Olwen Anderson's Blog

Aging too fast? Weight not coming off? Maybe its time to learn about DHEA.

That's short for dehydroepiandrosterone. But DHEA is an easier name to pronounce, don't you think?

Your adrenal glands produce many hormones, and DHEA is one of them. Soon after production your body converts this hormone to DHEA-S (dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate) and that's what's measured when you have a blood or saliva test for the presence of this hormone.

This is an important hormone because it’s the precursor for many other reproductive hormones. As you age your levels of reproductive hormones decline, thanks in part to lower levels of DHEA-S. In women this means the onset of menopause; in males this can result in andropause, a time when their testosterone levels drop enough to produce physical symptoms of aging.

And so what? I hear you say. Why should I know where my DHEA-S levels are at? Because from a functional medicine point of view, your DHEA-S level can give you valuable insights into how fast you're aging, and how healthy your adrenal glands are.

As your levels of reproductive hormones decline with age (remember that DHEA-S helps create the reproductive hormones), your body composition changes. Healthy levels of oestrogen and testosterone promote the growth of skeletal muscle in preference to fatty tissue. The more muscle tissue you have, the faster your metabolism runs, making it easier to lose weight.

Some diseases of aging and a chronic sedentary lifestyle have been associated with low levels of DHEA-S; although this hypothesis is still debated in some scientific circles.

Usually people don't discover that they have perilously low DHEA-S levels until they experience weight that just won't budge any more; or menopausal symptoms that aren't responding to treatment; or a lack of libido; or they find they're aging faster than they expect.

My clinical experience has been that the lower a person's DHEA, the less responsive their body will be to natural therapies; even more so if they don't already have a healthy lifestyle that includes resistance weight training to build muscle.

You can't prevent getting older, but you can take lots of positive action to slow the decline of your endocrine system. Ask your health practitioner (or me if you're in the Murwillumbah area) about the actions you can take to slow your own aging process.

I got a taste today of what many of my new clients complain about - a lack of energy. Usually I have enough energy to power a small substation - its hard for me to slow down and relax. But several things have happened that you might be able to identify with, that have contributed to a low energy day for me today:

- A couple of weeks ago I injured my foot running, which left me unable to train at all for a week. It was astounding to see how much just one week off training affected me, both physically and mentally. Fortunately my metabolism now runs at such a pace that I don't start gaining weight again, but my lack of exercise brought on a very low mood. To top it off, returning to training has been about as easy as getting a heavy steam train moving. The motto? If you're training, and feeling great for it, don't stop!

- I've been pondering a big business decision for over a week. You know, the sort of big decision that keeps you awake at night, wondering if you're doing the right thing. I have been waking up with a tight jaw, a sure sign that my stress levels are too high. I couldn't exercise either, one of my chief stress-busting activities. If I was one of my clients I would have been hustled off for a massage, or a day at the beach. (us therapists don't always recognise when we have a problem!). The take-away message for you? If you're feeling stretched or stressed, access all the stress-busting activities you can, and if at all possible disappear to a luxurious resort for a couple of days to gain a whole new perspective.

So there I was, around lunchtime, feeling this really weird feeling - TIRED!!! Of course, my mind immediately explored new depths of the ridiculous, as you do. Am I dying? Quick!  I need more energy - where's the rocket fuel?

Then it occurred to me. Oh. Tired. This is the feeling that so many of my new clients tell me about. Its been so long since I've felt under par that I didn't recognise it at first. Now I do. So, in the spirit of getting myself back to 110% energy levels, I'm going to stop writing now, enjoy a glass of wine, light the candles and truly relax. 

How do YOU return to 100% energy when you're feeling low?  Your comments are welcome (and might just help your correspondent get back on track!!)

Here’s a message from your body’s stress response mechanism, the adrenal glands: “Look after us, or we’ll get progressively exhausted and wear out! We are the key to your ability to recover from stress and enjoy life more!”

If you aren’t already familiar with the care and maintenance of your adrenal glands, I’d like to give you a few tips. In fact, you might recognise some of the symptoms of adrenal fatigue in yourself.

The adrenals are small glands located at the top of your kidneys. Their primary role is to help you respond to stress in a way that gets you out of trouble. They evolved in the time when we were living in caves, and needed to escape from predators. In those times, we had plenty of time to recover between emergency situations, giving our adrenal glands time to recover too.

When we feel threatened, these glands produce adrenaline and other hormones, which immediately gives our muscles a burst of extra energy, and shuts down other body functions (digestion, immunity, reproduction) until the threat has passed and we can relax.

In modern life, there are a multitude of stressors making our adrenal glands work hard, and often not enough time to recover before the next stress ‘attack’.  Some common modern stressors include being in a job or a relationship where you feel disempowered, or work rotating shifts, or just work constantly without respite. 

Eventually your adrenal glands can become exhausted, and many body functions get severely out of balance. Addison’s Disease is the most extreme outcome of adrenal fatigue. 

A familiar case seen by naturopaths is the person who has been under unrelenting pressure for a period of time; began using stimulants like caffeine and sugar to keep going, and didn’t take time out. Their ability to cope with life’s pressures has diminished, and their bodies are starting to show chronic ill health. Often, these are the people who find it almost impossible to get out of bed in the morning, experience energy slumps during the day, and can’t remember the last time they had a refreshing sleep. 

You can help prevent this happening. Every individual has a different stress tolerance level, so its important to identify your own ‘stress limit’, and to make time for balancing activities. Although we can’t measure stress quantitatively, just the feeling that you’re stressed, and unable to escape from the stressor/s, means you’re over your limit.

Here’s how to look after your adrenal glands:

- Avoid using stimulants like caffeine, nicotine and sugar as a way to ‘keep you going’ through the day

- Eat a balanced diet, focusing on unprocessed foods.

- Take time out just for you – every day.

- Exercise every day

- Go to bed at the same time every night. 

If you suspect you may be suffering from adrenal fatigue, your natural health professional can arrange for your existing adrenal function to be tested, and advise you on the best way for you to recover.