Understanding Morning Cortisol Samples and the HPA Axis

Did you know the HPA axis manages all body systems and functions like an emergency response vehicle when stressors occur? Or that early life stressors can have permanent effects on the HPA axis? Hear this and more on today’s episode of the DUTCH Podcast. 

In this episode, host Jaclyn Smeaton, ND, and guest Tom Guilliams, PhD, sit down for some thought-provoking dialogue on all things stress. They discuss the misrepresentation of adrenal fatigue and how it erroneously gained traction due to poor salivary cortisol testing. And they talk about trusted resources providers can turn to when they want to learn more about the body’s complex stress response system.  

Show Notes 

Books to learn more about the HPA axis: 

• The Role of Stress and the HPA axis in Chronic Disease Management (Guilliams) 
• Integrative Medicine (Rakel) 
• Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers (Sapolsky) 

Learn more about Tom Guilliams' work  https://www.pointinstitute.org/ 

Become a DUTCH provider and profoundly change your patients’ lives through comprehensive hormone testing. 

Read the DUTCH Blog to learn more about hormone health. 

• Assessing Chronic Fatigue with the Cortisol Awakening Response 
• Circadian Rhythm and Human Health 
• You Need Free Cortisone and Metabolized Cortisol to Evaluate HPA Axis Health