Cortisol

Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) was added to the third edition of the American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders back in 1980, but the disease existed way before that with the start of the Vietnam War. It is defined as a traumatic event that was conceptualized as a catastrophic stressor that was outside the range of usual human experience. The outline of the original PTSD diagnosis had in mind events such as war, torture, rape, atomic bombings,…

A critical Review of Jasienska. G, 2009, Low Birth Rate of Contemporary African Americans: An Intergenerational Effect of Slavery? American Journal of Human Biology. This article’s aim is to analyses slavery as being a lasting intergenerational effect on the low birth weights of modern African Americans. The article succeeds in its analysis through its identification of racial disparity in birth weight being social and environmental causes not genetic. Also a success is its use of other…

communication between the two halves of the cerebellum (Tim 1). The irregularities in the corpus callosum could account for this cognitive impairment (Tim 1). In 2006 Vaillancourt discovered higher levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in boys who had been bullied and significantly lower levels of cortisol in bullied girls (Tim 1). Every six months, the teens cognitive functioning is evaluated and their brains are scanned using magnetic resonance imaging to…

Imagine waking up every morning to the same stressful questionings: will I eat today? Where will I sleep tonight? When will I be put out of my misery? Throughout my quest in Montreal last Saturday, November 26th 2016, I was lucky enough to meet Nicole Saint-Coeur, sitting outside of Old Brewery Mission. The conversation we had led me to reflect on her personal story and homelessness as a social issue, the process and reliability of the interview, which are all subjects I will explore in this…

way to relieve stress. According to the journal, Stress and Health, an experiment showed that gum chewers have less extreme stress with work and life, and less likely to have depression. Chewing gum is associated with decreasing anxiety and lower cortisol levels (Covington). No one is fully sure why it relieves stress but it’s most likely the flavor. People who completed certain tasks involving their memories, had a faster reaction and longer attention span than those not chewing gum…

traditional oncology nursing and suggest that those energy therapies have a positive effect on symptoms associated with cancer. Studies have also found using Reiki therapy decreases stress hormones, improves blood pressure and heart rate, decreases cortisol levels, and increases natural killer cells and improved overall quality of life (Birocco et al., 2012; Díaz-Rodríguez et al., 2011). The effects of Reiki therapy in the management of anxiety, global wellness, and pain in cancer patients,…

electroencephalography studies in the face of at least two seizures per week and resistance to two antiepileptic drugs (Gillins). Certain laboratory studies can help differentiate PNES from epileptic seizure, such as, prolactin levels, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), cortisol, white blood cell count, lactate dehydrogenase, pCO2, ammonia, and neuron specific…

they are found and diagnosed early. A pituitary tumor may produce hormones (functioning tumor) or not (nonfunctioning tumor). A pituitary tumor may cause: Cushing disease. In this disease, the pituitary gland produces too much of a hormone called cortisol. This causes fat to build up in the face, back, and chest while the arms and legs become thin. Acromegaly. This is a condition in which the hands, feet, and face are larger than normal.…

SSRI stands for selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor. It is a drug prescribed to treat depression, anxiety disorders, panic attacks and personality disorders by manipulating particular neurotransmitting systems regulating such as serotonin, a brain chemical which regulates mood as well as appetite and mood. Serotonin is naturally produced in the body and kept at a certain level, but SSRIs can increase at level by blocking (inhibiting) the reabsorption (reuptake) of serotonin. Once considered a…

physicians to order lab tests of BUN, creatinine, and electrolytes and begin fluid replacement therapy. According to his diagnostic tests, his orthostatic hypotension was not due to adrenal insufficiency (which can be cause hyponatremia) because his cortisol stimulation test came back negative. Anemia can also present concomitantly with orthostatic hypotension especially due to hypovolemia and exacerbate it due to less oxygen delivery to the body, and the patient did have decreased Hgb, Hct and…