This test is a measure of serum cortisol (also known as hydrocortisone), or urine cortisol, (also known as urinary free cortisol), an important hormone produced by a pair of endocrine glands called the adrenal glands. This test is performed on patients...

A hormone of the GLUCOCORTICOIDS group. See also: corticosteroids; endocrine glands; hor-mones;...

Cortisol is a corticosteroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex (in the adrenal gland). It is a vital hormone that is often referred to as the "stress hormone" as it is involved in the response to stress. It increases blood pressure, blood sugar...

STACK OF THE MONTH Lifting weights puts a huge stress on the body. Most of that is good stress, if you train and eat properly. At the end of a workout, for example, your levels of testosterone and growth hormone are typically much...

Whoever said, "One man's stress is another man's pleasure," probably did not know how profound that statement would be when it comes to our health and longevity. Excessive or chronic stress has a detrimental effect on the optimal functioning of the immune system...

Heart disease patients who practiced meditation for four months showed slight improvements in blood pressure and insulin levels, a small, government-funded study found. Patients who learned Transcendental Meditation did better on those measures than patients who spent the same amount...

SUMMER JOB SEARCHING: When it comes to job searching this summer, let everyone else take a vacation. Many job-seekers wait until after Labor Day to shift their search into high gear, but the lazy days of summer are a prime time to get a jump...