Feeling stressed and wondering if a ‘cortisol detox’ can help? Not so fast | Antiviral

The idea of a “cortisol detox” is promoted as an antidote to stress and exhaustion.

Excess amounts of the hormone is also being blamed for everything from increased belly fat to disrupted sleep.

Psychologist Carly Dober says the framing of this as a dangerous chemical is really problematic because it’s necessary.

Dr Dober: “We need a healthy Goldilocks ’ amount of stress to thrive and grow and to learn.

Dober says if people have genuine concerns around their cortisol levels, they should see their GP or an endocrinologist, but if we are thinking about general life stress, “trying to learn how to best manage stress at different points of your life can be very, very helpful”. - Natasha May is Guardian Australia’s health reporter - Antiviral is a fortnightly column that interrogates the evidence behind the health headlines and factchecks popular wellness claims.