Transcript of Video:
 

Hi.  I’m Dr. Christopher Mote, and this is another installment of the ARK Clinical Pearl.  And today, I want to talk to you about the third of the three stages of HPA axis dysfunction.  We refer to this state as a hypo-cortisol state.  Like the other two stages, we start with a low DHEA on the test result, indicating that the patient has Pregnenolone Steal. 

Pregnenolone Steal is a hallmark of HPA axis dysfunction.  But what sets the Stage 3 patient and their test result apart is that their cortisol sum will be below the reference range for the cortisol sum.  When you have that, you definitely have a patient who’s in Stage 3 hypo-cortisol.  You probably also are staring at a patient who has more symptoms, particularly depression, fatigue, and pain. 

And this is a patient who’s going to have to be treated somewhat differently.  This is why it’s so important to get the test, and not go simply based on the patient’s symptoms.  Stage 3 patients are going to have more symptoms, and could feel worse before they feel better, even if we do a simple diet change. 

Their HPA axis is so unstable that they actually can feel more symptoms, even with a therapy that would help another patient.  So we go more slowly.  We set their expectations differently.  We help them to understand that it’s going to take them maybe a couple of months for every year that they have felt crummy, and then we’re going to implement our protocols more slowly.

We might, for example, have them start just by balancing their blood sugar.  Bring them back in a week.  Keep the visits short.  They don’t have a high memory or attention span, typically.  So then the second visit, we may add one product, like the Adapten-All, and then bring them back in another week, or give them multiple products, but have them stagger the start. 

And the reason that’s helpful is that if you give a patient the entire protocol to start, and they feel worse, they tend to stop everything.  If you can layer in the products, and they’re feeling good, and then, all of a sudden, they feel worse, they tend to stop just one.  And you can add that back later. 

So the Stage 3 patients are important to identify.  Their cortisol sum is going to be below the reference range, and if you work with them slowly, you’ll get better results, in most cases. 
 

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