The outer part of the adrenal gland, the cortex, also makes many important hormones. These include:
* Cortisol. The adrenal glands increase their production of cortisol in response to stress. Cortisol raises the blood sugar and blood pressure levels and moderates immune function, in addition to playing numerous other roles. If the cortisol level is low, the person has fatigue, low blood pressure, hypoglycemia, poor immune function, an increased tendency to allergies and environmental sensitivity, and an inability to deal with stress.
* Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S). Although its mechanism of action is not clear, DHEA is the most abundant hormone produced by the adrenal cortex. If it is low, patients will feel poorly. Patients often feel dramatically better when their DHEA-S levels are brought to the mid-normal range for a twenty-nine-year-old. DHEA-S levels normally decline with age, and appear to drop prematurely in chronic fatigue patients.
* Aldosterone. This hormone helps to keep salt and water balanced in the body.
* Estrogen and testosterone. These hormones are produced in small but significant amounts by the adrenals as well as by the ovaries and testicles. Half of a woman's testosterone is produced in the adrenals.
Causes of Adrenal Insufficiency
About two-thirds of chronic fatigue patients appear to have underactive adrenal glands. One reason may be that the hypothalamus does not make enough corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), which is the brain's way of telling the adrenals that more cortisol is needed. Others may have autoimmune damage to their adrenals. I suspect that many people also have adrenal burnout. Dr. Hans Selye, one of the first doctors to research stress reactions, found that if an animal becomes severely overstressed, its adrenal glands bleed and develop signs of adrenal destruction before the animal finally dies from the stress.
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We can only wonder why the Canadian government has classified DHEA, a hormone necessary for life, in the same category as illegal bodybuilding steroids. Why physicians are not outraged about this, we don't know. But some doctors we have spoken with think that DHEA is a health food supplement. This is worrisome...
