is low?????”

Low cortisol may signify that the adrenal glands are exhausted, again stress being the major player.

Per Dr. David Zava:

Stress is what both high and low cortisol have in common. Stress hits the adrenals and, in response, they either collapse in fatigue and do not produce enough stress hormones, resulting in a functional thyroid deficiency, or they can go in the other direction where they’re pouring out cortisol and it’s causing overall hormone resistance, including thyroid resistance. Either way, low or high cortisol, and thyroid hormones become inefficient.

When cortisol levels are low, caused by adrenal exhaustion, thyroid is less efficient at doing its job of increasing energy and metabolic activity.

David Zava, Ph.D. is a biochemist, breast cancer researcher, published author of multiple professional research papers, and the laboratory director of ZRT Laboratory in Portland, OR, which does state-of-the-art saliva hormone assay and blood spot testing.

This may be a good time to review the interconnectedness of the adrenal glands (which secrete cortisol in response to stress) to all the other body hormones.

Per Dr. Zava:

“A physiologic amount of cortisol—not too high and not too low—is very important for normal thyroid function, which is why a lot of people who have an imbalance in adrenal cortisol levels usually have thyroid-like symptoms but normal thyroid hormone levels.

Too much cortisol, again caused by the adrenal glands’ response to excessive stressors, causes the tissues to no longer respond to the thyroid hormone signal. It creates a condition of thyroid resistance, meaning that thyroid hormone levels can be normal, but tissues fail to respond as efficiently to the thyroid signal. This resistance to the thyroid hormone signal caused by high cortisol is not just restricted to thyroid hormone but applies to all other hormones such as insulin, progesterone, estrogens, testosterone, and even cortisol itself. When cortisol gets too high, you start getting resistance from the hormone receptors, and it requires more hormones to create the same effect. That’s why chronic stress, which elevates cortisol levels, makes you feel so rotten—none of the hormones are allowed to work at optimal levels.

When cortisol is high, the brain also is less sensitive to estrogens. That’s why you can have a postmenopausal woman with reasonable amounts of estrogen, but when you put her under a stressor and her cortisol rises, she’ll get hot flashes, which are a symptom of estrogen deficiency. She really doesn’t have an estrogen deficiency, the brain sensors have just been altered. If you then drive the estrogen levels up with supplementation to treat the hot flashes, she’ll start getting symptoms of estrogen dominance like weight gain in the hips, water retention, and moodiness. And the hot flashes usually don’t go away.

This is why you often can’t effectively treat someone with hormonal imbalance symptoms such as hot flashes by simply adding what seems to be the missing hormone, be it thyroid, progesterone, estrogen or testosterone. If your cortisol is chronically high, you’ll have overall resistance to your hormones.”

The bottom line is this: stress is often the root cause of hormone imbalance. One of the very most effective things you can do to keep your hormones in balance is to manage your stress. For me, one of the best aids I have found is a product called Confianza produced by a company called It Works. It really does work – see my web site www.beautyandfreedom.itworks.net for more information.

Stressed? Increased cortisol levels? Belly fat? If so, this article is for you.

When a nutritionist I deeply respect recommended a product to me a few weeks ago, I ordered it sight unseen.

Two weeks later my best friend said, “Rosie, you seem so calm and focused.” Calm and focused? Those are the exact results touted by this product.

Now, after 3 weeks of using the product, my curiosity has led me to do a little research on the active ingredients:

Epimedium grandiflorum extract (10% flavonoids as icariin) (whole plan) - Aphrodisiac, relaxes smooth muscle.

Tribulus terrestris extract (stem and root) (20% saponins) – Tribulus terrestris has long been a constituent in tonics in Indian ayurveda practice. It is used as an aphrodisiac, diuretic and nervine (a plant remedy that has a beneficial effect upon the nervous system in some way) in Ayurveda, and in Unani, another medical system of India.

Eleutheroroot extract (0.8% total eleutherosides) (root) – Eleuthero root was shown in humans to produce improved cerebral cortical functions. Sensorimotor reaction times were shortened, and there was a decrease in mistakes in distinguishing positive from negative signals. The men were tested by doing proofreading and were found to have a generally improved quality of work.

In 1966, Kirillov found that daily Eleuthero root given to rats under various types of stress normalized the weights of the thyroid and adrenal glands (usually shrunken by stress) and eliminated any evidence of stress upon the functions of these glands.

Rhodiola rosea extract (1>0% total rosavins) (root) – Rhodiola rosea is proving to be a superb and legitimate supplement for a wide range of practical purposes, from greater mental performance to greater physical endurance. A rigorous Swedish clinical study strongly indicated rhodiola’s ability to quicken memory, improve attention span, sharpen mental performance, alleviate depression, soothe mental and physical fatigue, and improve human focus in difficult circumstances. Despite these broad benefits, rhodiola rosea features a remarkably low toxicity level.

Rhodiola Rosea extract is an adaptogen, a family of supplements which exhibits a capability to improve the human response to physical and/or mental stress and trauma. Theoretically, adaptogens help humans maintain optimal homeostasis by balancing their immune systems and endocrine hormones. The term adaptogen quite clearly derives from the substance’s capacity to assist an organism to adapt to strenuous circumstances.

Schizandra chinensis estract (fruit) – Schisandra fruit may have an adaptogenic action, much like the herb ginseng, but with weaker effects. Laboratory work suggests that schisandra may improve work performance, build strength, and help to reduce fatigue.

As far back as 2697 B.C., Schisandra, one of the primary medicinal agents of Chinese herbal medicine since antiquity, was classified as superior by Pen-Tsao in the classic Yellow Emperor’s Study of Inner Medicine, an encyclopedia of healing plants. It is said to increase energy, replenish and nourish the viscera (internal abdominal organs such as intestines, lungs etc.), improve vision, boost muscular activity and sooth both coughs and disgestive upsets.

Schisandra is said to “prolong the years of life without aging,” and it is also said to increase energy, suppress cough, treat fatigue, and act as a sexual tonic in men.

Well, no wonder I feel calm and focused following months of extraordinary stress. I am grateful to the nutritionist who gave me this gift. If you think this product might be helpful to you, go to my web site, www.beautyandfreedom.itworks.net and look at the product called Confianza. It works!

Did you know that if you want to get rid of belly fat, the place to start is with stress-reduction techniques such as meditation, exercise and deep breathing…and not dieting?

As cited by http://www.elite-wellness-coaching.com/cortisol-belly-fat.html:

Cortisol is a stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress. It is very useful in the short term when you need to respond to a life-threatening situation. But long-term high levels of cortisol have these negative effects on your body:

• sluggish immune system
• high blood pressure
• insulin resistance which can lead to diabetes
• fatigue
• headaches
• increase in belly fat

What is the connection between cortisol and belly fat?

Fat in the abdominal area has a greater blood supply as well as more receptors for cortisol. When you are under constant stress, the amount of cortisol you produce remains elevated. With constant stress and, consequently, high cortisol levels, more fat is deposited in the abdominal area since there are more cortisol receptors located there.

This belly or abdominal fat is what researchers call “central obesity.” Central obesity has long been associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and several types of cancer.

An interesting phenomenon is that dieting or even just thinking about dieting can elevate your cortisol levels. RealAge in their recent post, “Flatten Your Belly with This Eating Habit,” cited a new study in which the tension levels of 121 female dieters were tracked for three weeks. Those who followed a strict low-cal eating plan — consisting of prepackaged meals totaling 1,200 calories a day — experienced a significant rise in their levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

Researchers also discovered that the women who kept super-detailed food diaries felt far more stressed than the people who were inclined to wing it. “So while it’s good to think about what you’re putting in your mouth, don’t obsess about it. Watch portion sizes, choose healthy foods, be aware of how many times you visit the snack cupboard, but don’t make things too difficult.”

How to shave off belly fat? The most effective technique is to get plenty of rest and engage in whatever activities work for you to decrease your everyday stress.

Want to hear some good news? You yourself can do most of what is necessary to recover and regain your adrenal health.

Per Dr. Wilson in Adrenal Fatigue:

“Healing from adrenal fatigue requires a combination of things: first and foremost, your recovery depends upon your lifestyle. How you spend your energy, how you conserve your energy, and how you create energy are all extremely important.

Your recovery is also contingent on what you eat and drink, as well as on the thoughts you feed your mind and the beliefs you base your life on.”

Want to restore your adrenal health and feel good again? Watch what you feed your body and your mind.

A friend recently introduced me to a great book, The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy. Knowing I want the information right now, but not having time to read the book, I ordered the CD by the same title.

The CD is an abridged version, but does it ever pack a punch. I can’t imagine what could be missing. If we only followed the instructions on the CD, what a wonderful life we would live. So far, I have listened to the CD, start to finish, three times – on my way to thirty-three. Time to build new pathways in the brain.

Joseph Murphy’s work is an exquisite piece detailing the miracle working power of your subconscious mind.

The subconscious mind never takes a break. It never goes to sleep. It stays alert working for you 24/7. It works on what you feed it. No thought goes unnoticed by your subconscious mind. There is no job too big or too small for your subconscious mind.

One of the very smartest things you can do for your health is to follow Grandma’s instruction. . . “Mind your mind.”

Why not eavesdrop and see what food you are serving your subconscious mind?

As Joseph Murphy states, “This book is designed to teach you that your habitual thinking and imagery mold, fashion, and create your destiny. For as a person thinketh in his subconscious mind, so is he.”

Yesterday I referenced Dr. Wilson’s twenty-eight “Do These Things,” p. 225 in Adrenal Fatigue. See

http://rosiebrownrn.com/twelve-steps-to-simplify-your-life/.

Does that count on the day Apple releases the new 4g iPhone?

#1: Be in bed before 10:00 PM, and #2: Sleep in until 9:00 AM whenever possible. People started lining up outside the ATT store at 6:00 pm the evening prior to the 7:00 am release. Does that count?

#3: Look for things that make you laugh, and #4: Eliminate the energy robbers (things in your life that drain your energy).  Which one does this count for: The kid in the stroller who has thrown that infernal rubber ball at me 100 times?

#5: Make your lifestyle a healing one. Breathe deep, oxygenating the far corners of the lungs. In a few hours, I’ll never see that kid in the stroller again.

#6: Do something pleasurable every day. I will, just as soon as I get my hands on that new phone.

#7: Whenever you are not enjoying your life, go back to the “Three Things You Can Do” section and take action: There are three things that you can do when you are in a difficult situation.

1) You can change the situation. (Short of a bulldozer, there’s no way to move these 100 people in front of me.)

2)      You can change yourself to fit (adapt to) the situation. (Grateful now I brought that book!)

3) You can leave the situation. (Are you kidding? I have been here for hours. I’m not leaving now!)

#8: Notice at least one small, everyday thing that you are grateful for each day. At least it’s not raining.

#9 Take your dietary supplements daily. Supplements? Forget the supplements. Where’s a bathroom? Why did I drink that big cup of coffee on the way here?

#10: Move your body and breathe deeply. See #5. PS, if I turn slightly, maybe the guy behind me will get the kid’s rubber ball.

#11: Believe in your ability to recover. I just know they won’t run out of phones. . .and this will all have been worth it.

#12: Use your mind as a powerful healing tool. Why have I had to start my positive affirmations over 47 times?

#13: Keep a journal – jot down your experiences each day. Not today. I just want to forget this experience.

#14: Eat the food your body needs. Why didn’t I think about packing a lunch?

#15: Learn which foods make you feel bad (keep a list of them). There is no such thing as a bad food when you’re starving.

#16: Re-read this book as often as you need. Apple, why have you caused me to stress my adrenals so? I don’t have time to re-read.

#17: Try having a glass of water in the morning containing ½ to 1 tsp of salt stirred in until dissolved. #18: Salt your food; salt your water. #19: If you are to have fruit, have something with salt before or after the fruit and chew very well. #20: Combine starchy carbohydrates, protein and fats at every meal. #21: Eat an abundance of whole food – those foods which are eaten like nature grows them. #22: Eat lots of colored foods. #23: Chew your food well. What part of “No food on the premises” do you not understand?

#24: Take the power and responsibility of your health into your own hands. If that guy behind me doesn’t shut up, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.

#25: Make whatever lifestyle changes you need to make to regain your health. #26: Laugh several times per day. If I start laughing hysterically, you think the guy behind me will shut up?

#27: Enjoy your recovery. Oh my gosh, I am finally at the counter, and there is still one phone left for me. Where did I put my car keys?

#28: Take 1,000 mg. of Vitamin C complex with 200 mg. magnesium and pantothenic acid at approximately 2:00 PM every day along with a small snack in order to help avoid the 3:00 – 4:00 PM low. I’ll promise to consume darn near anything if they’d only get these phones turned on!

Apple, just kidding!  We love you! You are making our lives so much more enjoyable. Keep up the good work!

“Do You Have Adrenal Fatigue?” jumps out at you in bright bold yellow letters on the back of Dr. James Wilson’s book, Adrenal Fatigue.

Here are the bullet points that follow beneath it:

• Tired for “no reason”?
• Having trouble getting up in the morning?
• Need coffee or colas to keep you going?
• Feeling run down and stressed?
• Crave salty or sweet snacks?
• Struggling to keep up with life’s daily demands?
• Can’t bounce back from stress or illness?
• Not having fun anymore?
• Decreased sex drive?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above, you need this book!

Here it is, Monday once again. How did you do with the questions?

It has been a while since I read the book. I flipped through my tabbed pages. On p. 228 there is a bullet point listing of twenty-eight “Do These Things.” I was intrigued by the bullet that said, “Whenever you are not enjoying your life, go back to the “Three Things You Can Do” section and take action.”

Well, now I was on a mission to scout out that section. There it is, on p. 108:

The most valuable thing I learned in Psychology 101 is that there are three things that you can do when you are in a difficult situation.

1) You can change the situation.

2) You can change yourself to fit (adapt to) the situation.

3) You can leave the situation

An important preliminary step to healing your adrenals is to take a close look at your life with the purpose of identifying what is draining you and to pinpoint which factors worsen the problem and which relieve it.

I cannot emphasize enough how important your decision to act is.

Remember that stresses are additive and cumulative. Removing or neutralizing your largest source of stress will make a very significant difference to your adrenal glands and to your health and well being. Most of the time, if you take care of the big ones, the smaller ones will take care of themselves.

Would it be helpful to clear out some stress from your life so that you can begin to focus on the “big ones”? The following list that I received from a friend last evening may be of help:

TWELVE STEPS TO SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE by Dr. Wayne Dyer

1. Unclutter your life
2. Clear your calendar of unnecessary activities.
3. Keep your free time free.
4. Take time to meditate.
5. Return to the simplicity of nature.
6. Put some distance between you and your critics.
7. Take some time for your health.
8. PLAY.
9. Slow down.
10. Remove debt from your life.
11. Don’t worry about how much it costs.
12. Remember your spirit.

It’s the beginning of the week. What one or two steps might you take this week to help relieve some stress and simplify your life?

“This stress is killing me.” Actually, when you review the devastating effects of elevated cortisol, you realize that this statement is the absolute truth.

After you review page after page, book after book, of recommendations for supplements to take and supplements to avoid, why not just cut to the chase and simplify the whole thing?

Just do what Grandma said to do in the first place:

1)      Eat right

2)      Sleep

3)      Exercise

The problem is, when faced with stress, we do the exact opposite of what we should do. We grab fast food and nibble on junk non-food. Our cortisol rises, making us crave sweet and salty things. We stay up working late /we get up early and, consequently, suffer from fatigue and insomnia. Then of course we are too busy or too tired to carve out time to exercise.

Maybe it’s best to listen to what Napoleon Hill had to say. . . “Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire, and begin at once, whether you’re ready or not, to put it into action.”

Ready or not, here we come. If you want to get a handle on that elevated cortisol, start today to put a plan in place to 1) get enough sleep, 2) eat right, and 3) exercise.

Dr. Talbott in The Cortisol Connection gives the following advice:

For the vast majority of people, these three simple steps will provide the biggest bang for the time they are prepared to devote to the specific practice of stress management (which is not a great deal of time).

1) Avoid stress

2) Manage stress

3) Get enough sleep

Avoid stress: the most effective technique is to avoid as many stressful situations as you can in the first place. If you do not have exposure, you do not have to deal with the ramifications of the stressful situation. What situations, people, circumstances can you let go of? Starting today. Starting within the next hour.

Manage stress: There are almost as many ways to deal with stress as there are things that cause stress. Managing stress is a very individualized concept. What reduces stress for one person might cause stress in another. What do you like to do? What gives you pleasure? What activities can you get lost in?

Get enough sleep: getting eight hours of uninterrupted sleep at night is one of the very best things you can do to keep stress, elevated cortisol, and illness at bay. What can you do, starting tonight, to get to bed earlier? What relaxing activity sounds fun to do just before bedtime? What thoughts can you fill your head with? What is on your list to be grateful for on this day?

Create a plan of action that goes back to the basics. . . and that evil villain stress won’t stand a chance. Isn’t it about time to put an end to it before it kills you?

Go ahead, create a plan today, whether you’re ready or not.

What do you think about this statement?

“What you may not know is that as little as a night or two of good, sound, restful sleep may do more for controlling your cortisol levels and reducing your long-term risk for many chronic diseases than a whole lifetime of stress-management classes.”

In yesterday’s article, http://rosiebrownrn.com/the-cortisol-connection/, I cited the SENSE method outlined by Dr. Talbott in The Cortisol Connection. But before digging deeper into the SENSE program, the strong comments the author makes about the importance of a good night’s sleep stops me in my tracks.

Dr. Talbott stresses that sleep is one of the most effective ways to “manage” stress. Well, if that is the most effective method, why not start there?

The research clearly shows than an inadequate quality or quantity of sleep results in elevated cortisol levels, but here’s the really bad news: High cortisol in turn limits your ability to fall asleep and high cortisol limits the amount of time that your mind spends in the most restful stages of deep sleep.

A double whammy.

You would think if you are exhausted from chronic insomnia that you would fall asleep and stay asleep. Not so. High levels of cortisol prevent that from happening.

Here’s another scenario. Can you relate?

I have a friend who likes to call late in the evening and discuss all the woes of the world. It would take a jackhammer to interrupt this person’s flow of doom and gloom. But, ohhh. . .when I read the following information, I want to run, not walk, to the yellow pages to rent a jackhammer:

“Cortisol levels are elevated in response to stress – so any stressful events encountered in the late afternoon to early evening will hamper a person’s ability to relax and fall asleep that night.

If you’ll recall, one of the many effects of cortisol is to increase a person’s level of alertness – which is exactly what you want to avoid right before bedtime.”

Next time that person calls, I think I will borrow my son Aaron’s vernacular: “Keep it cute and keep it moving.”

In fact, I probably will need to add that action step to my previously published list of insomnia remedies. See http://rosiebrownrn.com/how-to-feel-better/ and http://rosiebrownrn.com/how-to-feel-better-continued/

The research is pretty unanimous: obtain 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep at night – not 4, 5, 6, or 7 as you may have grown accustomed.

You may think you are pulling a fast one on your body, but your body knows differently. You may see some obvious signs of inadequate rest, such as fatigue and lack of ability to concentrate. However, the greater damage might be told if you were to look at your body organs to see the effects of the high cortisol, paving the way for a life of chronic illness.

Insomnia? You are out of here. We’re keeping it cute and keeping it moving.