Thank you so much. That’s exactly what I hope for when I write, that the medicine translates and the meaning lands. I’m grateful you took the time to say this.
This insightful story deeply resonated with me because it was one of the first times I had seen a holistic medical doctor explain this relationship so clearly on a public platform. As someone who experienced chronically elevated cortisol in my younger years, I came to understand how profoundly this stress hormone can influence health. In my case, it contributed to abdominal obesity, prediabetes, leaky gut syndrome, and eventually an autoimmune disorder.
The patterns and nuances you described closely reflected my own experience. Fortunately, my curiosity to understand the underlying biology, together with the guidance of knowledgeable functional medicine physicians and distinguished mentors, helped me reverse these conditions through sustained lifestyle changes and appropriate medical support.
The impact of cortisol on health became so significant in my own journey that I eventually wrote an entire book devoted to this topic, Cortisol Clarity. Looking back, I believe chronically elevated cortisol was one of the most important biological triggers and aggravators of my metabolic and inflammatory conditions. Thank you, Dr. Goel, for writing such an educational, thought-provoking, nuanced, and compassionate piece. I hope it reaches readers who can benefit from your experience and unique perspectives.
Thank you, Dr. Yildiz, for such a generous and vulnerable reflection — sharing your own cortisol journey adds real credibility to this piece. Your experience mirrors what the research shows: chronically elevated cortisol weakens intestinal tight junctions, allowing bacteria and toxins to cross into circulation and drive the kind of systemic inflammation that can cascade into metabolic and autoimmune dysfunction.
It’s remarkable that you were able to reverse abdominal obesity, prediabetes, and leaky gut through sustained lifestyle changes — that recovery trajectory is exactly the message readers need to hear. I’d love to check out Cortisol Clarity; it sounds like the natural companion piece to what I’m exploring here, and I’m grateful you took the time to connect the dots so publicly.
I saw a lot of my recent self here. A couple of months ago, I had a sudden onset of abdominal issues and was admitted overnight to the hospital after tests revealed inflammation. Due to a splenectomy in 2020, medical professionals wanted to lean on the side of caution since I am now immunocompromised. The next day, I was released, prescribed several meds, and went on to have more tests.
In all, I had an MRI, two ultrasounds, an endoscopy, an X-ray, and lots of labs.
Inflammation was the only diagnosis with "unknown cause." I began a food diary, noting what brought on my symptoms. I began assessing my life and a past year of monumental stress, including a work accident, unemployment, knee surgery, and a legal battle. Most recently, I've noticed a decline in my symptoms. I think IBS is a culprit; my daughter suffers, too, but I believe my main issue is life stress.
"Carrying life alone" hit me like a ton of bricks.
Marilyn, thank you for trusting me with such a detailed and personal account — what you went through with the unexplained inflammation, the battery of tests, and finally connecting it to a year of compounding stress is exactly the pattern this article was trying to capture.
Your instinct is well supported: chronic stress activates the HPA axis, and research in IBS patients consistently shows altered cortisol patterns tied to symptom flares, even when a distinct structural cause can’t be found. The fact that your symptoms have started easing as life stress has settled — and that IBS runs in your family — suggests you’re likely dealing with a stress-sensitive gut-brain interaction rather than a single isolated culprit.
“Carrying life alone” landing the way it did tells me you already know the missing piece isn’t just dietary — it’s support, and I’m really glad the piece named that for you
This is a beautifully written essay that I as a lay person can understand. Thank you!
Thank you so much. That’s exactly what I hope for when I write, that the medicine translates and the meaning lands. I’m grateful you took the time to say this.
This insightful story deeply resonated with me because it was one of the first times I had seen a holistic medical doctor explain this relationship so clearly on a public platform. As someone who experienced chronically elevated cortisol in my younger years, I came to understand how profoundly this stress hormone can influence health. In my case, it contributed to abdominal obesity, prediabetes, leaky gut syndrome, and eventually an autoimmune disorder.
The patterns and nuances you described closely reflected my own experience. Fortunately, my curiosity to understand the underlying biology, together with the guidance of knowledgeable functional medicine physicians and distinguished mentors, helped me reverse these conditions through sustained lifestyle changes and appropriate medical support.
The impact of cortisol on health became so significant in my own journey that I eventually wrote an entire book devoted to this topic, Cortisol Clarity. Looking back, I believe chronically elevated cortisol was one of the most important biological triggers and aggravators of my metabolic and inflammatory conditions. Thank you, Dr. Goel, for writing such an educational, thought-provoking, nuanced, and compassionate piece. I hope it reaches readers who can benefit from your experience and unique perspectives.
Thank you, Dr. Yildiz, for such a generous and vulnerable reflection — sharing your own cortisol journey adds real credibility to this piece. Your experience mirrors what the research shows: chronically elevated cortisol weakens intestinal tight junctions, allowing bacteria and toxins to cross into circulation and drive the kind of systemic inflammation that can cascade into metabolic and autoimmune dysfunction.
It’s remarkable that you were able to reverse abdominal obesity, prediabetes, and leaky gut through sustained lifestyle changes — that recovery trajectory is exactly the message readers need to hear. I’d love to check out Cortisol Clarity; it sounds like the natural companion piece to what I’m exploring here, and I’m grateful you took the time to connect the dots so publicly.
I saw a lot of my recent self here. A couple of months ago, I had a sudden onset of abdominal issues and was admitted overnight to the hospital after tests revealed inflammation. Due to a splenectomy in 2020, medical professionals wanted to lean on the side of caution since I am now immunocompromised. The next day, I was released, prescribed several meds, and went on to have more tests.
In all, I had an MRI, two ultrasounds, an endoscopy, an X-ray, and lots of labs.
Inflammation was the only diagnosis with "unknown cause." I began a food diary, noting what brought on my symptoms. I began assessing my life and a past year of monumental stress, including a work accident, unemployment, knee surgery, and a legal battle. Most recently, I've noticed a decline in my symptoms. I think IBS is a culprit; my daughter suffers, too, but I believe my main issue is life stress.
"Carrying life alone" hit me like a ton of bricks.
Marilyn, thank you for trusting me with such a detailed and personal account — what you went through with the unexplained inflammation, the battery of tests, and finally connecting it to a year of compounding stress is exactly the pattern this article was trying to capture.
Your instinct is well supported: chronic stress activates the HPA axis, and research in IBS patients consistently shows altered cortisol patterns tied to symptom flares, even when a distinct structural cause can’t be found. The fact that your symptoms have started easing as life stress has settled — and that IBS runs in your family — suggests you’re likely dealing with a stress-sensitive gut-brain interaction rather than a single isolated culprit.
“Carrying life alone” landing the way it did tells me you already know the missing piece isn’t just dietary — it’s support, and I’m really glad the piece named that for you