The production of hormones is done by many glands throughout our body, and together they are part of the endocrine system.
When you have a thyroid disorder or disease, these conditions originate in the endocrine system and cause a hormone imbalance. When you have a hormone imbalance, the amount of hormone produced by a specific endocrine gland is either too little or too much of one or many hormones.
Several types of hormones are produced inside the cranium, and as would be expected, several of these hormones act as controllers for other endocrine glands outside of the head. For example, when discussing the thyroid and related diseases, standard and advanced tests assess the hormones TPO, TSH, T3, and T4. These are called thyroid hormones, even though thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) is produced by the pituitary gland in the brain and not by the thyroid. TSH is a "master hormone" produced by the pituitary to control the thyroid gland's production of thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). However, even the production of TSH in the pituitary is controlled by another master hormone, called TRH (thyrotropin-releasing hormone), which is secreted by the hypothalamic gland. It produces TRH (thyrotropin-releasing hormone), which can inhibit the release of TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) from the pituitary. And without TSH,
One aspect of hormones that we all recognize from our own experience is the profound effect hormones have on our moods, desires, ambition, cravings, and addictions. In fact, the growing body of research suggests that hormones play a significant role in shaping our experience of life. An imbalance in hormones can have a startling effect on our quality of life.
Hormones are produced by the least likely places in our bodies. Our attitudes may change on how we feel about fat and bodies when we discover that the adipose tissue, where fat is produced and stored, is highly hormonally active. Our fat-producing tissues, in addition to cushioning and insulating the body, serve as a major endocrine organ, producing hormones such as leptin, estrogen, resistin, and the cytokine TNF-α. And guess what? The leptin hormone is key to decreasing our appetite and increasing our metabolism (our desire to exercise originates here). While many of us are cutting and sucking our fat out of our bodies through plastic and cosmetic surgery, there may be evidence one day to suggest that cutting a major endocrine gland out of our bodies, the one that specifically decreases our appetite, creates more problems. Being overweight is consistently a sign of a hormonal imbalance.
| Oxytocin (OXT), a hormone produced by the pituitary, affects the release of breast milk, has a significant influence on a woman's experience of orgasm, facilitates the development of trust between people, and contributes to circadian homeostasis, which regulates body temperature, activity level, and wakefulness. | ||
| The hypothalamus gland produces dopamine, which affects heart rate, blood pressure, and prolactin. Additionally, it can inhibit the release of TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) from the pituitary through the action of TRH (thyrotropin-releasing hormone). |
Pineal gland |
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| The hypothalamus produces somatostatin (SRIF) |  |
Prolactin (PRL) of the pituitary gland is how we get feelings of sexual gratification and stimulates the production of milk in the mammary glands. |
| Angiotensinogen (ACTH) | The central nervous system (CNS) produces serotonin, which controls mood, appetite, and sleep. | |
| Prolactin-releasing hormone (PRH) in the hypothalamus modulates the release of prolactin from the pituitary. | Luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary stimulates the gonads and, subsequently, ovulation, and for men, production of testosterone. | The orexin hormone, produced by the hypothalamus, influences our wakefulness, energy expenditure, and appetite. |
