Hormones

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FUNCTION OF HORMONES 

The function of the hormones is basically to regulate your body. It all sounds so simple, yet it’s a vastly complex scenario. Each gland is assigned a job and it does it automatically. It “pulls out” of the blood stream all the ingredients it requires to manufacturer the appropriate hormone, and then releases it back into the blood stream for delivery to the “targeted area”. Simple, very practical, effective and it works. This is a complete oversimplification, but in essence, that is what happens.

The job of hormones is to regulate your body’s activities and its chemistry: hence the messenger role term. It is important to remember all hormones work in unison and interact. Nothing in your body works in isolation. Hormones connect to every cell in your body, all day and all night long.

The major glands that make up the human endocrine system are the pituitary, hypothalamus, thyroid, parathyroid, pancreas, adrenals and the smaller ones include the pineal body and the reproductive glands (gonads), which include the ovaries and testes. There are also some digestive ones, which pertain to the digestive system.

 

WHAT HAPPENS IF HORMONES ARE OUT OF BALANCE:

• Neck and shoulder pain
• Headaches
• Chronic fatigue
• Brain fog
• Poor sleep
• Diabetes
• Osteoporosis
• Low libido
• Nervousness

HORMONE SYMPTOMS:

• Migraine, headaches
• Dermatitis
• Alzheimer’s
• Interstitial cystitis
• Fatigue
• Endometriosis
• Growth disorders
• Menopause
• Thyroid disorder
• Low sex drive
• Constipation
• Bladder irritability
• Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
• Bone density issues
• Pain
• Asthma
• Depression
• Anxiety
• PMS
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Aging
• Autism
• Chest pains
• Blood pressure

IMPACT OF HORMONES

Every time you get angry, become tired, laugh, cry, have sex, wake up, feel hungry or fall asleep your body is responding to hormones. That’s because hormone levels can impact virtually every major system and organ in your body.

Endocrine glands make hormones that are used inside the body. Other glands make substances like saliva, reach the outside of the body. Endocrine glands and endocrine-related organs are like factories. They produce and store hormones and release them as needed. When the body needs these substances, the bloodstream carries the hormones to specific targets. These targets may be organs, tissues, or cells. To function normally, the body needs glands that work correctly, a blood supply that works well to move hormones through the body to their target points, receptor places on the target cells for the hormones to do their work, and a system for controlling how hormones are produced and used.

 

WHAT COULD GO WRONG?

Endocrine disorders happen when one or more of the endocrine systems in your body are not working well. Hormones may be released in amounts that are too great or too small for the body to work normally. There may not be enough receptors, or binding sites, for the hormones so that they can direct the work that needs to be done. There could be a problem with the system regulating the hormones in the blood stream, or the body may have difficulty controlling hormone levels because of problems clearing hormones from the blood. For example, a person’s liver or kidneys may not be working well and this might keep too high a hormone level in the bloodstream.

 

HOW DO HORMONES WORK?

Hormones travel through the bloodstream to influence the activity of other glands and organs. They do not act immediately but trigger long-term changes in various cells and organs. A hormone can only influence cells that have specific target receptors for that particular hormone

If you relate to any of the symptoms listed above, it might be time to check in with us or your GP to look more closely at what effects your hormones are having on your current wellbeing.