What is the significance of the “HPA axis”?
Our bodies have several places where major aspects of our internal systems are regulated. The hypothalamus is in the brain and controls temperature and decides whether there is a threat to the body. If there is, its role is to warn the rest of the body, including the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland is also in the brain and is an endocrine gland. In response to signals from several locations, it secretes hormones that influence body growth, metabolism, and the activity of other endocrine glands. The adrenal glands are also endocrine and are located above each kidney. They produce epinephrine and Norepinephrine and a variety of steroid hormones. Each of these glands influencing and functioning together is called the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis. It is important to us because the abnormalities that have been found can be traced back to being a dysfunction in the HPA axis.
