
The human body is arguably the most complex system in the world. From the supercomputer located in a person’s head to the ridiculously complex immune and respiratory systems, a human body is a marvel that people essentially take for granted now. One overlooked area is the endocrine system and the hormones that communicate throughout the body.
People hear hormones and think of “unbalanced” and moody teenagers who are suddenly sarcastic and difficult to deal with. Other people think of their urges in the bedroom and physical desires. Hormones are somewhat responsible for that true, but they are also responsible for so much more. Hormones are responsible for growth, development, maintenance and metabolism. They keep the body in tip top shape and they help keep balance throughout.
Hormones are produced as part of the endocrine system within the body. Hormones have many different responsibilities within the body, but a good way to think of them, is as “regulators” or messenger. They help to regulate the various aspects of the body by communicating the difficult and complex parts of it. A person’s growth, ability to reproduce, and metabolism are all regulated by their hormones.
Hormones are incredibly complex and their combinations will often also alter or change how the immune system functions. Proper hormone balance is an important part of physical health. It’s also an important part of mental health. Brain activity is often influenced by the levels of hormones within the body. This in turn will often reflect how a person is behaving.
There are times when hormone levels will change within a body naturally. Typically, this occurs when the body no longer requires the function in question. Menopause is a time when a woman’s reproductive system ends functioning. Unsurprisingly, the amount of estrogen that’s been used to help regulate this system reduces as a result. In some cases, too much.
The time when hormones change is when there are medical conditions or diseases. These have a bit of a chicken/egg issue. Some conditions cause hormone imbalance, while some hormone imbalances cause a disease or condition. In the end, which causes the other doesn’t matter as they go hand in hand.
As mentioned, there are many issues which can cause hormone alterations. These conditions can be natural or not. Knowing what can cause changes can allow a person to anticipate and prepare for changes.
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