What is TSH – Thyroid Stimulating Hormone

Adrenal Glands – Cortisone Therapy

Oct 01

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I’ll detail a little about adrenal glands and later on describe the connection between thyroid and adrenal glands.

First, what are adrenal glands and their function in the body.

The adrenals sit just above the kidneys in the loin, one on each side. Their tasks are many and varied; and are so important, that if you lose your adrenals, you die within three days. The inside of each adrenal produces adrenalin, which is the hormone that gives us a sudden burst of energy or strength when confronted with a crisis situation – the “fight or flight” scenario. It is the rim, or cortex, of each adrenal, that most concerns us for the present. It produces a number of complex hormones with vital roles to play, and are essential in the system’s response to prolonged stress; e.g. infection, injury, starvation, massive exertion. The first group is the glucocorticoids (mostly hydrocortisone), whose job is mostly to stimulate conversion of protein to glucose; and maintain the tone of the vascular (or blood vessels) system.

The second group comprises the mineral corticoids, which regulate the proper balance in the body of sodium and potassium, and are therefore to do with fluid retention and blood pressure. Aldosterone is the chief. The third type are the androgens, (male sex hormones), and are represented by Dehydroepiandrosterone, (DHEA for short), and androstendione. These have as their main job, the promotion of repair and growth in the tissues.

Fourthly, are the oestrogen’s, that back up the oestrogen made by the ovaries – as, for example, in the menopause. Other hormones are suspected, but not yet isolated. The output of these hormones is cyclical, with maximum level early in the morning, and least at night.

Our deepest concern here, is the crucial importance of the adrenal cortex hormones in the system’s response to stress. Briefly, there is a rapid increase of the glucocorticoids, to enable the body to cope. It is the failure of this mechanism to work properly, in the presence of general stress, or the stress of illness, that we are concerned with in the use of replacement cortisone therapy.