Dr. Amy Day, ND, specialist in stress, fatigue and hormonal issues, is interviewed by host of the Anxiety Summit, Trudy Scott, Food Mood Expert and Nutritionist, author of The Antianxiety Food Solution.
Adrenal health for more energy, less anxiety and balanced hormones:
- the adrenals: what they are and how they affect mood, sleep, energy and hormonal health
- the 3 Rhythms to Save Yourself from Stress
- herbs for adrenal health and anxiety
- amino acids to calm your anxiety
Here are some great gems from my interview with Amy:
We’re not talking about trying to live a stress-free life, we’re trying to live a life where we’re really managing our stress well”
When you’re running on high cortisol, you’re going to experience anxiety symptoms”
Putting in the effort to take care of your adrenals will make everything else better in terms of your perimenopause and menopausal symptoms”
In this great video Amy shares some great tips about the adrenal glands and the BORING rhythms they like. I love this!
Calm your anxiety by reducing adrenal stress 2014 May from Dr. Amy Day on Vimeo.
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Thank you to Trudy Scott for putting on this AMAZING summit! Your dedication to helping people with anxiety is making this event a huge success and is making a real difference in thousands of people’s lives.
I’m honored to be a part of it and to support you, the listener, to take great care of your adrenals, your hormones, and your health!
And thanks to you Amy for contributing to the success of the summit and changing lives. I loved our interview and as we both know, adrenal health is such an important piece of the puzzle.
I also love that you call the adrenals BORING! It’s such a perfect description and makes so much sense.
I’m excited for folks to hear your great info!
Hi Dr. Amy!
Thank you so much for the info. I have endometriosis so was super excited when Trudy told me you specialized in it.
I am also active duty Coast Guard and will soon be in night classes for six months then on a ship. Our schedules do not fit with healthy sleep habits (food is debatable) and I’m guessing anyone with shift work jobs would have similar struggles.
How do we keep our adrenals happy when we have an all but boring sleep schedule? Thanks again for your time and knowledge!
Debra – I’m so glad you listed to Dr Amy’s interview – I just love the BORING adrenals!
As I mentioned earlier it is challenging when you’re on deployment. I wish good quality food was the norm. Maybe you can take ideas back! There are actually a number of military researchers looking at stress and food/nutrients because it makes the best sense for you to healthy.
Dr Amy will pop on later to answer your question….
Enjoy the rest of the summit!
Thanks Dr. Amy and Trudy for this wonderful information! Could you kindly spell the three herbs mentioned that calm down the production of cortisol? I believe two of them started with ph — and it was near the end of your talk.
Thanks!
Jo
Jo – so glad you enjoyed it! Amy will be popping on to address this for you – Trudy
Hi Rudy!! I’ve been listening too your interview with Amy. And it’s great. BUT, the reply just stopped all of a sudden after listening for atleast 90 mins. I did erewind a little. But, still. It won’t complete. It just ends. The last thing I heard was about some of Amy’s fav. Adapte, herbs. Sorry , if I said ithe herb name type wrong. I’m not the only one with this problem, right? Regardless, can we please fix this? Thanks.
Hi Alexandrea – glad you’re enjoying it.
The audio is fine so I suggest rebooting or opening up a new browser. It is only 68 minutes long so perhaps it was the end? If you still have tech issues please email support@everywomanover29.com
Trudy
Many thanks for this invaluable adrenal info. I so wish I had known this earlier.
You have truly captured my attention, esp. the 3 rhythms.
1. I wish there had been more info on beyond moderate adrenal fatigue, sigh, i.e., severe adrenal fatigue.
Your closing words, Dr Amy, were very impt!
I need to cut the 2nd wind to get more SLEEP.
2. re exercise in the morning after wakeup:
Is that before or after meditation, shower, breakfast?
Again thank you Dr Amy and Trudy for this wonderful series
Mary – so glad you enjoyed it! Amy will be popping on to address this for you – Trudy
Very interesting information. It would be most helpful if you could spell the herbs you referred to.
Gloria – glad you enjoyed it! Amy will be popping on to address this for you – Trudy
Thank you Amy and Trudy for this informative discussion. I really appreciated Amy telling us that the adrenals like boring. They require consistency. I had never heard this before, but it makes a lot of sense. The more I think about it, consistency is what is essential for our entire endocrine system.
Cassandra – you’re welcome! I also love those BORING adrenals! Trudy
Hi Debra, Dr. Amy chiming in here…
Yes, night classes and shift work are tough ones, and you just have to do the best you can. At least try to keep a consistently backwards schedule from day to day, if possible.
And even if the schedule has to vary, keep up with the healthy habits and self-care practices that you can do. And then, when you are back on land you can try to get the timing into a better rhythm over the long run.
Best of luck to you with your anxiety, adrenals and endometriosis. Keep on doing your best and your body will thank you!
Several people have asked for the spelling of the adaptogenic adrenal balancing herbs that I mentioned.
1- Rhodiola
2- Ashwagandha
3- Maca
And a great nutrient that helps to lower a high cortisol level is called phosphatidylserine. I often suggest this one (or a blend that contains it) in the evening to help you calm down before the second wind kicks in. It also comes in another form that Trudy mentioned called phosphorylated serine and she mentioned another one called hydrolyzed casein.
I also said to be cautious about licorice and ginseng when you have anxiety.
And we discussed lavender, L-theanine, GABA and Glycine.
I’m glad you enjoyed listening to the interview and I hope this gives you the spellings that you need. (The transcripts that you get if you buy the mp3s have everything correctly spelled as well!)
Best wishes to you on your journey!
Hi Mary, Dr. Amy writing here –
I’m so glad you enjoyed the information we shared. I am a firm believer in “better late than never” so take what you know now and apply it! The good news is that the adrenals really can recover, though it can take some time when things are more severe.
Yes get to bed sooner and try to avoid that second wind. Ask your health care practitioner if some of the herbs and supplements that I and other speakers on the summit have shared with you might help you while you lower your stress and re-train your adrenals.
For the AM exercise, it’s ideal to do first thing upon waking in order to teach the body to wake up at that time. It can be brief if your schedule requires that, and then go ahead with your other morning rituals.
Happy healing!
Cassandra,
I couldn’t agree more with your comment that “consistency is what is essential for our entire endocrine system”. And this is especially true during or after times of stress when your adrenals glands are working over time. All of your hormones are affected by your adrenal health so being “boring” helps to get everything back on track.
That said, a little spontaneity and surprise can keep life fun and interesting and is perfectly fine, as long as your body is able to re-establish it’s balance afterwards.
Be well,
Dr. Amy
So many great presentations!
Thank you Dr Amy for making the information easy to understand and how to simply start to address the issues. I love that the adrenals like routine. And the ASI – so so important. Here in the U.K. it is not accepted as a clinical test -unreliable – so it is only the 9am cortisol levels!
All these lectures are so empowering and just give me hope!
Carole
Glad you enjoyed it! You can get adrenal saliva tests in the UK – via a nutritionist or functional medicine doctor
Trudy
Thank you Dr. Amy and Trudy. It was a great learning experience and I’m definitely going to do my best to practice the three rhythms.
Awesome Deedee!
Thank you for a great interview! One thing that will stay with me is that the adrenals prefer boring consistency.
At the beginning of the call Dr Amy suggested to sleep 10 hours/night…I’m wondering how long should I do this for? For me, it seems 9-10 hours is optimal, but during the week because of work I’m up earlier and it feels like I’ve been shorted a few hours of sleep (it’s not always possible to go to bed earlier…and when I do, I don’t fall asleep that much earlier anyways). So I do sleep more on the weekends, which feels great. Dr Amy suggested not to do this…how can I find a balance?
Brenda
Everyone loves that!
I’d say if 9-10 hours sleep feels optimal for you then make it happen if you can. You can’t actually make up sleep time. If you can’t fall asleep right away then I’d address that…low serotonin? low GABA? high cortisol?
Amy will pop on and comment later too
Trudy
Thank you for your reply Trudy. After listening to the interview last night, I went to bed early, yay! But didn’t fall asleep for an hour anyways, boo! So, yes maybe low on something!
Low serotinin? I have been on Cipralex (an SSRI)at a correct dosage for just about a year. For about 6 months prior, I had been taking too much Cipralex which was horrible. But within 4 weeks after the dosage correction, I began to feel much better (thank God! I have to say it really helped)…and continued to feel better and better. My psychiatrist is hesitant to wean me off of Cipra until one full year after my depression has been in remission (which means I’ll be on it for 3 more months). That said, I don’t want to also take 5HTP to raise serotinin levels.
Low GABA–probably, after hearing your speakers in this summit, I think I might be. I believe this one is okay to take with my cipralex. What’s the range for how much per day?
High cortisol–not sure…I always get a 2nd wind in the evening like was mentioned in the interview. Is that caused by high cortisol? I can’t recall what was shared?
Thank you for your help and this summit! I will definately be taking your advice and Julia Ross’ when it comes time to come off of the cipralex 🙂
Brenda
Yes SSRI and tryptophan/5-HTP at the same time is contraindicated. Taking GABA with a SSRI is not a problem. I start my clients on 125mg sublingual GABA called GABA Calm and increase from there.
When I hear second wind I think high cortisol for sure – an adrenal saliva test can measure this for you.
And you are so welcome!
Trudy
Hi Trudy,
Thank you so much for putting this excellent group of practitioners together for our benefit. I am a student of natural medicine so I am learning a lot!
Did I hear or read correctly that there is a contraindication for L-Glutamine? I have a powder supplement that gives 4500mg per serving (1 teaspoon in water) and I think it produced profuse sweating. Could this be? I also started taking 5HTP 50 mg at the same time, so not sure which one caused it. Is 4500 mg L-Glutamine too much. I think these supplements are indicated based on how I feel, did questionnaires and need other things too. Please let em know what you think. Thanks.
Hi Sonia
There are some concerns with glutamine and cancer but the research is conflicting – some shows it actually has benefits. I start my clients on 500mg and go up – 4500mg is high but may be what someone needs. I have not heard of sweating from glutamine but anything is possible. You’d need to test one at a time to see which is doing what
Trudy
Great presentation! Thank you Trudy and Dr. Amy.
I have a question to Dr. Amy – where do you stand on using Raw Adrenal Concentrate? Who may take it and what time of the day is the best? Thank you.
Eva – Amy will hop on and comment later in the day
Thank you Trudy and Dr. Amy for the wonderful information. I have 2 questions. 1) I often find with my adrenal fatigue, I can’t make it through the day without at least a 1 hour nap in the early afternoon…This does tend to keep me up a little later in the evening, but I am just not sure I can make it without one. Is napping ok, or do you not recommend it? 2) I currently take phosphatidylserine, but in the morning. Would it be better to only take this in the evening? (I do get my 2nd wind in the evenings). And is it best to take it on an empty stomach or is it ok with food and other vitamins? Thank you again:)
Carole,
I agree with Trudy that you would be able to find the adrenal saliva test there in the UK. These tests are also not very “accepted” here in the US in the conventional medical model, but many integrative practitioners use them (and with great reliability).
In any case, I’m sure you can apply much of what you’ve been learning on this summit to benefit your health, whether you get the test or not.
Best wishes!
Dr. Amy
Brenda,
I second everything Trudy said! Sounds like you need help winding down at night so you can go to bed early enough to get the hours of sleep that you need. If your work week doesn’t allow that, it’s perfectly fine to get extra sleep on the weekends, but it is ideal to do so by going to bed earlier, not by sleeping in. And, try to see if you can adjust your schedule or your commitments in some way to allow your body to get the rest it needs right now.
After some weeks or perhaps months of getting your 9-10 hours consistently, you will likely find that you feel fine on 8-9 hours as you recover.
Another bedtime combination supplement that is very popular in my practice is Cortisol Manager. It can help wind down the overactive stress response.
Be well,
Dr. Amy
Sonia,
Thanks for writing in and good luck to you in your studies!
L-glutamine can also convert into Glutamate which can be inflammatory to the nervous system. I do think it’s possible that this is what caused your sweats.
Glutamine can be very helpful for gut healing and other things, but needs to be used with some caution. You may want to start with a lower dose or consider your other options.
Best wishes,
Dr. Amy
Eva,
I do think that adrenal glandulars can play a role in supporting and healing the adrenals. Some products also have hormones in them so you need to be careful of your source and understand what you are using. That little hormone support might be good in some cases and in either case, glandulars can give you the boost you need while working on improving your nutrition and exercise routines.
Because it can be stimulating, it’s best to take earlier in the day. First thing upon waking is ideal, and then maybe a second dose around noon if needed. Over the course of healing, I strive to help my patients get off of these supplements and perhaps continue a more gentle nutrient and herbal approach in addition to all the lifestyle and stress management practices.
Hope this helps!
Dr. Amy
Elise,
Thanks for checking in about your naps and the phosphatidyl serine (PS). Your questions tie into each perfectly!
If possible, it’s best to get all of your sleep at night. That said, if you really need EXTRA sleep go for the nap, but not if it means keeping you up later at night.
I do usually recommend PS to be taken at night, esp if you tend to get that night time second wind. Most often about 30-60min before your intended sleep time (allowing 8+hrs before you need to wake). I think your whole sleep routine would benefit by going to bed earlier, which means you need to wind down earlier and this shift should help you to do so.
It’s also best not to be eating shortly before bed so most of my patients take PS on an empty stomach. If your situation requires you to be eating later, work on that and just go ahead and take the PS. It’s not harmful with food, you just might not absorb quite as much of it.
Be well,
Dr. Amy
I LOVE this quote “We’re not talking about trying to live a stress-free life, we’re trying to live a life where we’re really managing our stress well”. I’m a counselor specializing in anxiety and this is a concept worth learning if you suffer from anxiety or depression – you don’t shoot for the absence of sadness, stress, worry, because that just won’t happen and you’ll get down on yourself when it doesn’t work. You focus on tolerating frustrations, developing effective coping, and finding satisfaction in your everyday joys! Love it!
Thanks Stephanie – great to see you here! it’s great quote!
I feel a little differently and believe we shouldn’t tolerate or have to cope and can truly find solutions and zero anxiety. It’s kind of the theme of the summit so it has to be said 🙂
Trudy
Hi Trudy,
Gotta say that The Anxiety Summit has been truly amazing. I just finished listening to Dr. Greenblat and even though I basically understand much of what he was talking about (MTHFR, HPHPA, Clotridia, etc.), I still learned from this presentation.
Thank you for hosting the summit.
Sally
Great stuff! Glad you enjoyed Dr Greenblatt and learned a thing or two – I did too!
Trudy
So glad you are doing this, Trudy, and Amy is amazing! People in general really need to hear this info! Most people don’t even think of going here and just accept their stressed out states as ‘normal’.
You are spot on Miranda!
Stephanie and Miranda – Thank you so much for your comments. I’m glad you enjoyed my message.
And thank you to ALL who voted to have my talk presented again during the encore on Monday! I’m so thrilled to have the chance to get this message out to even more people.