Quit Being Sick & Tired!

Are you chronically tired for no reason? Do you feel rundown and overwhelmed?
It could be adrenal fatigue.

Adrenal fatigue occurs when your adrenal glands cannot adequately meet the demands of stress. From the demands of work, to family obligations, to the hurried pace of the city and our technology-driven society, many of us feel like we’re under a constant siege of stress.

While the “fight or flight” stress response mobilized by the adrenal glands is a key to our survival as a species, prolonged stress, whether it’s physical, emotional, or psychological, exhausts the adrenal glands, leads to sleeplessness, irritability, and fatigue. When our adrenal glands are constantly required to pump out cortisol, they eventually become impaired. Your body does its best to compensate for under-functioning adrenal glands, but it comes at the price of your metabolism, heart and cardiovascular system, sex drive, and even your sleep.

Research has found that sleep disturbances are directly related to increased sensitivity to the arousal-producing stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol is excitatory, which means it arouses us, wakes us up, and leaves us primed for action long after the stressor is gone. Unfortunately, when we’re under prolonged periods of stress, our cortisol levels remain elevated and our adrenal glands, small pyramid-shaped glands that sit atop each kidney, never get a chance to recharge.

When we consistently don’t get a good night’s sleep, our circadian rhythm becomes disrupted. This negatively affects our serotonin and melatonin, hormones which govern appetite and mood. In other words, not only does stress keep us in an agitated state by agitating our cortisol levels, but it can lead to cravings, obesity, and blood sugar imbalances which have been shown to negatively impact mood.

While it may feel like you’re caught in a vicious cycle of stress, sleep deprivation, poor nutrition and mood swings, it’s possible to break free by incorporating these six tips in your daily routine:

1. Eat breakfast

Make a point of eating a high-fiber, high-protein breakfast every morning to stabilize blood sugar and improve mental alertness.

2. Eat regularly

It’s important to keep up the momentum after a nutritious breakfast. Skipping meals leads to irritability and mood swings because our mood rises and falls alongside the dips in our blood sugar. Try eating four or five small, well-balanced meals per day.

3. Ditch the junk

Remove refined, highly-processed food from your diet. This includes sugary snacks, deep-fried food, processed lunch meats, and pre-packaged items with additives, preservatives, dyes, and flavoring agents. These food-like items rob your body of the nutrients it needs to support healthy adrenal function. Our adrenal glands thrive on zinc, manganese, vitamin C, and the B vitamins found in dark leafy greens.

4. Skip the stimulants

Say goodbye to caffeine that leaves you feeling wired, yet tired! Propping yourself up with coffee, tea, soda, and energy drinks will inevitably lead to a crash. These unsustainable forms of energy over-stimulate your adrenal glands and they’re also unnecessary sources of sugar and calories.

5. Supplement with herbs

Adaptogenic herbs like maca, ashwaganda, rhodiola and CortiSLIM Advanced with Vinpocetine, can help the body cope with stress and fatigue. For specific doses of these super supplements, consult your health care practitioner.

6. Wind down

If you have a habit of watching the news before bed or mindlessly browsing the internet, consider a new routine. Unplug and opt for a relaxing bath or a series of yoga stretches to help your mind and body relax. For more info see mindbodygreen.com

What is this stress hormone, Cortisol anyway?

Cortisol is a stress hormone that your body secretes to help your organs function optimally, quickly, and more effectively during periods of stress. This is part of that "fight or flight" response where when stressed, your body thinks it needs to crank up the function of everything including your heart rate to get you out of trouble fast.

This worked great when we used to have to run away from predators while out hunting, but unlike our ancestors, we don't need to run away from lions anymore but our body continues to have this response when we are anxious or stressed. Over time, this takes a toll on our body.

Nowadays, we are more likely to be running away from office meetings or stressful exams more than anything else but we still have this cortisol response during times of stress; just as when our ancestors needed to run from a predator.

The cortisol response was meant for short term bouts of stress. Unfortunately, our modern day lives seem to be fraught with incendiary events that cause long term cortisol secretion instead of the intended short term bouts meant for "fight or flight" away from predators.

If your level of cortisol is always relatively elevated because you are always stressed about life events or if you are just overall anxious all the time, our adrenals (which produce cortisol) may become fatigued and adrenal fatigue tends to lead to other issues like hair loss, increased inflammation, insomnia, more anxiety, fatigue, and chronic aches and pains, just to name a few issues. Worsening weight gain, hotflashes and thyroid dysfunction can also be linked to adrenal fatigue.

So, if you are concerned about your adrenal function, ask your doctor for a saliva test or a 24-hour urine test for cortisol level to see if you are doing alright or if your function has diminished. If you are noticing more and more belly fat formation and retention, that may also indicate elevated cortisol issues. But in generally, if you are constantly feeling stressed, you can be sure that your adrenals are having to work overtime and your cortisol level is likely unhealthily elevated.

My main suggestion is to intentionally implement stress management techniques into your daily schedule. Some common options I generally suggest for my patients in my integrative medicine clinic in San Jose CA are exercise, taking time to listen to music, playing with your favorite pet, or talking to loved ones. By incorporating activities on a daily basis where you allow your body some downtime and relaxation, you'll naturally be helping your cortisol level return to normal levels and you will be giving your adrenals a break…which ultimately, can help you looking and feeling younger no matter how many predatory office meetings you want to run from. For more information, see www.cortisol.com

Stress and nutrition

Ongoing stress can take a toll on your body – it can cause weight gain, digestive problems, fatigue, poor memory, moodiness, headaches and muscle pain. Too much stress can also increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. The good news: Consuming certain foods and nutrients, at the right times, can help you deal with stress and feel better.

The body responds to stress by prompting your adrenal glands to release cortisol and adrenaline, two stress hormones that increase heart rate, elevate blood pressure and mobilize glucose (energy) for your brain and muscles. When stress is always present, this fight-or-flight response stays turned on. Prolonged stress accelerates your body’s use of carbohydrate, protein, fat and many vitamins and minerals. So the better nourished you are, the better your body is able to cope with daily stress.

Research findings from Britain, called the Food and Mood Project, support the link between a healthy diet and stress reduction. Among 200 people surveyed, 88 per cent of people reported that changing their diet improved their mental health. Sugar, sweets, caffeine and alcohol were among a list of foods found to exacerbate stress while fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts and water helped calm stress. So did eating regularly and not skipping breakfast.

The following diet tips are important strategies to help your body manage stress.

Don’t skip breakfast

The morning meal replenishes your body with glucose after a night of fasting. A balanced breakfast should include grains (oatmeal, whole-grain toast, high-fibre cereal), protein (egg whites, Greek yogurt, milk, cottage cheese) and a source of healthy fat (nut butter, avocado, flaxseeds, chia seeds).

Eat five times a day

Eat at regular intervals during the day to keep your blood sugar (glucose) steady, ready to fuel your brain and muscles. Eating too little – and not often enough – can cause imbalances in blood sugar that lead to mood swings, low energy, poor concentration and hunger.

Snack wisely

Good options include fruit and nuts, yogurt and berries, cheese and whole-grain crackers, a whole-food energy bar (e.g. Larabar, Elevate Me Bar, KIND Bar, Vega One Bar) or a protein shake than includes fruit. If necessary, set a timer to remind you to eat.

Focus on carbohydrates

Ongoing stress lowers serotonin, a brain chemical that’s important for sleep, memory and feeling calm and relaxed. Studies show that people under stress have higher serotonin and lower stress hormone levels when they eat a high-carbohydrate – versus high-protein – diet. And they report feeling more mentally sharp and less depressed. Base your meals and snacks on carbohydrate-rich foods such as whole grains, sweet potato, legumes and fruit rather than protein-rich foods like meat, poultry and eggs.

Boost B vitamins

The body uses B vitamins to mobilize its stored energy for immediate fuel. And vitamin B6 is also needed to make serotonin.

Good sources of B vitamins include enriched breakfast cereals, wheat germ (add it to a smoothie), legumes (add lentils or black beans to salads), nuts and seeds, leafy green vegetables, meat, poultry, milk and yogurt. You’ll find plenty of B6 in chickpeas, tuna, salmon, potatoes, bananas, avocados and turkey. To ensure you’re covered for B’s, consider taking a multivitamin mineral or a B complex supplement.

Get extra C

Vitamin C is thought to help blunt the rise in cortisol during stress and, in so doing, mitigate some of the harmful effects of high cortisol. People who have high blood levels of vitamin C have been shown to fare better mentally and physically when exposed to stressful situations compared to those with low levels of the nutrient.

Vitamin-C-rich foods include citrus fruit, cantaloupe, kiwifruit, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage. To supplement, take 500 milligrams of vitamin C once or twice daily.

Limit caffeine and alcohol

Too much caffeine and alcohol can reduce mental focus, disrupt sleep and boost cortisol. Switch to decaf or tea. Black and green teas are considerably lower in caffeine than coffee (one cup of regular brewed coffee has about 90 to 200 milligrams of caffeine; one cup of tea has 15 to 60 milligrams). If you can’t give up caffeinated coffee completely, limit yourself to no more than one drink per day before noon.

Supplementation can help

Supplements like CortiSLIM that focus on stress management can help also. Recent studies have shown the ingredient, Vinpocetine, is very effective in managing stress, inflammation, blood flow and heart. It also contains Chamomile, long known for its calming affects on the body.  

Excessive Drinking Linked to Early Childhood Trauma

Why can some people control themselves from drinking too much while others go on to make fools of themselves or destroy their lives?

Sometimes the tendency to drink excessively may be more than just a case of escaping from problems or too much partying. The likelihood for alcoholism has been linked by scientific research to childhood stress.

Now, stress is not all that bad. In fact, it is necessary for survival as the right amount of pressure helps a person to think and act better in the face of difficult situations we will encounter throughout life. Cortisol, our main stress hormone plays a key role in the body’s “fight-or-flight” response by increasing our body’s available energy and nutrient supplies to our muscles so we can respond with quickness and efficiency.

So if too much stress is bad for us, where do we draw the line? According to research published by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the benefits of stress stops when it is ‘severe enough to overwhelm a child’s ability to cope effectively’.

Too much stress suffered over a long period can result to ‘a variety of short- and long-term negative health effects.’ It can disrupt the development of the brain in early life, and also impair the functioning of two body systems that play a vital role in developing a physically and emotionally healthy human being—the nervous and immune systems.

An article written by Dr. Steve Bressert for Psych Central (a website providing the latest news and research about psychological disorders, treatments and medication) adds that prolonged stress suffered as early as infancy could permanently change the way our stress hormones respond and how we react to stressors such as when drinking alcohol.

Wait...did you say drinking alcohol is stressful? In the short term it makes you relaxed, but if you continue to drink while the stress is ongoing (which is most likely the case as alcohol will not actually solve the problem) it increases the possibility that you’ll drink more...and more as a means of coping, till it leads to dependence.

Alcohol and brain chemistry

I’ve mentioned earlier that the occasional stress is an inevitable fact of life and can even be healthy for us. The body’s expected reaction after the threat is over is to gradually decrease cortisol levels until we return to our normal state. But for chronic stress sufferers or long-term heavy drinkers, their body struggles to return to its physiological state ofbalance. As the demands increase on their body’s systems, it sets a new (lower) balance point, resulting in a less effective body functioning.

One such effect is on brain chemistry. Since the balance is now tilted, when alcoholics experience stress, they may experience higher anxiety levels than non-alcoholics as their brains demand the release of higher levels of cortisol and other stress hormones. Cortisol is also linked to the brain’s “pleasure” systems, which is why a heavy drinker with higher-than-average cortisol levels need to drink more than before in order to achieve the same effect. In addition, cortisol plays a role in learning and memory (what a very busy hormone!), which is why our heavy drinker is more inclined to make drinking a habit and has an increased tendency of a relapse.

And oh, did I forget to mention why some alcoholics don’t seem to eat much, yet have large bellies? Cortisol causes the body to crave for high-fat foods AND tells it to put excess body fat in the abdomen, that’s why.

The deciding factor

You may be thinking that a lot of people experienced difficulties (broken family, poverty, war and famine, etc.) when they were young but didn’t turn out to be alcoholics or drug addicts as adults.

A person’s resilience, or the ability to cope with stress is influenced by several factors in the environment. These factors may help offset the effects of physiological changes that happened in early childhood.

Dr. Bressert’s article mentions that the strength of the relationship between stress and drinking depends on whether alternative coping mechanisms and social supports are available.

A study published in the National Institutes of Health also indicate “that mediating factors such as gene-environment interactions and family and peer relationships are important for resilience.” Another research published by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism credits positive thinking, an optimistic attitude, problem solving and planning as the characteristics of resilient people.

Alcohol and Stress - NOT a good mix!

Most adults of my generation are very familiar with stress, having experienced it ourselves at some point or watching others go through it. Stress is felt when we go through enormous physical, mental or emotional pressure, leading us to feel tired, drained and spent.  Little wonder that some choose to go the easy route and have a temporary ‘fix’ to their problems—alcohol.

A number of studies have been made regarding the link between alcohol and stress. In this post we’re going to break down the academic lingo—from studies talking about how alcohol affects the functioning of the body’s main stress hormone, Cortisol, and why this isn’t a good thing.

Our body’s Response to Stress

When we drink alcohol as an attempt to relieve stress, it results in a “therapeutic” effect which encourages us to drink more. Generally, the heavier the problem, the more bottles or shots drank. Left unchecked, this can easily lead to alcohol dependence, and that is where the problem grows. I say “grows” because alcohol can easily cause problems even if you’re only drinking it for a night—just ask anyone who’s ever been involved in an alcohol-influenced fistfight, danced topless at a bar, done some drunk sexing or wrote posts in their social media accounts that made them the butt of jokes in the morning, lost a loved one or worse, a job.

Did you know that grain alcohol or ethanol, the ingredient in alcoholic drinks that gives it its potency can fuel cars? Of course this is toxic to your body, unless you’re Optimus Prime! Toxins from alcohol eventually damages many organs over time. In the endocrine system, damage shows in the way alcohol impairs our body’s natural capacity to lower levels of its main stress hormone—cortisol.

Cortisol is responsible for an increase to our supply of glucose (our main source of energy), increased heart and respiration rates, increased blood flow and a boost in the body’s capability to heal any damaged tissues. The body produces high levels of cortisol to help an individual cope with any stressful situation. A short-lived rise in cortisol is important for survival, but once the stressor has been dealt with, the body has to go back to its normal state.

The effects of constant high cortisol levels

What happens if the signal to produce high amounts of this hormone cannot be turned ‘off’, which is one of the effects of alcoholism? A 2010 study in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research found that elevated cortisol in alcoholics can lead to hampering basic mental activities such as making decisions, focusing attention properly or effectively making new memories or recalling old ones.

Elevated cortisol levels in alcoholics also encourage the onset of pseudo-Cushing Syndrome, whose symptoms include upper body obesity, weakened bones which can make common activities—such as lifting, bending or rising from a seated position seem like you’ve been working on the docks without a forklift—result to backaches and fractures in the rib and spinal column, severe fatigue, high blood pressure and sugar, and depression. Beer belly, it seems, may be the least of an alcoholic’s health woes.

In fact, according to another 2010 review by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, recovering alcoholics with pseudo-Cushing’s experience symptoms that are worse than during the period of heavy drinking itself.

But wait, there’s more. Another study in the same journal found that cortisol levels still remained high even in recovering alcoholics who are already going through the initial stages of alcohol withdrawal. Researchers in the study also felt that the lingering effects of elevated cortisol seriously increases an abstinent’s chance of a relapse.

It’s a disastrous loop, according to a 2010 study by researchers from Texas Tech University and Penn State University. Their findings say that stress that is not addressed is a major reason for a person’s inability to control alcohol cravings. In turn, a decreased ability to fight cravings leads to eventually reuniting with the bottle. 

While the effects of pseudo-Cushing’s may be reversed with due treatment, wouldn’t it be better if we just avoided all these complications in the first place by taking on whatever’s stressing you by the horns, instead of looking for a temporary solution that is going to be the cause of more problems later on?

How childhood stress affects us negatively as adults

Living with domestic violence, living in poverty or in a threatening neighbourhood, being made to work in uncomfortable or unsafe conditions or living with a family or orphanage where one experiences abuse or neglect are just some of the chronic stressors some people experienced as children.

We’ve seen how some of these children grow up and turn to alcohol, drugs or sex to escape reality. It’s common knowledge that a bad childhood leaves emotional scars that remains with us through adulthood and affects how we think and act, but what do scientific findings say about this?

A study published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has turned its particular focus on poverty and its relationship to how the brain works as an adult in terms of dealing with negative emotions. Researchers found that study participants who were from lower family incomes at age 9 showed more activity in the regions of the brain associated with psychological disorders related to emotions such as depression, anxiety, impulsive aggression and substance abuse when they became adults. These people showed less activity in the region of the brain known for its role in dealing with negative emotions.

Dr. K. Luan Phan, psychiatry professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine and senior author of the study said that the negative effect of poverty may lead to “a cascade of increasing risk factors” for the kids to fall into physical and psychological troubles in adulthood. The most important takeaway from the findings, according to Dr. Phan, was how much chronic stress an individual goes through from childhood through adolescence, and this determined the extent to which poverty affected brain functioning when dealing with emotions, particularly negative ones.

The Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University adds to this by saying that a childhood filled with positive experiences lays the foundation for healthy adults who are of great benefit to society by contributing in a valuable and productive way.

Holiday Stress - Another Reason for Weight Gain

As if the overflowing food and drinks from parties and dinners this month and early the next aren’t enough reasons to pile on the pounds, the stress we experience during this time is another reason for weight gain.

Preparing meals, buying and wrapping gifts, looking for the perfect outfit to complement each event we attend can leave us in a constant state of motion as we go all over town. Others who do not have family or partners face a different type of stress as they deal with loneliness and depression in the season where everyone is under pressure to be in a festive mood.

All of these add on to the pressures we already experience from our daily life of dealing with projects, bosses, clients, heavy traffic, bills, spouses and children.

What goes on inside – how the body reacts to stress

Our body has a built-in mechanism for handling stress. This set of physiological and biological reactions give you a burst of energy needed during make-or-break, dangerous situations. Whenever you experience an acute stressor, adrenal glands release the stress hormone cortisol into the bloodstream. This results to a surge in blood sugar which the body can use to fuel urgent actions like fighting and running or its modern-day equivalents of slamming on the car breaks, sprinting to catch the last bus or going after the colleague that spreads false rumours about you in the office.

Once the problem has been dealt with, the cortisol exits your system and the body resumes its normal metabolic state. Unfortunately, with our modern pressure-filled lifestyle we simply swap one form of stressor for another as we go through the day.

Chronic stress

During the holidays, stress is compounded as we have to deal with additional expenses and additional responsibilities on top of pressures from work and the people we interact with on a daily basis. 

Holiday shopping, writing and mailing Christmas cards, getting the house decorated, preparing for the Christmas and New Year’s Eve meals and the various get-togethers we attend leading up to these two big occasions can leave us feeling overwhelmed. It leads to chronic stress as we feel there is always something that still needs to be done and we don’t have enough time or resources.

Biologically, this causes significant metabolic imbalances and constantly elevated cortisol levels. This means blood sugar is always being readied to provide energy. It doesn’t have a good effect if this happens often.

Chronic stress and weight gain

Most of these mini-stressors we encounter do not require us to exert a lot of physical effort, unlike with our ancestors whose ‘emergency’ situations consisted of fleeing from storms and wild animals or walking long distances to look for food.

All of the excess sugar, generated by too much cortisol that does not get used as energy is stored as body fat. Elevated cortisol also results to a drop in serotonin, the hormone which regulates mood, sleep and appetite, among others. Low serotonin levels send a message to the brain to crave sugar and eat more to address the deficiency. Since most of the food available on the Christmas table is already fatty or sweet to begin with, eating more than what your body needs to deal with stress predisposes it to store more fat.

You can ease your stress, decrease your cravings and get control of your weight today with CortiSLIM!

Does CortiSLIM work?

Do you live a hectic and stress-filled life?

Have you noticed your pants are fitting a little tighter than they used to?

If you find yourself doing all the right things and yet you are still struggling with belly fat --

It’s not your fault!

Studies have linked our busy, stress-filled lives to a hormone called, “Cortisol”.

Cortisol releases glucose, protein and fat into your bloodstream to give you energy to handle your stress. Your body stores this unused energy around the abdominal organs. This type of fat, known as visceral fat, is most damaging to your health and can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Discover the CortiSLIM Lifestyle!

The true secret to beauty is a lifestyle that promotes good health. A sensible diet and regular exercise is vital, but sometimes you need an edge to help with the last few inches around your middle.

CortiSLIM gives you that edge!

CortiSLIM will help your body burn fat more efficiently, it will help you manage your stress effectively, and will help increase your metabolism allowing you to shed those unwanted pounds faster and get your body back on the right track.

Are you ready to say goodbye to your belly fat?

CortiSLIM is a 3^rd Generation dietary supplement that delivers scientifically developed, high-quality formulations that can truly make the difference in your body transformation. You’ve dreamed about it. Now you can do it and CortiSLIM can help you reach your full potential.

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This revolutionary product blends three proprietary complexes in one unique and powerful fat-loss formula.

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LeptiPlex is a proprietary blend of ingredients that supports a healthy metabolism and thermogenesis (fat burning).

CortiPlex is a proprietary blend of ingredients to compliment the stress-reducing effects of exercising and helps to reduce stress levels and decrease cortisol levels.

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Managing Work Stress

I have had some stressful jobs in my past and each stressful in their own way. One was performance-based stressed and the other all based on interpersonal-stress. I’m sure everyone could tell a story about a job with a particular stressor.

Today’s fast-paced and high-pressure lifestyle often pushes us beyond our physical and mental limits. In urban cities and highly developed countries, it is not uncommon for lawyers to clock in 90 hours a week, doctors to work in 30 consecutive-hour shifts, and soldiers to go on days without proper sleep during missions. Even regular eight-hour shifters are not spared as they are often required to render overtime and forego their rest days during busy periods on a business. All of this causes enormous amounts of stress that result to health and relationship problems, further adding to the strain already felt in the first place.

This problem is further worsened by the prevailing culture which inspires admiration and offers rewards for those who disregard rest and relaxation to put in all the time they can spare and absorb tremendous pressure from bosses, colleagues and clients at work. As the popular saying goes, "The only difference between a diamond and a lump of coal is that the diamond had a little more pressure put on it." This sends a clear message that those who are not willing to go beyond what is increasingly becoming a ‘normal’ long task list and work hours are easily laid off or have fewer opportunities for career growth.

Still, we need to manage stress as all of us need to work to live comfortably and provide for our family. As any good soldier will tell you, in order to defeat the enemy, you must first get to know it well. Here are the different types of on-the-job stress and how to deal with each one:

·         Time stress. Impending deadline. Stuck in traffic and going late for an important meeting or presentation. Being too tired after work to spend quality time with the family. Time stress happens when you feel there aren’t enough hours in the day so you can do everything you need to do, and because of this you feel powerless, trapped, and unhappy.

How to manage it: Time management is an important skill you must develop so you can be productive not just during work, but when you get home and face your responsibilities there as well. Make a to-do list where your tasks are listed in order of priority. If possible, estimate how much time you will take up for each and stick to it. Put a small clock in your desk if necessary so you are aware of the passage of time. Clear up all non-essential apps and games on your PC. No gaming, posting or tweeting on the job! And don’t be tempted to use your smartphone either. Disable your Wi-Fi if needed so you can concentrate on the task at hand. You’ll have all the time to do these later during breaks and after work hours. If you feel like you’re frequently biting off more work than you can chew, learn to politely but firmly say “no”.

·         Anticipatory stress. This kind of stress happens when you worry too much about the future. It may either be concerned on a specific event such as an upcoming presentation, or a general sense of dread about the future when you feel your expectations will not be met or that you will fail.

How to manage it: Two words: positive thinking. Anticipatory stress is based on future events and because you do not have full control over what happens in the future, if you can’t help thinking about it at least think about it going positively. Create a scenario in your mind where you feel powerful and in control. Instead of fretting about the presentation turning into a mess, imagine you having a satisfied smile on your face as you finish and the people in front of you clapping or nodding in agreement. Create a contingency plan of every scenario where things can go wrong and how you will react it. If you feel you are well prepared to face an uncertain situation, the knowledge that you have planned for it well gives you confidence to face it.

·         Situational stress. This involves a situation where you feel you cannot control things, as in an emergency, calamity, conflict, diminished status or loss of acceptance from an important person or in a group you strongly identify with. Specific events include being in conflict with someone or making a major blunder during a group activity that caused the group’s performance to fail. Even witnessing people arguing in front of you already puts you in a situational stress.

How to manage it: Everyone reacts to this type of stress differently. Some may withdraw emotionally and cry in a corner. Others shout or act aggressively. However you choose to react, be aware of how you respond physically and emotionally to a stressor. If you tend to withdraw, learn how to think on your feet so you can communicate better and release the steam off. If you are the aggressive type, take stock of your emotions. Just before you’re about to “go over the edge” simply walk away from the situation and come back later with a cooler head. Stay in a quiet, relaxing room and take long, deep breaths.

·         Encounter stress. Dreading the meeting with top management or a client who doesn’t have a particularly good reputation? Encounter stress occurs when you worry about interacting with people you don’t like or think are unpredictable. This will also happen if you feel drained or overwhelmed from contact with so many people. Let’s face it, not everyone you meet on the job is open to what you do nor do they welcome the intrusion by unfamiliar faces.

How to manage it: Since this type of stress is entirely focused on how you relate to people, if it’s unavoidable in your job now would be the time to brush up on your people skills. Develop your emotional intelligence, or the ability to recognize the emotions and needs of others. Have empathy too. Put yourself in their shoes and ask: “what would I do if I were them?” A little more patience wouldn’t hurt as well, especially when dealing with crowds.

The problem with all this stress is the Cortisol our bodies produce when stress is consistently at an all-time high. Cortisol releases glucose, protein and fat into your bloodstream to give you energy to handle your stress. Your body stores this unused energy around the abdominal organs. This type of fat, known as visceral fat, is most damaging to your health and can lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.

CortiSLIM will help your body burn fat more efficiently, it will help you manage your stress effectively, and will help increase your metabolism allowing you to shed those unwanted pounds faster and get your body back on the right track. 

Stress, Anxiety and Weight Gain: How to Prevent Unwanted Weight Gain

Anxiety is inevitable for most of us. In this economy, many of us are worried about excessive bills continuously piling up, while others may be thinking about urgent deadlines at work or failing grades at school. You might be wondering: Is it possible that your new found belly fat might possibly be related? The answer is: Yes. But, there is good news! You can do something to whittle that tummy away.

How Stress Affects Your Weight

When you're worried or pressured, your body releases adrenalin, a hormone that gives you instant energy. Along with adrenalin, your body also releases cortisol which increases your appetite and ultimately drives you to eat more in order to replenish your used energy. People who frequently experience anxious situations consume comfort foods, especially high-calorie foods, even when not hungry. This habit leads to an unhealthy diet that causes you to gain weight and "visceral" fat - which is fat stored around the midsection and commonly known as belly fat. This is the most dangerous type of fat you can heave because it can lead to cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

How to Avoid Stress-Induced Weight Gain

Knowing that anxiety affects your body in various ways, it's best that you take action to mitigate unwanted effects. Here's how you can interrupt the cycle and stop weight gain.

Exercise regularly:

Exercising not only burns calories; it also helps you feel better by releasing a cascade of hormones and biochemicals that lift up your mood.

Maintain a balanced diet, and never skip meals:

Avoid binging on high-calorie foods, and go for healthy foods like vegetables, whole grain and high-fiber foods.

Always find time to relax:

Self-care is so important, especially in times of stress. Whether it is a nice warm bath with candles, or a yoga class, or maybe coffee with your friends. Whatever makes me you feel good and cared for.

Take well-researched, doctor-formulated supplements like CortiSLIM which contain healthful ingredients that counter the effects of excess cortisol. 

CortiSLIM's ingredients provide a unique three-pronged approach to weight loss by addressing stress, enhancing thermogenesis (so you can burn more fat) and encouraging lean body mass through supporting healthy blood glucose levels. These revolutionary products blend three Proprietary Complexes in its unique and powerful weight loss formula's to give you The CortiSLIM Advantage.*

If you find yourself frequently upset, do your best to follow a healthy eating and exercising regimen. Live a healthy lifestyle, and take supplements like CortiSLIM to prevent gaining extra pounds.

Managing Stress

Managing Stress:

We all have stress sometimes. For some people, it happens before having to speak in public. For other people, it might be before a first date. What causes stress for you may not be stressful for someone else. Sometimes stress is helpful – it can encourage you to meet a deadline or get things done. But long-term stress can increase the risk of diseases like depression, heart disease and a variety of other problems.

There are very few among us who have never experienced stress. Whether it’s a pending work deadline or an overwhelming physical threat, our body’s response to stress can be both helpful and harmful.

Our stress response gives us the strength and speed to ward off or flee from impending danger. But when it continues, stress increases cortisol levels and can put us at risk for obesity, heart disease, cancer, and a variety of other illnesses. [Stress System Malfunction Could Lead to Serious, Life Threatening Disease by George Chrousos, M.D., Chief of the Pediatric and Reproductive Endocrinology Branch at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and Philip Gold, MD, of the Clinical Neuroendocrinology Branch at the National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, 2002].

A threat to your life or safety causes your body to undergo immediate physical changes. A chemical signal deep inside your brain speeds stress hormones through the bloodstream, preparing your body to be alert and prepared to escape danger. This is known as the “Flight or Fight” response. You have faster reaction times, your concentration becomes more focused, and your agility and strength increase. When the stressful situation ends, hormonal signals switch off the stress response and the body returns to normal. [George Chrousos, M.D., and Philip Gold, MD, National Institutes of Health, 2002].

But with today’s fast paced lifestyle, stress often doesn’t let up. Many of us now constantly experience anxiety and worry about work, relationships, money, the economy, college expenses, and job security-among others. As a result, the stress hormones produced by our body in anticipation of physical harm or threat continue to wash through the system in high levels, never leaving the blood and tissues. The stress response that gave our ancestors the speed and endurance to escape life-threatening dangers runs constantly in many modern people and never shuts down.

If you have chronic stress, the best way to deal with it is to take care of the underlying problem. Counselling can help you find ways to relax and calm down.

Regular exercise, as well as medicines, and the following supplements, may also help:

Supplements, like CortiSLIM, that have stress mitigating ingredients can be helpful.

Supplements that reduce insulin resistance can be useful.

Chromium in appropriate form and dosages has been shown to be an effective insulin sensitizing agent that reduces excess insulin as well as glucose.

Calcium in appropriate form and dose may reduce fat deposition.

Vanadium can reduce appetite as well as improve glucose utilization by cells, thereby reducing excess insulin production.

Green Tea has been found to reduce absorption of fats, as well as reduce excess insulin production.

Green Tea also has an effect that increases metabolism, thereby increasing calorie burning with normal daily activities. Also, Green Tea contains caffeine that in many instances can reduce stress.

Magnolia Bark may reduce stress and cortisol secretion.

Do Cortisol blockers aid in weight loss?

I've been asked recently if Cortisol blockers aid in weight loss. I think it is important to realize that Cortisol is a regular and important occurring hormone in your body.

If you think of the caveman days, upon waking, a person would need to immediately determine if they are in danger from a predator in their camp. Next, they would need a boost of energy to either, fight or just go and find food to ensure survival.

That is why our Cortisol levels are highest in the morning. Then, throughout the day, they fall. That is why, if you have a high Cortisol reading from a doctor, they may order a 24-Cortisol collection for you. This is the only way to monitor an accurate average.

When your overall Cortisol levels are high, you produce too much insulin to join with these Cortisol hormones. When your blood sugar is out of whack, you crave unhealthy foods, over-eat, are tired and therefore don't exercise, and your fat cells multiply around your middle.

Sometimes, people tell me, "I exercise and eat properly and yet, I just can't lose this pouch in my belly" That, my friends, is stress-related belly fat!

So, to answer the question, "Do Cortisol blockers aid in weight loss?" I say, you don't really want to block Cortisol as it is a necessary and natural occurring hormone in your body. What you want to do, is control the stress in your life. That can be done through exercise, which releases Serotonin, eat good quality Proteins and you can take CortiSLIM Advanced, which has Vinpocetine,

In his book, Mind Boosters: A Guide to Natural Supplements that Enhance Your Mind, Memory, and Mood, Ray Sahelian, M.D. has written, " Experiments with vinpocetine indicate that it can dilate blood vessels, enhance circulation in the brain, improve oxygen utilization, make red blood cells more pliable, and inhibit aggregation of platelets."

Who would have thought, when walking past a pretty periwinkle plant, that it could have amazing health benefits? Vinpocetine, which is also known simply as periwinkle extract, actually comes from a substance known as vincamine. It’s found within the periwinkle plant and has been found to be excellent for using in alternative treatments. "Alternative," means that it’s a natural method of treatment, but should never be used to replace doctor recommended treatments without the express consent of your doctor.

Are excess Cortisol levels related to weight gain?

Stress is entwined into our daily lives. The stress reactions of our body are fabricated so we could naturally fight and/or flee any life threatening situations. Today, hot weather, heavy traffic, meeting deadlines, and many other everyday situations trigger our body’s stress response.

Recent studies have proved the role of the stress hormone, Cortisol in the deposition of belly fat. Cortisol is a steroidal hormone synthesized and secreted by the adrenal glands in the human body. Some of the important functions of Cortisol include regulation of blood pressure, proper metabolism of glucose, release of insulin to maintain blood sugar levels, immune function etc. In normal circumstances the body regulates and maintains normal cortisol levels in the blood. In times of body's 'flight or fight' response to stress, the amount of cortisol secreted is increased to higher levels. A small increase in its level is beneficial to fight against this stress due to its positive effects like increased immunity, lowering of pain threshold, improved memory functions and a quick burst of energy levels. But in times of excessive and prolonged physical or psychological stress, the normal pattern of its secretion (with highest levels in early morning and lowest during night) is altered leading to chronically raised levels.

When the body is exposed to chronically high levels of cortisol, certain cellular and tissue alterations might occur. In addition to causing imbalances in blood pressure and blood sugar levels, impairing cognitive functioning, lowering immunity and bone density, it has an important effect on the fat stores of the body. High levels of cortisol causes the adipose(fat) cells of the body to release the fat(triglyceride) stored in them and if not utilized by the body, gets it relocated and deposited in the abdomen, surrounding the belly. Thus it promotes weight gain as well as affects where one puts on the weight causing the deposition of fat in the belly part rather than the thighs and hips. This additional belly fat is more toxic and is mainly responsible for most of the health hazards linked with excessive fat.


So if in any way, one can control the high levels of cortisol or counteract the effect caused by it, it may help one in achieving healthier type of fat loss. A leading doctor in Mission Viejo, CA has his patients using CortiSLIM Advanced. He has been closely following almost 100 patients' cortisol levels and has seen a dramatic decrease.

My own journey has been pretty incredible. I had my levels checked because I was gaining weight, lacked energy and was very achy. I went to cortisol.com and ordered a Saliva Test. My level came back as 31 - normal is 4-6!  So I started taking CortiSLIM Advanced and today, almost a year later, my level is 9. I am a success story!