Stress and Hormones
The Ultimate Guide to Stress and Hormones
The most cutting edge and comprehensive course on HPA Axis, Hormone function and the DUTCH test.
The Most Comprehensive Stress & Hormone Optimization Course Online
There is a growing realization among practitioners today that clients with chronic health issues often suffer from stress-related disorders.
The HPA axis (hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal) controls the production of hormones which affect all major systems in our bodies, including cardiovascular activity and immune function; for this reason particularly assessing imbalances within it can be essential when working on restoring your physical well being by correcting any hormonal deficiencies found through functional lab testing or supplementation if necessary.
There are numerous possibilities as to why cortisol levels may become elevated such as low DHEA hormone production due primarily from age factors while others have had more affects caused by a stress filled lifestyle.
Knowing why the body is adapting to stress in a particular way and which dietary and lifestyle interventions and nutritional supplements can be used to improve each scenario, is knowledge that provides you, as the practitioner, with insight that increases your ability to assist your clients in reaching their health goals.
The Most Comprehensive Stress & Hormone Optimization Course Online
There is a growing realization among practitioners today that clients with chronic health issues often suffer from stress-related disorders.
The HPA axis (hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal) controls the production of hormones which affect all major systems in our bodies, including cardiovascular activity and immune function; for this reason particularly assessing imbalances within it can be essential when working on restoring your physical well being by correcting any hormonal deficiencies found through functional lab testing or supplementation if necessary.
There are numerous possibilities as to why cortisol levels may become elevated such as low DHEA hormone production due primarily from age factors while others have had more affects caused by a stress filled lifestyle.
Knowing why the body is adapting to stress in a particular way and which dietary and lifestyle interventions and nutritional supplements can be used to improve each scenario, is knowledge that provides you, as the practitioner, with insight that increases your ability to assist your clients in reaching their health goals.
Course Overview
The Stress and Hormones module gives you the edge with your clients by providing you with the latest information on how to evaluate HPA Axis function and reproductive hormone metabolite levels, including why it’s so important to test the Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) when using salivary tests and how to interpret all the adrenal and hormone biomarkers found on the popular DUTCH Complete urinary test from Precision Analytical.
Just a few things you’ll learn in this Advanced Stress and Hormones Course
HPA AXIS
- The endocrine system
- The neuroendocrine system
- HPA Axis importance
- The adrenal glands
- Adaptation and HPA Axis Dysfunction
- Possible causes of HPA Axis Dysfunction
- Whether we should be using the term “adrenal fatigue”
- How to test for HPA Axis Dysfunction
- How to assess HPA Axis function with the DUTCH test
- Cortisol patters (4 main patterns + disrupted diurnal rhythm + cortisol/cortisone preference)
- High/Low DHEA & High 5a-Reductatse activity
- High/Low melatonin
HORMONE METABOLITES
- Estrogen
- Total estrogen level (↑ or ↓)
- Phase I estrogen metabolism (2-OH, 4-OH, 16-OH metabolites)
- Phase II estrogen metabolism (methylation, sulfation, and glucuronidation)
- Progesterone
- Progesterone level (↑ or ↓)
- Testosterone
- Testosterone level (↑ or ↓)
- High 5a-Reductase activity
What's Included....
What's Included....
4 hours on-demand video
Downloadable lesson videos
Downloadable course slides
Quiz at the end of each lesson
Practitioner Reference Guide
Final exam at the end of the course
14 PDC
(like CEUs)
This course is open to the public and you do NOT have to be a graduate of the FDN Certification Course in order to learn more about Stress and Hormones.
LESSON-By-LESSON:
Explore the course!
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Lesson 1 | HPA Axis Introduction
Foundations of the endocrine system, hormones & HPA Axis that you will need as a foundation before going deeper in Stress & Hormones.
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Lesson 2 | Diving Deeper
We do deeper - more advanced and more detailed information on HPA Axis and its impacts and stage models used to describe the dysfunction.
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Lesson 3 | When Things Go Wrong
What happens when things go wrong. The adrenals are important in times of stress, but are typically pushed beyond their capacity. Once they are stretched beyond what they’re able to accomplish, this can lead to HPA Axis Dysfunction. We look at how this HPA dysfunction shows up in the body by discussing the symptoms, the risk factors and how it can show up on lab tests.
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Lesson 4 | Causes
We dig into the causes of HPA axis dysfunction, and if we can really call it “adrenal fatigue”.
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Lesson 5 | HPA Axis Dysfunction Testing Methods
What are the pros & cons of the different testing methods for HPA axis dysfunction (serum, saliva, wet urine, dry urine)
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Lesson 6 | Supporting the HPA Axis
How to support the HPA Axis with lifestyle & other valuable recommendations.
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Lesson 7 | Dutch Test
How to read the DUTCH report and the different cortisol patterns, including a deep dive into the first cortisol pattern: “high metabolized cortisol with high free cortisol”, including the diet, lifestyle, and supplementation that supports this pattern.
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Lesson 8 | Second Cortisol Pattern
We cover the second cortisol pattern, “low metabolized cortisol with low free cortisol”, possible reasons for this pattern, common symptoms displayed with this pattern. Diet, lifestyle, and supplementation that supports this pattern.
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Lesson 9 | Third Cortisol Pattern
We dive into the third cortisol pattern, “low metabolized cortisol with high free cortisol”. We cover examples of this pattern, sluggish cortisol clearance, identifying hypothyroidism, diet and lifestyle support, supplementation for this pattern, and what to avoid with this pattern.
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Lesson 10 | Fourth Cortisol Pattern
We look deeper into the fourth cortisol pattern, “high metabolized cortisol with low free cortisol”. We cover fast cortisol clearance, insulin resistance, and hyperthyroidism. Learn the recommended diet, lifestyle, and supplement supports, including what to avoid.
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Lesson 11 | Dive Deeper
Dive deeper into the 4 cortisol points found on the Dutch and how to support each. Investigate disrupted diurnal rhythm and cortisol rhythm. Identify the differences in saliva vs urine.
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Lesson 12 | DHEA Interpretation
Understand DHEA, DHEA to cortisol ratio, DHEA patterns, 5𝝰-reductase activity,and how to naturally support the DHEA patterns.
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Lesson 13 | Melatonin Interpretation
What are the causes of low and high melatonin, and how to support each with nutrients, supplements, and lifestyle.
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Lesson 14 | Reproductive Hormones
Identify the hormone pathways, hormone basics, and symptom evaluation. Dig deep into the estrogen hormone, with a focus on low estrogen.
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Lesson 15 | High Estrogen
Review the lab interpretation of high estrogen. Focus on various causes for high estrogen, and to support it with nutrients, supplements & lifestyle.
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Lesson 16 | Phase 1 Estrogen Metabolism
Dive into Phase I estrogen metabolism test interpretation. We look at balancing estrogen, the metabolites involved in phase I metabolism, causes of poor phase I metabolism, genetic variations, and supportive supplements.
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Lesson 17 | Phase II Estrogen Metabolism
Identify Phase II estrogen metabolism and supplementation for poor estrogen metabolism. We touch on Phase II detoxification, methylation activity, sulfation & glucuronidation, and diet, lifestyle, and supplement supports.
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Lesson 18 | Progesterone Metabolism
How to interpret progesterone metabolism test. Learn about progesterone metabolites, progesterone and sleep, progesterone ranges, high & low progesterone, and reasons for high & low progesterone. Identify diet, lifestyle, & supplement supports for high & low progesterone.
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Lesson 19 | Testosterone Metabolism
Dive into testosterone metabolism test interpretation, including low testosterone. Review a male report and a female report. Dig into low testosterone, its causes, and diet, lifestyle, and supplement supports.
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Lesson 20 | High Testosterone Metabolism
Uncover possible reasons for high testosterone. Identify diet, lifestyle, and supplementation for high testosterone, support for PCOS, and recommendations when clients have high androgen symptoms, but normal or low testosterone.
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Clinical Toolkit
245 page Practitioner Reference Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
The course contains 14 hours of video teaching. So if you watch it from start to finish, that’s how long it would take to complete, plus 5-10 minutes per module for quizzes. If you really want to understand and apply the content, I recommend 2 hours of studying for every 1 hour of teaching (42 hours total).
No! Anyone qualifies to take this course.
Absolutely! This course is packed full of practical steps to implement on diet, rest, exercise, and stress management from a functional perspective. Our students constantly ask for supplement protocols, and this course contains dozens of specific supplement protocols for different hormone imbalances. With this information, you’ll be able to make impressive strides in your own health journey. (NOTE:This course is only useful if you have a hormone lab to look at – Access to the DUTCH lab, or other urine or saliva hormone testing is recommended.
This is the exact course on hormones that we recommend for our own FDN health coaches.
Hundreds of FDNs have taken the Stress + Hormones Course and have used the material in
their own practices to the benefit of their clients. We’ve seen amazing hormone health
transformations as coaches apply this material with clients. From PMS to PCOS to infertility to
estrogen dominance, you can be sure this Advanced course will give you the confidence you
need to help your toughest hormone client cases.