Hormone Gifts

What are hormones? How do hormones work and what do they do? Hormones send chemical messages inside your body. They travel from glands through your blood to your brain and back again.

Let's take sex hormones, for example. Glands in your head release chemicals called follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone into your blood -- think of it as Sex Juice. Ovary and testicle glands drink the Sex Juice and make more hormones. The ovary takes FSH and LH and makes Estrogen, the sex hormone responsible for your period, boobs, butts and makin' babies.

The exact same brain hormones does different things in different bodies. The testicle takes FSH and LH and turns them into testosterone, which helps make sperm and also does things like makes your voice deep and shoulders broad.

Insulin is a hormone that helps turn food into energy. After you eat, sugar from food goes into the bloodstream. Insulin unlocks body cells so they can accept a special delivery of sugar (aka glucose). The cell transforms glucose into energy for you to run and play.

Other famous hormones in the body include adrenaline, melatonin, oxytocin, serotonin, glucagon, vasopressin, cortisol and many more! The study of hormones is called endocrinology, and the doctor who helps you with hormones is called an endocrinologist. If your endocrine surgeon is the friendly type, you can try calling them Doctor Hormone and see where that leads you.