Epinephrine is a hormone produced in the body under threat and helps the system to fight against it by increasing the heart rate, circulation and respiration. It enhances energy supply to the central nervous system by release of glucose from the liver into the blood so that the brain and central nervous system use it, simultaneously preventing the use of glucose by other peripheral tissues especially the GI tract. It also helps the muscle to utilize glucose from its own glycogen stores thus sparing blood glucose for use by CNS. Additionally it releases fatty acids from adipose tissue to be used by other tissues. Due to its stimulatory effects on many of the body systems, epinephrine is successfully used clinically for therapeutic purpose. It is used as a drug to treat cardiac arrest and other cardiac dysrhythmias, for anaphylaxis, sepsis, as a bronchodilator for asthma, found in some brands of nasal spray and in local anesthetics for its vasoconstrictive action. Redundant epinephrine is the unwanted epinephrine that enters the body (through the food) or is produced in the body (by the action of amines taken through the food) when not required. Presence of surplus epinephrine in the body will cause various metabolic disturbances and may affect the normal health of the human being. The source of redundant epinephrine and its effect on human health is being discussed in this article.

Keywords: Migraine, Adrenaline, Biogenic amines, Longevity, Preterm birth, Libido.

Arthritis self-management education has demonstrated significant improvements in health distress, self-reported global health, and activity limitation, with trends toward improvement in self efficacy and mental stress management. Consequently, numerous national agencies have recommended arthritis self-management education to complement medical care. Despite these recommendations, arthritis self-management education has reached only a limited number of people. Compliance is also a persistent problem in standardized programs. As part of the Balancing Lupus Experiences with Stress Strategies (BLESS) Study, a validated psychosocial stress intervention was piloted among a cohort of African American lupus patients participating in an SLE database project at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Recruitment attempts were made with the 330 database participants who met eligibility requirements for the study. While enrollment was limited to 30 participants (n=15 controls and n=15 intervention), two of the participants assigned to the intervention group did not attend any intervention sessions and several participants did not complete post-intervention questionnaires. Therefore, data were analyzed on 30 participants at baseline, 25 (n=13 controls and n=12 intervention) at post-intervention, and 22 (n=12 controls and n=10 intervention) at four months post-intervention. In an effort to characterize those who fully participated in the study and those who were non-compliant or non-responsive to recruitment attempts, we obtained descriptive data from African-American Lupus patients participating in the SLE Clinic Database Project. This information can be used to develop and refine future intervention activities.

Keywords: Arthritis, BLESS, Balancing Lupus, Patients.