The Human Body

Abstract

Schoolteachers frequently observe certain forms of uncharacteristic behavior, often emotional, from their students and just chalk it up to hormones. In the human body, hormones are chemical messengers, released by specialized cells, that journey through the bloodstream, controlling functional activities of targets throughout the body. They are generated by a variety of tissues in the endocrine system, the last body system to be discovered.This opportunity to meet your hormones is facilitated by Whitlock and Temple’s captivating explanations that introduce their readers to the different types of hormones (proteins, peptides, steroids, and amines), their molecular structures, molecular size variations, manufacture, evolution, functions, techniques of action and interaction, and the ways they help to organize and manage the lives of humans as well as animals, plants, and even microorganisms.Hormones are related to or involved in numerous actions that people experience, even if they are not aware of them. Among many others, this alphabet of experiences includes appetite, bone formation, cell renewal, diabetes, energy regulation, fetal development, growth, hangover, immune response, jet lag, keeping glucose levels controlled, libido, menstrual cycle, obsessive-compulsive disorder, pregnancy, rhythms of the body, stress management, transgender treatment, uterine lining maintenance, voice change, and water balance regulation. By reading this book, one can learn which hormones are connected to each of these experiences.There is much to attract a reader’s attention in this intriguing book. Here is a mere sampling of the interesting and sometimes surprising items you can find in this book: how an “express lane” guarantees that hormones arrive at their target cells without getting lost in the bloodstreamhow a hormone’s affinity for water or fat influences the ways it interacts with target cellshow urine from nuns was involved in the births of test tube babieswhy teenagers often enjoy staying up late at night and sleeping late in the morningthe hormone whose use has been banned by the International Olympic Committeethe pregnancy-test record found on an Egyptian papyrusthe bizarre experiment of the Mauritian doctor who tried to discover the Fountain of Youththe differences in the functions of hormones known as primary and secondary messengerswhy the wives of Henry VIII may have had a tendency for miscarriagesthe explanation of intersexhow hormones could be related to hangoversthe way that hormones might impact profits on certain days for male stock market tradersthe reason a surgeon transplanted a piece of monkey testis into a man’s testisthe common vitamin that is more accurately categorized as a hormonehow a high estrogen level can affect a woman or a manhow hormones might be related to bed wettingpossible phenomena experienced by male and female athletes who overexercisewhy a user of the drug “Ecstasy” might fall into a comawhy female and male sex hormones are produced by both sexeshow to protect oneself from the ~800 chemicals called endocrine disruptorsMeet Your Hormones is a captivating, eloquently written, user-friendly volume, packed with information and analysis of hormones, their activities, and their significance. Its design –consisting mainly of short, concentrated scripts accompanied by simple, compelling illustrations and graphics – is easy to use. It is appropriate for adult, college, and high school readers and possibly even middle school readers with parent or teacher approval. In addition to an index, the book includes a glossary and suggestions for further reading. As the authors point out repeatedly throughout, “Happy Hormones, Happy Day.”