Aldosterone article

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The Mineralcorticoids, especially Aldosterone, regulate the balance of minerals

in the cells, mainly sodium and potassium but magnesium is also affected. Stress

triggers the release of Aldosterone, which raises blood pressure by its action

on body cells to hold onto sodium and lose potassium and magnesium. Long-term

release of stress-level mineralcorticoids can cause a potasssium deficiency and

a magnesium imbalance as well as chronic water retention and high blood

pressure. Magnesium loss is an exceedingly important factor in our overall

health, being the most common cofactor for optimal enzyme function, but

magnesium deficiency is not commonly recognized by standard blood tests. Since

it is predominantly an intracelluar mineral, standard serum (the watery,

noncellular part of blood) tests do not adequately measure magnesium. A red

blood cell magnesium level test is better.

The adrenal cortex also makes all of the sex hormones, but in very small

amounts. One cortical hormone, DHEA, which is weakly androgenic, is made in

large amounts in both men and women; its production is greater than that of any

of the other corticosteroids. Its full range of functions is yet to be

understood. The sex hormones, as you have discovered in reading about estrogen

and progesterone, play a part in regulating many bodily functions and are

inextricably bound up with the balance of the adrenal hormones.

Cholesterol is a precursor to all of the adrenal cortex and sex hormones, and

progesterone is a precursor to Aldosterone, the mineralcorticoids that regulates

fluids in your cells, and cortisol. THIS MEANS THAT Aldosterone AND CORTISOL ARE

MADE FROM PROGESTERONE.

Now that you know how important Aldosterone and Cortisol are to bodily

functions, you can imagine what havoc a DEFICIENCY OF PROGESTERONE can wreak on

hormone balance and bodily functions.

IT IS NO WONDER THAT PROGESTERONE-DEFICIENT men and women are suffering from so

many illnesses.

* My note here: Men run out of Progesterone just as women do and supplementing

with about 20 mg. per day (10 mg. for men) for 3 weeks out of each month can go

a long way to BALANCING out the rest of the Hormone Cascade.

Progesterone is very easy to find in most any health food store.

Bonnie