Posts Tagged ‘Cortisol’

How Stress Makes Women Fat (and How to Get Rid of Both!)

We’ve all seen those commercials on TV that warn of “stubborn belly fat” brought on by too much stress. The pills being hawked on these programs promise to block the stress hormone, cortisol.

Ever wonder if there’s any truth to what they’re saying?

The Truth
Cortisol is a corticosteroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland in your adrenal cortex. It’s your body’s modern-day answer to the “fight or flight” responses we had to stress (back when we were true hunters and gatherers).

Cortisol:

- Increases blood pressure and blood sugar

- Breaks down lipids and proteins (in case you’d rather ‘fight’ than ‘flight’)

- Acts as a water diuretic hormone (leading to dehydration)

- Physically eats away at the pleasure centers of the brain (producers of norepinephrine, epinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine)

So cortisol DOES exist and is indeed harmful to the body if left unchecked. Read more…

Why Do I Suffer From Depression?

Someone was roughly shaking his shoulder.

“Dear God, whenever I turn my back, you’re asleep,” Pat looked down at him, impatience written all over her face. “I’ve just had your boss on the phone. I’m sick and tired of making excuses for you. My God, if you lose your job, heaven knows what we’ll do.” She turned, and John heard his wife’s high heels clacking across the wooden floor and into the kitchen.

Slowly, painfully, he pulled himself up and stood, swaying slightly. He fumbled in his pockets and came up with a scrap of paper on which was written a phone number. He reached for a cordless on one of the side tables and dialed.

“You’re in luck,” came a cheerful voice on the other end. “Ms. Lomax is free at twelve. Can you make it?”

John assured her he could, slipped into his jacket, and slowly walked to the front door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Pat’s hectoring voice assailed him.

“Out,” came the laconic reply. He heard her clacking towards him, her voice rising, but he simply opened the front door and slammed it.

Lord, he felt awful. He reached the psychiatrist’s office with he and the car still in one piece, and gave his name to the lady behind the counter. Read more…