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A Miraculous Medicine (Cortisol)
 Shortly,
we will examine the aspects of another marvel-a hormone
called "Cortisol." But this hormone has such a varied
function in the human body that we must note a point
before we begin.
The fact that a hormone can activate a cell is in itself
a wonder because, in order for a hormone to affect this
cell, it must activate the inner systems of the cell.
This happens either by attaching to a receptor on the
membrane of the cell, or by direct entry into the cell
and activating a mechanism inside. But in each case,
it is necessary that the hormone molecule be specially
designed for the cell it will act on. If there is the
slightest incompatibility in the structure of the hormone
molecule and its receptor, the cell will not be affected.
For this reason, the relation between the hormone and
the receptor on the cell it affects has been compared
to a lock and a key.
Thanks to its flawless design, the cortisol hormone
can affect the liver cells just as it affects
the capillary vessels. This is compared to a lock-and-key
relationship with the cells. |
When we examine the effects of cortisol, we discover
a very important fact. God has created security systems
in the human body and He has placed locks in the cells
of each of these different security systems; only a
single key can open these locks. For example, this key
can be inside a capillary cell, or it can also be in
a liver cell. This allows different cells to go into
concerted action towards a common goal. No doubt, this
is an example of God's artistry in creation; it is also
a proof of the evolutionist deceit. The fact that different
cells are programmed to work together towards a common
goal, and that there is a central system that makes
this program work, shows once again the invalidity of
the myth of chance as proposed by the theory of evolution.
The cortisol hormone works inside the human body fighting
on different fronts against pain, wounds, infection,
overheating, hypothermia, allergies, lack of oxygen,
hunger, and factors that increase body temperature.
As we examine the functions of cortisol, we must not
forget that unconscious cells that cannot know where
it will be used produce this hormone. These cells can
never be consciously aware of the fronts on which cortisol
fights.
Now, let us examine briefly the functions performed
by this wonder called "cortisol" produced in the adrenal
glands, and let us see once again how the artistry of
God is manifested in the aspects of the human body.
At each stage, ask yourself if this system could have
come into being by evolution, and the answer will show
the real nature of the theory of evolution.
The Functions of Cortisol
- It takes measures in advance to heal wounds:
Adrenaline prepares a person for the
moment of danger, whereas cortisol prepares the human
body for what is likely to happen after the danger has
passed. For example, it mobilizes the amino acids to
go into action in the case of a wound.29
At the moment a wound occurs, these amino acids are
the raw materials that will be used in the reconstruction
of the tissue.
- It reduces the sense of pain when a wound
occurs:
When a person is injured, the cortisol hormone
goes into action without his knowing it. |
This is the reason that some people
do not feel pain at the time they receive a wound (and
even for some time afterwards).30
As a result, a person can find the strength to defend
himself, run away, or fight even though he has been
wounded.
The sense of pain is communicated by the nerve cells.
But how do the cells that produce the cortisol know
the mechanism that slows down, and partially stops the
electrical impulses of the nerve cells?
- In times of emergency it converts fats
and proteins into sugar:
In order for body and brain cells to be nourished,
sugar is required; all cells need a continuous supply
of sugar, otherwise, the person will soon die.
When someone is hungry, if there are
no nutrients from which sugar can be obtained, the amount
of sugar in the blood will drop. In this situation,
cortisol comes into play and does not allow the body
to remain without sugar. It ensures the conversion of
stored fats and proteins into sugar, keeping the level
of blood sugar within safe limits.31
There are highly efficient refineries within tiny
cells converting fat to sugar. |
Fat or protein (or both) are converted to sugar. This
function is really highly complex. To change one material
into another is to completely alter the composition
of the molecules. If a fat molecule or a protein molecule
were enlarged trillions of times and placed on a table,
most persons would not know which atoms had to exchange
places with others. However, inside the cells are refineries
that accomplish this change through a very complex operation.
The cortisol hormone knows the stages in the process
of this change. It is designed to open the lock that
will allow this change to begin. How do the cells that
produce cortisol know the shape of the key required
to start the operation that will convert fat or protein
to sugar? How do they know what operation is needed
to convert the formula of the fat molecule (CH3-(CH2)n-COOH)
into the formula of the sugar molecule (CH2OH)?
- In emergencies it gives priority to the
nourishment of the brain and heart:
Cortisol molecules go into operation
in emergencies and produce a drop in the body's utilization
of sugar. But here is another wonder; the effect of
the emergency is not felt on vital organs such as the
brain and the heart. To give an analogy, just as in
times of emergency, economic resources are deployed
in particular areas of a nation, so the cortisol molecules
give a mobilization order and give priority to the nourishment
of the heart and the brain, curtailing the nourishment
of other cells.32
How do cortisol molecules know that some cells are
more vital than others?
It arranges the contraction and constriction of the
blood vessels:
Earlier we saw that blood vessels
are not rigidly fixed pipes, but because the muscles
around them can contract and relax, the diameter of
the vessels can be changed when the need arises. The
command to become narrow reaches the blood vessels by
means of various hormones. Cortisol arranges the response
of the blood vessels to the constricting and dilating
factors that affect them, and thus performs another
important function in emergencies.33
How does cortisol know the system according to which
the muscles around the blood vessels contract, and how
can it organize the response of these vessels to the
contraction-dilation factors of the system?
- It checks the movement of water:
Cortisol prevents fluid from entering cells when it
is not required. Thus, it helps to maintain the stability
of the blood volume. How does a cortisol molecule know
that fluid has a tendency to enter the cells? And how
does it know the methods required to keep the fluid
outside? More importantly, how does it determine when
fluid must be kept outside the cells, not all the time,
but just at those times when it is necessary?
- In times of danger, to prevent a rise in
body temperature, it inhibits the production of the
relevant hormone:
Another wonderful effect of the cortisol hormone is
seen in the case of high fever. A rise in body temperature
is a sign that the human body is fighting an illness.
This rise in temperature requires that a person rest
and sleep. The rise in temperature is not a side effect
of the sickness; fever is a specially adjusted security
precaution to force a person who is fighting an illness
to rest. The rise in temperature is caused by the "temperature
center" in the brain, which is activated by a substance
called IL-1 (interleukin).
Cortisol is also designed to deal
with excessive body temperature. When a person is in
danger of death due to high body temperature, cortisol
lowers the temperature by inhibiting the production
of IL-1, which activates the temperature center.34
How does cortisol know that IL-1 raises a person's
body temperature and that high body temperature is dangerous
for a human being? How does it know where IL-1 is produced
and how does it make a decision to inhibit its production?
A rise in body temperature is caused by the temperature
center in the brain. A complex molecule called
IL-1 activates this center. If a condition becomes
a threat, cortisol stops the secretion of this
material. |
- It organizes the production of some proteins,
which are very important for human life:
When you are in a difficult situation,
cortisol takes all your needs into account separately,
one by one. It increases the production of hemoglobin,
white corpuscles, and thrombocytes in the bone marrow
and thereby raises their blood levels.35
A single molecule too small for the eye to detect has
a number of particularities, skills and responsibilities.
For this molecule to perform its functions, it must
have been specially designed for these special tasks.
This hormone is another instance of the harmony and
flawless design in God's creation.
... My Lord encompasses all things
in His knowledge so will you not pay heed? (Qur'an,
6: 80)
29 Cortisol:The "Stress Hormone"
http://stress.about.com/library/weekly/aa012901a.htm
30 "Cortisone", http://www.soton. ac.uk/~gk/scifi/cortisone.htm
31 Biyoloji 2 (Biology 2), p. 131
32 Invitation To Biology, p. 472
33 Ic Hastaliklari (Internal Diseases), p. 267
34 Ic Hastaliklari (Internal Diseases), p. 267
35 Oguz Kayaalp, Rasyonel Tedavi Yonunden Tibbi Farmakoloji
(Medical Pharmacology According to Rational Treatment),
Ankara, Feryal Press, 1993, p. 2582
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