The Importance of Hormones

Life would be very difficult to live if it wasn’t for hormones. If you’ve ever wondered what the story with hormones is, this is the article to read: The Importance of Hormones.

What are hormones

Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers made by specialist cells and are part of the endocrine system. Endocrine glands create hormones, which travel through the bloodstream to tissues and organs, and control most of our body’s major systems. For more information on the endocrine system see the article https://universal-health-products.com/all-about-the-endocrine-system/ Hormones affect many physiological activities including growth, metabolism, appetite, puberty and fertility.

So you can see why life would be difficult without them.

More on hormones

Our bodies produce a host of hormones. Each one provides a different function for different organs. Below is a list of the hormones our body produces and their function.

Adrenal Glands

The adrenal gland produces androgen and cortisol. It helps to control blood sugar and much more.

Adrenaline

Adrenaline is a hormone released into the body of someone feeling emotions to the extreme, which causes the person to have more energy.

Aldosterone

Aldosterone plays an important role in the cardiovascular health of an individual and can be a cause of endocrine hypertension.

Angiotensin

Angiotensin is a common name for four hormones and plays an important role in blood pressure regulation.

Calcitonin

Calcitonin is one of the foremost important hormones, controlling calcium and potassium levels.

Cholecystokinin

Cholecystokinin is most recognized for improving digestion.

Cortisol

Cortisol is often called the stress hormone.

Dehydroepiandrosterone DHEA

Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is an important foundational hormone. It has little biological effect on its own but has very potent effects when converted into other hormones used for reproduction.

Dihydrotestosterone

Dihydrotestosterone is a hormone that stimulates the event of male characteristics.

The amount of dihydrotestosterone present in the body from day to day depends on the amount of testosterone present in the bloodstream.

Erythropoietin

Erythropoietin maintains the production of red blood cells. For more information on proteins, see the article https://universal-health-products.com/the-facts-about-proteins/

Estradiol

Estradiol is the strongest of the three estrogens and is a key player in the female reproductive system and the most common type for women of childbearing age.

Estrone

Estrone is one of the three types of estrogens and the sole estrogen the body makes after menopause-when menstrual periods stop.

Gastrin

Gastrin is directly responsible for the release of gastric acid, which breaks down the proteins in the food ingested.

Ghrelin

Ghrelin is an important digestive hormone that influences appetite.

Glucagon

Glucagon, a peptide hormone that is produced by the pancreas to regulate glucose in the bloodstream.

Glucagon Like Peptide 1

Glucagon-like Peptide 1 (GLP-1) is a hormone produced in the small intestine that supports insulin production and thwarts glucagon production, thereby lowering blood sugar.

Growth Hormone

Growth hormone (GH) controls your body’s growth.

Human Chorionic Gonadotropin Hormone HcG

Ever wonder how are at-home pregnancy tests able to detect pregnancy? The Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HcG) hormone is central in the early stages of pregnancy.

Insulin

This hormone, insulin, is essential for life. It is produced by the pancreas and regulates many metabolic processes that provide cells with needed energy. Understanding insulin, what insulin does, and how it affects the body, is important to overall health.

Kisspeptin

Kisspeptin is made in the hypothalamus, and it is an important hormone that starts the release of several other hormones.

Leptin

Leptin is a hormone that’s crucial to appetence (appetite) and weight management.

Luteinizing Hormone LH

Luteinizing hormone (LH) controls male and feminine generative (reproductive) systems.

Melatonin

Melatonin is a hormone that regulates the sleep and wake cycles and is occasionally used as a supplement.

Norepinephrine

Norepinephrine is a hormone and a neurotransmitter that increases the heart rate and blood pressure, breaks down fat, and additional functions.

Oxytocin

Oxytocin could be an endocrine (hormone) crucial for parturition (childbirth) and labor, breastfeeding, and social behaviors and bonding.

Parathyroid Hormone

The parathyroid hormone affects the calcium levels in the bones, intestines and kidneys.

Peptide YY

Ever wonder how is the body able to recognize when one has eaten enough food? After eating, the hormone peptide YY (PYY) is produced by the small intestine and released into the bloodstream.

Progesterone

Progesterone is a female hormone that controls the menstrual cycle and is essential for pregnancy.

Prolactin

Prolactin, or luteotropin, is the hormone that helps mothers produce milk.

Prostaglandins

Prostaglandins are lipids that aid in recovery at locations where there’s tissue damage or infection.

Relaxin

When a female is prepared to deliver a baby her body produces the hormone relaxin.

When labor begins, relaxin helps to relax the ligaments within the pelvis to permit it to stretch as the baby leaves the mother’s body.

Serotonin

If have you ever wondered what hormone is responsible for our mood and feelings, its serotonin. Serotonin is the key hormone that stabilizes the mood, feelings of well-being, and happiness in our lives.

Somatostatin

Somatostatin is also called SS, SST or SOM. This growth hormone impeding hormone affects several areas of the body by encumbering the secretion of other hormones.

Testosterone

Testosterone is an important male sex hormone. Testosterone helps bring on the physical changes that turn a young male into a man. This time of life is called puberty. Men also need normal amounts of this hormone to make sperm and have the ability to have children.

Thyroid

The thyroid gland controls an individual’s metabolism and the hormones it releases governs many functions in the body such as the way the body uses energy, consumes oxygen and produces heat.

Thyroxine

Thyroxine assists with digestion, heart and muscle function, brain development, and bone maintenance.

Vitamin D

Last but not least, vitamin D is a hormone that supports calcium absorption and bone growth.

Keeping the balance

As you can see, hormones play a fundamentally crucial role in the function of the human body. Working together they keep the body functioning like a well oiled machine. However in order to maintain this optimal functionality, all of the hormones must be applied in balance proportions. When they singularly or plurality get out of balance problems arise.

Today, ‘Hormonal imbalance’ is a worldwide concern. Women square measure additional doubtless to face effects of endocrine (hormone) imbalance as they bear many stages of hormonal changes throughout pubescence, menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and menopause. Hormone imbalance can destroy your health and appearance; and when available in proper balance, hormones can keep us healthy, young, and cheerful. Hormones determine the ‘flight or fight’ response of the body. They help manage excessive stress and they keep depression and the connected diseases away.

As I like to say, balance is the key to life. It applies to all aspects of life; including our hormones!

In order to maintain a healthy balance, it is important to have a healthy diet, exercise, get proper the rest and get regular check-ups.

Good health!

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