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Stress is a natural part of our everyday lives that we must learn how to deal with in a healthy manner. There’s no avoiding the stress-inducing elements of our lives, and we largely can’t control the aspects of our lives that cause us so many problems. However, we can control how we respond to daily stressors by learning how to deal with life’s inconveniences, both large and small.

Knowing how to deal with stress can help you maintain your bodily health as well as your mental wellbeing. Because the varied effects of stress on the body hurt more than just your mental state, it can have physical and chemical effects as well. Know what those side-effects are, and if you find yourself under pressure in your day-to-day, then consider some stress-relieving activities.

How Your Body Responds To Stress

As mentioned, your body can react to stress in several different ways. The reason for this is because stress causes your body to produce certain hormones that set your bodily response into motion.

Many of these responses are meant to aid us in our survival, but chronic stress leads them to harm us instead of help. Humans have developed these hormone responses to better react to danger, but in our modern society, they oftentimes manifest themselves in health issues.

Being aware of what those symptoms look like can help you understand your body better and help explain the side-effects if you are unsure what else could be causing them.

Respiratory System

When you are stressed, it creates a response in your breathing patterns. Your body forces you to breathe faster to quickly distribute oxygen-rich blood throughout your body. Forcing your lungs to perform this action can make it difficult to breathe, a symptom that is made worse if you already have difficulties due to asthma or emphysema.

Cardiovascular System

Related to your respiratory system, stress affects the heart by creating hormones that force the heart to pump faster. These hormones also constrict your veins and divert more oxygen to the bloodstream, resulting in your blood pressure being raised. If you experience chronic stress, it can make your heart work too hard for too long, which can result in a heart attack or stroke.

Digestive System

With increased breathing and a rapid heart rate comes issues with your digestive system. The processes of the body can produce more stomach acid, which in turn causes the increased occurrence of heartburn and acid reflux. Other notable issues caused by increased stomach activity include nausea, vomiting, and an increased risk of developing stomach ulcers.

Muscular System

As a protective measure, stress releases hormones that constrict your muscles, bracing them for any incoming injuries. But when the muscles constantly constrict due to stress, it can cause pain throughout the body. The most common places where this pain is felt is in the head muscles, the back, and the shoulders.

Reproductive Systems

Initially, stress can cause an increase in testosterone in men. But, after an extended period of stress, the opposite effect can occur. Testosterone levels will begin to drop and can lead to decreased sperm count and erectile dysfunction. Chronic stress also runs the risk of increased prostate infection.

In women, stress affects the menstruation cycle, causing irregular, heavier, or more painful periods. Stress can also increase the physical symptoms of menopause.

In both sexes, increased stress results in a reduced sex drive. This comes as a side-effect of more fatigue caused by the physical toll stress takes on the body.

Immune System

While stress-induced responses to the immune system initially strengthen your body’s ability to fight off infection, it has the opposite effect after a prolonged period of time. Your immune system becomes less effective to protect your body from outside invaders, leading to you being more susceptible to illness. Stress can also extend the time it takes your body to recover from sicknesses, thus making it easier to get sick and taking longer to get better.

Results of These Side Effects

While not directly caused by the release of hormones, there are a number of negative consequences that result from experiencing the side-effects of chronic stress on the body, such as:

• Anxiety
• Restlessness
• Lack of motivation
• Irritability and anger
• Depression

Where Does the Stress Response Come From?

The point of origin with the stress response of the body can be found in the endocrine system. Signals from the brain send messages to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis to release the necessary chemicals to respond to immediate danger. The two chief chemicals that are released are adrenaline, which increases heart rate and blood pressure, and cortisol, which increases sugar in the bloodstream, increasing the amount of energy you have.

Effective Ways To Manage Your Stress Levels

While you cannot eliminate all stress from your life, you can learn how to better handle and respond to stressful situations. Knowing how to manage your stress can reduce the hormonal responses in your body and leave you feeling better as a result. Some effective stress management strategies include:

• Maintaining a healthy diet.
• Ensuring that you have a full eight hours of sleep at night.
• Regularly exercising and staying in good physical condition.
• Learn calming meditation routines.
• Reducing or eliminating caffeine and alcohol from your diet.
• Give yourself time to relax, calm down, and decompress from a stressful day.
• Remain socially connected with friends and family to have a social support network.

Medical Reasons for Increased Stress

There are times when utilizing stress management techniques don’t seem to help; this may be due to a medical condition that you are not aware of. If you are experiencing a medical condition that results in increased cortisol and adrenaline in your bloodstream, then it will be more difficult to control your stress responses. You may need to seek out the aid of medical professionals who specialize in hormone imbalances.

Dr. Philip Rabito is one such specialist, rated as one of the best endocrinologists in New York City. He can help you successfully navigate your way through your condition.

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The body’s endocrine system is a collection of complex organs that facilitate hormone production and regulation. It’s a delicate system that needs to maintain a crucial balance in our bodies; if the system were to ever go out of balance, it could have significant health side effects. But the endocrine system is not something that remains static throughout our entire lives. It’s important to know how our endocrine system changes as we age, what we can expect from those changes, and what we can do to mitigate the symptoms.

Don’t let the natural changes inside your body catch you off guard—bodily hormones continue to change long into adulthood. Have an understanding of how your body works and know where to go for medical answers regarding bodily chemical alterations.

The Function of the Pineal Gland

The pineal gland, located in the center of the brain, is largely responsible for our sleeping patterns and how easily we fall asleep. To regulate our sleeping patterns, the pineal gland secretes melatonin, a chemical that relaxes the body and brings about tiredness. Melatonin production relies on the amount of sunlight the body absorbs—when there is an excess of UV rays, melatonin production slows to a halt. But during the night, when there is little to no UV light, melatonin production commences, filling the body with the sleeping chemical.

How Does the Pineal Gland Change?

Sleep is a critical part of a healthy body; it’s a time for the body to relax and for the brain to decompress after a long day. However, the pineal gland isn’t always reliable as people advance in age. It goes through a calcification process, which reduces its effectiveness and significantly affects melatonin production in the body. This calcification process can take years to develop and most often starts affecting people when they reach the age of 60. Many studies show that 60-year-olds have 80 percent less melatonin than teenagers.

What results from the reduced functionality of the pineal gland is an interruption to sleep patterns, making it more difficult for individuals to fall asleep. Because their bodies don’t get the necessary amount of melatonin, older individuals can take longer to fall asleep and have shorter, more easily disturbed sleep cycles. In the worst cases, pineal calcification can lead to severe insomnia, making it nearly impossible to achieve deep sleep.

How To Combat Pineal Issues

Any pharmacy will have over-the-counter remedies for sleeplessness, such as pills and other medications to increase melatonin production. These quick fixes benefit people of all ages and are often the most convenient solutions. For more serious sleeping and pineal issues, however, you’ll need to contact your doctor for more in-depth care plans.

The Thyroid and How It Affects Metabolism

One of the most common issues people face from their endocrine systems stems from the thyroid gland, a structure located in the throat that controls the body’s metabolic rate. The chemicals the thyroid releases dictate metabolism, or how quickly the body converts food and liquids you consume into energy. A faster metabolism will break down those calories quickly, maintaining high energy and a more frequent consumption rate. Conversely, a slower metabolism takes longer to break down food, potentially leading to lower energy levels. Whatever the case may be for the individual, the thyroid’s most prominent responsibility is the regulation of metabolism.

How Does the Thyroid Change?

Older individuals commonly experience autoimmune responses to the thyroid gland that can potentially attack the thyroid. This can cause damage to the thyroid and lead to a condition called hypothyroidism, a slowing down of the metabolic rate. When metabolism slows down, this can lead to the body taking longer to break down calories, resulting in sudden weight gain. Other symptoms can include increased fatigue, sensitivity to colder temperatures, and weakness in the muscles.

How To Combat Thyroid Issues

People with thyroid issues will need to make adjustments to their lifestyles and dietary choices. For people with lower metabolic rates, consuming more iodine and zinc is necessary to promote greater hormone production in the thyroid. Before anything, however, you’ll need to consult an endocrine and metabolism specialist to fully understand your condition. The thyroid gland is a tricky organ, and managing it requires the expertise of a medical professional.

Problems with the Pancreas

The pancreas’s primary function is to regulate blood glucose levels, producing the chemical insulin in response to high levels of glucose. Once insulin secretes into the bloodstream, the glucose metabolizes and releases as energy into the body. This process ensures the blood doesn’t contain high amounts of sugar, purging the body of excess glucose and using it as energy instead or else storing the glucose in fat cells for later.

How Does the Pancreas Change?

As we age, the insulin receptors in the body become more resistant to the insulin itself. This reduced sensitivity makes it significantly harder for the body to absorb the insulin and convert excess glucose into energy. As a result, the glucose is left behind in the bloodstream. A direct result of the glucose remaining in the blood is an increase in the potential for developing diabetes.

How To Combat Pancreas Issues

Because of the severity of developing diabetes, it’s best to consult your doctor immediately if you suspect pancreas issues. Be aware of the symptoms associated with diabetes as early warning signs that your pancreas is experiencing issues. Those symptoms include:

• Excessive thirst
• Frequent urination
• Sudden and unexplained weight loss
• Numbness and tingling in the hands and feet

Know Your Body and Its Processes

It’s essential to know how your endocrine system changes as you age. Being aware of these issues can help you find solutions and the necessary care before they grow worse. Bodily health should be your top priority as you age, and the endocrine system presents many complications and medical challenges. Don’t let yourself fall into poor health due to ignoring the warning signs of a changing body—seek out professional help as soon as you notice troubling symptoms.

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The endocrine system is a collection of organs that produce and regulate hormones in the body. There are several conditions that result from chemical imbalances in the body, whether that’s over- or under-production.

Whatever the case may be, it’s essential to know how bodily chemicals can affect weight loss, as they can significantly reduce the effectiveness of regular exercising and stunt progress. Whether the effects are significant or subtle, it’s best to know how the body works and what you can do to mitigate any adverse effects.

Metabolic Hormones

The thyroid gland controls the metabolic hormones your body needs to absorb food and turn it into energy. One of the most common issues that prevent individuals from losing weight is when the thyroid underproduces the necessary hormones. Hypothyroidism, a condition where the thyroid glands under-produce metabolic hormones, can significantly hinder weight loss efforts.

Because the body’s metabolic rate slows down, it doesn’t burn as many calories as the average person. Instead, the body holds on to them, resulting in weight gain.

Fat Retention Hormones

Cortisol is one of the most important hormones to the body’s stress response and plays a big role in blood sugar regulation. However, the body can over-produce cortisol, resulting in several side effects that make burning off body fat more challenging.

With these raised levels of cortisol, the body will hold on to fat longer, redistributing it to the body’s abdominal section. Additionally, high cortisol levels can lead to high blood sugar levels, potentially leading to type 2 diabetes.

Hunger Hormones

The stomach produces ghrelin, commonly referred to as the hunger hormone, which sends signals to the hypothalamus gland in the brain. When the hypothalamus receives these signals, it tells the body that it is hungry and needs food. Like cortisol, high levels of stress can increase the production of ghrelin; this is where the term ‘stress eating’ originates.

Leptin is another hormone that indicates when a person feels full and cannot eat anymore. When the body produces less leptin, an individual may not feel full, even after eating a filling meal. A lack of leptin in conjunction with an increase in ghrelin can create a situation where a person is frequently hungry and has trouble feeling satiated.

Know When To See a Doctor

Many hormone imbalances in the body originate from the endocrine system. These endocrine disorders are not something that a person or a general practitioner can easily fix; it requires the medical expertise of a specialist in the field. Dr. Philip Rabito is an endocrine specialist and weight-loss doctor in New York City who has the knowledge and equipment necessary to treat patients experiencing hormone imbalances. Know how bodily hormones affect the body and what you can do to mitigate the effects.

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Because the side effects are so varied, it can be hard to identify issues with the endocrine system. Be aware of the common symptoms of thyroid disorders.

The endocrine system is a collection of several organs in the body; this includes the pituitary gland, the pancreas, the ovaries, testicles, and the adrenal gland, to name a few. But among the many organs that make up the system, the thyroid constitutes some of the most common issues that individuals experience. Knowing the common symptoms of thyroid disorders enables people to identify their illnesses early and seek out the appropriate medical help before issues advance.

The Two Facets of Thyroid Disorders

The thyroid can be overactive or underactive, and these two different disorders have individual symptoms you need to watch out for. They may share some side effects, but the larger health issues people will experience determines which of the two they suffer from, and knowing that difference informs your medical treatment.

Hyperthyroidism

Weight Loss

An overactive thyroid, known as hyperthyroidism, means the processes of the organ move faster than average. Most commonly, this means the metabolic processes of the body work quickly, breaking down food and fat and converting it into energy. While this may seem like an advantage, those with an overactive thyroid will experience rapid weight loss, as the body burns fat too quickly.

Sensitivity To Warmth

Aside from troubles maintaining weight, hyperthyroidism also makes people sensitive to warmer temperatures. This results from the body burning fat and energy; this process generates heat in the body, which warms it up. The increased warmth of the body amplifies the effects of warmer temperatures outside the body, making individuals hotter than they should be.

Trouble Sleeping

Along with the increased burning of energy, individuals with an overactive thyroid will have increased trouble getting to sleep and irritability when attempting to relax. When the body burns energy, it wants to keep moving, and it becomes restless when you try to stay still. As a result, trying to sleep at night becomes harder due to the energy still burning in the body.

Hypothyroidism

Weight Gain

Where hyperthyroidism makes you lose weight, hypothyroidism slows down the metabolic process, resulting in an increase in weight. Because the body does not burn up fat and transfer it into energy as fast, it leads to fat reserves in the body to build up.

Hoarce Voice and Coarse Hair

Because of the lowered activity, the low levels of hormones cause fluid buildup in the vocal folds of the body. This results in one’s voice seeming horace or rough compared to how it normally sounds. In the same vein, the lack of hormones affects hair on one’s head, making them rougher than they otherwise should be.

Constant Fatigue

One of the most common symptoms, and one routinely misattributed to other illnesses, is fatigue. Because of the slower metabolic rate, fat transfers to energy at a slower pace. This means the individual does not have the energy necessary to perform physical activity throughout the day; instead, they feel tired, no matter how much sleep they get.

Know Your Body

Be aware of the common symptoms of thyroid disorders to formulate the best care plan possible with your doctor. An endocrinologist will help you make the necessary lifestyle changes you need to get your illness under control.



Dr. Philip Rabito is an endocrinologist in Manhattan with a history of assisting patients with their endocrine disorders. Don’t hesitate to contact his office if you need medical assistance or consultation for your condition.

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In the best of times, weight loss can be a frustrating experience, whether due to the time it takes to see results, drastic lifestyle changes, or plateaus with progress. Among all the challenges associated with weight loss, one of the most discouraging can be hormonal-related conditions. Without realizing it, individuals may experience difficulties with weight loss due to hormonal imbalances, and it’s critical to know when to see an endocrinologist for weight gain.

How Hormones Contribute To Gaining Weight

Hormones control nearly every facet of the human body—whether it’s energy levels, ability to burn fat, or emotional regulation. However, these hormones have a delicate balance they need to maintain; anything that disrupts the production or absorption of chemicals disrupts the entire body.

In terms of how hormones affect weight gain, metabolism typically determines how fast the body breaks down fat. Individuals with a fast metabolism will experience rapid weight loss, while those with slow metabolisms deal with slow weight loss. In the most extreme of cases, hypothyroidism can slow down a person’s metabolism to a halt, significantly increasing weight gain.

Symptoms Associated With Hormonal Imbalances

Not all difficulties with losing weight stem from the endocrine system, which is a collection of organs in the body that regulate hormones. Individuals need to look out for other symptoms associated with hormonal weight gain and which are routinely confused as other conditions. Some signs to look out for include

• A hump of fat between the shoulder blades
• Constant fatigue
• Increased sensitivity to cold temperatures
• Weakness in the muscles
• Puffy face

How an Endocrinologist Can Help

General practitioners are excellent at helping with general issues, but they don’t have the equipment or training to deal with everything a patient may experience. Endocrinologists specialize in hormonal problems in the body, whether the endocrine system produces too much or too little.



Dr. Philip Rabito provides patients with the necessary endocrinology services they need to maintain a healthy lifestyle and get their symptoms under control. Know when to see an endocrinologist for weight gain; the sooner you understand your condition, the faster your progress towards a better life will be.

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Individuals often think that living a healthy life entails maintaining only their physical health, but there are far more facets to living happy and healthy than that. People need to satisfy all their needs to ensure their continued health and overall quality of life.

Knowing what a holistic approach to health looks like in practice enables people to look at their daily routines and identify problem areas critically. Going beyond dieting and exercise, know what everyone needs to make sure they can maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The Basics of Holistic Health

Holistic health means taking care of every aspect of the body, and that includes a number of different factors; those factors include:

• Physical
• Emotional
• Social
• Mental

These are the four pillars of holistic health, and people need to consider and maintain each one to ensure they have everything they need to be healthy. Neglecting even one can have serious repercussions, whether it’s taking a toll on your health or decreasing your quality of life. Understand what each facet entails and what you can do to improve the parts to affect the whole.

Physical

As the most widely known of the five aspects of holistic care, improving the physical body means maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly. You need to ensure you don’t expose your body to dangerous substances, whether excess amounts of drugs, alcohol, or unhealthy foods.

Bad dieting mixed with harmful habits and a sedentary lifestyle can slow down and disrupt the body’s processes, having noticeable physical effects, such as difficulty breathing and moving.

Ways To Improve Physical Health

Maintaining physical health doesn’t have to mean spending every other day at the gym; it can be as easy as going out for a 15-minute walk. So long as people are active and break their sedentary habits, they can promote healthier bodies and living.

Besides dieting and working out, people can easily maintain their physical health by getting eight hours of sleep a night. The body must have the time to rest before the stress of the next day. Essentially, it’s the body’s way of recalibrating itself; despite the inactivity, the body needs this time to process nutrients and stabilize the processes of the organs.

Emotional

Emotional health is our sense of well-being and our ability to cope with past, present, and developing stress. Poor emotional health can manifest by individuals feeling overwhelmed by current circumstances.

Positive emotional health looks like regulating emotions and having them under control. This isn’t to say that emotionally stable individuals are always happy. Still, they don’t let negative feelings stop them from completing their daily tasks, whether work, school, or household errands.

Ways To Improve Emotional Health

Everyone responds to stress differently, but everyone needs to know ways to cope with and mitigate the effects of stress. This can mean identifying and compartmentalizing the triggers in your life, discovering why they make you feel negative, and applying strategies to manage that emotional instability.

It’s often difficult to manage these feelings on one’s own, which is why many turn to therapy to put them down the right path. Other methods include writing down your stressors; keeping a physical list can make them feel smaller and more manageable. Keeping a journal and venting your frustrations is also often an effective way to unleash your emotions productively.

Mental

Often associated with emotional health, mental well-being has many similarities but also stresses the need to have a clear mind. Our brain functions and cognitive abilities need to stay alert and aware of the current situation without any distortion or misconceptions. People need to remain mentally active, whether that’s through problem solving or creative endeavors; allowing your mind to suffer can affect your recall memory and deteriorate your thinking processes.

Ways To Improve Mental Health

Keep yourself active and engaged with problem-solving and consume nutrient-rich food; don’t underestimate the power a well-balanced diet has on mental functions. Individuals should also limit the use of drugs, alcohol, and other mind-altering substances.

Social

Life keeps everyone busy, and it’s easy to let work, school, or other obligations get in the way of socializing. But lack of socialization can have negative effects on a person’s well-being; feelings of isolation and alienation are common among people who don’t socially engage with others. Humans are social creatures, and they need a sense of community and togetherness to feel fulfillment, even if it’s just talking with a handful of people.

Ways To Improve Social Health

Always make an effort to spend time with friends and family, even when you feel physically tired or you don’t think you can chat for long. A little conversation goes a long way, and having a face-to-face talk with someone you care about is a quick remedy to isolation.

Alternatively, you can get involved with the community through charity work or public events. It’s a way to get you out of the home and socialize with new people under new circumstances. Casual conversation and making connections with new people help those who feel like an outsider in their community.

Know What You Need

People need to know what a holistic approach to health looks like to make the necessary changes to their lifestyle. Working towards improving three of them while neglecting the fourth can still decrease quality of life, which makes it essential to have a well-rounded care plan. Don’t underestimate the power that these factors can have on your experience; they can play a significant role in your enjoyment or difficulty through life.

Among the issues people face that severely impact their lives, endocrine disorders have a significant effect, damaging physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being. To have a holistic approach to your health and get your condition under control, you need a doctor capable of accounting for these considerations. Dr. Philip Rabito offers a personalized treatment plan based on your needs. As an endocrinologist on the Upper East Side, Dr. Rabito provides the care you need to ensure improved quality of life.

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