Day 32 - Cortisol and too much stress!

Hello again Reader

Christopher E Lord here and I am continuing the blog series on stress and mental/medical health.  I have introduced you to Hans Selye who pioneered modern stress research by discovering the “stress response”, which is the body’s physiological reaction to increased environmental demands and consists of various chemical messengers originating in our brain and travelling throughout our bodies.  This is referred to the “HPA Axis” or Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis and isn’t necessarily a bad thing by itself, because we need to be able to adapt to stressful demands, but when the HPA Axis doesn’t work correctly (for example, when it is always on); it can have negative medical and mental health consequences.

In this entry, I will focus on the medical consequences of an abnormally functioning HPA Axis.  In the next and final blog entry, I will cover the mental health consequences of an abnormally functioning HPA Axis.

Recall that the HPA Axis consists of a brain structure called the Hypothalamus (which receives information from all over the brain via our sensory system- eyes, ears, smell, etc.) which then communicates with the nearby Pituitary gland (which makes a chemical messenger that is sent outside the brain) to the Adrenal glands (which sit on top of our kidneys) that in turn make chemical messengers that travel all over the body and exert various effects like increasing our heart rates so more blood gets to vital organs  and increasing our blood sugar levels so cells can do more work.  The chemical messengers made by the Adrenal glands are the so-called the “stress hormones” of epinephrine (aka adrenaline) norepinephrine (aka noradrenaline) and cortisol.  Each of these chemical messengers work well and are helpful when they exert their actions temporarily, but that is not the case when they exert their effects over long periods.  There is actually an endocrine disease associated with this, called Cushing’s syndrome (which was discovered 100 years ago by a pioneering neurosurgeon named Harvey Cushing).

Dr. Cushing noted the “syndrome” (which is a medical term meaning a group of symptoms that when seen together suggest a particular disorder) was due to excess exposure to one of the stress hormones (cortisol) which consisted of metabolic problems like rapid weight gain with fat distribution around the midsection (“central obesity” is what we call it) with arms and legs that are usually thin or small by comparison. Additionally, fat may be deposited in unlikely places like the face and upper section of the back.  Also, growth rate can be suppressed as well, which is of course especially applicable to children. Besides these metabolic concerns, excess cortisol can lead to purple-colored stretch marks on the skin around abdomen, thigh, breasts and buttocks, with additional skin thinning, which therefore becomes easily bruised or torn. It doesn’t stop there folks.  Excess cortisol (from the HPA Axis/stress response that is chronically “on”) can also lead to musculoskeletal problems like low back pain (even without exertion) plus bone pain, diminished bone strength therefore more fractures and decreased muscle mass.  Lucky women who have this problem may experience what we call “hirsutism” which is excess hair growth everywhere you don’t want it- face, neck, chest, abdomen and thighs.  Even more significant, excess cortisol may disrupt the menstruation cycle or even stop it all together, which of course leads to fertility problems.

I’m not going to leave out the men either. Besides all the general things listed above, men may also experience decreased libido/sex drive and impotence.

This list reads like a horror story and/or the long list of side effects/disclaimers in a drug company advertisement.  Because cortisol is a “medicine” of sorts (it is just manufactured inside of us with no prescription needed) and because its effects are far-reaching throughout the body, we might well consider these side effects as symptoms that build into a syndrome associated with too much stress.

I did not address the mental health aspects of this, but will in the final blog entry in this series.

God’s peace (and less cortisol if you have enough already)

Christopher E Lord

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The Purpose Driven Life - Finding Your Purpose


CHAPTER 32 - USING WHAT GOD GAVE YOU


God deserves your best.

He shaped you for a purpose, and he expects you to make the most of what you have been given. He doesn't want you to worry about or covet abilities you don't have. Instead he wants you to focus on talents he has given you to use.

Discover Your Shape

•  Begin by assessing your gifts and abilities 
• Consider your heart and your personality
• Examine your experiences and extract lessons you have learned. 

Accept and Enjoy Your Shape

Keep Developing Your Shape

In heaven we are going to serve God forever. Right now, we can prepare for that eternal service by practicing on earth. We're getting ready for eternal responsibilities and rewards. 

Point to Ponder: God deserves my best

Verse to Remember: "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15 (NIV)

Question to Consider: How can I make the best use of what God as given me?