| Hormonal Imbalances |
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The Endocrine system is a highly integrated and complicated system that deals with and controls hormones within the body. Hormones are internal secretions of chemical messengers that affect physiological functions of distant organs, tissues, cells and even internal intracellular organelles. Hormones help to regulate cellular metabolic processes to keep the body functioning at optimal health.
Hormonal imbalances can occur when a gland in the endocrine system becomes disrupted or weakened causing a drop or increase in specific hormones. Hormonal imbalances can occur as a result of an autoimmune dysfunction, physical or mental stress to the body, age, poor nutrition, disruption of enzymes, or trauma. This can create a multitude of imbalances in the body affecting other glands as well as multiple other essential systems in the body, which can sometimes be very clearly related to an endocrine imbalance and at other times not so clear. The most effective therapies then to treat hormonal imbalances are those that attempt to address the underlying causes if possible. The glands of the endocrine system include the pineal, hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid, pancreas, adrenals, and gonads (ovaries and testes). There are other small glands in the body that are of lesser significance such as the salivary and sweat glands, but are considered part of other physiological systems. The minute amounts of circulating hormones are stringently regulated to ensure proper function of the endocrine system so that proper homeostatic balance is maintained. The pineal and the hypothalamus are considered the two master glands of the body. Both of these glands produce hormones that help to control the other glands of the body. These glands are both located in the brain and are intimately tied to surrounding neural structures. The nervous system and the endocrine system provide the communication links between all the structures and systems in the body. The two systems talk to one another to coordinate responses to stimuli and maintain homeostatic balance along with maintaining normal biorhythms. When disturbances to these two master glands occur there is multi-system problems and endocrine dysfunction all over the body. The other glands respond to the hormones secreted from the hypothalamus or other glands to increase or decrease their production of hormones. The other glands have specific symptoms and not so specific symptoms when they get out of balance.
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