As the month of January winds down, have you been successful with your New Year’s resolutions so far? If your momentum is slowing down as you settle back into your regular routines, it may not just be a lack of motivation. If you’ve never considered — or even known to consider — the health of your endocrine system, this is the perfect time to give it some thought.
The endocrine system is the physical manifestation of the brain-body connection. It’s an extensive network of glands throughout the body that help regulate homeostasis through signaling molecules called hormones.
| Gland | Hormone/s | Function |
| Pineal gland | Melatonin | Aids in sleep |
| Hypothalamus | Multiple | Regulates hormones released from the pituitary gland |
| Pituitary gland | Multiple | Regulates blood pressure, growth and development, the production of sex hormones; affects fat distribution |
| Thyroid gland | Thyroid hormones | Controls metabolism, growth andmaturation, and nervous system activity |
| Thymus | Humoral factors | Develops the immune system |
| Pancreas | Insulin & Glucagon | Regulates blood sugar levels andstimulates metabolism |
| Adrenal glands | Aldosterone & Corticosteroid | Regulates salt and water balance; acts as an inflammatory |
| Testes | Testosterone | Develops and maintains male sexual characteristics |
| Ovaries | Estrogen & Progesterone | Develops and maintains female sexual characteristics |
Hormones are responsible for our long term development. However, hormones tend to decrease as we age, leading to impaired function of multiple aspects of our health that affect our physical, metabolic and sexual wellness.
Although the endocrine system is in constant flux, it can be positively influenced by lifestyle choices as well as therapeutic interventions such as hormone replacement therapy or HRT. By choosing to replace the hormones that are decreasing with age, you can delay many of the common side effects of aging and enjoy a healthy, active life for longer than you would be able to without HRT.
A decrease in hormones is not just a problem for middle-agers or the elderly; hormones are equally important in our youth and early adulthood. The sooner you can catch an imbalance and correct it, the less long term damage will accumulate.
You don’t have to just sit by and accept that your libido is diminishing, that your ability to handle stress is dwindling, or that you can’t lose those last ten pounds. It is quite possible that these problems stem from imbalanced hormones; in most cases, these issues can be rectified by replacing the hormones that are being depleted with age.
So where should you start? At Joy Wellness Partners, we begin by scheduling you for a consultation with one of our licensed medical providers. They will take time to learn the hormone-related issues specific to your situation and order blood work that will show your current hormone levels and other issues you may not have considered. The provider will review the information with you when the lab returns the test results to us (usually a week later); your provider will then recommend a plan for how to improve your hormone levels. We offer a wide range of options: supplements that manage cortisol levels, testosterone replacement therapy for both men and women, natural thyroid medications, peptides and more.
By helping you feel energized and motivated to consistently work out and eat well, and by improving your sleep and sense of well-being, optimized hormone health may be the key to achieving your goals in 2022!
References:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/21201-endocrine-system
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/hormones-and-the-endocrine-system
https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/endocrine-glands-and-their-hormones
