Endocrine Hormone Balancing
Coming soon
What is Endocrine Hormone Balancing and how a hormone balancing massage effects you:
EHB increases general circulation in endocrine system and thus improves the ability to move hormones throughout the bloodstream;
indirectly aids immune system, as some hormones produce lymphocytes to aid in immunisation;
helps the body rebalance and heal develops of restful sleep patterns
promotes appropriate levels of hormones bringing the body systems back into balance;
reduces stress levels, anxiety and depression by calming the sympathetic nervous system;
helps with menopause issues and weight control which is part nature, part nurture.
There are different massage disciplines that most of us are familiar with, such as a full body massages, Sports massage, Deep Tissue, Thai, Swedish, Hot Stone, Lymphatic Drainage etc as well as Head/Neck/Shoulder or Indian Head massage. Each of these are tailored to work on different conditions but with the objective to restore the body’s homeostasis and stimulate the relaxation responses.
The Endocrine Hormone balancing reflexology massage follows a specific sequence of reflex points located on the soles of the feet to stimulate and clear chemical pathways for hormones to travel unhindered and do their job. Certain areas of the endocrine system brings the body down from “flight, fright or freeze” and into a restful, relaxed and receptive mode.
Maintaining hormonal balance in the endocrine system requires continual monitoring through the body’s feedback system to correct any hormone imbalances by adding or lessening the hormone levels as needed. For example, if the body is under stress, the endocrine system pumps up its production of stress hormones, which results in raised blood sugar levels and activation of our sympathetic nervous system responses. We are in a state of high alert which we interpret as ‘feeling stressed’. Stressful situations have different symptoms. When we feel our heart racing, we have an increased saliva production, our pupils dilate, we feel our blood pumping through our body at an increased rate and we may even have the shakes. This means we cannot relax and cannot recover from the stress responses as they are ongoing.
Endocrine Hormone Balance Reflexology helps to reduce levels of adrenaline and norepinephrine, hormones produced by the adrenal glands which activate our fight or flight or stress response. The health of our body requires that it is able to step down from the stress reactions, which means activation of the parasympathetic nervous system to promote healing from stressful effects.
When certain areas are massaged, the endocrine system brings the body down from “flight, fright or freeze” and into a restful, relaxed and receptive mode by stimulating the relaxation responses of the endocrine system. General circulation in endocrine system increases and improves the ability to move hormones throughout the bloodstream. Indirectly it also aids immune system, as the hormones produced in the Thymus gland are lymphocytes, or white blood cells which help the body rebalance and heal.
The endocrine system is a complex network of glands and organs. It uses hormones to control and coordinate our body's metabolism, energy levels, reproduction, growth and development, and response to injury, stress, and mood. Endocrine Hormone Balancing massage focuses on areas on the sole of the feet where the glands of the endocrine system are located. Massaging the endocrine system aims to calm the sympathetic nervous system, reducing stress which is associated with a state of “flight, fright or freeze” into resting position and eventually achieving homeostasis. The Endocrine Reflexology massage focuses on particular glands:
Hypothalamus – regulates the autonomic nervous system. It governs the pituitary gland and controls functions such as satiation (feeling of fulness), thirst, body temperature, emotions, sleep, blood pressure, heart rate and sexual behaviour, as well as feel good hormone Dopamine, a neurotransmitter transmitting a feeling of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation. Hormones are produced in our hypothalamus, which sits at the back of our brain. The hormones are transported by means of nerve fibres via the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis to the pituitary gland where the hormone is released into the bloodstream.
Pituitary - this is the master endocrine gland. It is stimulated – or prohibited – by the hypothalamus to produce hormones to stimulate and control the other glands as they produce their own unique hormones. It stores both dopamine and stimulates the production of serotonin (a chemical messenger between nerve cells acts as a mood stabiliser, controls sleep, digestion, nausea, wound healing, bone health, blood clotting and sexual desire). The Pituitary gland also regulates stress by signalling for the production of cortisol released in the adrenals. The Pituitary gland also regulates bone growth and the mechanisms of the reproductive system, such as women’s menstrual cycles and the release of breast milk.
The Pituitary gland is stimulated via chemical messages from the hypothalamus to produce hormones to control blood pressure by acting on our kidneys and blood vessels. The posterior lobe produces two hormones, Vasopressin and Oxytocin:
Vasopressin is an antidiuretic hormone. Antidiuretic[iii] hormones control the fluid balance in our bodies, ensure our blood vessels are able to constrict and kidneys controlling the amount of water and salt in the body. These mechanisms are important to keep our blood pressure functioning correctly and balancing the amount of urine that is made.
Oxytocin[iv] is controls the key aspects of our reproductive system. It also is produced in the hypothalamus and secreted into the bloodstream via the pituitary gland. Oxytocin is released when there is a strong electrical activity of neurons when the cells in the hypothalamus are stimulated. It acts as a chemical messenger in that it has an important role in human behaviours as well as being responsible for creating feelings of love and bonding. It is active during childbirth by stimulating the uterus muscles in the womb to contract and controlling lactation after childbirth. Oxytocin is also known as the love hormone.
Pineal gland – secretes Melatonin which is responsible for controlling our circadian cycle, and regulates our sleep patterns as well as influencing our mood. Melatonin is an important part of the body's circadian timing system and can synchronise daily rhythms, including jet lag* and circadian rhythm sleep disorders, which include difficulty falling asleep, waking up during the sleep cycle or waking up too early and being unable to fall back to sleep. Melatonin is secreted more when it is dark which explains melatonin’s role in sleep. There is considerable research that shows that without the pineal gland and its secretion of melatonin, animals are unable to adapt physiologically to seasonal changes.
Thyroid – The thyroid gland is located at the front of the neck just below the Adam's apple (larynx). It is butterfly-shaped and consists of two lobes located either side of the windpipe (trachea). The Thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate our body’s metabolic rate, controlling our heart function function, muscle and digestive function, brain development and bone maintenance. It requires a good supply of iodine from the diet which are produced by particular cells with the role to extract and absorb iodine from the blood and incorporate it into the thyroid hormones. As the Thyroid gland stimulates hormones linked to converting food into energy which the body can use, it is associated with weight loss/gain (over or under active thyroids), our energy levels, PMS, anxiety and memory
Parathyroid – produces the parathyroid hormone, which plays an important role in the regulation of the body’s calcium levels that are important for controlling blood clotting, helping muscles to contract, and regulating normal heart rhythms and nerve functions as well as maintaining a healthy bone structure and teeth.
The main organs that parathyroid hormone focus on are the bones and the kidneys. When calcium levels are low, the parathyroid hormone is released into the blood with the effect of the bones releasing calcium and increasing levels in the bloodstream. It also causes the kidneys to stop calcium being lost in passing urine whilst stimulating the kidneys to increase vitamin D metabolism. If someone does not take in enough calcium through their diet or does not have enough vitamin D, circulating calcium levels fall and the parathyroid glands produce more parathyroid hormone. This brings calcium levels in the bloodstream back up to normal. Another method that parathyroid hormone uses to increase calcium levels in the bloodstream is activation of vitamin D. This occurs in the kidney too; the activated vitamin D then increases calcium absorption from the gut. If the high level of parathyroid hormone remains undetected for a long time, it can cause calcium from the bones to be lost into blood and subsequently the urine. This can eventually cause bones to become thin (osteoporosis). Too much calcium in the blood level – hyperparathyroidism - can appear as symptoms of increased thirst, increased urine production, abdominal pain, constipation, generalised aches and pains and changes in mood. urine can cause calcium stones in the kidney.
Thymus gland – is located in the upper part of the chest and produces white blood cells/lymphocytes that fight infections and destroy abnormal cells. The production of lymphocytes play a vital role in keeping our lymphatic system working, which is our body’s defence network and our important in our endocrine system. The Thymus gland is responsible in producing all of our T-Cells as our body’s defence mechanism against pathogens and infections. It ceases to produces T-cells by the age of puberty and in later years, the Thymus is no more than fatty tissue.
Adrenals – there is an adrenal gland on top of each kidney. They work on the stimulation by the hypothalamus and pituitary glands and release corticosteroid hormones and epinephrine that maintain blood pressure and regulate our metabolism. The adrenal glands secrete different hormones which act as 'chemical messengers'. These hormones travel via the bloodstream and act on various other body tissues. All adreno-cortical hormones (ie hormones produced by the adrenal cortex) are steroid compounds made from cholesterol. The Adrenal cortex produces three hormones: Mineralocorticoids: the most important one being Aldosterone, which controls the body’s salt and water balance and ensures that our blood pressure is maintained correctly. Glucocorticoids, consisting mainly of Cortisol which is the body’s natural ‘Steroid’. This hormone is involved in the response to illness and also helps to regulate the body’s metabolism. Cortisol is released during the ‘stress response’ to illness. Cortisol stimulates glucose production to help maintain blood glucose levels. Cortisol also has anti-inflammatory effects especially at higher amounts. Adrenal androgens are male sex hormones consisting of dehydroepiandosterone (DHEA) and Testosterone, both of which are present in men and women. Adrenocorticotropics are secreted by the anterior pituitary gland and controls the release of glucocorticoids and adrenal androgens. Catecholamines include the hormones Adrenaline, Noradrenalin and small amounts or dopamine. All three of these are responsible for all the physiological characteristics of the stress responses, for example fight-and-flight responses which initiates an increased heart rate, raised blood pressure, faster breathing, dry mouth, dilated pupils and looking flushed. Pancreas – is located across the back of the abdomen, behind the stomach and plays a role in digestion as well as hormone production such as insulin and glucagon, which regulate blood sugar levels. It is responsible for producing digestive juices, which consist of powerful enzymes. These are released into the small bowel after meals to break down and digest food. It also makes hormones that control blood glucose levels. The pancreas produces hormones in its 'endocrine' cells. These cells are gathered in clusters known as islets of Langerhans and monitor what is happening in the blood and release hormones directly into the blood when necessary. In particular, they sense when sugar (glucose) levels in the blood rise, and as soon as this happens the cells produce hormones, particularly insulin. Insulin then helps the body to lower blood glucose levels and 'store' the sugar away in fat, muscle, liver and other body tissues where it can be used for energy when required. Ovaries – are located on both sides of the uterus, below the opening of the fallopian tubes. In addition to containing egg cells necessary for reproduction, the ovaries also produce estrogen and progesterone.
Testis – are the male version of Ovaries and produce testosterone and sperm.
Today, as we travel more often and long distance, we often experience Jet Lag. Jet Lag is the disruption to sleep or activity patterns and the ability to be alert and function effectively. This is due to rapid travel across time zones, which leads to the body’s internal timing systems being out of alignment.
The primary cause of jet lag is the abrupt change in local time cues (for example sunrise, sunset, light and dark) after travelling across several time zones. The body’s internal circadian clock is unable to adapt rapidly to such a swift change. It takes approximately a day for each time zone crossed for the internal clock to realign with local time. Thus, for a number of days, depending on the number of time zones crossed, the clock is in ‘night mode’ during the day and ‘day mode’ during the night. Our ability to sleep, stay alert, perform different tasks and digest our food is best when the internal clock is correctly aligned with local time. Sleep is best taken when the internal clock is in ‘night mode’. It is thought that our inability to rapidly adapt to new time zones may be linked to the hormone melatonin, which is released in high levels during the night when we sleep and lower levels during the day.
Sources:
[i] https://www.somaticservices.com/2019/12/15/improve-your-wellbeing-how-massage-affects-the-endocrine-system/[ii] https://www.somaticservices.com/2019/12/15/improve-your-wellbeing-how-massage-affects-the-endocrine-system/[iii] https://www.yourhormones.info/hormones/anti-diuretic-hormone/[iv] https://www.yourhormones.info/hormones/oxytocin/[v] https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/anatomy-of-the-endocrine-system[vi] https://www.yourhormones.info/endocrine-conditions/jet-lag/
