The Truth About Cortisol, Stress, and Feeling “Off”

This week on Beauty & The Brain, Dr. Chris Croley is joined by Allie Ballew, NP, filling in for Jerry Drinkard, NP, for a smart, approachable conversation with endocrinologist and geneticist Dr. Fady Hannah-Shmouni.Together, they explore why hormone health has become such a major topic in aesthetics, functional medicine, wellness, and longevity—and why it can still feel confusing for both patients and providers. Dr. Hannah-Shmouni explains how hormones shift throughout the day, why timing matters when testing cortisol or testosterone, and how serial tracking may give a clearer picture than a single lab result.The episode also dives into the controversial term “adrenal fatigue,” the rise of biohacking, AI-powered hormone tools, and how patients can use better data to understand stress, sleep, menstrual health, performance, and overall wellness.One of the biggest takeaways? Before jumping into advanced optimization, start with the foundation: better sleep.Guest: Dr. Fady Hannah-ShmouniShop Eli Health's real-time cortisol test: https://eli.health/products/cortisolJoin our community on IG: https://www.instagram.com/myelihealthAnd on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/elihealth?originalSubdomain=caFollow Fady on IG: https://www.instagram.com/drshmouni/Join presale for testosterone/progesterone:https://eli.health/products/progesteronehttps://eli.health/products/testosteroneFollow Beauty & The Brain for more conversations on aesthetics, health, confidence, and the science behind looking and feeling your best.