the ENDOCRINE -

system

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The human body has an amazingly complex array of systems, including the circulatory, digestive, and muscular systems, and each has important functions. In order to operate properly, all of the systems in the body must work together. This means that the body can regulate itself and that the many organs that make up these systems can communicate with one another.

The endocrine system consists of a group of organs called endocrine glands, which are located in various parts of the body. Endocrine glands release chemical messengers called hormones that travel through the blood. Because hormones take time to travel through the circulatory system, a response by the endocrine system takes longer than one by the nervous system, which responds immediately. However, hormones can travel everywhere in the body. For this reason, hormones control those responses that are generalised and longer lasting. These responses include growth, reproduction, metabolic rate, blood glucose levels, and salt and water balance. 

Although the nervous and endocrine systems are generally discussed separately, it is helpful to think of them as different aspects of a single control system. Often the two systems can produce the same response, and they may even utilise the same chemicals. Neither system functions without the other.

For example, both systems produce the chemical adrenaline. When a person is startled or frightened, certain nerve cells release adrenaline, which sends information to internal organs. In the nervous system, adrenaline serves as a neurotransmitter, a chemical that stimulates activity in adjacent neurons. As a result of stimulation by adrenaline, the heart rate increases, the brain becomes alert, blood flow to internal organs decreases, and more blood is sent to the muscles. This response, known as the fight-or-flight response, prepares the body for danger. The neurons have only a small amount of adrenaline present at any given moment, and it is quickly depleted. This small amount is helpful for an instant response. The body, however, cannot maintain this aroused state for more than a few minutes on the neurons’ supply of adrenaline. Each cell must produce more of the neurotransmitter before it can once again send a signal to the organ. After a minute or two of fight-or-flight response, the adrenal glands, the endocrine glands located on top of the kidneys, begin to release adrenaline. The adrenal glands can produce adrenaline continuously for days at a time. It is important to remember that the nervous system perceived the stress and sent the message to the adrenal glands in the first place.

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Traditionally the chakra system is considered quite distinct from the glandular system: chakras are found in the subtle body (the pranamaya kosha), while the endocrine system is definitely part of the physical body (the annamaya kosha.) 

While they are not the same thing, some teachers have drawn correlations. Gil Hedley (anatomist), draws between the energy levels purported to surround the chakras and the energies that stimulate various glands. Yogis have taught that the highest chakra vibrates with the highest frequency: the lower chakras vibrate with lower frequencies. There is a correlation within our bodies as well. 

We exist in vast fields of energy: wifi, light from the sun and artificial sources, sound from stereos, phones, our voices, pressure from gravity … There are many sources and types of energy that come in and through our bodies. Our bodies react to these energies, sometimes  they're nourishing and sometimes harmful. 

The 7th chakra, is not part of the physical body at all, so there is no associated glands to affect. The models of the chakras suggest that this level is associated with the highest possible frequencies of energy: so high that they do not exist in the physical realm at all.

6 : PITUITARY GLAND & PINEAL GLAND Inside our skulls we have a couple of glands that react to light: the pituitary gland (situated right behind the eyes) and the pineal gland, deeper embedded in the brain. These glands have many functions, but one is to help us wake up in the morning light. Light penetrates through the front of the skull stimulating these glands – here we have the 6th chakra – the “command centre.” Light, of course, vibrates a very high frequency – billions of cycles per second (one cycle per second is called a hertz.)

5 : THYROID & PARATHYROID GLANDS In our throat we have other glands: the thyroid and parathyroid glands, which help to regulate our metabolism, among other functions. There is a powerful energy source nearby – our vocal chords. Every time we talk, and especially as we sing and chant “Ommmm”, we are vibrating these glands, strengthening and nourishing them. Sound is energy, but its frequency is on the order of thousands of cycles per second, far lower than visible light’s energy. This 5th chakra has a lower frequency than the 6th.

4 : THYMUS Going lower, to the 4th chakra, the thymus gland is located here – just beneath the breastbone. The thymus is important for our immune system: Killer T cells are matured here and taught to recognise cells that are us and foreign bodies that are not us. Right beneath our thymus is a powerful source of energy: the heart. Once a second (a frequency of about 1 hertz), the heart beats and each heartbeat creates a pressure wave that massages the thymus. It is located where it is for a very good reason: it responds to this frequency. If you are feeling under the weather, or know someone near to you who is, heart-tapping may be a very effective way to stimulate the immune system.

3 : PANCREAS the source of insulin. It too is nourished with a certain form of energy. We are now at the 3rd chakra. Right above the pancreas is the diaphragm and it too moves: every breath we take causes the diaphragm to compress and release the pancreas. On average we breath 20 times a minute, for a frequency of pressure on the pancreas of 1/3rd of a hertz.

2 : REPRODUCTIVE GLANDS Lower still, we come to the 2nd chakra. Here we find the reproductive glands. Here also we find a source of energy: body movement. When we dance, especially slow, tribal, sensual dancing, we stimulate these glands, and we notice the effect quite happily. Slow undulating movements are at very low frequencies: when we are seductive, we are slow.

1 : Finally, we arrive at the 1st chakra, the root. Movement here is the slowest – we use our anus but once a day. Is the anus a gland? Not by Western definitions. Maybe our analogy begins to break down as we reach the grossest level, but we can ask – is the anus important? Try to live with out a proper functioning anus and all your other glands will be very unhappy.

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MORE ON THE GLANDS

THE HYPOTHALAMUS & PITUITARY GLAND

The hypothalamus is located near the center of the brain, above the brainstem and below the cerebrum

Its primary function is to maintain homeostasis, acting as the body’s thermostat. The nervous system and endocrine system are truly integrated structurally and functionally in the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus receives chemical and nervous input about sight, sound, taste, smell, temperature, blood glucose concentrations, and balance of salt and water. It also helps control hunger and thirst, as well as mating and sexual behaviour. The hypothalamus provides nervous input to functions such as the regulation of heart rate, blood pressure, and contractions of the urinary bladder.

The hypothalamus controls the pituitary gland, which is attached to the underside of the brain by a slender stalk. In the past, the pituitary has been called the “master gland” because it controls many other endocrine glands. Hormones from the pituitary regulate the thyroid gland, adrenal glands, and the reproductive organs. Pituitary hormones control growth and kidney function, and are involved in childbirth and milk production.

PINEAL GLAND

The pineal gland, a structure about the size of a pea, is located slightly above and behind the hypothalamus. It receives information via the thalamus from the eyes about light and dark cycles. It is involved in rhythmic behaviour, such as sleep cycles. The pineal gland secretes the hormone melatonin. 

Many people believe that the body produces less melatonin as it ages and that this is one of the causes of aging. Some people use over-the-counter preparations of melatonin to fight jetlag and insomnia because it helps adjust the body’s sleep-wake cycle. Scientists are fairly certain that melatonin levels are involved in seasonal affective disorder (SaD)

THYROID & PARATHYROID GLANDS

The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped structure located in front of the trachea (windpipe), between the larynx and the notch at the top of the rib cage. 

The thyroid secretes thyroid hormone who’s action is to increase metabolic rate. A person with low levels of thyroid hormone tends to feel cold, be lethargic, and gain weight easily. Thyroid hormone also plays a critical role in growth and development.  It lowers blood calcium levels by acting on bones and kidneys. Calcium is removed from the blood and stored in the bones. The kidneys reduce the amount of calcium that is returned to the blood and allow more to be excreted in the urine. 

The parathyroid glands are four small tissue masses attached to the back of the thyroid. They secrete parathyroid hormone (PTH). PTH raises blood calcium levels by stimulating its release from bone and stimulating its uptake by the kidneys and intestines.

THE THYMUS GLAND

The thymus, located in the chest region, is involved in many aspects of immunity, including the production of chemicals that stimulate and regulate the immune response.

THE PANCREAS

The pancreas, located beneath the stomach, is attached to the small intestine by the pancreatic duct through which digestive enzymes are released. Insulin and glucagon, work to control blood glucose levels. Insulin is unique in that it is the only hormone that lowers blood glucose levels. Glucagon raises blood glucose levels, allowing us to maintain a nearly constant concentration of glucose in our blood in between meals.

THE ADRENAL GLANDS 

The adrenal glands sit above the kidneys. They secrete four groups of steroids, known as corticosteroids: oestrogen's (female sex hormones), androgens (male sex hormones), glucocorticoids, and mineralocorticoids. Released during times of stress, glucocorticoids raise blood glucose levels, decrease inflammation, and delay healing. Mineralocorticoids work on the kidneys to increase sodium and water reabsorption.

REPRODUCTIVE GLANDS

The ovaries and the testes, produce eggs and sperm and sex hormones. In females, the ovaries produce eggs and oestrogen's, the primary hormones that maintain the female reproductive tract and produce female secondary sexual characteristics. The ovaries also produce progesterone, the hormone released during pregnancy that helps the uterus maintain the pregnancy. In males, the testes produce sperm and androgens (male hormones). The primary male sex hormone is testosterone.

THE KIDNEYS

The two kidneys are located at the back of the abdominal cavity, just below the rib cage. The kidneys remove water-soluble wastes from the blood and regulate the osmotic balance of the body. They also help regulate blood pressure. When body tissues are exposed to low levels of oxygen, the kidneys convert a plasma protein to erythropoietin, or EPO. This hormone stimulates the red bone marrow located in the ends of the long bones to produce more red blood cells (erythrocytes). Because red blood cells carry oxygen, this increases the amount of oxygen delivered to the tissues, which, in turn, lowers the level of erythropoietin, which then slows red blood cell production.

THE HEART

The human heart has four chambers. The two upper chambers, called the atria, receive blood returning from the lungs and body tissues. When the blood volume increases, cells in the right atrium release a protein called atrial natriuretic factor (aNF), or atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). This hormone causes blood vessels to dilate and the kidneys to produce more urine, resulting in lower blood pressure and reduced blood volume through the excretion of more water.

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