Every day, more and more often we hear from TV screens, read in newspapers and the Internet that the cause of many diseases is a violation of the so-called hormonal background. In addition, there is a strong belief that some drugs are harmful because they are based on hormones. Unfortunately, many do not fully understand what hormones are, which means they cannot make the right decision about taking a particular drug, or they can sort out what might be causing their illness. In this article we will try to give the simplest and most visual representation of hormones and their role in the human body.
So what are hormones? These are special substances by which various processes occurring in the human body are regulated. In general, there are two types of regulation of vital processes: nervous and humoral. Nervous regulation is associated with a reaction to certain stimuli. A great example of nervous regulation is the narrowing of the pupil when bright light enters the retina - the brain, having received information about irritation through the optic nerve , sends a signal to reduce the amount of light transmitted into the eye. Thus, it saves our optic nerve from overwork, while maintaining the ability to see.
Humoral regulation, however, involves controlling the processes of life through liquid media (its name comes from the Latin humor, which means “liquid”). And the hormones, which are biologically active substances, which, getting into the blood of a person, provoke certain reactions, act as an instrument of such regulation. The importance of hormones can hardly be overestimated: thanks to a hormone such as insulin, glucose breaks down, and a malfunction of the pancreas and the cessation of its normal secretion leads to a serious illness - diabetes. Another hormone, adrenaline, is released into the blood by the adrenal glands at times of danger or intense excitement and allows you to increase concentration and attention, however, it has a side effect - a rapid heartbeat. Endorphins are considered “hormones of happiness” - it is under their influence that positive emotions arise in us . Well, hormones such as estrogen and testosterone are responsible for gender: it is thanks to them that men and women have signs characteristic of their sexes.
The regulatory role of hormones is closely related to the processes of nervous regulation. Often the production of a particular hormone begins precisely after the nervous system transmits information about any irritation to the brain: for example, irritation of the receptors of the tongue stimulates the production of insulin, information about the danger causes the brain to stimulate the production of adrenaline, and sexual stimulation stimulates the production of testosterone (estrogen) and endorphins and so on.
Now that our readers understand what hormones are, it will probably become obvious to them that violation of the secretion of any of them will lead to the fact that the activity of the body will not be regulated in the way that was laid down by mother nature. Well, taking hormone-based drugs can significantly change the natural state of their production in the body and even cause some glands to simply stop working. Obviously, taking such unsafe drugs can have dire consequences for the body, so we strongly recommend that you consult a doctor if you are going to take drugs containing any hormones!
We hope that this article has helped our readers understand what hormones are and how important they are for our health. We wish you good health and a complete absence of problems with hormones!