24/7 News, Social Media and the Stress They Cause is Killing You From Inside Out
- Brainz Magazine
- Mar 18
- 5 min read
Dr. Trevor Miller and Jessica Miller, RN, work on foundational health. Their expertise covers a wide birth of topics, giving them the unique ability to recognize unusual patterns. This allows them to be able to pick out issues that others have missed or that previous treatments have uncovered.
In today's world, news, social media, and political discourse have become integral to daily life. While these platforms offer connectivity and information, they also contribute to increased stress levels among individuals. Chronic stress elevates cortisol, a primary stress hormone, which can disrupt various bodily systems, potentially leading to autoimmune disorders affecting the thyroid, gut, and overall immune function.
The ubiquity of stressors in modern life
The 24/7 news cycle, the omnipresence of social media, and the polarized nature of political discussions have created an environment where individuals are constantly bombarded with information. This relentless exposure can lead to information overload, fostering feelings of anxiety, helplessness, and chronic stress. Psychologist Mariah Corneille highlights the deep connection between mental and digestive health, noting that stress activates the gut's nervous system, leading to discomfort. See here.
In our practice we do three tests to start off, one of those tests is to measure cortisol and the person’s hormones. The correlation between chronically high cortisol and low secretory IgA is too common and can not be ignored. We have seen that once we address the cortisol and stress, a lot of the symptoms disappear. Here is a video of Triad of Auto-Immunity as described by Dr. Alessio Fasano.
Understanding cortisol and its role
Cortisol, often referred to as the "stress hormone," is produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress. It plays a crucial role in various bodily functions, including metabolism regulation, immune response modulation, and maintenance of blood pressure. However, chronic stress leads to prolonged cortisol secretion, which can have detrimental effects on health and energy. Prolonged elevated cortisol levels can suppress immune function, increase blood pressure, and alter carbohydrate and fat metabolism, potentially leading to conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, chronic fatigue and obesity. Click here.
Impact on the immune system
The immune system is highly sensitive to stress. Chronic stress and the accompanying elevated cortisol levels can suppress the immune response, making the body more susceptible to infections and diseases. Compound this with the standard American diet and you have and now you have severely hampered the body’s ability to regulate the immune system due to the lack of polyphenols and bioflavonoids. This suppression can also impair the body's ability to distinguish between its own cells and foreign invaders, potentially leading to autoimmune disorders. Psychoneuroimmunology studies have shown that stress-induced immune dysregulation can contribute to the development and progression of various diseases, including autoimmune conditions.
Thyroid function and autoimmunity
The thyroid gland is particularly vulnerable to autoimmune attacks under chronic stress conditions. Hashimoto's thyroiditis, for instance, is an autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks the thyroid gland, leading to hypothyroidism. Factors such as genetic predisposition, environmental triggers, and stress are believed to contribute to its onset. Stress affects the immune system either directly or indirectly through the nervous and endocrine systems. These immune modulations may contribute to the development of autoimmunity, including thyroid disorders, in genetically predisposed individuals. Click here.
To fend off autoimmunity (molecular mimicry) towards the thyroid gland, a diet rich in polyphenols and bioflavonoids helps as well as avoiding gluten and alcohol. Also a diet rich in selenium and myo-inositol. These nutrients are essential for the production of thyroid hormones, reduction of oxidative stress, modulations of TSH and have been shown to lower thyroid antibodies.
Gut health and stress
The gut, often referred to as the "second brain," is intricately connected to our mental and emotional well-being. Chronic stress can disrupt the gut microbiota, leading to dysbiosis—a microbial imbalance associated with various gastrointestinal issues and autoimmune conditions. Dietary changes can alter the gut microbiota, leading not just to dysbiosis and micronutrient deficiency but also to changes in thyroid function through immunological regulation, nutrient absorption, and epigenetic changes. See here.
Making sure your diet is varied and colorful is the first step in using food as medicine. This variety not only helps the immune system, but it also affects the microbiome which affects everything. When educating our patients we talk about getting 25-30 grams of fiber per day through eating vegetables and fruits as well as good proteins and fats. This type of approach to eating almost guarantees getting in the appropriate amount of polyphenols and bioflavonoids.
The vicious cycle: Stress and autoimmune disorders
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly attacks and damages healthy cells and tissues. Chronic stress can exacerbate these conditions by further dysregulating immune responses. For instance, individuals with autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto's thyroiditis often report that stress worsens their symptoms. This creates a vicious cycle where stress exacerbates the autoimmune condition, and the challenges of managing a chronic illness contribute to increased stress. Stress can be one of the environmental factors for thyroid autoimmunity, highlighting the complex interplay between stress and autoimmune thyroid diseases. See here.
Mitigating the impact of stress
While it's challenging to eliminate stressors entirely, especially those stemming from news, social media, and politics, individuals can adopt strategies to manage stress effectively:
Mindfulness and relaxation techniques: Practices such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, and yoga can help reduce stress levels and promote a sense of well-being.
Digital detox: Limiting exposure to news and social media can prevent information overload and reduce anxiety.
Physical activity: Regular exercise has been shown to lower cortisol levels and improve mood.
Social connections: Engaging in positive social interactions can provide emotional support and buffer against stress.
Professional support: Seeking help from functional medicine healthcare professionals, including therapists and counselors, can provide strategies tailored to individual needs for healing the conditions that we can suffer from.
Conclusion
The interplay between modern stressors such as news, social media, politics, and health is complex and significant. Chronic stress elevates cortisol levels, which can disrupt immune function and potentially lead to autoimmune disorders affecting the thyroid, gut, and other systems. By understanding these connections and implementing stress-reduction strategies and self-care, individuals can mitigate the adverse health effects associated with our fast-paced, information-saturated world.
Read more from Dr. Trevor Miller and Jessica Miller, RN
Dr. Trevor Miller and Jessica Miller, RN, Integrated Health of Indiana
Dr Miller and Nurse Jessica have dedicated their professional lives to helping people live their best lives. Concentrating on healing from the inside out, they use a program to comprehensively address problems with hormones, foundational gut health, the microbiome, and mitochondrial health. Realizing that these are all tied together and addressing them as a whole leads to happier and healthier patients.
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