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Health See other Health Articles Title: Endocrine Hormones CHN... Hormones. We hear the word all the time. “Hormonal acne”, “woman’s hormones”, “stress hormones “, almost every measurement of health is impacted by these ubiquitous biochemicals. And when it comes to health, no aspect of our biochemistry is more relevant than the efficient and effective function of hormones. While there are various classes of hormones, including “exocrine hormones” that work through the skin and the digestive tract (those produced in the pancreatic sweat and salivary glands for example) and “paracrine hormones” (prostaglandins and interleukins are classic examples), whose activities are restricted to the microscopic regions around a cell, the most commonly recognized hormones are part of what is known as the “endocrine system”. These hormones, with names like cortisol, testosterone and insulin, travel throughout the body via the blood, where they exert their effects by seeking, contacting and activating the cells of various structures and organs throughout the body. The study of endocrine hormones dates back 4000 years to ancient Chinese doctors, who used extracted substances (today thought to be sex hormones), from urine and used them medicinally to improve health and longevity. Later on, Indian physicians and their Greek and Roman counterparts recommended the use of seaweed to treat neck swelling, which we now know to be related to the condition of thyroid, one of the most fundamental components of the body’s hormone system. Our modern understanding of hormones began in the late 19th century, when the famous neurologist Charles Brown-Séquard, known as the “father of endocrinology”, injected himself with a mixture of ground up hormone-rich dog testicles and reported a marked improvement in his strength, stamina and ability to concentrate. Finally, in 1905, the British biochemist Edward Starling coined the word “hormones” to describe what he said were “the chemical messengers which, speeding from cell to cell along the blood stream, may coordinate the activities and growth of different parts of the body.” Our bodies are biochemical and electrical machines. Along with the nervous system, hormones are what make everything happen; the word hormone means arousal or to arouse to activity. Nothing occurs in the body without the activity of hormones, which are so potent, they’re found in the body in concentrations measured in parts per trillion. Technically, their actions are called “signaling”, which involves the delivery of messages or signals from the brain and glands that impact the activities and functions of every one of the 100 trillion cells in the body. Although there are over 25 principle endocrine hormones produced in various glands, from a physical perspective, there are only two major control points for all of them: the foods we eat and the air we breathe. In other words, every morsel of food that enters our mouths and every molecule of air that passes into our lungs and into our blood exerts an effect, for better or worse, on our endocrine hormones. That means that no matter what our health issues are, by paying attention to digestion, dietary choices and healthy respiration, hormonal health and overall well-being can be optimized. Did you know? Plants make hormones too! They’re involved with growth and the division of plant cells. They initiate flowering activity and the maturation and aging of leaves. Plants even make a stress hormone called abscisic acid that helps them deal with environmental duress. ben fuchs Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread
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