Something Scientific

Ever wonder how something works, biologically or chemically? Leave a comment with your question about biology, chemistry.

For now, enjoy a quick lesson on hormones: the fundamentals.

1) Your hormones are part of the Endocrine System.
2) Hormomes come from glands, which are part of the Endocrine System.
3) Hormones are tiny molecules, sort of like aspirin or vitamins, that travel through your body to interact with other glands or organs.
4) Each gland has a specific purpose, they produce a few hormones that control parts of the body.
     NOTE: follow this link, Endocrine System, for a great,
     brief description of each gland, organ and hormone, with
     pictures. 
5) Hormones control  or participate in almost every aspect of life.  They make us feel hungry, sad, euphoric, dehydrated, everything.  (They don't make us feel pain, that is controlled by the Nervous System, a system that parallels the Endocrine System in function by providing the electricity to stimulate the production, release and use of the molecules in the body.) 

Some details-
Endocrinologists learn about Endocrinology from diagrams like that to the left.  There are infinitely many more details about the Endocrine System than those represented in this diagram.  This is a simplified look at a woman's monthly reproductive cycle, all of which is controlled by hormones.

Problems with your hormones can lead to many diseases, from diabetes to reproductive problems, as described here, here and here.

Key:
-LH=Leutenizing Hormone
-FHS=Folicle Stimulating Hormone
-GnRH=Gonatropin Releasing Hormone