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Just this past week I got my AM cortisol tested and found out that I have very high cortisol. The symptoms I’m experiencing, like fast heart rate are terrible…….so, I have been desperately researching what I can find for a solution for how to reduce cortisol naturally. I thought for this post I would share what I found, what I am trying, and the things that are helping me right now, hoping that I can help someone or we could share ideas and find out what works best.
Having high cortisol is a common problem that many people have and some don’t even know that cortisol is the reason for their health problems. Fatigue, difficulty sleeping, and unintentional weight gain or loss are just a few of the symptoms. But, having problems with cortisol can also be much more severe. It can stop you in your tracks, affecting your everyday life!
If you have high cortisol, then you have adrenal fatigue. There are 4 stages of adrenal fatigue, ranging from mild to full on adrenal exhaustion and adrenal crisis. This article has an excellent description of each stage and the symptoms.
The worst part is you can go to the doctors with very visible symptoms and they don’t even think of testing cortisol. This is what happened to me. Over the past 4 months, I went to 6 different doctors, the ER, and finally, just this week, a doctor tested my cortisol. Yet, cortisol issues are treatable and it would be best find out as soon as possible if that is the cause of your symptoms so you can take steps to correct it and feel better.
What is Cortisol?
Cortisol is a hormone made by the adrenal glands which is essential to almost every process in the body and also for maintaining homeostasis. When the body is under stress, it goes into fight or flight response, which activates cells firing and the increase of adrenaline and cortisol. Cortisol increases in response to the stress, but after a while it can’t keep up with the extra effort and begins to decrease as the body can’t keep up with the demand.
Typically, higher levels of cortisol are seen in the first few beginning stages of adrenal fatigue and in the later stages of adrenal fatigue, the levels drop lower as the adrenals become more exhausted.
Or you could have a variation of both, having too little cortisol at certain times of the day and too much at other times as cortisol levels drastically change throughout the course of the day. This is what I’m suspecting is going on with mine, but I won’t know for sure until I get the results of my 24 hour cortisol test.
Symptoms of High Cortisol:
- Dizziness
- Lack of energy
- Weight gain or weight loss
- Brain fog
- Crave salt and feel better when you eat something with sugar
- Feel worse in the morning, such as stomachache
- Difficulty sleeping
- Anxiety
- Decreased immune system and slowed wound healing
- Increased blood pressure
- Sweating
- Increased heart rate/palpitations
- Face feels flushed
Symptoms of Low Cortisol:
- Fatigue
- Dizzy, faint
- Weight gain or weight loss
- Decreased blood pressure
- Difficulty sleeping
- Anxiety, nervousness
- Increased heart rate/palpitations
- Sweating
- Feel “weird”
You may have just a few or many of the symptoms, depending on the person. Many of the symptoms for high cortisol and low cortisol are the same, so it’s hard to determine which you have without a cortisol test. Based on my symptoms, I was expecting my cortisol to turn out low, but it turned out high. For me, my symptoms currently are: increased heart rate (tachycardia because it’s over 100 bpm), chest pain, dizzy, hungry all the time, sweaty hands and feet, trouble sleeping, fatigue, weight loss (10lbs and can’t gain weight no matter how much I eat), and feeling much worse in the morning and but a little better after lunch.
What Causes High Cortisol?
- Stress- Typically, just removing the stressful thing will not eliminate the high cortisol because your adrenals need to recover. Depending on the severity of adrenal dysfunction it may take several months to up to 18 months to completely recover.
- Injury, illness, or surgery
- Birth control pills, pregnancy
- Liver dysfunction, kidney problems
- Depression
- Hyperthyroidism
- Cushing’s Syndrome
- Disorders of the adrenal glands
- Use of corticosteroids
At first, I was thinking my high cortisol was caused by the stress I had from working a stressful job last year. But, the cause of my cortisol is more of an unusual one. My high cortisol is a result of the stress of vitamin A toxicity on my body and liver. It’s been nearly 4 months since I found out I had vitamin A toxicity and stopped taking anything with vitamin A, but since the half-life of vitamin A is said to be about 80 days, it probably won’t be out of my system until sometime in May. I’m hoping that as soon as all the vitamin A is out of my system, the stress and inflammation it caused will be reduced and my cortisol level will improve. To help this along, I’m trying to decrease the cortisol as much as possible with these 15 ways on how to reduce cortisol, so I can feel better until the vitamin A is completely out of my system.
How to Get Your Cortisol Tested:
You’ll want to do an AM cortisol blood test which is done fasting, preferably 20 minutes after waking up because that’s when your cortisol spikes to its highest. Even better than just doing that one test, would be the 24 hour cortisol test because this will give more information on your cortisol levels throughout the day and at night. If you have a good primary/internal medicine doctor they may test it for you this way, otherwise an endocrinologist or naturopath should be willing to do it.
15 Ways to Reduce Cortisol
1. Add a good amount of sea salt to every meal! Sea salt can heal your adrenals. Make sure you only use quality sea salt like this or pink Himalayan salt. This is the most important thing to do decrease high cortisol! High cortisol depletes salt. I felt a difference just after one day of adding it to almost everything I ate.
2. Eat salt, vitamin C, protein, and fat with every meal. This provides the beneficial nutrients of the salt and vitamin C to help the adrenals without spiking blood sugar by having it with fat and protein.
For example, for breakfast I now have eggs with meat and sea salt, an orange, and a tablespoon of coconut oil. I feel a huge difference having this compared to anything else. It’s especially important in the morning because this is when cortisol spikes and I feel really terrible.
3. Magnesium. Many studies have shown magnesium reduces cortisol. I was originally doing Epsom salt foot baths every day to get my magnesium, but I ran out and started doing magnesium flake foot baths and WOW, I saw a huge improvement! I’m not sure why, but these magnesium flakes seem to work much better. Many others have commented on this but I can’t find any research as to why. You have to soak in the magnesium flakes for 1 full hour, whether you do it in a tub or make a foot bath to get the full benefits.
4. Sleep. Try to get at least 8 hours of good sleep. This can be extremely difficult to do with high cortisol because usually cortisol problems make it difficult to sleep. Try to do everything you can to improve sleep. My sleep has been improving since I now do a magnesium foot bath right before bed, wear blue-light blocking glasses, watch a relaxing TV show, and eat something with zinc for dinner (usually pumpkin seeds). Zinc has been shown to decrease cortisol levels.
5. Massage therapy and dry brushing. This study found it to decrease cortisol and increase dopamine. I usually do it before bed to help me sleep better.
6. Foot Reflexology. Try doing some self-foot reflexology as it has been shown to decrease stress and fatigue. Here’s a brief helpful guide to get you started.
7. Dancing. Non-strenuous dancing can greatly decrease cortisol levels.
8. Laughing. Having fun and laughing has been found to reduce serum cortisol levels. Try watching a funny tv show or videos on Youtube when feeling stressed.
9. Yoga. Try to do some yoga as this study found those who practiced it had a significant drop in cortisol levels. You can find great relaxing yoga videos to follow on Youtube.
10. Eat every 2 hours to keep your blood sugar stable. Eat smaller meals more frequently. This will prevent spikes in insulin production.
11. Take a vitamin C supplement. Next to increasing your salt intake, the next best way to combat high cortisol is increase your vitamin C. Vitamin C has been shown to significantly decrease cortisol production. The majority of studies that found decreases in cortisol involved taking 1,000 to 1,5000mg of vitamin C a day. In addition to eating oranges, berries, and other citrus fruits, I started taking this natural food based vitamin C supplement. It is better than typical vitamin C supplements because it isn’t synthetic and doesn’t contain GMO’s.
12. Try to relax as much as possible. Take breaks from work as much as possible, practice deep breathing, take a nap or try meditation.
13. Decrease exposure to blue light, particularly 3 hours before bed. When you’re exposed to bright lights, TV, computer, or light from your phone before bed, the blue light and green light they emit significantly suppress your body’s production of melatonin. Adequate levels of melatonin are necessary as they are crucial to the sleep cycle. Disrupting melatonin production can make it difficult to get to sleep and affect the quality of your sleep throughout the night. To keep good melatonin levels, I now turn off all my lights at 8pm, use blue-light blocking glasses, and put this plastic film of rubylith over my TV and computer screen to block the blue-light and green-light. If you don’t mind spending a little more, these blue-light blocking glasses are a lot more comfortable than the inexpensive ones, but both work just as well.
14. Avoid all caffeine, alcohol, stress, negativity and strenuous exercise. Your body needs to rest to recover. All of these have been found to directly increase cortisol. In one study, use of caffeine showed an increase in cortisol by 30% in just one hour, yikes!
15. Herbs and Foods that have been found to decrease cortisol: Wild caught salmon, black tea, ashwaganda, rhodiola, holy basil, chamomile tea, garlic, berries, and oranges. (I haven’t tried all of these yet, but will be adding more into my regimen this week, like the rhodiola and black tea)
How these methods for lowering cortisol are working for me
I’ve noticed a huge improvement from adding sea salt to all my meals in just 2 days. I felt like I had a lot more energy from it. The magnesium flake foot baths have also been helping a lot! I feel an immediate difference after doing it each time.
Have you ever had high cortisol? Do you have any other tips that have helped you reduce cortisol?
Just wanted to chime in on one item I did not see here – and which has helped me – Vitamin D. My levels were always low (below 20) but supplementing Vitamin D previously caused some GI issues. I found that by changing my diet around and adding more fiber in the AM and magnesium glycinate (100 mg 3X a day) I was able to get around that. So, I did some loading doses (high doses) of Vitamin D and now take it once a week so I get an average of about 3,000 IUs a day. This has improved mood and anxiety and I think both of these have indirect effects on sleep, cortisol, etc. There are many articles about Vitamin D and how it interacts with mood/anxiety and I’ve found that getting my levels back to a comfortable range (40s-50s) has helped significantly. This is not a single solution cure all, it is like the list above (which I do many of), part of the tools I use to manage the high cortisol that I have had and my Hashis. Be careful with Vitamin D as it (like Vitamin A) can accumulate and become toxic so you want to do an initial test to see where you are and then follow-up tests to make sure you don’t overshoot. I initially got myself into the mid-60s and that actually had a negative effect as it itself can cause insomnia, anxiety, etc. at higher levels for some. In any event, the right level for you is something you will have to figure out but I have found that finally getting Vitamin D out of the deficiency range has been a helpful tool in the overall picture along with many of the other items mentioned above. Kudos for this article and site and interesting to hear about Seriphos going back to the original formula – I will have to check it out again as another tool to use as I believe it used to help me in the past as well before they changed things up.
Thank you for sharing about the vitamin D 🙂
Black tea contains very high amounts of fluorosilicic acid (fluoride) and can be the cause of arthritus.
(usdafluorideinfood) . Instant black tea is highest. NIH now admits fluoride in water does NOT prevent cavities and does lower IQs and damage kids brains as well as causes stains/pits on up to 64% of US teens. Really bad for babies. Only 5% of the world puts fluoride in its water like the US.
Great info! Thanks Arlene 🙂
Green tea – including decaffeinated – is supposed to have something in it that’s even better to restrain cortisol.
Hi, I have had high Cortisol for six months from severe anxiety.
I look like I’ve aged 7 years in that time.
I’m hoping that is partly due to dry skin.
Does anybody else have this problem?
Grant,
Yes, it can makes us look older, but thus is most likely due to lack of sleep, hydration issues, stress and the fact that our bodies are fighting so hard to come back to homeostasis. Keep water with you wherever you go, eat every 2 hours so your blood sugar doesn’t crash and the adding Vitamin E, for your skin and B12 and a B Complex to your regimen to kill the brain fog and give you energy to get through your day.. A Collagen supplement may help plump your skin back up.
It has taken me a year of focus and trial and error to feel as decent as I do today. Be patient and practice perseverance and you will heal. Good luck!
Yes, dry skin can make it worse. Also, high cortisol can cause premature aging. I noticed my wrinkles and acne-scars worsened during the year I had high cortisol. It helped to use these methods to decrease it. I’m also working hard to improve my skin naturally to counteract the effects.
ANother OOPS groan……The guy that brought the issue of the switch of seriphos is not Steve Gibbons, its Steve Gibson and you can google healthy sleep formula with his name.
High cortisol can do huge damage to your body over time- Cushing’s Syndrome/disease is usually related to a cortisol releasing tumor in either your adrenal glands OR your pituitary gland. I had undiagnosed Cushings for years and eventually had surgery to remove the tumor on my pituitary, but I still suffer from high cortisol and its effects.
-It can cause major muscle loss, bone health issues like osteoporosis, and many of the same symptoms a steroid addict would get (it even caused my cervical spine to straighten). Stuff you wouldn’t even think of can be caused by high cortisol.
In addition to the ideas in this article, I recommend that if you DO have high cortisol, you work as much as you can to build or at least retain your muscle strength. Even if you are too tired to work out. I saw an integrative medicine specialist who recommended the cortisol manager supplement by Integrative Therapeutics. My endocrinologist said it was nonsense, but other reviewers say it has helped them. If you have the $, it might be worth a try or a look. You can get it from Amazon.
Hi Shannon Elizabeth, Umm just a thought. If your 24 hr. urine said your cortisol levels were “off the charts for cortisol levels”, wouldn’t that be Cushings instead of Addisons? Do your drs have you on any thyroid meds for hashi?
Hi Rebecca, a note to let u and everyone else know that Interplexus changed the formula for Seriphos in spring 2016. The new formula does not work!! However, with all the out cry about them changing the formula and leaving the same bottle exactly (so no one knew they did change the formula) and people were going nuts about it and inundated Interplexus to bring back the original formula, the new update is they plan on bringing it back in November 2016. Will wait to see. Yes, it really is effective at lowering cortisol and honestly, its way better than all the other herbs out there, as Ive tried them all and am on pins and needles to get the original formula. You can check all this out on Amazon. A guy named Steve Gibbons brought it to everyones attention. He has a website too and you can see what hes doing to lower his cortisol without the seriphos. I have tried the adaptagenic herbs and they are way too stimulating for me including Asian gingseng, ashwaganda, rhodiola. I have also tried herbs that weren’t adaptagenic like holy basil, magnolia bark and got no benefit to lowering cortisol or help with the anxiety.
Vitoria, I cannot take fish oil cuz after about 2weeks on it, I break out on my stomach! Weird huh? And Ive tried many different brands. Although I haven’t had cod liver oil in a long time. I may not need omega 3s?
AND another thought to you all!! PLEASE, if at all possible get your adrenals tested BEFORE treating yourselves for adrenal problems (or thyroid too for that matter). The symptoms of low cortisol and high cortisol are similar. What I have found, the new to me DUTCH ( Beaverton Oregon lab)test is by far the best for testing the adrenals. Its an at home dried urine test and it shows all your adrenal hormones AND their metabolites. I found out about this test from Dr. Joseph Mercolas website. You do not have to have a dr prescribe it either. I had it done this last summer because previously I had only done saliva tests. Well, on Dr Joe website, he interviewed the dr that created this test and in a comment he compared the DUTCH test with the saliva test. He used and example of say a woman has her saliva test done and it shows high cortisol and a dr would say oh ok lets use some seriphos and get it down. Well on the DUTCH test it showed the metabolites were low. meaning she wasn’t producing too much cortisol but her body wasn’t metabolizing it. So seriphos wasn’t the fix. This would not show on a saliva test. So for me it was worth the money to see if this was the case for me. Unfortunately it wasn’t. But got great info on female and male hormones as now I’m diagnosed with PCOS. Sigh….anyway, just wanted to mention this to you all and to you Lori as I’m not sure if you are aware of this test.
Hi Kate, yes Cortisol manager does work for many people but it stimulated me. I’m so sad about that cuz almost all cortisol lowering formulas usually include ashwaganda in them as Integrative Therapeutics does. 🙁
Thank you Lori for this blog!!!! Its helps so much to be able to share with each other and to find support. I am interested in knowing what pharm you have tried. it might be where I will have to go cuz nothing natural has really helped. Have been on paleo in the past but had to bring in carbs too and felt better. I’m going to look into GAPS/ SCD diet.
Love to all, Kaye
OOPS forgot to mention…. years ago I found a series of articles when I just googled high cortisol symptoms. I think its still on their website. I don’t have the web address but you can google Medicine Garden. The article was written by Eileen Nauman and is copyrighted 2009. I didn’t have much success trying to find info on high cortisol and reasons for it. But this is how I found Loris site. BUT of all the info I found THIS IS THE VERY BEST one so far. It is quite long BUT she explains it all and in laymans language. Highly recommend it to all who have high cortisol. She talks about how the use of seriphos helped. When she explains each symptom, there is a paragragh with it and there were symptoms I had but didn’t realize it was associated with HiCort. I was in tears when I read this and took it to my doctor (functional medicine). so check it out…..
I would greatly appreciate a print ready version.
Thank you for the suggestion. I will look into how to set that up.
Great article! There is just one little flaw… You mentioned trying black tea. black tea has caffeine and, as you correctly stated, it should be avoided, like all stimulants so the adrenals can heal.
I have been dealing with adrenal crash since January of this year after a 5 day dose of prednisone. It almost killed me! If you have ever had adrenal/cortisol issues, I strongly advise you to never take any type of corticosteroid unless you are in a life or death situation. The stuff is poison! My story is way too long to go into here, but take my word for it, stay away from it!
Another great therapy for cortisol and adrenal issues is acupuncture to increase and balance out your chi. It is a way I get my “me” time and focus on healing.
I am feeling better, but diet, walking, sleep and supplements are key for me. If I indulge too often in carbs or sugar, I pay the price and feel horrible for a while before I bounce back to where I was. Healing from this is a long and somewhat arduous process. Good luck and blessings to all of us! may health and wellness be ours!
Thank you! The study I was looking at found those who drank black tea had a 47% decrease in cortisol. But, there is some caffeine in it as you mentioned so the research hasn’t been too consistent.
I had crashes from having to go off prednisone cold turkey after 5 day treatments, as well. The anxiety is the most unbelievably bad ever, and I’ve had it bad. At the time, we found just before my body was ready for the next dose, my husband could dose me with enough benadryl to keep me asleep for most of the next day or two, and then it was okay. I don’t think regular benadryl would put me to sleep nowadays, but just wanted to put that out there. My first panic attack was at a hospital which had dosed me with Vicodin (a pain med I didn’t need and which can cause panic attacks) when I was asking for something for anxiety. They also fixed that by pumping benadryl in me.
Lori,
I also have the opposite of complete exhaustion & fatigue and find myself unable to sleep at all sometimes , the longest this has ever lasted was 48 hours! When no matter what I tried I could not SLEEP or calm down. Again I have Hashimoto’s & I’m being tested for Addison’s , any advise I will be very interested into reading .
Thank you , Shaunna Elizabeth
Hi Shaunna, hope you’re feeling better! How are you doing? Did you find out about the Addison’s?
Great article & advise! Thank you , I will be purchasing everything you mentioned and starting to use them as you do. I have Hashimoto’s & have recently been tested for Addison’s ,after I submitted a 24 hour urine collection my labs were off the charts for cortisol levels , I was told that I tested positive for Addison’s but I was not diagnosed Addison’s , I was told that I have to be admitted to the county hospital for a ATCH test for blood & urine cortisol collection to get the proper diagnose of Addison’s ?? I feel very confused on why my primary dr or endocrinologist can not do this ATCH test outside of the hospital ?? Not to mention I have been a patient at the county hospital & almost discharged myself for the terrible negligence while I was a patient , but for me that is how my insurance covers this test , I must be admitted to get the proper diagnose . I’m currently struggling with Hashimoto’s and have been for more than 2 years when I finally was properly diagnosed with Hashimoto’s after many years of illness and chronic symptoms the Drs said were from hypothyroidism – just kept taking meds and getting sicker had my gallbladder removed, a blood clot, had a hysterectomy due to nearly bleeding to death from extremely heavy period , lost ALOT of hair, my eyebrows stopped growing on the outside edges and gained 65 lbs in less than 6 months for NO reason , sleeping for days in a row, Brain Fog!! Forgetfulness , extreme fatigue , body aches & pain , oh the worst headaches & migraines! Excessive Face sweating & swollen face & ankles/legs, get sick all the time – if someone coughs I get double puenomonia & even tho I’m vaccinated I have had it 2x in 1 year! I have suffered from double ear infections and chronic sinusitis almost every 3 months without hold. I feel like I never get a brake from my disease Hashimoto’s and now they are throwing yet another disease at me called Addison’s and I have to take this on too! Talk about Anxiety attacks , slurring my speech when I’m sweating everywhere confused and scared – when I was supposed to go to subway I went to Walmart ?? I start crying thinking what the heck is wrong with me? Why am I at Walmart – I even had to call my mom and ask her what I was doing?? She was concerned and said you were going to subway to get us sandwiches are you ok? My heart is racing I’m crying in the Walmart parking lot and have no clue what I’m doing ! I feel paralyzed in my own body that when I’m sweating my makeups running down my face I’m crying and I’m so confused and upset my stomach hurts and my speech starts slurring and I have a major anxiety attack then slowly but surely I pray and come around drink cuz my throat feels dry and like I’m being chocked my neck is flaring up RED and hot like a fire engine. I breathe and slow down then — I’m ready for bed! I fall asleep in my clothes while I’m saying my prayers. It’s a feeling I wish in no body – it’s like I just ran a marathon and I’m so exhausted I can’t do anything but sleep. Every time I wake up to a headache and anxiety – just from waking up! I’m so depressed. It’s so hard not working and feeling like a total burden to my family my boyfriend ( who thank God hasn’t left me since gaining the weight – losing my hair and literally looking & acting like a new person – due to my illness ) I can never make plans ! My health dictates if I’m in bed or able to get up each day! My illness is in control of my life NOT me , I can’t work anymore and I just feel worse everyday! I do not feel like my Drs listen to me and I’m hitting a wall everyday! My faith my family is my strength however I wish I was healed everyday all day. I want ME back! I want my LIFE back! I want my energy back !!! I want my health back! I want to be in control of my life not my Hashimoto’s & I want to happy , healthy and strong again. I feel as if I’m rambling on & on! Oh I do this often constantly repeat myself over & over – I do not mean to do it, I really do forget I just said that or did that all the time! I feel like a prisoner in my own body, & what I’ve felt like since being sick is NO one really cares about me, they don’t want to hear it, they don’t understand me, they think I’m making this up, they think I’m lazy, they think I’m an unhealthy eater , they think its my lifestyle or ways that got me Hashimoto’s , they think I did this to myself, they think I’m exaggerating my symptoms or just don’t want to work or that I’m asking for a handout, that I gave up on myself , that I’m just having a bad time in life & I will get better in time. It feels like everyone turns their shoulder to me cuz I’m sick , they don’t offer help or emotional support, it’s more like- ya ok I’m sure you’ll be fine , go to the Drs you’ll be better soon! Well news flash … I’m not getting any better! This is the truth! This is my life – and I’m living with Hashimoto’s and possibly Addison’s disease . How do you come back from this? How do you get out of your own prison? How do you live a happy life with the devil – Hashimoto’s attached to you? How do you ever get better? Ok… I’m fine , ok I’m Done! God Bless each and ALL of US living with Chronic Illness ~Shaunna Elizabeth
Shaunna Elizabeth,
My heart goes out to you. I wish I could be there for you, but I will have to send electronic hugs instead. I am having health challenges too, but not nearly to your degree. I will put you on my prayer list…and I mean it. When someone is on my list, they get prayed for often. Know that someone in Tennessee is calling out to God on your behalf.
Sheri
Sheri,
Thank you for the Prayers, I do believe in the Power of Prayer. That means ALOT to me and thank you for caring and for your response .
Thank you again,
Shaunna Elizabeth
For all of you, look up GAPS , SCD and Weston Price nutrition.
SCD -specific carbohydrate diet will heal and seal the gut which as gut dysbiosis or leaky gut is really the root of the your problems. SCD has been around a long time treating inflammatory bowel disorders. Natasha Campbell McBride has expanded this into a protocol for treating and curing many diseases .-see GAPS – Gut And Psychology /physiology Syndrome . Companion book “the gaps guide” .
Another excellent book “Stop The Thyroid Madness” should answer all your questiins on thyroid, adrenal and pituitary dysfunction.
I’m a nutitionist and herbalist and GAPS practitioner -you can heal these conditions naturally,you just need the right knowledge.
eg Cod Liver Oil with Vit Aand D and Iodine and O 3 is waybetter than fish oils with only Iodine and O3. Herbs good for sleep – heaps – chamomile, valerian,vervain, mugwort, linden and kava good for anxiety. Hope this helps you all
Victoria
I have very high cortisol after 10 years of chronic stress and due to that I am also trying to clean up a mess of some other hormones. When you’re young you always hear people saying how stress is so horrible for your health. You don’t fully grasp it until it becomes real. It’s no joke! Hopefully I caught it before it did real serious damage. Lots of great information here! I’ll be putting it to good use for sure. Thank you so much!!
Lori, thank you for helping so many people.
It’s kind hearted people and blogs like this that were there for me when I thought I was going crazy.
Once I figured out what was wrong I am feeling sane again. Who would have thought our mental problems are related to our bodies not our minds. I’m not against pharmaceutical drugs for short term relief but feeding our bodies with supplements mentioned here can be more beneficial. I’m a little weary of stuff I dont understand but it’s fairly safe to supplement with vitamins we aren’t getting from our diets mainly zinc, magnesium and omega 3’s (krill oil is best for others reading).
Thank you from everyone you’ve helped.
So happy it is helpful Simmy. Dealing with high cortisol can be really tough and not many doctors know much about it.
Thank you so much for this wonderful information – what a star you are. Just to let you know Liquorice is used to increase cortisol levels, not decrease it. I was told by my nutritionist as I originally was going to use some for high cortisol, but it is only appropriate if you have low cortisol and need to increase it.
Thank you Lauretta!
Cortisol, dopamine and noradrenaline are 3 important hormones that the brain is producing and an unbalanced of between these 3 may cause addictions and depression… thanks for your article… 🙂
Love your blog! Ive been dealing with adrenal fatigue since July! I started getting regular chiropractic adjustments, using magnesium oil at night on my feet and Apex Energetics AdrenalCalm when i woke up in the middle of the night and in the morning (saliva testing showed high cortisol in the morning). I also found out through blood testing I’m estrogen dominant and heterozygous MTHFR. I hate taking pills of any kind so although I did change my diet I pretty much let my body recover on its own. Finally last month I started feeling so much better and had energy I haven’t had in months! But unfortunately my heart started to palpitate daily and my sleep this week started to suck again! I think my cortisol is getting high again from a stressful week, lack of sleep and ovulation. Luckily, ekg showed everything was “normal” but I decided to throw in the towel and start taking supplements my osteopath recommended in December. One being Femguard Balance to regulate my hormones. I’ve only been taking it for 5 days, but it seems to help! So I’m curious if anyone else seems to have back tracked after a stressful period? Hoping I can get back to normal soon!!
Rachel – Everytime I get my period, my sleep gets awful. I think its because the progesterone levels plummet. I have been using 20mg bio-identical oral progesterone at night for a couple months, and it helps, but I have to play with the dosage. Progesterone cream is widely available at any health store, but I found the oral progesterone worked better for me, and I had to get it from a Dr. I may try to increase the progesterone during my period this month to see if I can keep my sleep on track.
I also started using DHEA last month, 5mg taken in the morning, and that also seems to be improving my sleep cycle. You can get DHEA at any vitamin store.
I also would not have had any real sleep improvements without Seriphos. It retrains the body to stop making so much cortisol. I use a few during the day and more so at night.
I have MTHFR too, but my Dr’s opinion is that it is really the adrenal disfunction that causes the genetic defects to express themselves now at this point in our lives, when we have been living normally until this point unaware of the defect.
For me, I definitely saw improvements, then would backtrack, then see more improvements. It wasn’t a steady process for me.
Hi,
Are some of you guys with high cortisol still hanging around here?? I had a blood test that came back slightly elevated cortisol level. I haven’t been able to sleep well at all. I feel like anxiety has revved up with muscle aches. I just finished a 24 HR test for cortisol, so I won’t know results until about 3 days. I’m worried about this and I probably shouldn’t as that leads to more stress. But oh my goodness…all these tests are stressful!!! I think I need a good massage, a LONG vacation, and LOTS of sleep. But how do I get to sleep and how I used to be when I’m wound up all the time?!!! I’m a stay at home mom of a 2 yr old. So, I have to get better.
Hope you feel better soon! From using these remedies, I definitely saw an improvement. Since I starting taking coconut oil, sea salt and a little honey right before bed, my sleep has really improved a lot too!
I’ll definitely try it. 24 HR test was negative…so I’m stressed!! Lol!!
If you scroll up the page, I’ve typed out 10 steps I did to help. I’ve gone from crazy obsessive thinker who had the most aching shoulders and traps to a calm woman.
What I forgot to mention above is I’ve reduced my exercise from going hard at the gym to walking ever so slowly for 20-40 minutes a few times a week. We only need to move the energy/hormones/nutrients etc around our bodies to get things moving. Dont stress if you’re not exercising though. If you are going to put any more pressure on yourself, it should be about self love and self compassion to reduce that cortisol.
I have found cortisol is heightened after after having a child for constant fear something will happen to the love of lives, our babies but it’s hidden as well we a hormone called Oxytocin which hides /overrides a lot of the high cortisol (initially anyway).
You have had a lot of minerals zapped from you having a baby and many of us go on just thinking we have lost brain cells from having babies or that our exhaustion is just our children but it’s really us losing minerals and vitamins.
This is all fixable – high cortisol can have our brains thinking the end of the world is happening, it affects a part of our brain called the amygdala which makes us think worse case scenarios but my protocol /map will feed the body that affect that part of the brain and you’ll think clearly again and all this doom and gloom will go.
i think seriphos is the best way to lower cortisol. You should look into it.
I’ve heard mixed reviews about it so I was hesitant to try it. It is something I definitely want to look into more.
Seriphos worked for me, up till about a year or so ago. Just learned from a post here that Interplexus, the, manufacturer had changed the formula back then. But have since gone back to the ‘original; formula as of 2017. I hope so as it worked WONDERS for me as I had an extremely severe case of high cortisol and now it’s come back somewhat. Hoping the new ‘original’ Seriphos works as well as the stuff I first took 8 or 9 years ago.
Hello Lori,
Really enjoyed this post. Having same exact issues – extreme anxiety and depression from high cortisol. What type of Rhodiola. I have read about it but I had seen where quite a few people were complaining about it being too stimulating? Can you tell me which pills o Rhodiola do you take ??
I REALLY want something that is caliming. I have tried Holy Basil but don’t notice a difference.
Also taking Biotics Research De-Stress its basically hydrolyzised casein (or like a warm glass of milk) It is calming but I do need something stronger. it’s 150 mg. haven’t tried taking 2 – dont really like taking so many pills!
Supposed to take ith with Seriphos but don’t know much about that.
Thanks so much for sharing!!
I took the brand New Chapter for the Rhodiola. It worked great for about 2 months. I instantly felt better and relief within 2 hours of taking it. I had no trouble with it being stimulating, I always took it in the early AM. But, then about after 2 months it was becoming too stimulating for me. My heart rate was a little higher and started having more trouble sleeping. So I stopped taking it. I was taking herbs that reduce cortisol, that are non-stimulating like the holy basil and ashwangandha, but like you, I didn’t see a huge change.
Had the same problem as above – Rhodiola taken in am was very stiumulating for me so that I could not sleep – Have quit and am still trying to regulate sleepagain.
Ashwagandha still works best. Find I have to take it with a snack at about 3:00 pm to go to sleep around midnight. I took some yesterday at 6:30 in the evening and it was 3 in the am before I could sleep some. Tricky timing and I am sure everyone is so different. I also take Melatonin sublingual 2.5 about ll pm and a half one if I wake about 4ish if necessary. Hope this helps.
Any comments on eleuthero??? See that listed in ingredients on adreanal formulas.
Hi Lori,
It’s 1:13 am and I’m up typing because I can’t sleep. I’ve had issues with depression and extreme anxiety and I believe it’s all adrenal related. A question: Would you suggest trying mineral oil or the mineral flakes first? I want to try one or the other because I want to see which works. In other words, I don’t want to try both at the same time. If oil, when and where do you apply it? Also, do you think a homeopath (rather than naturopath) could order a cortisol level test?
The magnesium flakes have helped me the most! So I would try those. Many say they are better absorbed. A homeopath should be able to order a cortisol test. Even a primary care doctor should order it for you if you ask. You can also order one online yourself, but you’d have to pay for it out of pocket.
I recently went to an applied kinesiologist for extreme anxiety and found out that I have adrenal fatigue. He gave me two supplements by Apex Energetics for adrenal support: Adaptocrine (pills which contain Rhodiola extract and other roots and enzymes) and AdrenaCalm (herbal cream with B6, B1, and B2). I’ve also given up caffeine, alcohol, and gone to a paleo diet. It’s only been a week and it’s definitely helping with the anxiety, but I miss coffee like crazy! I’m getting more energy each day, though, so I will survive. 🙂 He suggested Dandy Blend in place of coffee, and it has been helpful when I’m craving it.
So glad to hear you’ve seen an improvement! Rhodiola really helped me feel better. I’ll have to look into the AdrenaCalm, it sounds good! I was primarily paleo but have gone a little more off of it to add in more carbs. I think being too low carb contributed to my problem.
Can I ask what kind of carbs have you added in? I still have sweet potatoes and some white potatoes, and have even had a little quinoa. I feel like I’m eating plenty but my problem is that I have no energy! I’m wondering if it’s the caffeine withdrawal or the diet, or maybe all of it. But it’s been over two weeks and I just yawn all day and feel like I could nap at any moment. I miss caffeine!
I was (last year) doing a really low carb paleo diet..kind of unintentionally on the low carb part because I was just so focused on being “paleo”. I think being too low carb was a big part of my problem. I researched it quite a bit and there’s research that low carb diets cause high cortisol issues. I now eat carbs with every meal, like..white potatoes, sweet potatoes, white rice, tapioca flour bread.
How about Ezekiel Bread? I call the company who makes this and they said that it is not gluten free because of the wheatberry sprouts that “may” contain a trace for all who have these issues’
Also got hooked on “Nutszo” (at Whole Foods) – it is a combo of 10 roughly chopped nuts and seeds – very addicting.
Avocados – have some at just about every meal and in morning shake. Apply a generous grinding of Celtic salt on them also. These are some powerhouse foods I am eating liberally.
I’ve never tried Ezekiel bread. I am pretty strict gluten-free 🙂
Im a year late to this discussion but incase this may help anyone else.
You are spot on. Low carb is only good short term. After a few months cortisol is used to do a
lot of work that a little bit of carbs would have done. Mix that with caffeine (for energy that we are not getting from carbs) and here you have so many us who practice meditation still suffering.
We are lucky our bodies (emotions, feelings, brains, mental issues) have shouted at us to stop doing something causing us pain.
I’m grateful I got my message and I’m eating carbs again. I can see my thighs growing in size but the peace of mind in my head is such a relief. Once I reset my cortisol levels/adrenal glands, I’m going to hit that gym again but this time with carbs either before or after training. Protein & Veges only isn’t meant for me, well not long term anyway.
Here’s what I’ve done to reset my stress levels
1. Stop Caffeine – coffee, tea and coke zero
2. Give my liver some help to clear out all the toxins that weren’t getting pushed out (low fibre diets happen even with lots and lots of vegetables and without fibre our hormones, toxins get recirculated). Use any liver detox herb/supplement
3. Got magnesium vitamins – taken at night
4. Got zinc vitamins – taken at night (stop nausea if taken at night)
5. Started eating Oranges and Organic Apples
6. Use, Coconut Oil, Himalayan Salt and Tumeric in so much of my cooking
7. Take Krill Oil
8. Take a digestive enzyme to break down the food better for absorption (to to starve those bad bacteria causing almost every problem ranging from digestive issues (including leaky gut) all the way to hormonal issues)
9. Use a massager for my feet and my back while at work. It calms me down
10. Use the app Headspace – it’s fabulous.
I should have known Carbs such as rice wasn’t bad for me, look at the Chinese, living good strong lives eating rice in almost all meals. They dont consume diary and bread.
Hope that helps someone because that took me months to research. I’m not one to just follow a program. I have to know the whys. When we have brain fog/confusion as a result of high cortisol (or just being in the fight or flight or freeze response reading alone can be overwhelming so take this protocol and hopefully you’ll be feeling as great as I am now and expecting it to get even better. I am remembering what it was to feel like a child again. Who would have thought we just ran out of nutrients we once got from our mothers and later from good soil.
Up and onwards.
Thank you so much for sharing Simmy!
Wow – you just solved problems I have been having for the past 2 years!!!! This winter it really got bad awaking in terror of flight/flight, rapid heart rate and having to walk and walk – couldn’t stop moving and cannot lie down wee hours of the night. My doctor (natural) said they didn’t know what was wrong because of the strange symptoms. With high periods of this – I also experience “ringing” in the ears – two different tones. Am sure this is all connected, but signals to me when things are really increasing out of wack. I am certainly going to implement all of your good suggetions and will let you know if there is improvement. I work at home so I can control my business and am 72. Have lost a lot of weight being 5’7″ down to 112# – no matter how much I ate – it kept going down – had to buy new pants since I couldn’t keep them up – lol No one is sympathetic since everyone else wants to lose the weight!! Thank you again for your help and am listing this because it may help someone else as reading all the comments helped me.
Oh my yes, I have the ringing in my ears too!! I found an article online that says that is caused by the high cortisol. It must be connected! Hope you are seeing an improvement. Keep us updated 🙂
Thank you for your reply! I am so glad that you have found a link to the ringing in the ears with levels of cortisol. Do you remember where it was? I am taking all this info to my natural dr. in a couple of weeks and want to be knowledgeable and present a good case for AFS. All of these articles , links and comments are most excellent.
Yes, thank you, I am feeling soooooo much better. I am drinking my “sole” first think in the a.m. Rodiolia in a.m. and ashwagandha in evening. Also added ginkgo, milk thistle and CoQ10 100 to my usual vitamen lineup. To help learn of herbs, http://en.mr-ginseng.com/ has a wonderful site which explains not only the herbs, but interactions and purposes.
It has been about 20 days and have begun to sleep for longer periods of time. WooHoo. I tried the honey/salt/oil before bed and it seemed to power up my system. stopped after a few nights of sleeplessness – may try this if waking up becomes an issue later. Eating a more salt with each meal and snacks – just crave salt anyhow for as long as I can remeber. Thanks for the tip of Paleo low carb – so just changing to eating real foods – think that was maybe adding to everything else.
Will check in again and let all know the progress – appreciate all the encouragement.
WOW! fountain of GREAT information! Now I can stop worrying about about the ringing too! PHEW!
Please help me to get rid of ringing ears.I have suffered it for about 10 years and trying all different vitamins with no difference.I remember helping a friend to clean her apartment which was flooded and used lots of Clorox and few days after felt very sick and dizzy that couldn’t function. Later on,made and appointment with an ENT physician who said my ears were fine and only God knows how they work.I felt so frustrated that decided not to bother visiting another one. I’m reading all the good information about Cortisol levels and hoping that could help me with my suffering.I have heard Cortisol could link to weight gain something I’m trying to resolve too. So, I’m asking you to PLEASE give me a hand on both issues if possible. Thank you for all you do to help us !!
Hi Grace, have you had your levels tested yet?
Hi I know this is years later but what helped you with this? I’m suffering bad. Please email me [email protected] thank you in advance!
How much sea salt do you try to consume every day? I use Celtic sea salt, but that never seems to quite do it. and what are some of the foods that you eat throughout the day? How helpful would going strictly Paleo be?
Adrenal fatigue is definitely taking over my life, and no doubt I most likely have high cortisol. I can’t stop gaining weight, can’t stop craving either super salty or super sweet stuff, and unfortunately because they’re always in the house, when I want something salty, I’ll go for the potato chips (bad idea…such a bad idea) or if I’m craving something sweet, it has to be REALLY sweet. It’s a horrible cycle and it makes me feel like I have 0 control over my body and food choices. I have very little energy, I haven’t slept well in forever, and anxiety has crept in. It used to be I could drink coffee okay, but now three sips is all it takes for me to go into a full-blown panic attack.
SO I will do just about ANYTHING to start healing from this. I’ve done a terrible job listening to homeopathic/chiropractic doctor, but I plan on going back to him soon, and I’m hoping between this, and detoxing from the bad food choices I’ve made, and replacing them with new and better foods to eat, I can start healing.
Thank you for this information! I will definitely be using it. I simply can’t put this off any longer, this is a change that needs to happen with me.
Woops. My name’s Evie, not Eve. Technology, I tell ya…
I use celtic sea salt with each meal and occasionally pink Himalayan salt. I use about 1/2 teaspoon on each meal. I was strict paleo prior to finding out I had a high cortisol problem and I think being low carb actually contributed to my high cortisol problem. I don’t really follow the paleo diet anymore (I was pretty strict with it before), just focus on eating real food now. Just don’t do a low carb diet, it can cause high cortisol! I wish I would have known that. Hope you feel better soon!! I started taking ashwagandha and I think it definitely helped a little. I was having trouble sleeping..ugh and it felt horrible!! I started taking a tablespoon of coconut oil, with honey, with a little sea salt right before bed and it definitely helps. I take the same thing if I wake up in the middle of the night too.
Great article with so many helpful tips. Thank you for sharing. I found that going on the ketogenic/low carb diet interfered with my sleep as well. Do you have a good brand of Vitamin B’s that you recommend?
Glad to hear that helped your sleep!
An important food to reduce or eliminate completely is meat. Animals in slaughterhouses live a stressful life, not being able to see light of day not once in their life time, or be able to walk on grassy grounds. Most of these beautiful beings (cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys) are kept in tiny cages and live a life of fear. They create a blast of cortisol right before their time comes when they see their companions hanging and bleeding. Cortisol and hormones are found in meat and this gets transferred to your body when you consume them. The best thing to do is include more plant-based foods like fruits, veggies, grains, nuts, and seeds in our diet. We are literally, “You are what you eat”.
Thank you for mentioning this! I was just researching it the other day about the cortisol in meat. I’ve been trying to find information about if grass-fed meat/pasture raised animals have lower cortisol. I would think so, but I haven’t found any data on it.
Oh, you poor thing! You’ve been through a lot lately! I hope you’re well on your way to recovery and feeling good!! I know how you feel, though – I had Cushings (and a buffalo hump) 2 years ago caused by steroids and could barely even speak or breathe. It was nuts.
I didn’t even know depression could mess with your cortisol, so that was something new for me to learn! Thinking of ya. xoxoxox
Did your hump go away? I have one as well and I hope it goes away since it use to never be there.
I was remembering that a friend of mine had the same symptoms you listed. She checked with lot of doctors and they could not find anything wrong. She is more than 40 so the doctors attributed her symptoms to her age!
Also, her pet was getting sick without a reason. Same thing with the pet, since it was more than 10 years old… this is a big problem in the healthcare system.
Finally she discovered that there was a carbon-monoxide leak in her home! From her I learned how dangerous a small but constant leak of carbon-monoxide is. And also, it gives the same symptoms as the ones you enumerated (which I was experiencing). I called my gas company to check all appliances. My gas stove was new but they found a leak too. Most of gas ovens leak carbon-monoxide so they have to be properly adjusted so the quantity of gas/oxigen leaves the minimum carbon-monoxide to the environment (aka kitchen). Since they could not adjust mine, I ended up changing it for a dual-fuel (gas on top and electric for the oven). I did not want to risk getting so sick as my friend.
Conclusion: you may want to check for carbon-monoxide leaks. Your gas company should do it for free.
Thanks for sharing! I’ve had my house checked, so it’s not the cause for me but this may really help someone else who comes across this post 🙂
Read this and just ordered a tester for my new gas fire
Wow, I am so glad to read your story and obtain this information. I feel you wrote my story….I did not want to go to the Dr. as I felt pills would be the response, which I do not want. I am going to follow your suggested remedies, and feel so excited that this will be a life changer!
it is very sad but my experience has been bad with many doctors. I think they are bias with female patients. It is as if they think that there is always something with our emotions, our hormones, etc., etc., etc. but not something real.
If you find a doctor that sees you without prejudices and applies common sense, you won the lottery!
So it is crucial for us to get informed, research, share knowledge and take the responsibility of our health back into our own hands.
I had high cortisol levels & started taking ‘StressCare’ by Himalaya Herbal Healthcare. It’s for energy & adrenal support. It’s supports cortisol levels for peace of mind. Since I’ve been taking it (2 gel caps twice a day), my cortisol levels are back on track & I’ve shown no more symptoms of having high cortisol levels, as I’ve been trying to get pregnant & being in sales & running my own marketing company, there is a lot of stress that comes with the job! Check out their website at himilayausa.com or call 1-800-869-4640. Hope it helps you as much as it’s helped me! 🙂 … Carissa
Thanks for sharing! I’m going to look into it.
You hit the nail on the head when you got your Cortisol tested, first. Smart, because if you’re not high or low, then leave it alone. Such a delicate balance in the HPA axis (hypothalamus/pituitary/adrenal). The most accurate Cortisol reading comes from Saliva testing. You don’t need a doctor to get a test. There are multiple online testing facilities. I’ve used ZRT and so I know they’re legit. Many ‘wellness” centers use ZRT as well. But before ya try to “lower” cortisol, you really need to make sure you’re high. If you’re normal and you are trying to lower cortisol you could really zap your energy levels.
But all in all your article here is GREAT. I’m impressed with all the helpful ideas for high cortisol. Anyone who’s low in cortisol wants to raise it. That is much more difficult and is usually the result of another problem. Not too many people look to their adrenal glands for problems, but they really can effect one’s health/well-being. We live with so much stress that many should really focus on relaxing. Walking for a complete hour a couple days a week can do wonders. So can a good nights sleep. You said it, it’s sometimes hard to get a good night sleep if your cortisol is out of whack, but ‘trying’ to is key. And repeatedly trying. So many of us stay up late in these times, so could be a cause for fatigue.
Anyway – your article is super, glad you touched on this. It’s much bigger issue that needs to be talked about more.
Hi girls. I know this thread was last year but thought I would pop in anyway just in case. I too have HIGH cortisol levels and have struggled with this for over 12 years. Yep 12! Count them…. physical anxiety with all the nasty symptoms and am currently battling it again. With that said, in my research about this problem, I came across Dr. Joseph Mercolas website. He did an article on a test called the DUTCH test. It tests ALL the hormones connected to your adrenals AND their metabolites! I have done many saliva tests in the past but this one give you so much more about why they could be high. In Mercolas article he interviewed Dr. Mark Newman creator of the test. What sold me on this test was the example he gave of a gal that had the test and they found she had high cortisol, and if it was the saliva test they would have administered Seri-Phos to lower the levels because all you see on the saliva test is measurement of cortisol not metabolites. So on her test it showed her metabolites were low! Throwing seriphos at them was not the solution. It was an imbalance. Not that she was producing too much but the cortisol she had wasn’t leaving her body. Anyway, I thought it was worth the money to have it checked out. I bought the test online (don’t have to have a doc to order it and you get 50.00 off using Mercolas name) Anyway, the results for me was amazing. ALL my hormones that they tested were off the charts!!! I now know I have PCOS (not known before) I have been estrogen dominant all my life even with oophorectomy. So, just thought you might like to know about another option for testing. Not sure how I’m going to get “fixed”. that’s another story. I think Dr. Jonathan Wright does his own version the test too. You can google Mercola and search on his sight for DUTCH test and get discount or you can google DUTCH test on the net. It is a urine test and the turn around time is about 2 weeks.
Oh almost forgot……DO NOT BUY the seri-phos by interpexus that’s currently on the market. Its doesn’t work!!!!!! They changed the formula this last spring and people are going nuts because of it. Our ND didn’t know. I called them to tell them and they were hot! ‘They had been dispensing the product thinking it was the same as the original! NOT even close. Same bottle exactly. AND the company did this without telling anyone. It leaves you feeling a little defrauded. FYI You can check out on Amazon reviews. I was blown away by how many people used the original one and were very unhappy. Because no other single supplement on the market does what this one did. Its amazing stuff. So, now I’m stuck with no Seri-Phos!!! 🙁
I believe they’ve gone back to the original formula of Seriphos now. (As of Jan 2017). You need to look for the new one with’ Original Formula’ clearly stated on the bottle somewhere.
Thanks Sophie for the update about Seriphos going back to the original formula. I certainly hope you’re right!
Kaye: Thanks so much for your post. I knew there was something wrong the last year or so’s Seriphos!
I was diagnosed by a Naturopath Doc w/very high cortisol about 8 years ago via the saliva test. My blood pressure had gone through the roof, along with heartrate and blood sugar. As a result she put me on Seriphos. Within 5 to 7 days I felt SO MUCH better. Finally I could sleep (was sleeping about an hour a night!), my BP came down to normal levels as well as my BS. Amazing. I got my life back.
However, about a year or so ago, the Seriphos seemed to stop working. Tried Enerphos. That didn’t work. Talked again with the Naturopath Doc and she said to stop buying via Amazon and purchase through ProFormula. That Amazon’s seller’s were using past due date and sometimes even selling fake Seriphos! Consequently, she recommend that I purchase the Seriphos via Proformula which sells only reputable options.
I had no idea that Interplexus changed the formula and couldn’t understand why it wasn’t working anymore. BP, BS, heartrate had all gone back up to the point where my Primary Care Doc had to increase my BP meds in order to lower it. Whereas when the Seriphos did work, it dropped dramatically.
Just ordered more Seriphos, but before reading this article. Had no idea to look for ‘original formula’ but hope that’s what I receive. If not, I’ll exchange and purchase the original stuff.
Thanks so much Kaye for noting the info on Seriphos.
Since then I’ve had a tough time again with high cortisol levels even though I continue to take Seriphos.
Hi Guys, Sorry, I didn’t see these posts. I guess I didn’t get notified?? Anyway, yes old formula is back as of Dec. 2016. It has a flag on the top of the bottle saying its the original formula so you will know for sure. I do know that Amazon does allow anyone to put stuff on their website but in the case of Seriphos it was not the case. The Co. did actually change the formula. So everyone who has been using the new old formula seems to be happy. you guys are so welcome….. I’m starting another siege of high cortisol and am back it myself. You need to go off at times……
Thanks for your extensive and informative post, Kaye. I too suffer from high midnight cortisol levels (12 to be precise) and this has been going on for almost 10 years now. I have started phosphatidyl serine- take around 300mg per day for the last couple of weeks and have yet to see any improvements in sleep. In fact, my sleep duration at night has reduced from 4 to 3 hours of sleep. However- even though my sleep duration has been further reduced, surprisingly the excessive daytime drowsiness that I previously had has been minimized by the phosphatidylserine. I feel like I’ve had a brain transplant.
I have sleep-maintenance insomnia where I can fall asleep easily but then have trouble staying asleep. I was asked to start taking Eleuthero by a naturopath to prolong the sleep duration and while it does so, it makes me super-groggy and hungover through much of the following day.
What supplements did you take to counter the insomnia you were having?
Thanks again!
I’m so sorry Neha, I didn’t get this post. Hoping you have improved. But just in case. I had been on Tranquil Sleep by Dr. Michael Murray for years. It has ltheonine and melatonin in it and I think a tad bit of 5htp. I usually took 2-4 tabs a night depending on stress and that was the only way I could sleep. I have used Seriphos for years too but recently it has stopped working for me!!! Don’t know why but its really irritating cuz not much I can take for lowering cortisol. I wake with anxiety in the morning urrrr…..and have tinnitus and sometimes vertigo. very unpleasant. Phosphatidylserine is not the same animal as seriphos. Seriphos is phosphorylated serine /ethanolamine 1000mg, much different. Hope this helps…..
Hello again Kaye,
Thanks for your reply. I’m afraid I’m doing the same. Turns out the Phosphorylated Serine wasn’t so great for me after all. It worsened my insomnia by not allowing me to sleep at all on the days that I took it. What supplements did you use to manage the estrogen dominance? Any side effects I should be cautious of?
Thanks Lori for sharing this info.
Vitamin A is tricky because it accumulates in your body and the excess- as you mentioned- becomes toxic. The secret is to take it with periods of rest. For instance 15 days on – 15 days off. Or one month on / one month off. Another dangerous vitamin is E. There are not serious studies on what are the long term effects.
My problem was that my glands got all messed up due to working in a very stressful but also toxic, very toxic environment. So I was in the fight/flight mode almost all the time. What helped me (and is helping me) were:
RHODIOLA and it worked wonders within 2 days of use.
Magnesium -liquid. Because of another article you posted, I tried magnesium (liquid) and it really helped me. I also do the baths with flakes of magnesium and put magnesium oil on my skin after the shower. For the latest, I follow it up with some cream otherwise itches.
Meditation: this is key to calm my mind and help me to re-focus.
Not watching TV or checking emails 2 hours before going to bed.
Avoiding watching the news on TV. Too many bad news is overwhelming.
Consume organic fruits (check the list of fruits/vegetables that must be organic at EWG.org)
Add Turmedic to my food. Turmedic is a great anti-inflammatory.
Cook more with attention and intention and eat less out.
Drink purified water (I use a Berkley purifier)
The recovery takes time and sometimes we feel that we fall into the sick stage again. But we do not have to demoralize ourselves and keep working on it, remembering that the recovery takes time but we can be healthier than before. And for sure we will be wiser!
Thanks for sharing your wisdom Lori!
I am glad you are feeling the positive effects of the Rhodiola! I need to go back to it. Initially I took only one cap of the Gaia Rhodiola, which contains 120 mg. I went up to two. But if we take it and in addition do other things to consciously take good care of our life (relax, good sleep and food, good environment, ignoring toxic people, etc.), one per day should be good.
Thanks a lot for sharing!! and thanks all for the tips that are sharing!!!
I read up on the rhodolia but it can cause some more anxiety and panic which i get from my high cortisol levels. Do you experience that? I took holy basil for several weeks but i dont think it suited me. I am only now on PS and need something else. Are you still taking the rhod?
I like you reply Eva. Thank you for your input and advice. I have had trouble with turmeric though because I believe it is a blood thinner. Since I have ulcerative colitis I have to avoid that for obvious reasons. Would you know anything more about turmeric to do with the problem I mentioned, because it is such a common ingredient in so many foods, even organic soups that I love but put back on the shelf once I read the ingredients.
Tumeric isn’t as absorbable without fat (oil, ghee, avocado’s) and pepper (google it) so avoid those in your cooking and your tumeric wont have much of an effect on thinning your blood. It isn’t like a pharmaceutical level pill like an aspirin that can impact your entire body because of the sheer stength of the chemical concoction.
Also try using other herbs that have just a bit of tumeric in them such as curry. You need to look into what herbs are included in your spice, ingredients are normally expressed on the packaging in order of volume.
Try bromelain. I started taking time release magnesium in the afternoon and still got the runs. Once I included bromelain to my morning routine, the diarrhea stopped and I was able to stop using ibuprofen. Krill could help with UC also.
Where can this be bought
I ordered it online. I linked to it above in the post. I’m sure you could also find it at your local health food store.
From what i understand the magnesium in epsom salt is a different form of magnesium than the kind in mag flakes and the type of mag in the flakes is more readily absorbed by the body.
Thanks for sharing! It’s amazing how much of a difference it makes.
Hi lori can you email me please ! Or do you have an email ? Thank you!
Yes, you can email me. My email is lori (at) healthextremist (dot) com
Epsom salts is magnesium sulphate – especially good for detox or food intolerance reactions due to the sulphur . Sulphur is required by the liver for stage 2 detoxification . Magneium oil or flakes is Mg chloride . No sulphur just Mg that is more readily absorbed thru the skin, . Two different products two different uses. Epsom salts will relax due to the Mg but it’s main purpose is to provide the sulphur the liver requires.
As for Vit C . It is a small glucose molecule which attaches to the glucose receptor site on white blood cells to enable their phagocytic (engulfing) action . It will compete with sugar (glucose) hence NO sugar when sick or infection. It has absolutely no side effects. The only consequence of more vit C than you require is a loose bowel , which is exactly what you need if you are very ill . And it’s a very good indication of how sick you are . Ie if you’re taking 2hrly vit C when sick and no bowel changes then you are definitely fighting something. I have worked in Drs surgeries giving IVC ( intravenous) for many yrs it works . You will NEVER get enough C from diet alone . We are faced with far more toxins, pollution, toxic metals and chemicals than cave man ever faced so need far more Vit C today. We take 4000 mg in powder form daily and up the dose if threatened with anthing . And I mean anything – slightly sore throat, a sneeze or two , a weekend painting, any extra stress on the body requires extra C
Can you recommend a good brand of Vitamin C? So much out there I need the right stuff.
Thanks for your time.
Make sure any vitamins, but esp. vit c come from a whole food source. Most are just ‘ascorbic acid’ which is only one component of vit c. Taking ascorbic acid on its own will actually disrupt, or shut down your DNA replication!
Thanks for taking the time to write this. I already use Himalayan salt only, and I use magnesium oil. Both of these have SO many benefits for your whole body. I will continue to search out the other stuff; you have provided some great information.
Thank you Kelly! Great information about the vitamin C!
Would a magnesium supplement also help???
Yes, I take 250mg a day.
Please state the exact type of magnesium & dosage & how often ? There are many types on the market. Thanks,
Cheryl
I use Tri-mag and take 250mg per day.
Avoid magnesium oxide. the worst form. Stick with a chelated form
Thank you Lori for your article and thank you Kelly for you comment about sea salt. For Lori, since I started taking extra magnesium with my multi vitamin, I have found it greatly reduces joint pain from arthritis (especially in my feet). Would you know if cortisol also affects joint pain? For Kelly, I have been trying to completely avoid iodized salt because it seems to affect my thyroid (my glands swell and get tender). Would you know if sea salt is naturally iodized and would it affect me the same way as iodized salt? Another side question, I have friends that swear by taking vitamin C every day to ward off colds, but they get sick very often. IF I ever get any symptoms of a cold I only take it at the onset of a cold (almost as a superstitious remedy) and it seems to work for me. Any insights on that based? Based on your comment about V-C messing with “DNA replication,” I was just wondering if you could elaborate on what that means? Thank you both so much! S 🙂
Forgot to check the notify by email about comments S 🙂
Absolutely it affects joint health. My doctor warned me about this when I was in the corporate world and my cortisol levels were 2 1/2 times high end of the normal range. Leaving that job, nourishing my adrenals and take pharmaceutical grade supplements and using essential oils have all restored my cortisol levels. So has having a (finally) happy marriage.
Interested in your comment as my cortisol levels are high esp the morning which is through the roof. I have hasimotos as well with severe anxiety. Any tips to help would be very much appreciated please, jen
Jen,
I too have Hashimoto’s as well and I’m in the process of being diagnosed with Addison’s after I just did a 24 hour urine test & my cortisol levels were off the chart. They want to admit me for the ATCH test to diagnose Addison’s Disease. I’m interested to see what responses “we” both get. Have you ever been tested for Addison’s ??~~Your Hashi Warrior friend, Shaunna Elizabeth
Hi, yes i have had alsorts of tests done. I am just a mental and physical mess. I have been so poorly for a yr now i just want to end it
I feel for you, it’s horrendous
I heard of a doctor in the United States who gave up his medical practice and decided to use just GOJI to treat his patients. At first, i thought the good doctor had lost his mind, but on researching this fruit, i am convinced that it does a lot of good. So, my dear people, research goji. Do a search by typing in ..GOJI….SINGAPORE…TESTIMONIALS… AND SEE FOR YOURSELF….BUT ALWAYS LET YOUR DOCTOR KNOW THAT YOU ARE PLANNING TO USE GOJI WITH OR WITHOUT YOUR REGULAR MEDICINE.
Addison’s Disease has very low cortisol levels. I believe Cushings has high. My son has Addison’s.
You are absolutely correct, I have a tumor on my Adrenal gland and was diagnosed 8 years ago.They believe I had cushing’s syndrome to start with and as the tumor grew it decreased my cortisol to 0, I had multiple test and ended up in hospital twice with Addison Crisis which I was miss diagnosed with pancreatitis!
Took me getting on internet looking at symptoms and ask Gastronolist to check cortisol levels,he thought I was crazy but that is how I found out !
Thanks for the comment and this format!! I know no one that suffers with this problem in my area!
Sherry
Hi, I hope you get this.
Could you please tell us what you have taken in a bit more detail?!
Xx
Nourishing your adrenals with what? I have hip osteoarthritis and no pain but its all locked up and I have high fight levels. Been taking vit B and ashwaganda for 2 weeks…what next?
So what type of vitamin c should we be taking? Please help!