About Hormones

What is a Hormone?
A hormone is a chemical messenger that circulates throughout your body telling your cells what to do. Hormones are produced by organs belonging to the "endocrine system". Examples of endocrine glands are the pituitary, thyroid, thymus, pancreas, adrenals, ovaries and testes.

Some Functions of Your Endocrine System:

Determines sex characteristics (male vs female genitalia)

Enables a woman to become pregnant and carry a baby

Mediates sex drive

Enables individuals to build strong, healthy bones

Determines how slowly or quickly the aging process proceeds

Maintains the crucial balance between the body's electrolytes (important minerals such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium).

Monitors what’s going on in the environment, interpreting what a person sees and experiences, and translates the information into physical reactions which allow for adaptation to change and stress

Particular hormones from the endocrine glands carry out many critical functions. For example, the sex steroid hormones estradiol and progesterone control the rhythm of a woman’s monthly cycles. Estradiol and two weaker estrogens, estrone and estriol, are being used increasingly in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to replace diminishing levels. Testosterone, another sex steroid hormone, wakes up the libido (sex drive) while DHEA aids in creating and maintaining lean muscle mass. The pineal hormone, melatonin , is necessary for going to sleep at night. The adernal gland produces cortisol, the hormone that responds to stress. Knowing and being able to manage the levels of these hormones helps your body function properly. Aeron LifeCycles has developed testing for hormone levels in saliva – a superior medium for measurement of body hormone levels.