Adrenal Glands - Part 2
Effect of Yoga on dysfunctional Adrenals-Scientific Evidences
Dear Readers,
Our previous article (3.5/n-Part 1) gave you a broad overview on the importance of Adrenal Glands. Have a read if you haven’t.
Why it is important to know about these glands, especially now?
Since, December 2019 over 200 countries are battling the pandemic outbreak caused by novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19. We have vaccines now (Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, Oxford-AstraZeneca, Covishield, etc), big thanks to all the scientists, clinicians and people who participated in the clinical trials. Based on the official reports from national health agencies, as of 17 July 2021, 3.63 billion doses of COVID‑19 vaccine have been administered worldwide.
Statistics show that these vaccines can help in reducing the spread, severity, and death caused by COVID-19. So, if you have not got your jab yet, register today for vaccination!
How does COVID-19 impact the Adrenal Glands ?
COVID-19 was found in the adrenal and pituitary glands of some patients who succumbed to the illness, demonstrating a direct cytopathic effect (damaging effect to living cells) of the virus
COVID-19 can affect adrenals by multiple factors. Since adrenal glands have vascular anatomy (enriched in blood vessels), COVID-19 infections can cause hyper-coagulability (increased clotting), direct endothelial (inner thin membrane of blood vessels) damage, microvascular thrombi (presence of blood clot in small blood vessels) and susceptibility to infarction (tissue death) or haemorrhage (ruptured blood vessel)
COVID-19 can knock down the host’s cortisol stress response resulting in adrenal insufficiency (commonly referred as Adrenal Fatigue)
Relative cortisol deficiency is observed in patients with COVID-19. In mild-to-moderate COVID-19 cases, there are no effect on hormones of adrenal glands. However, in case of severe COVID-19 infections, patients are treated with corticosteroids to increase the corticosteroid levels needed to fight the infection, they might need infusion of adrenal hormones like catecholamines and vasopressin (to regulate their blood pressure). In severe infected patients, Adrenal crisis also sometimes resulted in death.
After COVID-19 vaccine, patients on adrenal replacement therapy or who have adrenal deficiency are advised to be monitored closely for the development of stress-induced adrenal insufficiency.
People diagnosed with COVID-19 have long-term symptoms (approximately, 3 months after recovery), a condition refereed to as Long COVID. The symptoms can range anywhere from brain fog and fatigue to shortness of breath. ACTH stimulation testing can give you an idea about your adrenal function.
Extra precautions should be taken as individuals with adrenal insufficiency have an increased rate of respiratory infection, possibly due to impaired immune function. Long COVID Symptoms, especially adrenal insufficiency might be transient but follow-up is warranted.
Adrenal insufficiency observed in severe COVID-19 infections and after 3 months of cure
In this article (3.5/n-Part 2), we will discuss the effects of Yoga on Adrenal Glands.
The TL;DR
We have to learn to live with Stress, as this response is ingrained in our system for our protection and safety
Yoga initiates the rest-and-digest response and balances the flight-and-fight response
Yoga reduces the cortisol levels, increases GABA (chemical positively controls mood and happiness), improves immune health and cardiovascular system
Yoga increases psychological resilience and reduces pain, fear and anger centres in Brain
Bonus: Yoga asanas and Pranayama mentioned at the end of the article
Let’s dive deeper….
2.1 Can Yoga help to balance Adrenal Glands?
Scientific Evidences
Can you live your life without stress, the answer is NO!!
Stress mechanism is deeply ingrained in our system and it is our ‘emergency response system,’ our ‘flight-and-fight’ response. Unfortunately, our bodies have not evolved fast enough to keep pace with the environment around us, our stress-response is not really set up in a way to handle the continual stressors. Too much stress leads to sympathetic overdrive, which is harmful (check the previous article to know the reasons).
In reality, we have two options.
Eliminate stress from our lives: which is impossible
Learn to live with stress: possible
Adopting a right attitude can convert a negative stress into a positive one—Hans Selye (father of Stress Research)
Yoga is powerful as it can changes individual’s outlook from reactive to proactive health management. However, Yoga alone should not be considered as a substitute for appropriate medication or psychotherapy. Please consult your doctor for any serious ailments. Yoga should be considered as a way of holistic living, it should be a part of your daily schedule just like brushing teeth or taking shower.
Actress Sushmita Sen was diagnosed with Addison's (cortisol deficiency) in 2014, and it was meditation that helped her overcome the disease. Let us discuss how.
Let’s understand the underlying Science:
Yoga brings the autonomic nervous system into healthy balance by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, which is our ‘rest and digest’ mechanism. Yogic practices can reduce one's heart rate and blood pressure, ease one’s respirations and increase heart rate variability—all signs of improved parasympathetic tone.
Yoga therapy facilitates bidirectional communication between the brain and body through an integration of intention (dharna), concentration, meditation (dhyana) with breathing techniques (pranayama) and movement practices (asanas). In accumulation, this integrated approach decreases psychological stress as well as hypothalamic-pituitary axis (HPA) and sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity. Furthermore, it also strengthens the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and nervous system resulting in improved immune function and emotional well-being and decrease in inflammation and chronic stress.
Yoga is correlated with both improvement in measures of psychological resilience and vagal regulation. Resilience helps to adapt in response to adversity and/or stressful circumstances and conserve psychophysiological resources, it increases an individual’s ability to ‘bounce back’ fast from stressful situation.
Yogic practices inhibit the areas in Brain responsible for fear, aggressiveness and anger, and stimulate the rewarding pleasure centers in the median forebrain and resulting in a state of bliss and pleasure. Overall, this results in lower anxiety, heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and cardiac output in yoga and meditation practitioners.
Yoga is now slowly getting recognition with more scientific groups researching on the benefits of Yoga and Stress. A simple search of keywords ‘Yoga’ and ‘Stress’ resulted in 1397 hits, with only 1-3 articles published in from 1968-2000 and then gaining little importance since 2012. Still we need more science to back the benefits observed by yoga practitioners.
A 2017 study demonstrated that practicing yoga at the beginning of the school day for 8 weeks decreased the anxiety and improved the well-being and emotional health of school children when compared with the control group.
Meta-analysis study done in 2016 reported that practicing Hatha yoga had a promising effect on anxiety. It was also most beneficial in people who had the highest levels of anxiety.
Another meta-analysis review analysing 42 randomised clinical trials involving yoga asana versus active control concluded that Yoga reduced cortisol, systolic blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability. Interestingly, subjects doing Yoga demonstrated reduced fasting blood glucose, cholesterol and low density lipoprotein, compared to active control.
Moreover, one study compared subjects after yoga and walking for brain chemical gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). Results demonstrated that yoga improved the GABA levels more than walking. GABA activity tends to be lower in people with anxiety and mood disorders.
Recent studies have demonstrated that our adrenal cortex can undergo renewal throughout life and can even regenerate after injury thanks to resident progenitor populations. We still don’t know the effect of Yoga on adrenal glands rejuvenation, however, there are even no harmful side effects.
Watch this Ted-talk by Amishi Jha, she studies how we pay attention. Stress (external distractions) and mind-wandering (internal ones) diminish our attention's power. Jha has one simple trick for that: “Pay attention to your attention”. This is exactly what we do with Mindful Yoga and Meditation (interested to enrol for the program, drop an email at yogawithdrshilpi@gmail.com).
In summary, there are ample preliminary evidences concluding the benefits of yoga therapy on depressive, PTSD and anxiety patients and other chronic mental health conditions.
However, high-quality longer-term trials are needed before yoga can be recommended as an evidence-based treatment for these conditions.
Yoga asanas, Meditation and Breath Work to balance dysfunctional adrenal gland symptoms (list is not exhaustive):
Sukhasana (Easy pose)
Balasana (Child's pose)
Paschimottanasana (Seated forward bend)
Ananda Balasana (Happy baby pose)
Uttanasana (Standing forward bend)
Shavasana (Corpse pose)
Bhramari pranayama (Humming Bee breath work)
Box Breathing
Kumbakha pranayama (Breath retention)
If you are interested to learn from an expert, join Dr. Yoga’s online classes, drop me an email-yogawithdrshilpi@gmail.com.
If you found the article of interest or have thoughts about what you’ve read here, please do share in the comments section below.
In the next article (3.6), I will cover the science behind the effects of Yoga on the Pancreas. Until then, Breath In - Breath Out :)
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Very informative and well explain. Feel very knowlwdge after reading this.