Posted by Larry Hoover on November 8, 2002, at 9:20:39
In reply to Re: PTSD/Social Anxiety-Herbals » Larry Hoover, posted by pelorojo on November 7, 2002, at 18:39:17
>>You need to do a 24-hour cortisol/DHEA/DHEA-S to determine your circadian secretion level/pattern. Before you muck around with your hormones, you need both baselines and justification.
> >
> Are there other tests that would be especially useful? Is the test reliable? (I've read some conflicting views on how effective hormone testing is -- especially cortisol -- since being tested itself can alter your cortisol).There's pretty good agreement between saliva cortisol and blood cortisol. I don't think it would be too stressful spitting into a container.
The typical cortisol test is a morning fasting blood level, but that's just a 'snapshot' reading. Or, you might do a 24-hour urine collection, but that doesn't assess the variation throughout the day.
There's pretty good evidence that those with PTSD (and chronic fatigue) have disordered diurnal (day and night) secretion of cortisol, so you want to assess how cortisol varies througout the day, as well as the total amount.
DHEA is a precursor to other steroids. It also assesses adrenal function. The term cortico-steroid derives from the term adrenal cortex. Adrenal dysfunction is associated with many of the physical symptoms of PTSD.
>I've read that many supplements/drugs/herbs affect cortisol, either directly or indirectly. Gosh even caffeine. The substances you take in your body - probably even some foods - are going to alter your cortisol levels.Ya, so we all muck about with our hormone levels. What else is new? What you want is to assess your functioning, mucking being a normal part of everyone's day.
The distinctions between food, culinary herbs, medicinal herbs, and drugs, are arbitrary. Do you think there are no health benefits accruing from the use of rosemary or parsley? I can't imagine the taste of valerian soup. Who wants soup that tastes like gym socks? So, if you use valerian, you want to use it differently. It's still a drug.
You are what you eat.
>On some level mucking with your hormones is unavoidable. I agree that being reckless or taking other hormones into your body is not to be taken lightly.
First, assess your own bodily function. Then manipulate. Don't expect too much support from your doctors, though. At least, not until you've got some evidence to present.
>On the other hand, given the wide range of things that can affect hormones like cortisol, a little experimentation and non-chronic, informed use of herbs like this could be useful.
Exactly. Go cautiously, but go.
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:126446
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021108/msgs/126945.html