Page 95 - The Miracle of Hormones

lmost everyone knows that there are two
kidneys and that they are of vital impor-
A tance, but most people do not know that
there are two small pieces of tissue, weighing only 5-6
grams each, on top of both kidneys that are also of vital
importance.
When we examine these glands, called the adrenal
glands, each one is two separate laboratories. The first
of these is the external part of the adrenal gland (the
adrenal cortex), which produces three different hor-
mones; the second is the internal part of the adrenal
gland (the adrenal medulla), which produces two dif-
ferent hormones. The hormones produced by these
glands are so important that the secretion of too much
or too little of them results in death. 22

The Fight or Flight System

Some people owe their lives to a miraculous hor-
mone called adrenaline: when these people are in
danger, this fluid makes them stronger, more agile,
faster and more attentive. It even doubles their phys-
ical capacities as if they had drunk a very powerful
potion to give them strength. For example, a pilot
notices a mechanical failure in his plane while fly-
ing. After a mechanical failure, which threatened
to bring down his plane, a heroic pilot lands safe-
ly at the airport, saving the lives of hundreds of
passengers. But there is a very important point
that journalists usually fail to add: what saved
the lives of the pilot and the passengers was
that marvelous fluid mentioned above.