Cortisol: The stress hormone.
When the body is under stress, excess cortisol is produced. Cortisol is part of the "fight or flight" response. If we are threatened we have to immediately prepare our bodies either to face the threat or run for our lives. In order to prepare ourselves, the adrenal gland secrets cortisol to increase our blood sugar for extra energy and increase our heart rate and blood pressure in order to pump more blood to the muscles and brain to prepare us for battle. This stress response or "flight or fight" response is meant to only last for the brief time necessary to get us to safety.
The "flight or fight" response was great for our ancestors when they needed the extra cortisol to protect themselves from the occasional threat of the saber-toothed-tiger. It is also essential today if we have to jam on the brakes if someone runs a STOP sign. If this is only a once-in-a-while event the brief elevation in cortisol does not cause health problems.
In our everyday lives we are facing saber-toothed tigers (real or imagined) all day long. Many of us are over-worked, don't get enough sleep, have demanding bosses, relationship problems, and financial worries. We may also have feelings of guilt or pain from past emotional injuries. All of these issues put us in a constant state of stress. Constant stress, in turn, leads to chronically elevated cortisol levels. Chronically elevated cortisol can lead to adrenal dysfunction.
Effects of adrenal dysfunction
" fatigue
" suppressed immune system
" muscle and bone loss
" depression
" autoimmune disorders
" thyroid dysfunction
" weight loss resistance
However if you feel that things are going well in your life, your are spiritually healthy, you eat well, get enough sleep, exercise regularly and maintain a healthy weight (without dieting!) then your adrenal glands are probably functioning as they should.
If you feel anxious most of the time, you feel fatigued, sleep poorly, can't lose weight (even if you diet and exercise), use caffeine and carbohydrates to give you a boost during the day, then your adrenal glands are likely dysfunctional.
In order to reduce your cortisol level you have to reduce your stress. Stress reduction is a critical part of any weight loss program.
In the early stages of adrenal dysfunction the cortisol level continues to rise throughout the day. In the late stages of adrenal dysfunction the adrenal glands actually become exhausted from having to continually pump out all the excess cortisol. In late adrenal dysfunction the cortisol levels may actually be below chronically low resulting in chronic fatigue.
Conventional medicine recognizes only the extremes of either cortisol excess (Cushing' Syndrome ( http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/endo/pubs/cushings/cushings.htm )) or extremely low cortisol (Addison's Disease
( http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health/endo/pubs/addison/addison.htm )
Conventional medicine does not look for less extreme fluctuations of cortisol as a source for poor health. In the conventional standard of care, any cortisol level within a very broad range is considered normal, and anything outside that range indicates disease.
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