CORTISOL DEFICIENCY......

CORTISOL DEFICIENCY

From the pages of "The Hormone Handbook" by Dr. Thierry Hertoghe.





The following information is gleaned from the pages of "The Hormone

Handbook" by Dr. Thierry Hertoghe.



For everybody whose results show low cortisol production in the morning and

increasing levels (or even high) cortisol levels at night, there are many

ways to naturally boost the cortisol levels. The principal lifestyle changes

that boost the effects of the cortisol are:



1) Increase exposure to sunlight, especially in the morning and maximise

darkness at night by sleeping with an eye mask for example, which helps

having optimal cortisol levels during the day and minimal cortisol at night.

Avoid living and working in semi--darkness during the day.



2) At each meal, blood levels of cortisol temporarily triple. Dietary

saturated fat is necessary for the production of cortisol as saturated fat

cholesterol is the first building block for cortisol synthesis. Avoid

alcohol, vinegar, caffeinated drinks, sugar, sweets, soft drinks, cookies,

bread, pastas and cereals. Avoid cereal fibre (whole grain bread, bran

flakes) Avoid milk products.



3) Beverages with caffeine (coffee, tea, cola) and alcohol should be avoided

before bedtime as caffeine can increase cortisol and considerably reduce

night-time secretion of melatonin, a hormone that tends to reduce any

cortisol production at night. Dietary starch and especially sugar and sweets

increase the blood sugar level, which in turn, reduces cortisol production.



4) Excessive prolonged stress exhausts the adrenal glands that finally

become unable to produce adequate amounts of cortisol anymore (burn-out

syndrome). Evening or night-time stress is a strong stimulator of cortisol

secretion, but depletes the adrenal supply of cortisol resulting in

decreased cortisol levels for the next morning at a time when the serum

level of cortisol should be high.



Cortisol production can be enhanced by correcting any other hormone

deficiencies that influence the working of the adrenal glands. The principal

hormone replacement therapies that can increase or decrease the secretion of

cortisol and/or its action are: testosterone, dihydrotestosterone , anabolic

(androgen) steroids. These are strong stimulators of cortisol. A mild

stimulator is thyroid hormone. Strong inhibiters of cortisol are growth

hormone, hyperthyroidism, melatonin excess. Mild inhibitors are oral

oestrogen (including the birth control pill) DHEA, fludrocortisone, and

aldosterone.