Probiotics and the Pituitary Gland
Gut-brain axis, the endocrine system, journeys in health
In 2018, I began having intense headaches. The pain was excruciating. I could not function. I could not eat or drink. And they lasted ten to eleven days. The first occurred on a trip to Colorado in November. My friend and I thought it may be due to the altitude. We were staying with a friend whose home was at 6,800 feet. It didn’t totally make sense since I had been at higher altitudes in the past—11,000 feet at a fishing camp and 12,500 feet on a hiking trip with my son while he was in Boy Scouts. I didn’t get sick those times. But on this trip, I started feeling a headache coming on. I took a few Ibuprofen and didn’t think much of it until the next day, when I started feeling nauseous. We decided to head home to be safe, thinking the lower elevation would help. It was a rough 8.5-hour ride home, with several emergency stops along the way.
This first headache lasted a few days. I thought to myself that maybe I was starting to get migraines—that is, until I got one in February 2019.
The last week of February was cold, and I had to make 2,000 gallons of activated EM for a customer. Every pump I had broke that week, and I needed to pump several hundred gallons of molasses to make the batch. Molasses gets thick in the cold—really thick, almost solid. I got the product made, working until midnight; starting at 8 am, I was pretty tired, and the stress was intense. That night, I started feeling a headache. For the next 11 days, I couldn’t eat or drink, not realizing I was getting more and more dehydrated. On the 9th day of this headache, my wife took me to a medical center in the hope of getting rid of the nausea so I could eat and drink and maybe get a bag of saline (which they said they had when my wife called). They gave me an antinausea pill and said they were out of saline. We went back home. I was able to drink a little and try to get some sleep. I couldn’t get more than an hour of sleep. Two days later, I was in the Emergency Room, barely able to stand or speak. I had lost ten pounds, was severely dehydrated, and my sodium had dropped to 113 mEq/L. I was told I was lucky to be alive.
At this point, I was unable to maintain my body temperature and was losing consciousness. They ran several tests on me and admitted me. I don’t remember the first three days I was in the hospital. I do recall starting to nod off and having an aide or blood tech wake me up to take blood, weigh me, or take my vitals. When you are dehydrated, they start adding sodium solution and draw blood every two hours to avoid raising the sodium levels too quickly, which could cause damage to the brain. My sodium steadily increased over the next 48 hours, and then it went up too fast to 135 mEq/L. The doctors got nervous and added lighter saline, diluted the sodium back down to 120 mEq/L, and added more slowly until it was 132 mEq/L. At that point, I had been in the hospital for 9 days and had been lucky to get 1 hour of sleep per day. (With the eleven-day migraine prior, it had been roughly twenty days since I had had a full night’s sleep.) I asked to be given some time to sleep. The nurse on the shift allowed me to get four hours of sleep, which was great. However, the next shift’s nurse didn’t allow it.
On the morning of the 10th day, a doctor came in the room around 5 am, said I was doing great and could go home that day, and shut off the machine pumping fluids into my veins. A few hours later, I was blamed for being non-compliant and shutting the machine off myself. By 9:30 a.m., a new nurse came in and discussed this, during which I explained that I had not shut the machine off. She then noticed a note from the doctor that, in fact, he had shut off the machine and issued orders to release me. She told me I could go home and call someone for a ride. Elated, I called home to get a ride, got home at about 11:30 a.m., and promptly went to bed for long-awaited sleep. I couldn’t sleep. I was over-tired. Around 1 pm, the nurse called my cell and asked where I was. I told her I went home since she said I could. Having never been in a hospital in my adult life, I did not know I was supposed to sign anything.
A few hours later, I started feeling strange, shaky, and a bit nauseous. I took my blood pressure, and it was 185/120. I immediately called the nurse. She told me she would speak with the doctor and call me back. I asked if I should head back to the hospital. She said I shouldn’t, but she would speak with the doctor. She never called. I went back to bed.
Later that night, I awoke feeling strange, thinking about the word infinity. My mind was trying to understand it or comprehend it. I called my son into my room, telling him I had figured it out. He looked at me, a bit taken aback, and said I was scaring him. I kept talking. He called 911. I could hear the entire conversation, but I couldn’t respond. Then I heard my son tell the 911 operator, “He is turning red and shaking really fast.” The 911 operator said, “Where is he?” On the bed, my son said. “Okay, stay away; someone is on the way.” I had another seizure after the first one. When I came to from the second seizure, I saw several firefighters standing in my bedroom. One of them asked me if I could get on the stretcher. I said yes and passed out. The last thing I remember with them was being in the ambulance and feeling a knuckle in my chest and a man’s voice saying, “Stay with me!”
Three days later, I woke up in the ICU, intubated.
After multiple CT scans, MRIs, and staying at two hospitals for fourteen days, they discharged me without knowing what was going on. It wasn’t until a year later, 4 more multi-day migraines later, that I had something similar to a seizure where I lost my ability to move or speak and was totally aware of my surroundings. My wife took me to a hospital nearby and explained my symptoms to a fairly young doctor. He said, “I think I know what it is, but I’ll have to run a bunch of tests before I say anything.” A CT and several tests later, he told us he was 99% sure I had a pituitary tumor and would need to get an MRI with contrast to confirm.
This was a life-changing event, and the healing journey was about to begin.
The pituitary gland is often called the "master gland." It is crucial in regulating various bodily functions by producing and releasing hormones that control other endocrine glands. Located at the base of the brain, it is about the size of a pea. The pituitary gland consists of two main parts: the anterior pituitary (adenohypophysis) and the posterior pituitary (neurohypophysis). (The anterior is toward the front, and the posterior is toward the back.)
The anterior pituitary synthesizes and secretes several important hormones, including growth hormone (GH), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and prolactin. These hormones regulate growth, metabolism, stress response, reproduction, and lactation, among other functions.
On the other hand, the posterior pituitary stores and releases hormones produced by the hypothalamus, namely oxytocin and vasopressin (an antidiuretic hormone). These hormones are involved in childbirth, breastfeeding, water balance, and blood pressure regulation.
Pituitary tumors are abnormal growths that develop in the pituitary gland. While most pituitary tumors are noncancerous (benign) and do not spread beyond the skull, they can still cause health problems due to their size and the hormones they produce. Depending on their size and location, pituitary tumors can interfere with hormone production and regulation, leading to a variety of symptoms such as headaches, vision problems, hormonal imbalances, and, in some cases, even neurological complications.
The incidence of pituitary tumors is relatively common, with studies suggesting that they may be present in up to 20% of the adult population, although most are small and remain undiagnosed. However, larger tumors or those that secrete hormones can cause significant health issues and require medical intervention, such as surgery, medication, or radiation therapy.
Emerging research suggests that certain probiotic strains may influence the gut-brain axis, which could indirectly affect the endocrine system, including the pituitary gland. Probiotics can help maintain a healthy balance of gut bacteria, which in turn can support overall health, including hormonal regulation.
While specific probiotic strains have not been conclusively linked to directly targeting the pituitary gland, probiotics may indirectly support endocrine function by promoting gut health and reducing inflammation, positively affecting hormone regulation. Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species are among the most commonly studied and utilized probiotics, with some evidence suggesting their potential benefits for immune function and gut health, which are closely intertwined with endocrine function.
In summary, the pituitary gland plays a vital role in regulating various bodily functions through hormone secretion. Pituitary tumors, although usually benign, can lead to hormonal imbalances and other health issues. While the direct impact of probiotics on the pituitary gland is not fully understood, maintaining gut health with probiotic supplements and probiotic foods may indirectly support endocrine function and overall well-being. The endocrine system is very complicated and responds differently for everyone.
References
Alexandraki, K. I., & Grossman, A. B. (2019). Management of Hypopituitarism. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 8(12). https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm8122153
Nemati, M., Ebrahimi, B. & Montazeri-Najafabady, N. Probiotics ameliorate endocrine disorders via modulating inflammatory pathways: a systematic review. Genes Nutr 19, 7 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12263-024-00743-8
Ruggeri, C. (2017, February 27). Hypopituitarism Symptoms, Causes & 8 Natural Remedies. https://draxe.com/health/hypopituitarism/