Stress

Uses

How it works

Benefits

Dosage & preparation

Risks & contraindications

Interactions

Comparisons

Background

Evidence quality

Where it comes from

Highlighted claims

• Stress is the body's perception that it needs more resources, including higher blood pressure. — Blood Pressure: Mechanisms, Myths, and Root Causes
• Cortisol is the primary downstream hormone produced by the adrenal glands in the HPA cascade. — Depression and the HPA Axis
• Prolonged high cortisol causes measurable shrinkage of the hippocampus, impairing memory formation and learning. — Depression and the HPA Axis
• The HPA axis is a hierarchical hormonal feedback loop involving three structures: the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the adrenal glands. — Depression and the HPA Axis
• The hypothalamus is the initiating structure in the HPA cascade, releasing the signaling hormone that triggers the chain. — Depression and the HPA Axis
• A negative feedback loop from cortisol back to the hypothalamus and pituitary normally prevents cortisol from running unchecked. — Depression and the HPA Axis
• Under chronic stress, the HPA axis is continuously re-triggered, and the cortisol suppression mechanism cannot keep pace, eventually burning out. — Depression and the HPA Axis
• Cortisol elevation from chronic stress is one of three root causes of melasma. — Darkened Skin Spots: Three Causes and Fixes
• Cushing's syndrome, caused by chronically high cortisol, is directly associated with darkened skin spots. — Darkened Skin Spots: Three Causes and Fixes
• Corticosteroids are prescribed as anti-inflammatory agents. — Common Drugs That Deplete Vitamin D