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Circadian & Endocrine Health

Understand the importance of circadian rhythms and endocrine health in overall wellness. Explore strategies to maintain hormonal balance and support healthy sleep patterns.

The Endocannabinoid System – Part 1

WholisticMatters (1:45 min watch)

What is the endocannabinoid system and how does it work? The endocannabinoid system, or ECS, is a body-wide signaling network that promotes homeostasis. In other words, as your external environment changes, the ECS keeps your body’s internal processes stable.

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The Endocannabinoid System – Part 1

WholisticMatters (1:45 min watch)

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Hormones Involved in Hunger and Satiety

Keri Barron, PhD (6 min read)

The body has an internal system for obtaining nutrients required for survival. In a series of complex steps and pathways involving the digestive tract and central nervous system (CNS), the brain and gut communicate to signal hunger and direct the brain to prompt the body to seek out food.1

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Hormones Involved in Hunger and Satiety

Keri Barron, PhD (6 min read)

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The Impact of Circadian Rhythm on Cortisol and Blood Glucose Levels

Keri Barron, PhD (5 min read)

Cortisol is the body’s stress response hormone but also regulates many different systems and processes in the body, including metabolism, electrolyte balance, cognition, and immune function.1 It also has both direct and indirect effects on blood glucose homeostasis.

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The Impact of Circadian Rhythm on Cortisol and Blood Glucose Levels

Keri Barron, PhD (5 min read)

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Herbs for Thyroid Health

Marisa Marciano, ND, RH (3 min read)

The thyroid gland produces hormones that are secreted into the blood and are carried to every tissue in the body. Thyroid hormones have important roles in growth, development, and regulation of metabolism. Many factors can influence the concentration of these hormones, and the health of the thyroid gland depends on several genetic, nutritional, and immune-related influences which can lead to either excessive or insufficient activity. Several herbs have been shown to benefit thyroid function through a variety of mechanisms depending on the body’s needs. The use of herbal adaptogens, anti-inflammatories, and immunomodulators will often play an important part in a holistic approach to supporting healthy thyroid function.

Assorted magnesium-rich foods rest on a wooden surface: bananas, avocado, almonds, chickpeas, cacao, cabbage, parsley, and seeds. A sign reads

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Circadian & Endocrine Health...

Exploring the Interplay Between the Endocrine System and Nutrition for Optimal Health

Keri Barron, PhD (8 min read)

The endocrine system is responsible for synthesizing and secreting hormones to maintain and regulate many bodily functions, including growth and development, metabolism, electrolyte balance, and reproduction.1 It is a complex, intricate system designed to regulate and maintain homeostasis of several different metabolic processes, but it can also be influenced by a variety of factors including nutrient intake, circadian rhythm, and exercise, underscoring the interplay between the endocrine system and nutrition.2,3 Important glands of the endocrine system include the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal glands, and thyroid gland.1

A family of four joyfully interacts, with two parents and two young children sitting and playing together in a sunny, grassy meadow surrounded by trees.

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Circadian & Endocrine Health...

Masterclass: The Thyroid

WholisticMatters (55:16 min watch)

Join Angela Hywood, BSc, ND, in this Masterclass about the thyroid. While thyroid hormones are often misunderstood, this presentation covers concepts and protocols from the most recent advancements in thyroid management to create a clear picture. Angela will cover various endocrine disorders, first signs of a disorder, and new ideas to help your patients.

Diagram features factors affecting athletic performance, CGM data, and a gauge. Left hexagon shows exercise, sleep, medication, food. Middle has a sensor and graphs. Right displays a performance gauge.

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Circadian & Endocrine Health...

The Role of the HPA Axis in Stress

Keri Barron, PhD (4 min read)

Scientifically, stress is defined as a state of real or perceived threat to homeostasis, or internal dynamic balance.1-4 Stress has many effects on the body and is closely linked to inflammation, activating inflammatory pathways in the brain and peripheral tissues.5 Chronic stress can result in permanent physiological and psychological changes and has been strongly associated with issues such as heart disease, cancer, skeletal fractures, liver disease, migraine headaches, anxiety, depression, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.2,4,6 Stress-induced inflammation is likely a key factor in the development of these conditions.5

A person holds a detailed brain model in one hand and examines brain scan images in the other, seated at a desk with a keyboard, papers, and a purple stethoscope.

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Circadian & Endocrine Health...

An Integrative Approach to Sleep Issues & Insomnia

WholisticMatters (1:12:02 min watch)

Addressing what many struggle with, Dr. Nicole Rivera encourages asking better questions about various sleep issues. From causes related to blood sugar, gut health, and blood flow, Dr. Rivera discusses potential methods for improving the root of sleep problems. She ends with the encouragement to ask better questions, to do better testing, and to customize one’s individual sleep approach.

A person grips the handle of an exercise bike, exercising intensely in a dimly lit gym with a warm glow in the background.

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Circadian & Endocrine Health...

Supporting Restorative Sleep with Herbal Adaptogens

Marisa Marciano, ND, RH (2 min read)

Sleep is a biological process that involves communication between multiple body systems, and its relationship with stress plays an important role. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and sleep interact in multiple ways to maintain alertness as well as the body’s physiological response to stress. Dysfunction and, in particular, hyper-reactivity within the HPA axis can often be the cause of sleep disruptions as the role of hormones such as cortisol and corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) are both involved in circadian-dependent wake rhythms and modulation of the stress response.

A diagram of a human neck displays eight herbs labeled in green boxes: Bladderwrack, Bugleweed, Ashwagandha, Prunella, Bacopa, Black cumin seed, Coleus, and Turmeric, positioned around the thyroid area.

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Circadian & Endocrine Health...

Cortisol, the Stress Response, and Metabolic Markers of Stress

WholisticMatters (5 min read)

Research has long depicted the importance of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in mediating the stress response and maintaining physiologic homeostasis. Chronic stress propagates a systemic cascade of ultimately dysfunctional metabolic events initially intended to be adaptive. HPA dysfunction appears to be a major initiating and contributing factor to this process, eventually giving rise to disruption of the normal, daily cortisol release pattern.