Information on Hormones

 

Hormones are the most important components of the human body. They act as chemical messengers and mainly travel through the bloodstream to cells, tissues and organs. They work gradually on many different processes. Some of the important tasks carried out by the hormones are as follows:

• Overall body growth and development
• Metabolism
• Sexual Functions
• Reproductions
• Change in mood

Endocrine glands are the glands that function for the production of hormones. Following are some of the major hormone generating glands:

• Pituitary
• Pineal
• Thymus
• Thyroid
• Adrenal Glands
• Pancreas


Diseases due to Hormonal Imbalance:

Following are some of the diseases caused due to hormonal imbalance:

• Cancer: The hormonal imbalance can cause different cancers like the breast cancer, uterine cancer or the cervical cancer. Similarly, men suffer from prostate cancer due to hormonal imbalance.

• Autoimmune Disease: Imbalance in hormones may lead to autoimmune disease like the lupus.

• Cushing Syndrome: Hormonal imbalance may cause chronic high levels of cortisol in the body causing problems like high blood pressure, weight gain, diabetes, infertility etc.

• Acromegaly: This disease is caused due to over production of growth hormones. In this disease, the bones grow abnormally at a very fast rate. This disease is usually detected in the middle-aged adults.

• Hyperthyroidism: The over production of the hormone thyroxine can cause hyperthyroidism. This disease can cause serious problems like nervousness, tremors, weight loss, rapid heartbeat and fatigue.

• Type 2 Diabetes: Type 2 Diabetes problem occurs due to the insufficient production of the insulin in the body. This may also occur due to the rejection of insulin by the cells. This disease is usually detected in people with weight issues, woman with gestational diabetes and people having metabolic syndrome.

Symptoms of Hormone Imbalance:

Following are some of the symptoms of hormone imbalance:

• Abnormal or rapid heartbeat
• Mood swings
• Nausea
• Swelling
• Change in body odor
• Hair loss
• Tenderness in the breast
• Concentration lapse
• Pain in muscles and joints
• Infections in the urinary tract
• Allergies
• Infertility

The hormone being the basic component in the body, their malfunctioning may cause several other diseases like tinnitus, arthritis, breast cancer, high blood pressure, uterine cancer, severe headache, memory lapse and many other severe health problems.

Causes of Hormone Imbalance:

Following are some of the causes of hormonal imbalance:

• Women taking contraceptive pills or any birth control medications have the highest risk of hormone imbalance
• The intake of hormone replacement therapy pills also cause hormonal imbalance. These pills contain synthetic progestin, progestogens and estrogen that cause hormone imbalance.
• Stress is another major reason of hormonal imbalance
• Unhygienic and unhealthy diet also cause hormone imbalance
• Environmental conditions
• Prolonged exposure to the polluted areas
• Cosmetics

Prevention and Treatments for Hormonal Imbalance:

Following are some of the prevention methods of hormonal imbalance:

• Avoid taking contraceptive pills
• Take a healthy and hygienic diet
• Avoid excess stress by performing meditation
• Regular exercise helps to avoid hormonal imbalance
• Avoid using heavy cosmetics

The treatments on hormonal imbalance mainly consist of hormone replacement therapy. However, the patients with a history of breast cancer, liver diseases, blood clots should avoid this therapy or consult a physician.