> [Jefferies and Safe Uses of Cortisol] I don't think his arguments are correct. The amounts he sometimes prescribed weren't always safe. > [Cortef] I think William Jefferies' book created a lot of interest in that. Since ACTH can interfere with ovarian function, cortisol can sometimes help the ovaries to make [[progesterone]], by suppressing ACTH. But I knew people who followed his prescription and got Cushing's symptoms. [[Pregnenolone]] is something that can always be used with [[thyroid]], to guarantee an easy adrenal response. > [Why do prednisone users get [[diabetes]]?] The doses they prescribe as "replacement" are much more than the adrenals would produce, so they in themselves are diabetogenic. William Jefferies told people that, since the adrenals produce 20 mg of cortisol per day, they should take 30 or 40 mg, as a replacement dose, because only half of it is absorbed. They got fat faces quickly. Using [[pregnenolone]], they were able to taper off the cortisol in a month or two. > [Cortisol - Cortisone - Cortef] Cortisol works in the body although the body can convert cortisol to cortisone. Synthetic cortisol-like drugs, such as prednisone are more like cortisol. Also, hydrocortisone is a drug that acts like cortisol. The body makes 20 mg of cortisol daily. Taking 10 mg of prednisone is equivalent to about 50 mg of cortisol or 2.5 times the daily amount made in-vitro. Cortef is Hydrocortisone which acts like cortisol. > [Cortisol & weak adrenals] Cortisol is a little more water soluble than [[progesterone]], and a diurnal cycle can be seen in the saliva, but the absolute amounts aren't as meaningful as in the serum. [[thyroid]] is needed for the adrenals to function well, and adequate cholesterol, as raw material. It's popular to talk about "weak adrenals," but the adrenal cortex regenerates very well. Animal experimenters can make animals that lack the adrenal medulla by scooping out everything inside the adrenal capsule, and the remaining cells quickly regenerate the steroid producing tissues, the cortex. So I think the "low adrenal" people are simply low [[thyroid]], or deficient in cholesterol or nutrients. > Addison's disease, with adrenal cortex degeneration, can cause cortisol deficiency, in which case [[progesterone]] would compensate, but doctors often tell people they "don't have enough cortisol" without proper confirmation. [Would [[pregnenolone]] correct this?] [[Pregnenolone]] should usually do it, but [[progesterone]] is more certain if the adrenals are really destroyed.