Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom (117 page)

Surgery

Late hours, insufficient sleep

Trauma, injury

Temperature extremes

Chronic illness

Light-cycle disruption (shift work)

Chronic pain

Chronic illness

Lack of sunlight

Among the key hormones produced by the adrenals are adrenaline, which fuels the body’s fight-or-flight response; cortisol, a relative of the drugs prednisone and cortisone; and DHEA. The right balance be tween cortisol and DHEA is especially important for creating health daily.

Cortisol in the right amounts enhances your body’s natural resis tance and endurance. It:

Stimulates your liver to convert amino acids into glucose, a primary fuel for energy production

Counters allergies and inflammation

Helps regulate mood and maintain emotional stability

Stimulates increased production of glycogen in the liver for stor age of glucose

Maintains resistance to the stress of infections, physical trauma, emotional trauma, temperature extremes, and so on