Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was once the most commonly prescribed treatment for menopause, but it is now known that it can increase the risk of heart attack, blood clots, stroke and breast cancer, regardless of the type of therapy used or its route of administration. Furthermore, contrary to popular belief, both bioidentical and nonbioidentical preparations carry these risks. Despite this, HRT is still the most effective way to alleviate menopausal symptoms, but it must be used with caution and with the understanding that the symptoms will return when the hormone replacement is stopped.
Endocrine System
Your endocrine system works with your nervous system to control important bodily functions. The endocrine systems responsibilities include regulating growth, sexual development and function, metabolism and mood. The endocrine system also helps give your body the energy it needs to function properly. Endocrine glands secrete hormones into the bloodstream. Hormones are considered chemical messengers, coordinating your body by transferring information from one set of cells to another.
Your endocrine system health can be affected by hormone imbalances resulting from impaired glands. A hormone imbalance can cause problems with bodily growth, sexual development, metabolism and other bodily functions. Endocrine system diseases or conditions include diabetes, growth disorders and osteoporosis.
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Discovery Health answeredSee All 4 AnswersScientists discovered the existence of hormones in the late 1890s. A hormone, which is an organic product of living cells, regulates specific cellular activities, such as reproduction and growth.
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Jumo Health answeredGrowth hormone, which is made in the brain’s pituitary gland, tells the liver and other parts of the body to release another hormone called Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 is made in the liver, then heads out into the bloodstream and travels to the bones and muscles. IGF-1 is also made in the bones, where it helps them to grow. As bones grow longer, people grow taller.
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Jumo Health answered
The job of the glands in the body is to make hormones. Hormones are chemicals that carry messages from one part of the body to another via the bloodstream. The pituitary gland in the brain makes a hormone called growth hormone, which helps the body grow.
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RealAge answeredSee All 2 AnswersWhen we think about hormones, those such as testosterone and estrogen likely first come to mind, but there’s so much more to our endocrine system than the sex hormones that command our reproductive cycle. Every second of every day you have dozens of hormones acting in your body to get certain physiologic functions accomplished. This includes reactions taking place in the skin, too. Physiologically speaking, hormones control much of what we feel, be it tired, hungry, horny, hot or cold. They control the rates of certain chemical reactions, assist in transporting substances through membranes and help regulate water balance, electrolyte balance and blood pressure. They manage development, growth, reproduction and behavior.
Put simply, hormones are the body’s little messengers, which get produced in one part of the body, such as the thyroid, adrenal or pituitary gland, pass into the bloodstream or other body fluid and go to distant organs and tissues where they act to modify structures and functions. They are like traffic signals, telling our body what to do and when so it can run smoothly and efficiently. Hormones are as much a part of our reproductive system as they are a part of our urinary, respiratory, cardiovascular, nervous, muscular, skeletal, immun and digestive system.
From The Mind-Beauty Connection: 9 Days to Less Stress, Gorgeous Skin, and a Whole New You by Amy Wechsler.
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Dr. Benjamin Samstein, MD , Transplant Surgery, answered on behalf of Columbia University Department of SurgeryCarcinoid and neuroendocrine tumors are usually diagnosed with a biopsy. An octreotide scan can show the tumor if carcinoid is suspected. -
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Most patients tolerate the pain after parathyroid surgery fairly well. For some only an acetaminophen or Ibuprofen will suffice. All patients will be given a prescription for a narcotic pain medication (Vicodin, Percocet, Oxycodone etc) to use for breakthrough pain. Most will feel better in a few short days. If the pain has worsened, or is associated with redness or swelling around the scar, please contact your surgeon promptly.
For more information go the endocrinediseases.org:
Parathyroid Gland: Recovery -
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There are a number of types of operations to remove the adrenal gland. The appropriate approach will ultimately be determined by:
- tumor size
- patient characteristics (body size and shape, medical conditions, previous operations, etc.)
- the experience and expertise of the surgeon.
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Joane Goodroe , Nursing, answeredSee All 3 AnswersFrom Dr. James Norman of the Norman Parathyroid Clinic:
http://www.parathyroid.com/parathyroid-disease.htm
Normal blood levels of parathyroid hormone vary according to the lab that measures the hormone, but most labs have a normal level between 15 and 65. Some patients have a NORMAL parathyroid level but do have parathyroid disease. The most patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (due to a benign tumor in their neck) have PTH levels ranging from 60 to 150. When patients have PTH levels above 200 it is because their tumor is very old (usually this means over 10-12 years old) and the tumor is composed of MANY cells. If your PTH level is over 200, the amount of destruction to your body is generally worse. Also note that about 15% of patients that have a parathyroid tumor in their neck will have PTH levels that are in the "normal range". Let me say that again... about 15% of patients with hyperparathyroidism will have high calcium levels and NORMAL PTH levels. Realize that this is still hyperparathyroidism and they still have a parathyroid tumor in their neck... We say their PTH level is "inappropriately normal". In other words, it still shows that there is a tumor full of crazy, out of control cells because if they were normal parathyroid cells... they would sense the high calcium and they would shut down. If your calcium is high, and your PTH is not near zero (consistently 20 or below), then you almost certainly have a parathyroid tumor. GET IT OUT!
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Dr. Dawn Marcus , Neurology, answeredAlthough estrogens are thought of as female sex hormones and androgens are considered male hormones, both men and women make hormones in both groups, with different ratios depending on gender. For example, women make less than 10 percent of the amount of testosterone that men make. Testosterone is important in women for muscle and bone strength, and also for maintaining a healthy sex drive. Estrogen may play an important role in preventing heart disease in men. Younger men generally have higher levels of testosterone and lower levels of estrogen. With aging, estrogen levels often increase and testosterone levels decrease. This can lead to an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, prostate enlargement, and prostate cancer in older men.