The endocrine system consists of glands that synthesize hormones. There are eight major glands and their job is to regulate metabolism, reproduction, growth and sleep. Like the nervous system, the endocrine system is a system that provides information signals. But instead of neurons, it uses chemicals called hormones, each of which has its own unique function.
Traditional Chinese healers have been practicing endocrinology for over 2000 years
Endocrinology is a branch of biology and medicine that focuses on the study endocrine system. The terms "endocrine" and "endocrinology" appeared in the 1800s, but the study of endocrinology in China dates back more than 2,000 years. As early as 200 BC. Chinese healers were able to extract hormones synthesized by the pituitary gland from human urine using gypsum sulfate, mineral and chemical compounds. The extracts obtained were used for medicinal purposes.
The endocrine system is disrupted due to osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a common disease among older people. With osteoporosis, bones become less dense and more susceptible to fracture. Almost every 10th elderly person on the planet has this disease. Although osteoporosis is associated with the destruction of bone tissue, the underlying causes of the disease are endocrine disorders. In particular, in older women, this disease can develop due to low level estrogen hormone. In such cases, treatment is carried out through hormone replacement therapy. The disease can also occur as a result of other endocrine disorders, such as hyperthyroidism.
The term "hormone" has only been widely used for about a hundred years
Scientists have begun to think about how chemical bond between distant organs human body since the 1800s. But the term “hormone” itself was only coined in the early 1900s. In 1902, English physiologists William Bayliss and Ernest Starling came to the conclusion that chemical substances, which they later called hormones, control pancreatic secretion. Later, scientists discovered that both hormonal and nervous processes. New term sparked intense research into the endocrine system in the first half of the 20th century, with scientists identifying and trying to understand the functions of various hormones in the body.
Not all hormones are produced by organs of the endocrine system
There are eight known glands of the endocrine system that synthesize hormones: adrenal glands, hypothalamus, pancreas, parathyroid glands, pineal gland, pituitary gland, ovaries, testes and thyroid. But other organs and tissues that are not part of the endocrine system also produce and secrete hormones. For example, a pregnant woman's placenta secretes several hormones, including estrogens and progesterone. When the stomach is full, the hormone ghrelin and the hormone gastrin are synthesized, which stimulate the secretion of gastric acid.
Plants produce hormones without an endocrine system
Unlike humans and other animals, plants do not have an endocrine system or endocrine glands. But they synthesize hormones that affect various processes associated with plant growth, including the expression of metabolic genes and cell division. Plant cells use hormones to transport chemical substances. Knowledge about hormones helps farmers improve and modify the growth of crops.
Surprisingly, but true: it is hormones that influence our performance and brain activity. The fact is that estrogens can affect more than 400 body functions. They increase creativity and resistance to stress, sharpen memory and attention, help to grasp information on the fly and easily cope with work pressures. And thanks to all this, move up the career ladder.
What about men?
Everything is different with them. Testosterone makes male brain focus on solving the most actual problem without being distracted by side tasks. Acting in several directions at once, representatives of the stronger sex experience severe stress and burn out quickly.
Psychologists advise employers to more actively use the potential capabilities of women, entrusting them with several projects (they can do this - thanks to estrogens!), and allow men to focus on solving one strategic task.
Why is it believed that women are mainly humanists, and men are technical specialists?
Again, sex hormones are to blame. Under the influence of estrogen, the cerebral hemispheres of the future girl are formed simultaneously, and in boys, under the influence of testosterone, they form in turn: first the right, then the left.
Structural differences are detected already in the sixth week after conception, when the first portions of testosterone are produced in the male body. Andrologists (health specialists for the stronger sex) jokingly call it “the hormone that made a man out of a man.”
But here’s a paradox: testosterone, which gives sculpted muscles, inhibits the development of the left hemisphere, which is responsible for verbal abilities: speech, reading, writing, sensitivity to foreign languages.
Our memory stores moments of acute, almost physically tangible joy. We talk about it: "butterflies in the stomach." At such moments, the level of “happiness hormones” in the body increases - endorphin, dopamine and serotonin. What to do when there are few of them?
That is why boys begin to speak coherently on average a year later than their peers, read worse and cannot boast of beautiful handwriting, but over time these differences are more or less smoothed out. If in primary school Girls study better, but boys cope more successfully with the high school program. There's a lot in it exact sciences, which the female brain assimilates worse.
But there are no rules without exceptions. Alexander Pushkin and Leo Tolstoy had a brilliant command of words, and Sofia Kovalevskaya and Marie Curie were ahead of men in mathematics and physics.
Weight under control!
Hormones regulate a woman's appetite. In the first half of the cycle, we usually eat much less than after ovulation: estradiol, which is produced at this time, acts on a certain area of the hypothalamus and suppresses appetite. In the second phase of the cycle, when it is produced in large quantities progesterone, and the synthesis of estradiol and endorphins (hormones of joy), on the contrary, decreases, eating behavior is fundamentally changing! Progesterones make us crave sweets, fatty foods, and fried foods.
Is it true that women's performance depends on the phase of the menstrual cycle?
We tend to attribute mood swings and well-being to weather sensitivity. But in reality, most often they are not related to the weather, but to the cycle.
Tested on thousands of women, the hormonal cycle diet not only improves well-being, but also helps to monitor your figure.
When should a woman plan important meetings and events?
Preferably in the first half of the menstrual cycle, when estrogen levels increase. At this time, concentration is excellent, performance is excellent, resistance to work loads is higher than ever: you can handle any difficulties and super-tasks!
It is important
Why is stress dangerous? Yes, because it forces the adrenal glands to produce more and more new portions of cortisol. The subcutaneous fat cells of the abdomen are especially sensitive to this hormone. That's why the more nervous you are, the faster your belly grows - apple-type obesity occurs.
It is believed that work with frequent business trips is not for women. This is true?
There is an opinion that representatives of the stronger sex, thanks to the testosterone seething in their veins, are easier to rise to, are not too attached to home, so it is easier for them to endure business trips. But research shows that this is not the case. Thanks to estrogens, the female body is more stable than the male body.
Why do my periods come either early or late during vacation?
How more stress associated with a long flight, changes in time zones and other parameters, the more pronounced are the changes in hormonal levels. Usually, disruption of the menstrual cycle during acclimatization is temporary and normalizes on its own within two months. If the frequency is not restored, the reason is not the flight - contact a gynecologist-endocrinologist.
Moreover, during rest, our usual schedule breaks down and changes, so the cycle may well also go astray. By the way, this also happens when switching from a rigid work schedule to freelancing.
Such a fact!
Hormonal changes before menstruation are felt quite acutely by many women. For example, Japanese women are legally entitled to three days off per month. critical days.
Is it true that libido depends on the time of day?
This is true. For example, the male half of humanity prefers morning intimacy, because at this time the concentration of testosterone is maximum. Women's sexuality reaches its peak closer to 22.00. The golden mean for an erotic date for both partners is around 16.00.
Few people think about how our body works. Did you know that hormones are essentially what controls our entire lives? Some of them are able to change mood, others - physical and mental capacity. We have selected information for you about hormones that everyone should know.
Lack of sleep will lead to diabetes over time
The thing is that chronic lack of sleep causes the body to reject insulin, which leads to diabetes.
Women's tears kill men's erections
Scientists have concluded that the male body reacts very unusually to female crying. It sharply reduces the level of testosterone in the blood, which leads to a decrease in erection.
Vitamin D is also a hormone
When discovered, it was mistakenly called a vitamin. We receive it in to a greater extent through Sun rays, and a lack of a hormone called vitamin D leads to low energy levels and weakened immunity.
Hormones can be produced in any part of the body
Almost every part of the human body is capable of producing hormones, including the bones.
Estrogen is not only produced in women
The male part of humanity also needs this hormone, only in much smaller quantities.
Strong love is like drug use
When you fall in love, your body begins to increase levels of the hormone dopamine, the production of which is stimulated by drugs. But there is a huge difference - in the first case, this production is safe for health.
The sun makes the strong part of humanity more courageous
In addition to saturating the body with vitamin D, the sun promotes the production of testosterone in the male body, which, of course, has a positive effect on his health.
Estrogen can cause cancer
Despite the fact that estrogen is a vital hormone, its excess can cause cancer.
Hugs can be medicine
When we hug loved one, the body releases a hormone called oxytocin, which helps external wounds heal.
The first hormone discovered was secretin, a substance that is produced in the small intestine when food reaches it from the stomach.
Secretin was discovered by English physiologists William Bayliss and Ernest Starling in 1905. They found that secretin is able to “travel” through the blood throughout the body and reach the pancreas, stimulating its work.
And in 1920, Canadians Frederick Banting and Charles Best isolated one of the most famous hormones, insulin, from the pancreas of animals.
Where are hormones produced?
The main part of hormones is produced in the endocrine glands: the thyroid and parathyroid glands, the pituitary gland, the adrenal glands, the pancreas, the ovaries in women and the testes in men.
There are also hormone-producing cells in the kidneys, liver, gastrointestinal tract, placenta, thymus in the neck and pineal gland in the brain.
What do hormones do?
Hormones cause changes in function various organs according to the body's requirements.
Thus, they maintain the stability of the body, ensure its responses to external and internal stimuli, and also control the development and growth of tissues and reproductive functions.
The control center for overall coordination of hormone production is located in the hypothalamus, which is adjacent to the pituitary gland at the base of the brain.
Thyroid hormones determine the rate at which chemical processes in body.
Adrenal hormones prepare the body for stress—the “fight or flight” state.
Sex hormones - estrogen and testosterone - regulate reproductive functions.
How do hormones work?
Hormones are secreted by endocrine glands and circulate freely in the blood, waiting to be detected by so-called target cells.
Each such cell has a receptor that is activated only by a certain type of hormone, like a lock with a key. After receiving such a “key,” a certain process starts in the cell: for example, gene activation or energy production.
What hormones are there?
There are two types of hormones: steroids and peptides.
Steroids are produced by the adrenal glands and gonads from cholesterol. A typical adrenal hormone is the stress hormone cortisol, which activates all body systems in response to potential threats.
Other steroids determine physical development organism from puberty to old age, as well as reproductive cycles.
Peptide hormones mainly regulate metabolism. They consist of long chains of amino acids and for their secretion the body needs a supply of protein.
A typical example of peptide hormones is growth hormone, which helps the body burn fat and build muscle.
Another peptide hormone, insulin, triggers the process of converting sugar into energy.
What is the endocrine system?
The endocrine gland system works together with nervous system, forming the neuroendocrine system.
It means that chemical messages can be transmitted to the corresponding parts of the body either through nerve impulses, either through the bloodstream with the help of hormones, or both ways at once.
The body reacts to the action of hormones more slowly than to signals nerve cells, but their impact lasts longer.
The most important
Hormones are a kind of “keys” that trigger certain processes in “lock cells”. These substances are produced in the endocrine glands and regulate almost all processes in the body - from fat burning to reproduction.
And although it’s already outside last month autumn, today, November 7, millions of people around the world remember October revolution 1917, the events of which directly influenced the course of world history and the future of many countries as a whole.
This event, or rather, whole chain the incidents that occurred throughout 1917 still cause serious controversy, both among historians and politicians and philosophers of various stripes. What would have happened to Russia if not for the Bolsheviks? Could the monarchy survive? Latvia would gain independence (by the way, for Latvia on November 7 also important date- In 1922, the first meeting of the Seimas of Latvia took place)? For these and many other questions there is a genre alternative history, but we will try to put together those facts and circumstances that could somewhat “refresh” the view modern man to the fateful events of almost a century ago.
1. Readiness No. 1, yes Lenin is not there
In principle, the Bolsheviks and their supporters had serious human and combat resources already in August 1917, when the formation of the Red Guard took place and in the majority major cities It is the Bolsheviks who are in power. However, the “father of the revolution” himself finds himself on a large-scale wanted list, changes a dozen names, apartments and makeup sets, and still flees to Finland. All this time he acts only through correspondence - L. Trotsky takes on the role of temporary leader. According to Lenin himself, it was possible to act much earlier, rather than wait for the right moment for coordination. However, the Provisional Government, although it did not have much support from the people, still had sufficient fighting strength in the form of the cadets and cadets, as well as soldiers sympathetic to the Mensheviks (note, the First World War still ongoing).
2. "Noble Smolny"
Smolny Palace, Main Headquarters Bolsheviks (“Cradle of the Revolution”) - only common name large complex buildings that create a single architectural ensemble. Home historical role played exactly Smolny Institute, in which in 1917 the Leningrad City Council of Workers' Deputies and the city committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) / CPSU were located (which is noteworthy - until 1991). Previously, the building housed the Smolny Institute noble maidens- first female educational institution in Russia (1774-1917), thanks to which the beginning of female education was laid in the empire.
3. Social Revolutionaries, anarchy and “Latvians”
The Bolsheviks themselves, as such, enjoyed only fickle support from the population. The main fighting force of those years turned out to be the Socialist Revolutionaries (a party of socialist revolutionaries who collaborated with the Bolsheviks until 1918, the motto: “In the fight you will gain your right!”), who enjoyed the support of the army, and the anarchists, who had enormous influence among the sailors. Interestingly, in March 1921, anarchist sailors would stage the famous Kronstadt uprising, which would later fall as a shameful stain on the Soviet government (after all, the uprising of the heroes of the revolution themselves would be suppressed!). How about important military force Let’s not forget about the Red Latvian Riflemen, who took part in most of the serious battles civil war and were considered an elite formation in the ranks of the Red Army. Both in the royal and Soviet army they were simply called “Latvians.”
4. Master of urban disguise
On the night when there was fierce fighting on the streets of Petrograd, Lenin reached the Smolny headquarters with a bandaged cheek “ala flux”, a wig on his head, and one of the fake passports. There could be no talk of any kind of security - groups of more than one person were considered mandatory for a complete check. On his way to Smolny, Lenin had to pass through at least three Cossack and Junker checkpoints. Although Vladimir Ulyanov throughout his entire life political career acquired the skills of a master of transformation, how he managed to do this still remains a mystery
5. Quickly and with little blood
Despite all the post-revolutionary pathos, mythologization and even distortion of facts, the direct seizure of power took place in just 3 days, and the seizure of the center of the Provisional Government - Winter Palace, in more than 4 hours. At the same time, the State Bank, the Central Telegraph Station, the Main Post Office and the central newspapers were completely in the hands of the Bolsheviks even before the shot of the cruiser Aurora, which occurred exactly at 21:40, October 25, old style. Some historians believe that the main “stimulus to action” for Lenin and Trotsky was precisely the closure of almost all Bolshevik newspapers by the Provisional Government on the night of October 24, and not some internal readiness of the Bolsheviks themselves, among whom there were those who were skeptical about the beginning of the terror : “Only workers and soldiers are behind us, we will not stand.”
Numerous skirmishes on the streets of St. Petersburg often represented a merciless reprisal against beardless cadets (many criminals and bandits sympathizing with the Bolsheviks received weapons, and with them the chance to take part in the “evisceration” of the bourgeoisie).
The head of government, Alexander Kerensky, had already fled St. Petersburg in the direction of the front. Interesting fact - A. Kerensky was one of the leaders of Russian political Freemasonry, and, later, thanks to Soviet propaganda, became one of the prominent elements in creating a conspiracy image for residents Soviet Union(Jews, Freemasons, bourgeois tycoons...).
6. Reform of Russian spelling
Immediately after the victory of the Bolsheviks, a whole string of significant, although not entirely authentic, decrees followed: the “Decree on Peace” (which was largely developed by the Provisional Government), the “Decree on the Abolition of death penalty" and the "Decree on Land", according to which landowners' land was subject to confiscation. The last one (also known as "Divide and Give") copied completely agricultural program SRs. A similar situation has arisen around the reform of Russian spelling, which is as necessary as it is controversial. She thought through a similar reform almost to its foundation back in 1912 Russian Academy sciences, although it was realized only in 1918.
For the removal from the Russian language of the letters Ѣ (yat), Ѳ (fita), І (“and decimal”) and the exclusion solid sign from the endings of a huge number of words, the intelligentsia of those years liked to call Lenin “a demon of conscience” (a play on words: “unscrupulous” instead of the old “without conscience”). And ahead of the new literate people stood difficult task- rewriting the classics of the Russian language: Karamzin, Ostrovsky, Turgenev, etc.
7. "New Time"
Or “Decree on the introduction of Russian Republic Western European calendar" - an act on Russia's transition to the Gregorian calendar, which finally ended the century-old practice of "adding 12-13 days" when traveling around Europe. The decree was adopted only on January 26, 1918, exactly three months after the October Revolution, leaving behind a huge confusion in the accounting department of the Council of People's Commissars, and the country as a whole.
In total, there were two project options on the agenda. The first involved a gradual transition to Gregorian calendar- it was supposed to discard 24 hours every year. Since by that time the difference between the calendars was already 13 days, the entire transition to a new style would take as long as 13 years. The advantage of this option was that it could be used Orthodox Church. The second option was tougher and provided for an immediate transition to a new style of chronology. Lenin himself was a supporter and developer of this option. So Russia finally entered the “new time”.