The Link Between Stress, Cortisol and Allergies

You may have heard of cortisol, but did you know there’s a link between cortisol and allergies?

Cortisol is the strong anti-inflammatory produced by the adrenal gland, so when histamine is released during an allergic reaction, cortisol is produced to help manage the inflammation.

Elevated cortisol levels over a long period of time can lead to burn out, with the more technical term called adrenal fatigue. 

So if you are constantly on the go, you may be functioning in a state of “fight or flight” and experience elevated cortisol levels. This can eventually leave you feeling sluggish, tired, unmotivated and you may also notice your allergy symptoms are also really causing you grief. 

We perform a natural allergy treatment called Positive Association Technique (PAT) that provides symptomatic relief from the symptoms of allergies, sensitivities and intolerances. Many of our PAT clients notice that the months leading up to the development or a flare-up in their symptoms were particularly stressful, emphasising this connection between cortisol and allergies.

What is cortisol?

Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands, which are located on top of your kidneys, and are regulated by your pituitary gland. It’s the body’s main stress hormone, and has a key role in our ‘fight or flight’ response.

The function of cortisol is to prepare us to run from a threat, such as a lion back in our caveman days, by;

• increasing your body’s metabolism of glucose
• increasing your blood pressure
• reducing inflammation
• inhibiting infection fighting immune cells

Once we have used this extra boost to physically exert ourselves to escaped the treat, our cortisol drops make to baseline.

Although, our fast paced modern lifestyles can cause us to be in a constant state of ‘fight or flight’, resulting in elevated cortisol levels.

This is because we are constantly being bombarded by perceived ‘threats’ like upsetting news bulletins or work deadlines. These modern triggers rarely require physical exertion to deal with them, which can prevent the cortisol from being utilised effectively.

Since cortisol is a strong anti-inflammatory, the adrenal gland also releases cortisol in response to the histamine released during an allergic reaction, in an effort to reduce inflammation in the body.

Can stress cause allergies?

Our immune system is intricately interwoven within our stress response. The short term effects of stress are normal but if prolonged, overall health can become compromised and extreme stress carries the risk of losing your body’s metabolic reserve as cortisol levels remain consistently elevated. 

When the body is under any type of stress, cortisol increases as a compensatory mechanism. This is a normal occurrence, and when the stressors go away, cortisol levels usually reduce back to normal.

Although, our modern busy lifestyles mean our bodies are often in a constant state of stress, with the adrenals pumping out more and more cortisol. During periods of prolonged stress, the body can become hyper responsive to cortisol, where the brain ‘turns off’ the stress response to protect the body from the effects of elevated cortisol, causing cortisol levels to drop off.

One of the functions of elevated cortisol and adrenaline levels in the blood is the inhibition the infection fighting immune cells and reducing inflammation. So when we reach this abnormally low cortisol state, it can leave the immune system unregulated, potentially causing issues with the thyroid, pancreases, autoimmune disorders and allergies. 

This is thought to be why adults who have previously never had allergies start getting them in later life. Adrenal fatigue is implicated in most inflammatory disorders, and recent studies have now shown the correlation between cortisol suppression and an increase of allergy severity.  

Cortisol and Allergies

Adrenal function plays an important role in allergic reactions, as they trigger the release of histamine and other substances that produce inflammation.

Cortisol is a strong anti-inflammatory, so the more histamine released, the harder the adrenals have to work to produce enough cortisol to manage the inflammation.

Studies have also found that people with allergies cope less effectively with acute stress, and experience a greater elevation of cortisol during times of stress.

Although, our adrenal glands aren’t designed to release cortisol consistently. Producing excess cortisol over long periods of time can cause the adrenal glands to become fatigued, leading to a condition known as ‘adrenal fatigue’. Once the adrenals become fatigued enough, they will stop producing sufficient cortisol.

Without the anti-inflammatory effects of cortisol, histamine levels can sky rocket, resulting in widespread inflammation in the body. When your body is in this highly inflamed state, it is more susceptible to developing allergies, sensitivities and intolerances.

So not only are those of us with multiple allergies are more likely to experience adrenal fatigue, but we can get stuck in this cycle of reduced cortisol and higher histamine levels. Over time, this can lead to more adrenal fatigue symptoms as well as bigger allergic reactions. 

Signs of Adrenal Fatigue

Unfortunately the chronic low level of ongoing stress many of endure these days can cause our adrenal response to become dysfunctional, leading to adrenal fatigue.

Chronic fatigue is one of the most common reasons people go to the Dr, but adrenal fatigue often goes undiagnosed, as it is not always recognised as a medical condition. People with adrenal fatigue feel very tired upon waking and fatigued throughout the day making it difficult to perform daily tasks. They also find it harder to deal with stress which can create the feeling of anxiety, panic attacks, depression and brain fog.

Other signs and symptoms include: food intolerances, allergies, asthma, bronchitis, dizziness, dry and thin skin, increased thirst and urination, cravings for salty, fatty high protein foods like meat or cheese, headaches, hyper pigmentation, hypoglycemia, IBS, low body temperature, muscle weakness and back pain, heart palpitations, recurring infections, insomnia, swelling, significant weight gain or loss.

Overcoming Adrenal Fatigue

It’s worth working with a health professional to give you tailored nutritional and supplement advice, as it’s essential to get your gut health back on track, and there’s some amazing herbal medicines that can be really helpful, like the popular Ashwaganda.

But in order to recover from adrenal fatigue long-term, you need to try and remove or reduce as many stressors in your life as you can.

• Identify your stressors – look at what may be triggering you. Physical and emotional stressors, as well as a history of trauma can affect adrenal function and your stress response.  Look at your life and work on ways to work through the stressors or find ways to manage them.  Ask for help if you are feeling overwhelmed, people are generally more than willing to help, it is more that we feel like we can’t ask for help that stops it happening.
• Exercise regularly – adrenaline produced by stress usually stays in the body for approximately 4 weeks until it is fully expelled.  One way to release it faster is through exercise, children crying is one of the ways they release it. Find an exercise routine that works for you and stick with it.
• Reduce or remove caffeine from your diet – the stimulating effects of caffeine are similar to the body’s own response under stress – coffee/caffeine signals the body to release adrenaline.  Caffeine also pulls out the body’s mineral stores such as calcium which are required for maintaining and repairing cells and keeping the immune system in balance.
• Reduce your alcohol intake – alcohol and stress are connected in several ways, people often will drink as a way of dealing with stress, and in small amounts, in the short term it can cause a decrease of cortisol levels, which creates a calming effect on the body and helps people to relax.  Unfortunately in the long term consistent alcohol consumption can cause cortisol levels to increase, and can also interfere with the body’s ability to regulate cortisol levels over time.
• Manage your allergy symptoms with Positive Association Technique (PAT) – to help reduce the histamine and overall inflammatory load on your body and the cortisol/histamine cycle.

Natural Allergy Treatment

At Health & Wellness Australia & Auckland (HWA), we use a technique called muscle testing (or kinesiology) to help pinpoint your reactions to various foods, airborne and chemical substances.

Following testing, you can work with your qualified Naturopath to address the reactions to these substances using a natural allergy treatment called Positive Association Technique (PAT).

We have clinics located all over Australia and in Auckland, New Zealand, and help thousands of people manage their symptoms each year.

To find out more about how we can help you, get in touch!

• Call us on 1300 853 023 / 09 479 5997 (NZ) to chat to our friendly staff
• Send us your question HERE
• Request a Free PAT Information E-PACK HERE

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Please note that this blog post contains general information only. Always consult your health care professional before changing your diet, starting new supplements or regarding any medical condition.