Anatomy and Physiology Workbook For Dummies by Erin Odya

Author:Erin Odya
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781119473664
Publisher: Wiley
Published: 2018-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Raging Hormones: The Endocrine System

IN THIS CHAPTER

Absorbing what endocrine glands do

Checking out the ringmasters: The pituitary and hypothalamus glands

Surveying the supporting glands

Understanding how the body balances under stress

The human body has two separate command and control systems that work in harmony most of the time but also work in very different ways. Designed for instant response, the nervous system cracks its cellular whip using electrical signals that make entire systems hop to their tasks with no delay (you can get a feel for the nervous system in Chapter 9). By contrast, the endocrine system’s glands use chemical signals called hormones that behave like the steering mechanism on a large, fully loaded ocean tanker; small changes can have big impacts, but it takes quite a bit of time for any evidence of the change to make itself known. At times, parts of the nervous system stimulate or inhibit the secretion of hormones, and some hormones are capable of stimulating or inhibiting the flow of nerve impulses.

The word “hormone” originates from the Greek word hormao, which literally translates as “I excite.” And that’s exactly what hormones do. Each chemical signal stimulates specific parts of the body, known as target tissues or target cells. The body needs a constant supply of hormonal signals to grow, maintain homeostasis, reproduce, and conduct myriad processes.

In this chapter, we go over which glands do what and where, as well as review the types of chemical signals that play various roles in the body. You also get to practice discerning what the endocrine system does, how it does it, and why the body responds like it does.

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