It’s mental health awareness week and there is something amazing going on. I would like to start off today by introducing you to an article about the connection between cortisol levels in the body and its link to mental health. As I’ve mentioned before we are such an intricate web of interconnectedness and if one balance is off it will set off a chain affect so it is important that we look at all the connections in order to be as vibrant, full of energy and positive as possible.
There is deep wisdom within our very flesh, if we can only come to our senses and feel it. Elizabeth A. Behnke
Cortisol and the Link to Mental Health
By Rheyanne Weaver HERWriter September 27, 2011
Cortisol is a hormone that most people associate with stress. The adrenal gland produces cortisol, and the hormone helps in different body functions and systems, including stress responses, the immune system, nervous system and circulatory system, according to an article on a National Institutes of Health website. It also helps metabolize fats, protein and carbohydrates.
Cortisol has many functions, but it also affects overall mental health. When a person gets stressed, the body reacts in certain ways. Different hormones are secreted, including cortisol, according to the textbook “Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach.”
However, if cortisol secretions get out of control over time, the hormone can kill nerve cells in a certain area of the brain called the hippocampus. Physical and mental functioning can be harmed in response to chronic stress, and this long-term stress and cortisol secretions can lead to dementia in some cases and the inability to fight off infectious diseases.
Read the full article
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