The Foolproof Way to Stop High Cortisol (in literally minutes)

This video features Thomas DeLauer and Dr. Scott Sherr discussing the dangers of chronic stress and how it locks our bodies into a "fight or flight" mode that destroys metabolic health and recovery. They explain that "adrenal fatigue" is actually a complex nervous system dysfunction and reveal a specific protocol using mitochondrial support and GABA-boosting supplements to instantly calm the system. The discussion highlights that willpower and breathwork often aren't enough, offering a biochemical solution to reset the body's stress response.

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1. What Cortisol Actually Is (and Why It's Not the Enemy)

Many people view cortisol as a villain, but Dr. Sherr clarifies that it is essential for survival. It acts as your primary stress hormone, necessary for waking up in the morning and responding to immediate threats.

The real problem isn't cortisol itself, but chronic activation. We are designed to have acute spikes (like running from a tiger) followed by rest. However, modern life keeps us in a permanent state of "fight or flight" (sympathetic nervous system), preventing us from entering the "rest and digest" (parasympathetic) state needed for recovery.

"Cortisol is great in the short term because it gives you a boost... especially if you want to run away from something you need a lot of energy."

"If you don't have any cortisol, you're going to die. Okay, let's be clear about this. But cortisol is one of these hormones that is your stress hormone. You need this to regulate your stress response."

When cortisol stays elevated, it constantly dumps sugar and fat into the bloodstream for energy that you never use. This leads to the storage of visceral fat (the dangerous fat around your organs).

"Visceral fat is what we created evolutionarily to protect us when we had famine... you have these visceral fat stores that were very easily mobilized to use when you didn't have a lot of food around."

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2. The Concept of "Sympathetic Reserve"

Dr. Sherr introduces a fascinating concept called Sympathetic Reserve. This refers to the "gap" or delta between your resting state and your maximum stress output.

• The Delta: You want a wide gap. You want to be very calm so that when you exercise or face a threat, you can spike your energy high.
• The Problem: If you are chronically stressed, your baseline is already high. You have no "room" to spike further to perform well, nor can you recover effectively.

"You don't make your gains in the gym, as you know. You make your gains after you've gotten out of the gym and you're getting into that parasympathetic mode, which is rest, digest, detoxify, and recover."

If you cannot switch off the stress response, your body remains catabolic (breaking down) rather than anabolic (building up). This suppresses testosterone, growth hormone, and immune function.

"The common thing is that you go on vacation and you get sick. Why? Is because you're finally going into parasympathetic mode... Your immune system can't tolerate that [toxic stress state]. It goes into sort of this hibernation mode."

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3. Downstream Effects: Mitochondria and "Adrenal Fatigue"

Chronic stress destroys your mitochondria (the power plants of your cells). When the body is flooded with stress signals, mitochondria become overwhelmed by "exhaust fumes" called Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS).

Eventually, the mitochondria enter a Cell Danger Response, where they essentially shut down energy production to protect themselves. This creates a vicious cycle: low energy triggers more stress signals to the brain, which demands more energy that the body cannot produce.

Is Adrenal Fatigue Real?

Thomas asks if the adrenal glands actually "burn out." Dr. Sherr explains that while the glands don't just stop working, the signaling system (HPA axis) gets disrupted.

• The Spectrum: It starts with high cortisol, but over time, the body downregulates production, leading to "flatlined" cortisol where you are tired but wired.
• The Salt Hack: Thomas mentions using salt to help adrenal function. Dr. Sherr confirms this works, but not via cortisol. It works via mineralocorticoids, which help increase blood volume and vascular tone, giving you a "perk up" similar to cortisol.

"If you have high levels of cortisol, those are all going to be depressed is what's going to happen. So you're not going to have your testosterone level be elevated... You're not going to have your growth hormone spikes as high."

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4. The Solution: How to Stop the Cycle (GABA)

Telling a stressed person to "just breathe" often fails because their nervous system is too wound up. Dr. Sherr suggests using supplements as a pattern interrupt to force the body into a calm state so that breathwork can actually work later.

The target is GABA, the brain's primary "brake pedal."

The Problem with Common Fixes

1. Direct GABA Supplements: GABA molecules are too large to cross the blood-brain barrier. If taking GABA makes you feel calm, it likely means you have a "leaky brain" (often caused by a leaky gut).
2. Alcohol & Benzos: These work by forcefully activating GABA receptors, but they deplete your natural GABA over time, leading to dependence and worse anxiety later.
3. Kava: Works well but can cause a "rebound" effect where anxiety spikes days later.

"If you take GABA supplements and they work for you, you probably have a leaky brain... I have a couple patients where they were taking GABA supplements, they were working for them. We optimized their gut and the GABA supplements stopped working."

The Better Approach

The goal is to use compounds that make GABA receptors more sensitive without depleting the supply. Dr. Sherr recommends:

• Honokiol: Derived from Magnolia bark.
• Muscimol (Agarin): Derived from the Amanita Muscaria mushroom (non-psychedelic dose).
• Nicotinoyl-GABA: A form of GABA attached to Vitamin B3 that can cross the blood-brain barrier.

"I can give people the experience of having them calm down their nervous system and see what it felt like to have a nervous system that wasn't always in sympathetic in fight or flight."

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5. Protecting the System with Methylene Blue

Calming down is only half the battle. Because chronic stress damages energy production, you must support the mitochondria while you relax the nerves.

Dr. Sherr recommends Methylene Blue 🔵. It acts as an electron cycler, meaning it helps mitochondria produce energy (ATP) while simultaneously acting as an antioxidant to clean up the toxic waste (ROS).

• The Protocol: Dr. Sherr suggests starting with low-dose Methylene Blue to support energy, then introducing the calming agents (like the product TroCalm). This prevents the "crash" people feel when they finally relax.

"If you're going to have somebody downregulate... You have to give them enough support immune system wise, mitochondria wise... so that as they're bringing down their nervous system that they feel like they're being supported along the way."

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6. The Role of Carbohydrates

Thomas brings up a practical tip: using fast-acting carbohydrates (like honey) post-workout to blunt cortisol.

• Insulin vs. Cortisol: Insulin is the antagonist to cortisol. Spiking insulin stops the stress response.
• The Caveat: This is a tool for the metabolically healthy. If you are insulin resistant or cannot actually relax after eating the carbs (e.g., rushing to a meeting), this strategy will backfire and just lead to fat gain.

"Carbohydrates don't seem to really do much in the way of like literally helping muscle growth, but they turn off the sympathetic tone and that's when you get that sympathetic downregulation."

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Conclusion

To truly stop high cortisol, you cannot just rely on mental willpower. The "foolproof" method involves a biological reset:

1. Support the Mitochondria first (using Methylene Blue) to ensure your cells have the energy to heal.
2. Calm the Nervous System using smart GABA modulators (like Honokiol or Amanita mushroom extracts) rather than alcohol or sedatives.
3. Create a "Delta" by actively prioritizing recovery after stress, allowing your body to switch from "fight or flight" to "rest and digest."

"What I found is if you can just combine that mitochondrial support... immune system support goes a long way too... but the mitochondrial is really the key because that's where all of our energy demands are really... that's where we make our energy."