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How May My HealthCare Professional,
Determine If The High Cortisol Value, is
Active or Bound?
By Alfred J. Plechner, D.V.M.
When there is an over production of cortisol, this is called Cushing
syndrome. But the real Cushing syndrome is an excess production of active
cortisol, produced by the middle layer of the adrenal cortex. Dr. Harvey Cushing
identified a tumor in the pituitary gland that produced a hormone called ACTH,
which caused the middle layer adrenal cortex to produce too much active cortisol.
It is thought that a tumor of this middle layer, adrenal cortex, may also cause
the production of too much active cortisol. It is also thought that giving too
much cortisone can cause an increased production of active cortisone which is
true, if the cells in the middle adrenal cortex are still productive, or this
cannot happen. If these cells are still productive, and exogenous steroids are,
this is referred to as iatrogenic, which means that the use of a cortisol
replacement by your healthcare professional has caused this excess production of
active cortisol. It is also thought that, providing cortisone to a patient, may
lead to an inflammation of the pancreas, including the possibility of diabetes.
This has been proven wrong. The general belief, now, with the educated
healthcare professionals, is that the disease causes the pancreatic problems. It
is not the cortisone replacement.
How do you know that an elevated amount of cortisol is active or inactive? An
elevated, empirical, amount of cortisol, does not guarantee that it will work in
that patient. You may be told that the cortisol level is elevated, so it may be
important to give the patient a chemical to reduce the amount of cortisol that
is being produced from the middle layer adrenal cortex. These levels may be
empirical, and can only be proven viable, by looking at those levels, that
active cortisol regulates. If these levels of high cortisol are bound or
defective, the chemical, given to reduce these high, but defective levels, may
really hurt the patient. Because my findings have not been accepted, do not mean
they do not exist.
Empirical levels of cortisol will never be the answer to helping the patient.
Even if your healthcare specialists do not relate to this, they can relate to
the fact, that doing a complete blood count called a CBC, may show a deficiency
in two types of white blood cells. Those deficiencies include a reduced number
of lymphocytes and eosinophils. If these cells are present in normal numbers,
this may be an inactive cortisol. If these cells, are in a reduced state, the
elevated volume of cortisol is probably active, and the use of chemical
intervention may be indicated and of value. If this chemical is used in a
patient that has high, inactive, cortisol, could cause that patient to lose
their life.
It sounds like it is time, to do comparative levels, before the chemical
treatment is prescribed. By including total estrogen with Plechner's Syndrome,
this will give you much better insight as to whether the cortisol is active or
inactive. If the total estrogen is high, then the cortisol is inactive. If the
total estrogen is low, as well as the IgA, IgM and IgG, the high cortisol is
active, and may be a true Cushing Syndrome. To do a cortisol stimulation test,
if the cortisol is inactive, may be of little value in diagnosing while trying
to diagnose this disorder.
Because the laboratory indicates that there is an over abundance of cortisol,
does not mean the laboratory test is accurate. Also, are you seeing actual signs
of an increased, active cortisol?
What are the signs you might expect to see, with an active excess of cortisol?
You should see increased consumption of water and increased urination. There
should be hair loss without inflammation and pruritis [itchiness]. Even though
there may be calcification of the skin, this also occurs in other disorders
besides with a high level, defective or bound cortisol. This can also occur with
kidney disease, diabetes, irritable bowel syndrome, an IgA deficiency, a
digestive enzyme deficiency, chronic intestinal parasites and a food, too high
in oil based foods. Let's go from here.
Please check out, all, the above first, and if any of the above clinical
syndromes are not involved, it is time to check to see if the high cortisol is
really real. I have already indicated ways to determine this, but are there
other things that can cause an elevated cortisol result which may be defective?
First of all, you need to guarantee, that the serum sample is spun down, and
refrigerated immediately. The use of a temperature strip may be the thing of the
future, to make sure the sample arrives refrigerated. The laboratory needs to
also keep all these samples refrigerated. It is common practice at many
laboratories to leave samples out, and to run them in batches. If this is done,
all the cortisols plus other hormones and antibodies may be abnormally high.
Again, this may lead to the use of a chemical, to reduce the elevated cortisol,
which only occurred, because the serum was improperly handled, and reached room
temperature or higher.
Why not use Plechner's Syndrome and receive the results that are comparative
and not empirical?
If the blood sample is to be handled correctly, you need to send the sample
to qualified laboratories, because many of these laboratories have neither the
staff nor equipment to guarantee you and your healthcare professional accurate
results. Improper handling of the blood plus inaccurate results, could lead to a
catastrophe for either you or your pet. But if you are not sure of this
laboratory, there is a laboratory listed on my home page that is qualified.
It is very important to realize, that even though there may be a large amount
of inactive cortisol present, its presence may still cause clinical side
effects. This is important to know, because, if active cortisol is given, a
lower dose of the exogenous cortisol might be used, to reduce the possibilities
of increased water consumption and increased urination.
If the IgA level is below 60, in you or your pet, administration of an active
cortisol will not be absorbed and the problem will continue. Please do not
accept any cortisol level, without considering the possibilities, this might
lead to an inaccurate result that could cause you or your pet fatal damage.
Recent evidence from prominent schools of veterinary medicine, indicate that
elevated levels of estrogen can mimic high, active cortisol. What kind of
cortisol replacement will be efficient for you and your pet or pets?
If you have tried homeopathic, holistic and herbal replacement, with little
to no response, you must realize this layer, of the adrenal gland, may be
permanently damaged, and not merely fatigued. You need to realize, that you
cannot enhance the integrity of tissue that is permanently damaged. To give to
you or your pet embryonic or adult remnants of the organs that produce these
hormones is naive. These remnants are digested by the enzymes that are present,
and only enter the blood stream as proteins and amino acids, and not hormones!
Western synthetics may be your only hope but in the early phases, only through
injections and not oral supplementation.
It is thought by the medical profession, that on the water retention scale,
Hydrocortisone is a 2, which is the highest, and Prednisolone is a 1. However
Prednisone is preferred by most medical doctors. Interestingly enough, the
doctors are afraid that a cortisone supplement may cause liver damage, yet they
still use Prednisone, which needs to be converted in the liver, to Prednisolone!
Why? The use of Medrol in dogs and in humans may provide the least water
retention. Cats usually do very well on Prednisolone. Horses seem to do best on
thyroid hormone, because their cortisol imbalances are often due to adrenal
suppression that may be temporary or due to the use of feed with elevated levels
of estrogen present. Different hays, throughout the country may be to blame. I
do not believe this is recognized just yet.
The importance of this article is to be aware, and not fall into those
tragedies that have occurred do to inaccurate laboratory results and an absence
of realizing the difference between active and inactive cortisols.
Other hormones that occur in the body may also fall into this category. This
is why salivary and 24 hour urine tests have been developed. These tests may
distinguish between free and bound hormones, but what is the guarantee, that the
receptor sights, for the use of these active hormones, are not blocked? There
are no guarantees!
You must observe the clinical signs and symptoms of your patient, and decide
the best way to heal that patient and not your wallet!
Copyright ©2009
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