A hormone can be defined simply as a chemical message produced by a gland in the body and sent through the bloodstream to another area where it causes some effect. For example, exercising can create fatburning effects that last for 48 hours after the workout. There are over 600 different hormones in the body, each with a unique function. Fat burning, fat storing, appetite, sleep, hair and fingernail growth, fluid levels and joint repair are just a few examples of direct effects that hormones have on the body.
Hormones are the language of the body. Instead of words, hormones tell the body what to do, causing millions of effects each day. Glands create these messages; they both send and receive communications. Daily functions of the body are controlled mainly by hormones; for instance, they tell the heart how fast to pump and the bones how quickly to grow. If hormones become dysfunctional, a person could have osteoporosis (thinning of the bones) despite the amount of calcium consumed.
Each gland has its own purpose in regulating certain areas of the body. The adrenals, for instance, help the body to handle stress in all its different aspects. Imagine for a moment a person starting to slip on some water while stepping down a flight of stairs. The adrenal glands would send off adrenaline (stress-response hormone), which would put the body in high gear and prepare it for intense stressful action. Or imagine if you accidentally stepped on a large rattlesnake in your backyard. Your adrenal hormone adrenaline would spike, increasing the heart rate, creating sensations of fear, and pumping out instant energy to ready the body to hightail it out of there!
There is always a two-way connection back and forth within a properly working hormonal system. Not only do the glands talk but the cells of the body’s tissues need to be listening as well. Once a message is sent and received, the cells are supposed to send a message back to let the gland know that the request has been received and complied with.
The word communication is derived from common, which means “shared equally.” In order to have good communication you need an equal balance (50-50) of talking and listening. Hormone messages need to be received before they can work. If the receptors (mini-ears) within the body are blocked, there is no connection—similar to attempting to communicate to someone with earplugs. The gland is giving the command or order “BURN FAT,” and the fat cells are saying, “I’m sorry, did you say something?” And if the fat cells are not listening or are not receiving messages from the gland, no fat burning occurs.
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