Acute, severe trauma and chronic tension induce body hormonal imbalances. Low serum-cortisol levels and elevated blood catecholamine concentrations typify anxiety disorders caused by physical and emotional stress. About 7 million Americans suffer...
Catecholamines play an important role in your mental health. They are substances composed of small molecules that act as both a hormone and neurotransmitter. Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that mediate communication between neurons across...
There are two kidneys found in the body and each kidney has an adrenal gland located above it. The adrenal glands are endocrine glands--hormone-producing glands that lack openings and secrete hormones directly into the bloodstream. Aldosterone,...
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, and there are 20 amino acids commonly found in foods. Of these, eight are essential amino acids that your body requires in the diet. The remaining 12 are nonessential amino acids that your body is...
The protein you consume gets broken down into amino acids. Your body uses some amino acids, such as tyrosine, to produce powerful chemicals compounds. Tyramine is a normal by-product of tyrosine metabolism. It is also found in high concentrations...
Intense physical exercise stimulates the secretion of many hormones, including androgens, growth hormones, cortisol and catecholamines. These hormonal changes occur in response to metabolic fluctuations that happen during a workout. The increased...
The adrenal glands secrete hormones that have various functions. They make and release corticosteroids, catecholamines, mineralocorticoids and androgens. These hormones affect blood pressure, fluid balance, electrolyte balance, immune response and...
Dopamine is a chemical made in your brain and in your adrenal glands. It transmits impulses between neurons, or nerve cells, and between brain regions. If a brain region produces too much or too little dopamine, neurological disorders such as...
A stress attack is also called a panic attack or an anxiety attack. Symptoms of a stress attack can occur at any time, day or night and under any circumstance. The cause of your stress attack can result from real threats to your health and safety...
Dopamine is a hormone in your body that helps your brain produce pleasure-related sensations. It belongs to a large group of chemicals called neurotransmitters, which help your brain send and receive an array of internal signals. (See References...
Hormones are produced by endocrine glands, which don't have any ducts. The adrenal glands are endocrine glands that are triangular in shape and located above the kidneys. These glands are divided into an inner and outer part. The inner part is the...
Vanillylmandelic acid, or VMA, is a substance found in the urine of a child who has a type of abdominal tumor called a neuroblastoma. The VMA test was once used to diagnose another type of tumor – pheochromocytoma – but is now a...
Stress carries a three-fold definition, depending upon whether you are measuring the physical response, emotional response, or the biological response in the human body. Yet despite differences in exhibited symptoms, the underlying biological...
A heart attack, or myocardial infarction, can happen to both men and women. According to American Heart Association (AHA), 565,000 men in 2006 had heart attacks that resulted in 76,100 deaths. It is important for men to know and recognize the...
Adrenaline, also called epinephrine, is a hormone secreted by your adrenal glands, which sit on top of each of your kidneys. Once released by these glands, adrenaline produces a variety of effects on your body, including increases in your heart...
Everyone will have good days and bad days -- hopefully with the good outweighing the bad. People taking dopamine supplements are perhaps hoping to find more good days measured by increased energy and mood elevation. The catecholamine dopamine is a...
The adrenal glands are hormone manufacturing organs located in the area above the kidneys. These glands produce hormones that are classified as catecholamines, corticosteroids, mineralocorticoids and androgens. Hormones of the adrenal glands...
Using celery juice to alleviate high blood pressure is a Chinese folk remedy that has not been proven in humans through laboratory trials. According to High Blood Pressure Info, celery contains the compound phthalide, which helped lower blood...
The adrenal glands are endocrine glands found in the body. Endocrine glands secrete hormones into the bloodstream and are located in different parts of the body. There are two adrenal glands in the body, and each one is located on top of a kidney....
Epinephrine and norepinephrine are hormones classified as catecholamines. They are produced by the adrenal glands, which are found on top of the kidneys. If you're under physical or emotional stress, the adrenal glands release a surge of these...
The adrenal glands are a set of paired organs located on top of the kidneys. Their function, however, is unrelated to that of the kidneys. Rather than providing filtration and excretion like the kidneys do, the adrenal glands are hormone...
Tyrosine is an amino acid that is synthesized by your body and also acquired from sources of dietary protein. Like all amino acids, tyrosine is a building block of proteins, which are vital components of virtually all molecular biological...
Norepinephrine is a neurotransmitter chemical produced by your brain. This chemical, medically characterized as a catecholamine along with dopamine and serotonin, is released into your bloodstream during times of stress or fear, according to the...
Your body synthesizes many important biological compounds using the amino acid tyrosine as an ingredient. Coenzyme Q10, melanin, thyroid hormone, dopamine, epinephrine and norepinephrine are a few of the chemicals tyrosine helps make possible....
As you age, your blood levels of some hormones decrease, some increase and some remain the same. An article published in 2006 in "The New York Times Health Guide" describes how these hormonal fluctuations can cause you to experience troubling...
Having a blood sample taken may not be the most pleasant experience, but it can help you find out the status of your health and if there are problems, what you may need to do to correct them. If your doctor orders a blood test, you may have it...
Caffeine is a bitter alkaloid found in several plants, where it serves as a deterrent to predatory insects. In effect, this substance is a natural pesticide that immobilizes and even kills certain insects after feeding on the leaves of its host....
The adrenal glands produce hormones and are found above the kidneys. These organs are associated with diseases that occur as a result of hormone imbalance. These conditions may be due to excessive or low amounts of the hormones associated with the...
Dopamine is a neuron produced in the brain that serves the body in several important capacities, most notably as a hormone and neurotransmitter. From these two capacities, dopamine regulates key functions within the cognitive brain and central...
Adrenal gland cancers are rare cancers occurring in the endocrine tissue of the adrenal glands and are characterized by overproduction of adrenal gland hormones. Learn about the symptoms and treatment options in this video.
