COMMUNICATION NODE:

Hormone imbalances are often tied together into what is called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-thyroid-gonadal (HPATG) axis. This is because the different hormone systems are connected to one another, and operate in a hierarchical fashion with the demand for cortisol, the stress hormone, taking preference over the ability to maintain adequate levels of gonadal hormones. Under the Matrix node of COMMUNICATION, we often find symptoms such as insomnia, fatigue, brain fog, abnormal menstrual periods, hair loss, cold intolerance, skin changes and weight gain. Impaired libido, loss of genital sensitivity, and erectile difficulties can also be seen. In the brain the availability of neurotransmitters is dependent, in part, on the availability of the amino acids required to manufacture these nerve chemicals, and normally functioning enzyme systems which transform these building blocks into neurotransmitters and then help to break them down. Genetic variations in these enzymes can affect their function (such as COMT), and an awareness of these genetic variations can guide decision-making to optimize function. The inflammatory mediators called cytokines act as long-distance communicators to rally the immune system to different parts of the body, allow immune cells to communicate with one another, and ultimately help calm the immune response.