Hormonal Balance

 

“When disruptions occur, such as hormone deficiencies or excess, it can cause significant health problems, underscoring the importance of its precise regulation.”

 

The adrenal glands, located above the kidneys, produce essential hormones such as cortisol and aldosterone that help regulate stress response, blood sugar, inflammation, energy production, and blood pressure through salt and water balance. When these glands do not function properly, adrenal insufficiency occurs, leading to fatigue, weakness, low blood pressure, and sometimes darkening of the skin. Primary adrenal insufficiency stems from damage to the adrenal glands themselves, while secondary adrenal insufficiency results from the pituitary gland failing to signal the adrenals to produce enough cortisol.

These glands are part of the endocrine system—a network of glands that release hormones, the body’s chemical messengers, directly into the bloodstream. This system, coordinated by the pituitary gland at the brain’s base, regulates growth, metabolism, stress response, reproduction, and homeostasis. By ensuring hormones are released at the right time and in the right amounts, the endocrine system maintains balance across vital processes. When disruptions occur, such as hormone deficiencies or excess, it can cause significant health problems, underscoring the importance of its precise regulation.

We often associate hormonal changes with aging, since as the body grows older, hormone production and regulation typically decline, endocrine glands become less efficient, and energy reserves are depleted more quickly. These shifts, if not balanced with healthy lifestyle habits, tend to become more noticeable over time, making hormonal support an important strategy for maintaining vitality.

However, hormonal balance plays a crucial role throughout life—not just later on. Hormones act as chemical messengers directing nearly every process in the body, from growth and development to reproduction, mood, sleep, and metabolism.

Cortisol dysregulation or arthritis?

While age-related changes are well known, hormonal imbalances can arise much earlier, regardless of age, they can even look like a completely different condition because of the symptoms. E.g. we might respond to pain and treat it as it feels, or how we think the condition is. This is why what may be thought as arthritis can be, in fact, a lack of cortisol. Cortisol is a stress hormone with anti-inflammatory properties, and a lack of it can lead to chronic inflammation, which can affect joints and cause pain, swelling, and stiffness, similar to arthritis. In fact, several studies have identified an association between cortisol levels and the presence of chronic pain in conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, low back pain or whiplash.

A longitudinal cohort study[1] followed over 800 participants from late adolescence into early adulthood to examine whether stress-related cortisol responses predicted later musculoskeletal (MS) pain. At age 18, cortisol output during a standardized stress test (TSST) was measured, and at age 22, participants were assessed for MS pain and experimental pain sensitivity. Researchers identified three cortisol response patterns: low (hypo-responsive), intermediate, and high (hyper-responsive).

The main finding was that young women with a hypo-responsive cortisol response were significantly more likely to report musculoskeletal pain four years later, particularly if they also exhibited heightened pain sensitivity (low pressure pain threshold or high cold pain sensitivity). In contrast, no such association was found in men. These results suggest that impaired stress-system regulation, combined with increased pain sensitivity, may contribute to the development of musculoskeletal pain in young women, highlighting the importance of neuroendocrine function in pain vulnerability.

It is not just low levels of cortisol that can result in pain because chronic stress triggers the release of cortisol. “Elevated cortisol levels can lead to increased inflammation, exacerbating conditions such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, and accelerating joint deterioration and pain. (…) Stress often causes muscles to tighten as part of the “fight or flight” response. This continuous muscle tension can result in stiffness, reduced flexibility, and added pressure on your joints, potentially leading to joint misalignment and increasing the risk of injury or degenerative conditions.”[2]

Lifestyle choices, combined with stress, can make the situation even worse: sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet or smoking puts even more pressure on the body, particularly the joints. This is why stress management techniques become so important along with anti-inflammatory diet and active lifestyle.

Vitamin C can also help when dealing with cortisol because it plays a role in stress hormone regulation. Research shows that vitamin C supplementation can help lower elevated cortisol levels after physical or psychological stress. For example, some clinical studies report that people who took vitamin C had lower spikes in cortisol when exposed to stressful situations compared to those who did not.

Menopause and cortisol

During menopause, cortisol levels are often elevated, which can worsen menopausal symptoms. If cortisol levels are too high, they can disrupt sleep, increase stress levels, and throw thyroid hormones out of balance, which in turn affects metabolism. The other symptoms are:

  • fatigue and low energy
  • weight gain, especially around the midsection
  • brain fog
  • anxiety, depression, and low mood
  • insomnia
  • cravings for unhealthy foods
  • digestive issues like bloating
  • low sex drive
  • increased aches and pains

On the other hand, symptoms of low cortisol levels include the following:

  • extreme fatigue
  • difficulty waking up in the morning
  • decreased focus and motivation
  • muscle weakness
  • low blood pressure
  • increased sensitivity to stress.[3]

Menopause transition itself contributes to heightened systemic inflammation. A SWAN (The Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation) study[4] on systemic inflammation and the menopause transition found that women follow distinct inflammatory trajectories across midlife, with groups showing low-rise, medium, or high patterns for both C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). For many women, especially those in the low- or medium-rise groups, inflammation increased beginning about a year before the final menstrual period and continued for up to three years after. There was a difference in patterns based on race/ethnicity and weight: Chinese and Japanese women showed lower-rise trajectories, while Black women and women who entered the transition overweight or obese tended toward higher or more stable inflammation. Overall, the findings highlight that menopause is a critical period of increased inflammatory risk, though the response differs significantly across women.

Sex hormones and blood pressure

While cortisol influences inflammation, sex hormones play a role in blood pressure regulation. According to a review of 14 studies presented at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions (HYP) 2025, “the balance between estrogen and androgens plays a role in blood pressure (BP) regulation apart from the absolute hormone levels alone. (…) The study examined how hormonal status or treatment influences blood pressure, especially in populations undergoing major hormonal shifts like menopause or androgen suppression.”[5] According to their findings women—prior to menopause—had generally lower BP than men but in postmenopausal women, as estrogen decreased, BP levels increased. Polycystic ovary Syndrome (PCOS) had the same effect. The review showed that when evaluating and treating hypertension, the considering sex and hormonal status is important.

Hormonal balance protocols

For healthy hormonal levels the right lifestyle choices are key: proper sleep, adequate diet, exercise and relaxation are essential for maintaining health. On top of that, here is our recommendation for hormonal balance:

 

Hormonal Balance Protocol – Men

 

HGH+ homeopathic: Nine drops three times per day. Best taken last thing at night before bed and first thing in the morning and mid-day. Taken on its own at least 30 minutes before or after food or beverages.

Thyrodine Thyroid Gland: One capsule in the morning with breakfast, take with Adrenal Gland.

Adrenal Gland: Two capsules taken with breakfast and one capsule taken with lunch. A natural way to administer cortisol is through the adrenal glands.

Fiery Male: Two capsules taken twice per day with breakfast or dinner.

 

Hormonal Balance Protocol – Women

 

HGH+ homeopathic: Nine drops three times per day. Best taken last thing at night before bed and first thing in the morning and mid-day. Taken on its own at least 30 minutes before or after food or beverages.

Thyrodine Thyroid Gland: One capsule in the morning with breakfast and one capsule mid-day with lunch, take with Adrenal Gland.

Adrenal Gland: Two capsules taken with breakfast and one capsule taken with lunch. A natural way to administer cortisol is through the adrenal glands.

Pure (non-GMO) Vitamin C: Four capsules twice daily for the first 30 days and maintain 4 capsules per day.

Progest Liposome Cream: One quarter teaspoon applied twice daily in soft tissue areas, rotate areas between under the breasts and groin area.

Balanced: Two capsules taken with breakfast and two capsules with dinner for the first 30 days, afterwards take two capsules with breakfast.

Thyroid Support: Ten drops under the tongue three times daily. Taken on its own at least 30 minutes before or after food or beverages.

 

Special Message: Shawn Buckley, Constitutional Lawyer

 

 

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References:

[1] Paananen, Markus et al. 2015.

[2] Texas Joint Institute. 2025.

[3] Perman, Saranne. 2025.

[4] Khoudary, Samar R El et al. 2025.

[5] Splete, Heidi. 2025.