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The Endocrine System

The body has two ways of controlling the body tissues:

One is through the nervous system, with its miles and miles of neural pathways. This type of control has the advantage of being very rapid (which you will have experienced if you have ever put your hand on a hot burner).
The other way of controlling body tissues is through the endocrine system. The endocrine system is an information signal system much like the nervous system. However, the nervous system uses nerves to conduct information, whereas the endocrine system mainly uses blood vessels as information channels. The endocrine system is slower to act, but its effects are longer lasting.

The endocrine system is the body's network of glands that produce more than fifty different known hormones or chemical messengers to maintain and regulate basic bodily functions. The bodily processes regulated by the endocrine system go on for relatively long periods of time. Some go on continuously. These life processes include growth and development, reproduction, immunity (the body's ability to resist disease), and homeostasis (the body's ability to maintain the balance of its internal functions).

Glands are any organs that either secrete substances for further use in the body or excrete substances for elimination. Those that excrete substances for elimination are called exocrine glands (exo means "outside"). Exocrine glands have ducts or tubes that carry their secretions to the surface of the skin or into body cavities. Sweat glands and the liver are examples of exocrine glands.

Endocrine glands (endo means "inside") secrete or release substances that are used in the body. These glands lack ducts, releasing their secretions directly into the surrounding tissues and blood. Those secretions-hormones-then travel in the cardiovascular system to various points throughout the body.

The word hormone comes from a Greek word meaning "to arouse" or "to set in motion." Hormones control or coordinate the activities of other tissues, organs, and organ systems in the body. Most hormones are composed of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. The smaller class of hormones are steroids, which are built from molecules of cholesterol (fat-like substance produced by the liver).

The main functions of the endocrine system and its hormone messengers are to maintain homeostasis (a stable internal environment in the body) and to promote permanent structural changes. Maintaining homeostasis is a response to a change in the body, such as low sugar or calcium levels in the blood. Permanent structural changes, occurring over a period of time, are those associated with growth and development.

Hormones bring about their effect on the body's cells mainly by altering the cells' metabolic activity-increasing or decreasing the rate at which they work. The effect is often rapid, such as increased or decreased heart rate. A few hormones, after binding to their target cells, cause those cells to produce proteins, which lead to long-term effects such as growth or sexual maturity.

The major glands that make up the human endocrine system include the:

hypothalamus

pituitary gland

thyroid

parathyroids

adrenal glands

pineal body

reproductive glands (which include the ovaries and testis)

The hypothalamus is located in the lower central part of the brain and is the main link between the endocrine and nervous systems. If the endocrinal glands were a football team, then the hypothalamus would be the Quarterback - it is the main regulatory center in the body. The hypothalamus receives information directly from other parts of the brain and from sense organs in other parts of the body. The hypothalamus uses the information it receives to help control such functions as body temperature, hunger, thirst, heart rate, sleep, as well as some emotions such as anger and fear.

Nerve cells in the hypothalamus control the pituitary gland by producing chemicals that either stimulate or suppress hormone secretions from the pituitary.

The pituitary gland, located at the base of the brain just beneath the hypothalamus, is about the size of a pea. The pituitary makes hormones that control several other endocrine glands.

The pituitary gland is divided into two parts: the anterior lobe and the posterior lobe. The anterior lobe regulates the activity of the thyroid, adrenals, and reproductive glands. The anterior lobe produces hormones such as:

Growth hormone (stimulates the growth of bone and other body tissues and plays a role in the body's handling of nutrients and minerals). Growth hormone is a complex hormone composed of 191 amino acids and begins to decline at age 20. This is one of the most important anti-aging hormones. Growth hormone release falls off after age 25 years old, dropping at a rate of 10-15% every decade thereafter. The aging process follows along with this decline in growth hormone output.

Prolactin (activates milk production in women who are breastfeeding).

Thyrotropin (stimulates the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones).

Corticotropin (stimulates the adrenal gland to produce certain hormones).

"Aging appears to be due in large part to the drastic decline of growth hormone in the body after adulthood."

- Dr. Ronald Klatz, M.D.
President of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine.

According to human growth hormone research, at age 21, the normal level of circulating GH is about 10 milligrams per deciliter of blood, but at age 61, it's decreased 80% to only 2 milligrams. It is believed that growth hormone is what grows the cells, bones, muscles and organs, and it is the level of growth hormone after age 30 that slowly robs us of our youth.

After age 30, the secretion rate of growth hormone drops approximately 14% per decade. By 80, most people barely produce enough growth hormone to build a fingernail, explaining why injuries experienced by seniors take so long to heal.

Human growth hormone clinical research studies performed over the past 30 years have demonstrated that growth hormones can allow users to lose fat, build muscle mass, improve sexual performance, remove wrinkles, reduce cellulite and increase immune function.

The pituitary also secretes endorphins. These are chemicals that act on the nervous system and reduce feelings of pain. In addition, the pituitary secretes hormones that signal the reproductive organs to make sex hormones. The pituitary gland also controls ovulation and the menstrual cycle in women.

The posterior lobe of the pituitary releases anti-diuretic hormone that helps control the balance of water in the body. The posterior lobe also produces oxytocin which triggers the contractions of the uterus in a woman having a baby.

The thyroid gland is located in the front part of the lower neck. It is shaped like a bow tie or butterfly and produces the thyroid hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine. These hormones control the rate at which cells burn fuels from food to produce energy. The production and release of thyroid hormones is controlled by thyrotropin which is secreted by the pituitary gland. The more thyroid hormone there is in a person's bloodstream, the faster chemical reactions occur in the body.

Attached to the thyroid are four tiny glands that function together called the parathyroids. They release parathyroid hormone, which regulates the level of calcium in the blood with the help of calcitonin which is produced in the thyroid.

The body also has two triangular adrenal glands, one on top of each kidney. The adrenal glands have two parts, each of which produces a set of hormones and has a different function. The outer part, the adrenal cortex, produces hormones called corticosteroids that influence or regulate salt and water balance in the body, the body's response to stress, metabolism, the immune system, and sexual development and function. The inner part of the adrenal gland, called the adrenal medulla, produces catecholamines such as epinephrine (also called adrenaline). The medulla is linked directly to the brain by nerves. When you are frightened or anxious, signals from the brain stimulate the adrenal glands to produce and release two hormones, epinephrine and norepinephrine. These hormones travel rapidly in the blood throughout the body. Their effects, which are seen and felt almost immediately, include the following:

Increased heart rate and blood pressure

Increased breathing rate

Skin turns pale

Stomach feels hollow and "fluttery"

Muscles tense

When your brain decides that you are safe, it sends a signal to the adrenal medulla. This stops the production of epinephrine, and your body systems slowly return to normal.

The pineal gland is located in the middle of the brain ands secretes melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that is produced in the dark, while we sleep, and wanes upon daybreak: bright light signals the production cycle to shut down. The pineal is called the "third eye," a reference to our evolutionary heritage - a time when the pineal may have extended the sensory capacities. The pineal gland serves as the timekeeper of the brain, helping to govern the sleep-wake cycle and, in animals, seasonal rhythms of migration, mating, and hibernation. Melatonin also stimulates the thymus, a key organ of the immune system involved in the production of disease-fighting T-cells.

The gonads are the main source of sex hormones. Both males and females have gonads. The male gonads are called testes and are located in the scrotum. They secrete hormones called androgens, the most important of which is testosterone.

The female gonads are called ovaries and are located in her pelvis. They produce eggs and secrete the female hormones estrogen and progesterone. Estrogen and progesterone are involved in the regulation of a female's menstrual cycle. These hormones also play a role in pregnancy.

Although the endocrine glands are the body's main hormone producers, some other organs not in the endocrine system - such as the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and skin - also produce and release hormones. The pancreas is also part of the body's hormone-secreting system, even though it is also associated with the digestive system because it produces and secretes digestive enzymes. The pancreas produces (in addition to others) two important hormones, insulin and glucagon. They work together to maintain a steady level of glucose, or sugar, in the blood and to keep the body supplied with fuel to produce and maintain stores of energy.

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