The adrenal glands are located on top of each kidney. Like other endocrine glands, they function as hormone producers. Each adrenal gland is composed of an outer cortex and inner medulla. Different regions of the adrenal glands produce different...
Physical or emotional tension triggers a series of physiological changes in the body. Almost all of the body's organs and functions react to stress: Excess adrenaline is secreted, heart rate and blood pressure increase, digestion can slow and...
The adrenal glands are small organs located on top of the kidney. According to the National Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Information Service, the adrenals secrete cortisol, a hormone responsible for regulating the stress response, maintaining...
Cushing's disease, a rarely occurring endocrine disorder characterized by an over secretion of hormones from a pituitary tumor, can be treated effectively with surgery, radiation or medication. However, if left untreated, Cushing's disease can...
The adrenal glands are located on top of the kidneys and are responsible for making a number of important hormones. One adrenal hormone, called cortisol, helps modulate the body's response to stress. Other hormones regulate the body's salt and...
The adrenal glands are located on top of the kidneys and are responsible for making certain hormones, including cortisol (which modulates the body's stress response) and aldosterone (which controls salt and water balance). The adrenal glands are...
All of our bodies produce hormones. Hormone production and release is part of the endocrine system. Some of this production is performed by the adrenal glands, two small glands located just above your kidneys that make hormones to regulate blood...
Cortisol is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands. It plays a critical role in many bodily functions including stress responses, growth and metabolism. Hormonal control regulates the release of cortisol and produces rises falls in blood levels...
Most parents do everything they can to protect the health and well-being of their baby. Some babies experience situations though, that may affect hormone levels in the body, leading to illness. Cortisol, a type of steroid produced by the body, may...
Extra body fat is placed in strategic storage areas throughout the human body. This storage plan is a throwback to cavemen ancestry. In times of starvation, the body pulls fat from these locations and uses it for energy and nutrients to survive....
The adrenal gland produce hormones that affect various functions in the body. Some of these hormones are cortisol, aldosterone and androgens such as testosterone. When the adrenal glands are underactive or in a state of hypofunction, they produce...
Cortisol is a hormone produced in your adrenal glands, which sit on top of your kidneys. It performs functions that include maintenance of your blood sugar levels and blood pressure, as well as the regulation of fat, carbohydrate and protein...
The adrenal glands are an important part of the endocrine system. One important hormone that they make, cortisol, has profound effects on the body's metabolism, bone density and its ability to heal. Patients with congenital adrenal hyperplasia...
Cortisol is a naturally-occurring hormone released when the body is under stress, which regulates the function of a number of tissues throughout the body. Cortisol production is tightly regulated, and too much or too little cortisol in the blood...
For two small glands, the adrenals have a massive effect on the body. From regulating energy levels to maintaining blood glucose, and from controlling mood to immune system function, the adrenal glands impact the way an individual functions in...
Cortisol, also known as hydrocortisone, is a steroid hormone made by the adrenal glands. Cortisol is important for bone formation, the function of the circulatory and immune systems, stress levels and the metabolism of protein, carbohydrates and...
A hormone specialist is also known as an endocrinologist. Hormone specialists study the endocrine glands and hormones, and certain diseases of the endocrine glands. Some even perform surgery. According to the Hormone Foundation, endocrinologists...
Adrenal insufficiency, also called Addison's disease, is a condition where the adrenal glands do not produce enough hormones that mediate many cellular processes. Caused by damage to the adrenal glands by an autoimmune disorder or direct trauma,...
An area of fat on the upper back, between the shoulder blades and just below the base of the neck, is referred to as a buffalo hump. An accumulation of fat in this area can be indicative of excess weight or a symptom of a disease.
Cortisol is a steroid hormone produced in the adrenal cortex, the outer portion of the adrenal glands located at the top of the kidneys. Physicians often use cortisol tests to diagnose serious adrenal disorders. If a physician determines that a...
Sitting above each kidney is an adrenal gland. These glands are part of the lymphatic system and are responsible for producing cortisol, a hormone that has many vital functions including maintaining blood pressure, slowing the inflammation...
Cushing's disease is a hormonal disorder. In this syndrome, there are excessive amounts of the hormone cortisol in the body. Cortisol is made in the adrenal glands and is released in response to stress. It has many effects on the body, including...
Your adrenal glands, located on top of your kidneys, secrete hormones including cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone, or DHEA, which effectively help you manage stress. Pregnenolone is the precursor hormone from which stress hormones are made,...
Addison's disease is a type of adrenal gland insufficiency, which is a disorder characterized by the inability of the adrenal glands to produce adequate amounts of hormones. In those with Addison's disease, the adrenal glands don't produce...
According to MayoClinic.com, insufficient adrenal hormones, including cortisol, can result in symptoms like "fatigue, body aches, unexplained weight loss, low blood pressure, lightheadedness, (and) loss of body hair." Seek a competent physician...
The human body has two adrenal glands, which are symmetrically placed in the trunk. They are located directly on top of each kidney. Adrenal glands are part of the endocrine system, a complex network of glands that produce hormones. Hormones...
Leg hair loss might seem like a strange reason to rush to the doctor. However, it can actually indicate some serious health problems. Before you panic, know it might be caused by something as benign as aging, especially in post-menopausal women or...
When melanin, the skin's pigment, bunches together in excess to form dark spots on the back, the condition is called hyperpigmentation. Hyperpigmentation itself has a few different common causes, but the options for remedying dark spots are...
Excessive cortisol can cause a number of pathological conditions in the body. Considered a "stress hormone," the adrenal hormone cortisol acts to raise blood pressure and blood sugar when we are bombarded by short-term stress. Long-term...
