1. Stress and Your Health
Are You Happy?
The "Normal" Stress Response
What Is Stress?
Humans Are Not Zebras
Stress, Cortisol, and Metabolism
Stress and Disease
Cortisol: Too Much or Too Little?
Counteracting the Effects of Chronic Stress
Why Supplements?
Summary
2. The Science of Stress
Stressed Versus Stressed Out: What's the Difference?
Stages of Stress
Acute Versus Chronic Stress
Individual Responses to Stress
Is There a "Weaker Sex" When It c=Comes to Stress?
Summary
3. All About Cortisol, the Master Stress Hormone
The Endocrine System
The Adrenal Glands
What Is Cortisol?
What Does Cortisol Do?
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Cortisol Metabolism
The Catabolic Effects of Chronically Elevated Cortisol
Cortisol Is Only One Piece of the Puzzle
Summary
4. HSD: The Body's "Fat Storage" Enzyme
What Is HSD and What Does It Have to Do with Cortisol?
The Effects of HSD on Ebesity and Diabetes
The Pharmaceutical Rush to Block HSD
Controlling HSD Activity Naturally
Summary
5. Testosterone: Cortisol's Alter Ego
What Is Testosterone?
Not Just for Men
Maintaining Balance: The Cortisol-to-Testosterone Ratio
Testosterone and Aging: Menopause and Andropause
Testosterone and Weight Gain
Maintaining Testosterone Levels Naturally
Summary
6. The Relationship Between Stress and Disease
Metabolic Consequences of Elevated Stress Levels
How Stress Makes Us Fat: Cortisol, Diabetes, and Obesity
Cortisol and Syndrome X
Cortisol, Fatigue, and Insomnia
Cortisol and Sex Drive
Cortisol, Suppressed Immune Function, and Cancer
Cortisol and Cardiovascular Disease
Your Brain on Cortisol: Anxiety, Depression, and Alzheimer's Disease
Cortisol and Your Gut
Cortisol, Connective Tissue, Osteoporosis, and Arthritis
Cortisol and Aging
Summary
7. Counteracting the Effects of Chronic Stress
Adrenal Stress Testing Kits
Controlling the Stress Response: The SENSE Lifestyle Program
Stress Management and Avoidance (or Where Did Our Vacations Go?)
Exercise
Nutrition
Supplements
Guidelines for Choosing and Using Dietary Supplements
Choosing Supplements
Using Supplements
8. Dietary Supplements for Stress Adaptation
Supplements Versus Prescription Drugs
Supplements to Avoid
Vitamins and Minerals for Stress Adaptation
Cortisol-Control Supplements
HSD-Balancing Supplements
Testosterone-Control Supplements
Adaptogens (General Antistress Supplements)
Relaxation and Calming Supplements
9. Putting It All Together
Be the Balloon: The "3S" Approach to Managing Metabolic Adaptation
Stress Management
Exercise
Nutrition
Supplementation
Evaluation
Concluding Words
Appendix
by Shawn M Talbott, PhD