When you see the phrase “endocrine system,” this generally refers to your system of eight hormone-secreting glands, but not to the other hormone-secreting tissues and organs, such as the placenta, which secretes estrogens and progesterone during pregnancy. Some organs have both endocrine and exocrine functions, such as your kidneys, pancreas, and gonads.
Exocrine: Hormones released into a duct or lumen, such as from your salivary glands or the gastric glands in your stomach.
Endocrine: Hormones released directly into your bloodstream from a ductless gland (pituitary, adrenal, thyroid, ovary, testicle, pancreas, etc.). Hormones can be endocrine and exocrine, depending on how they’re released: Stimulation by signals from your nervous system (this typically leads to a short burst of a hormone, such as adrenalin) Stimulation by other hormones (this typically leads to a rhythmic release of hormones, rising and falling in a predictable pattern)ģ. Specific molecules in your blood (e.g., certain minerals or nutrients that serve as feedback mechanisms)Ģ. Hormones are kept in balance (homeostasis) through a complex feedback system, and their release is triggered by three principal mechanisms:2ġ. Adrenalin is an amine, and prostaglandins (involved in inflammation) are eicosanoids. Peptides represent a wide variety of chemical messengers, including human growth hormone (HGH), insulin, and melatonin. Hormones can be classified into four categories, based on how they work: Steroids, peptides, amino acid derivatives (amines), and eicosanoids.1 Steroid hormones include your sex hormones and adrenal hormones. For example, the hormone adrenalin causes your heart to beat faster, and the hormone gastrin makes your stomach secrete gastric acid when eating certain foods. When a hormone acts on its specific target cell, it can change the way it behaves to make it perform a specific task. Each hormone is aimed at a specific target cell and has no effect on any other cells as it washes past them. There are more than 80 identified human hormones, all with distinctly different roles. Packing Lots of Punch Into Small Packages Then we’ll discuss what you can do to optimize your hormone function. This article will serve as a primer for understanding what hormones are, where they come from, and what they do in your body. Understanding hormones requires that scientists also be medical detectives, and these “hormone detectives” have been responsible for the abundant twists and turns we’ve seen in the field of endocrinology, as recounted in the film. Hormones are not obvious compared to the beating of your heart or the peristalsis of your digestive tract, and other such biological processes that are more easily observed and quantified. The word “hormone” derives from the Greek word “hormon,” which means “to excite” or “set in motion.” They have shaped your life ever since you were an embryo-but as important as they are, hormones have remained somewhat of a medical mystery. Every multi-celled organism, plant or animal, uses hormones-from earthworms to killer whales. Hormones are essential to just about every life process, from your growth and development to your metabolism and passions. Recent discoveries about how the endocrine system works have transformed our understanding of the critical roles hormones play in health and disease. The Fantastical World of Hormones is a compelling new film exploring the history and discovery of hormones, including enormous advances in this area of medical science that have occurred over the past 10 years.
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