DIETING PUTS EXTRA STRESS ON BODY and Adrenals been affecting me for over a year and drs just brushed me off saying its all in my head. If your adrenals are low it will affect your hormones. Also one of the most over looked things is lack of sunlight. One of the contributing factors was finsihing my contest in late novemeber vs summer time. Coming off contest there is a bit of depression and then shorter days less sunlight people are more vulnerabel to SAD (seasonal affective disorder). Let me explains what happens. When under stress of dieting,emotional, envriomental, chemical (caffine, ephederine, ect) you adrenals take a beating and your body uses pregnolone to make the cortisol to combat the extra cortsol. Pregnolone is the building block for all hormones in your body,estrogen, progesterone, tesosterone, ect. Now once your body said I had enouigh and can not produce cortisol from that distinct pathway what happens is that pregnolone can be stolen from estrogen, testosterone, dhea, ect to make more cortisol to handle the stress. When body is under stress elevated cortisol levels produce a product called reverse t3 which is in active for of t-3 but will not show up on normal blood tests. Best advice for you is to go get a full check up and have them specific look at pregnolone, progesterone, dhea levels, estrogen, testosterone, free t-3, free t-4, tsh (WORTH LESS), rt3, thyroid antibodies. and if they come back in "normal range" DO NOT EXCEPT THAT AS AN ANSWER. Since you are in range they will brush you off sayimng its all in your head and stick you on anti pressants or blame it on some other thing (steroid, lifestlye,ECT). For bodybuilders, fitness ect we need to be running in optimal 2/3 range becuase a little deviation can through us off. Too average person they would not feel it to us its like night and day. Hope this helps. Might want to look in to a 24 hour salvia test to give a better indication of what is happening over the day. Blood serums are just a space and time and levels will fluctuate during the day time. you may be high in the morning and low during the day time but at night be elevated (this causes insomnia). i am not a DR but have a good understanding of how the enodcrine system works and have also been ask by only ND with in 300 mile radius to help do research for them on cases drs will not handle. MARK MY WORDS PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SEE MORE OF THIS BECUASE IN MEDICAL TERMS THERE ARE USUALLY NO GRAY AREAS...pm me if you have any questions

So here is lessons to be learned
1.besure to identify signs of over training and reduce the intenisty before it is too late
2. if having bouts of depression for no apparent reason especially in winter time (sept-march) you may need to look in to SAD which is helped by tanning or just increasing vitamin d to 2000 ius day helps tremedously
3. after dieting it is important to do a detox system to clean out all un added stress in your body so adrenals have less stress to deal with
4. in winter time thyroid WILL slow down so it may be neccessary to supplement with 7 keto to help keep t-3 levels in optimal range.
5. when you get a chance go out side and enjoy sun. Sunlight in eyes stimulate hypothalamus and whole endocrine system
6. Watch for melatonin spill over due to lack of sunlight. Sunlight suppresses melatonin produces serotonin. Melatonin is brake pedal, serotonin is gas

Hope this helps