Adaptogens for Hypothalamic Amenorrhea Recovery
We know that stress is a huge factor in amenorrhea recovery – so let’s discuss the potential role of adaptogens.
Much of the time we can elicit results in recovery from tackling things from a nutrition first and rest first approach. These are our big rocks and matter most.
But what about when we’ve tried that for 6 months or even a year and no budge?
Adaptogenic Herbs
This is where the use of adaptogenic herbs is something I’ve become more and more curious about as I meet more and more challenging recovery chases. When I meet challenging case we’re usually dealing with chronic stress or a history of trauma. Which usually results in chronic stress.
The use of adaptogenic herbs can be therapeutic to the neuroendocrine system. They can help to replenish and nourish the adrenals and help to negate stress. Sometimes we need to come at recovery from this approach to help us actually allow for the big rocks of food and rest to even work.
Whether you’re doing “all the things” but chronic stress is keeping your period at bay OR it’s that the stress is altogether stopping you in your tracks from tackling recovery at all…this can be the cause of our endocrine system being disrupted. Which means HA and a plethora of other hormonal issues such as low ADH (you’re waking up to pee a lot) or low melatonin (you’re not sleeping great).
So this is where adaptogens enter the conversation. Adaptogens, as the name suggests, help your body to adapt to stress. We all have a different level of adaptation to stress (called allostasis) and this is why your recovery looks different to someone else’s that you deem as similar to yourself. Taking adaptogens can help you to improve your bodies adaptation to stress.
They exert a biochemical influence on the hypothalamus which means that they also affect the stress responses of cortisol and adrenaline.
Both actions start in hypothalamus which is the control center for your hormonal function. In fact this cool video shows a helpful breakdown of how stress actually works in the brain. Imagine that entire 20 minute process on a loop! No wonder we don’t have a period when our brain is doing that 20 times a day.
Cortisol
To help with this process adaptogens both modulate and regulate the use of cortisol allowing the production of it, and allowing you, to calm the F down and stop being overproduced when you don’t actually need it. Don’t worry, you’ll still have access to sufficient cortisol when it’s required, like in an actual emergency. But next time you’re running late for work you’ll be way more chill about the matter.
Imagine you’re a rainforest and some big company is plowing down a ton of your trees for timber. You’re trying to repair and keep homeostasis but your wildlife and root system is being affected and you can’t keep up. You’re getting STRESSED. But some life saving group of volunteers comes and stops the company in their tracks and then puts up a protective barrier and gives your forest floor fertilizer and replants trees for you. You’re immediately less stressed and you have this outside support to help your body figure things out and get ahead.
Below I’m going to give you some background on a few adaptogens, specifically on ashwagandha, rhodiola, schizandra and a few others to help you research and consider for yourself what may or may not help you.
Adaptogens and endocrine healing is a very individualized process so please don’t take any blanket recommendations as 100% applicable to you and do your own research.
In the meantime I’m curious, have you already tried adaptogens and found any benefit? Or are you curious that this could be something worth looking in to for your particular case?
