Hormones are chemical signaling molecules that are circulated through biological processes to regulate physiology and behavior in the body. The word is derived from the Greek word hormao meaning \u201cI excite or arouse\u201d. These chemicals communicate these effects by their unique chemical properties that work on certain cells and tissues. Different hormonal signaling aids different physiological processes in the body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hormones are produced in the endocrine system and other tissues. These are then carried via blood to their target cells located across tissues and organs. Some hormones have specific target cells, whereas others affect numerous cell types throughout the body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Different tissue types may also respond differently to the same hormonal signal 1<\/a><\/sup> Nussey S, Whitehead S. Endocrinology: An Integrated Approach. Oxford: BIOS Scientific Publishers; 2001. Chapter 1, Principles of endocrinology. Available from: https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK20\/<\/a> <\/span>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hormones also have their patterns of secretion and concentrations in the general or localized circulation of organic body-chemicals. The target cells of each hormone have certain \u2018docking\u2019 molecules called \u201creceptors\u201d. The hormones bind themselves to the receptors and the interaction triggers \u201ca cascade of biochemical reactions in the target cell that eventually modify the cell\u2019s function or activity\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hormones aid the intricate biological processes in our body and bring about a diverse range of systemic physiological effects 2<\/a><\/sup> McLaughlin MB, Jialal I. Biochemistry, Hormones. [Updated 2021 Jul 22]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK541112\/<\/a> <\/span>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These effects are closely related to metabolism, growth and development, reproduction, emotional regulation, appetite, digestion, etc. Because of this, even the slightest dysfunction and imbalance in our hormonal environment can severely impact our physical and mental health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, we should take good care of our hormonal system through proper nutrition, exercise, and sleep. In case of difficulties, one can seek medical help in the form of hormone therapy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More About Sleep Here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One 1998 study 3<\/a><\/sup> National Center for Biotechnology Information (US). Genes and Disease [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Center for Biotechnology Information (US); 1998-. Glands and Hormones. Available from: https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK22231\/<\/a> <\/span> defines the endocrine system as \u201ca complex collection of hormone-producing glands that control basic body functions such as metabolism, growth and sexual development\u201d.<\/em> It consists of the following glands:<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, the hormones produced in the human body are not restricted to the endocrine glands and the hormones secreted by certain other body tissues also contribute to human physiologic processes. This additional mechanism is referred to as the \u201cdiffuse\u201d endocrine system and includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n A plethora of hormones regulates the most fundamental bodily functions related to metabolism, growth and development, reproduction, and electrolyte balances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A 1998 study 4<\/a><\/sup> Hiller-Sturmh\u00f6fel, S., & Bartke, A. (1998). The endocrine system: an overview. Alcohol health and research world, 22(3), 153\u2013164<\/a>. <\/span> elaborates that “Many of these hormones are involved in regulatory hormonal cascades that include a hypothalamic hormone, one or more pituitary hormones, and one or more target gland hormones.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Given below is a list of important hormones which are associated with the human body, including:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Amino acids are building blocks of proteins. The amino acid-derived hormones are derived from tyrosine and tryptophan and are usually produced in the adrenal medulla and the pineal gland. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This category of hormones are mostly neurotransmitters and includes:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Eicosanoids are signaling molecules that are made by the enzymatic or non-enzymatic oxidation of arachidonic acid or other polyunsaturated fatty acids. These are mostly hormones that send messages near the cell that produces the hormones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Examples of these hormones include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Peptides, polypeptides, and proteins are bioidentical hormones that comprise complex chains of amino acids produced in the brain and released in the bloodstream. Its examples include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Steroid hormones are cholesterol steroids that act as hormones. They belong to 2 classes and are of 5 types, including:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hormones control fundamental bodily processes related to:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More About Appetite Here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Hormonal imbalances occur when there is either too much or too little of a hormone in the bloodstream. It is caused by a number of factors, depending on which hormones or glands are affected. These include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More About Eating Disorders Here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chronic dysfunction in the endocrine system and related issues can lead to a disruption of hormone levels on a long-term basis and interrupt our everyday normal functioning. Hormonal imbalances negatively impact our physical and mental wellbeing, so far so that they become markers of more serious underlying health conditions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For instance, according to one 2014 study 8<\/a><\/sup> Yu J. (2014). Endocrine disorders and the neurologic manifestations. Annals of pediatric endocrinology & metabolism, 19(4), 184\u2013190. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.6065\/apem.2014.19.4.184<\/a> <\/span>, because the nervous system and the endocrine system are closely interrelated, \u201cendocrine dysfunctions may lead to various neurologic manifestations such as headache, myopathy, and acute encephalopathy including coma\u201d<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These symptoms of hormonal imbalance vary in men, women, and children, but some signs are generic expressions of slight or harmless hormonal changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read More About Anxiety Here<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Endocrine disorders are quite complex and they often involve dysfunction in the feedback mechanisms involved in the endocrine system or delay in gland stimulation in producing a particular hormone. Broadly, hormonal diseases can be subdivided into three groups, namely,<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most common types of hormonal diseases include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Various hypothalamic-pituitary lesions lead to cysts, cell tumors, abnormal body mass index, or decreased growth velocity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Common disorders resulting from hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thyroid disorders, according to one 2014 study, manifest in \u201cmental retardation, hypotonia, constipation, somnolence, apnea, large fontanels, and sensorineural hearing loss\u201d<\/em>. Other symptoms include developmental delay, psychosis, seizures, ataxia, and coma. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The most common Thyroid disorders include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to one 2014 study, \u201cneurologic manifestations associated with parathyroid disorders are related with serum calcium levels\u201d<\/em>. Such disorders result in cramps, numbness, muscular pain, apnea, seizures, headaches, vomiting, weight loss, severe central nervous system, and metabolic derangement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The most common types of parathyroid disorders include:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The symptoms of adrenal insufficiency include \u201cfatigue, muscle weakness, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hypotension, weight loss, headache, and skin hyperpigmentation\u201d and get manifested in disorders like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Too little or too much insulin secretion causes diabetes. Its manifestations include agitation, confusion, lethargy, headache, and vomiting. The more severe cases of this disorder include neurologic manifestations such as –<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our bodies are naturally inclined to produce hormones in the \u2018right\u2019 quantities to facilitate the processes that keep us healthy. However, our sedentary lifestyles, poor dietary patterns, advancing years, and health conditions also influence our hormonal environments. In such cases, our hormonal system needs a \u2018little help\u2019 to function properly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Consider the following tips to balance your hormones:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A healthy hormonal environment is central to our good health and everyday functioning. Therefore, we should take good care of our hormonal system via hygienic practices, physical activities, therapy, and medication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hormones are fundamental to all systems of the body related to growth and development, metabolism, mood, blood circulation, reproduction, body temperature, appetite, etc. That is why it is important to maintain optimal hormonal balance.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Without hormones, the fundamental bodily functions like appetite, sleep, growth, sexual desire, metabolism, etc. get disrupted. This severely impacts our day-to-day functioning, as well as our mental and physical health.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Over 50 types of hormones have been identified in humans and other vertebrates.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n An endocrinologist is a medical professional who treats hormone-related conditions.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Disorders surrounding reproductive hormones and stress hormones can cause mental health symptoms. Hormone therapy, specifically hormone replacement therapy, is used to treat mental disorders related to stress or sexual health like PTSD, menopause, post-partum depression, etc.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Understanding what are hormones, its types, functions, and disorders.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":131039,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"tags":[13,6,7,9,59],"alltopics":[776],"class_list":["post-2432","topic","type-topic","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-mental-health-101","tag-mental-health-awareness","tag-mental-health-support","tag-mental-wellness","tag-mood-disorders","alltopics-condition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mind.help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic\/2432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mind.help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mind.help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/topic"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mind.help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mind.help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mind.help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic\/2432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mind.help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/131039"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mind.help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mind.help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2432"},{"taxonomy":"alltopics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mind.help\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/alltopics?post=2432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What Is The Endocrine System?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What Are The Types Of Hormones?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Amino acid-derived Hormones<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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2. Eicosanoids<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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3. Peptides, Polypeptides, And Proteins<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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4. Steroid Hormones<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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What Are The Important Functions Of Hormones?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Hormones](\"https:\/\/mind.help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Hormones-regulate.jpg.webp\")
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What Causes Hormonal Imbalances?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What Is The Link Between Hormones And Diseases?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Symptoms Of Hormonal Imbalances<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Symptoms](\"https:\/\/mind.help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Symptoms-of-hormonal-imbalances.jpg\")
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Hormonal Diseases<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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1. Hypothalamic-pituitary Dysfunction<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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2. Thyroid Disorders<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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3. Parathyroid Disorders<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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4. Adrenal Disorders<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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5. Diabetes Mellitus<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How To Balance Hormones<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Tips](\"https:\/\/mind.help\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/Tips-to-maintain-a-healthy-hormonal-system.jpg.webp\")
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Takeaway<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Hormones At A Glance<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n
1. Why are hormones so important?<\/h3>\n
2. What happens if you have no hormones?<\/h3>\n
3. How many hormones are in the human body?<\/h3>\n
4. What kind of doctor treats hormone-related conditions?<\/h3>\n
5. How are hormones used in mental health care?<\/h3>\n