Page 13 - Winter2017
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The HPA Axis
Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal
An Introduction to the Major Hormones
that Operate and Maintain the Body
By Karen Lyke, MS, CCN, DSc, CGP
ife is a continuum of constant change. The body, the
vessel that houses us in the course of life’s journey,
Lis in a constant state of adaptation and adjustment.
In addition to the changes from conception, birth and child-
hood, puberty, to maturity, senescence and death, the body
has diurnal and seasonal rhythms, as well as others with
cosmic forces far beyond our present earthly cognizance.
It responds to stimuli and interactions with the external
environment as well as to fluctuations and changes within
itself.
Reception and response to external stimuli connect us with the world
around us. Internal processing of such input serves to shape and clarify who
we are, how we interact with the world, and what we give back to it.
WINTER 2017 Wise Traditions 13