Episode 305: Tired, Wired and Gaining Weight: When Trying Harder Makes It Worse with Dr. Andrew Neville

Do you need coffee to get going in the morning, something sweet to get through the afternoon and a glass of wine to wind down at night? Your body may be stuck in survival mode.

In this episode, I talk with Dr. Andrew Neville, a naturopathic doctor who has spent more than 24 years helping patients with adrenal fatigue, stress-response dysfunction and complex chronic illness. Dr. Neville explains why "adrenal fatigue" is really a problem with the body's entire stress response system, why your adrenals don't decide on their own to release cortisol, and how years of chronic stress can leave your brain reacting to small things as if they were real threats.

We also get personal. I share how intermittent fasting worked well for me for five years until a very stressful season brought on high morning blood sugars, 3 a.m. wake-ups and bloating, and what I changed to recover. Dr. Neville shares how his own health crashes in college and medical school led him to this work.

In this episode:

• Why stress is anything that activates your stress response, including skipping a meal or simply standing up
• The "stress bucket": why everything, past and present, physical and emotional, ends up in the same place
• How a full bucket makes your nervous system trigger-happy
• The "parking brake" effect: why digestion, immunity, thyroid and sex hormones get suppressed under chronic stress
• Why DHEA may tell you more than cortisol, and why he prefers 4-point saliva testing
• When fasting, hard workouts and cold exposure can backfire
• The role of real, unrefined salt, and why frequent urination can be an early warning sign
• How a stuck stress response affects muscle, fuel use and weight
• Why perimenopause is so often the last straw
• Dr. Neville's hierarchy of care, and why he doesn't use adaptogens in his practice

Start your 90-day metabolic reset:

• Order the Feel Great System: https://ufeelgreat.com/c/SHANAH
• Learn about the COMPASS Metabolic Health Reset: https://shanahussinwellness.com/programs-courses/reset/

Connect with Dr. Neville:

• Website: https://drandrewneville.com/
• Symptom quiz: https://drandrewneville.com/adrenal-fatigue-symptom-assessment-information/
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DrAndrewNeville
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/docandrewneville

Connect with Shana:

• Website: https://shanahussinwellness.com
• Instagram: @shana.hussin.rdn
• Facebook: Shana Hussin Wellness
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJnMZM-sXThT18RpGrYdiLA