Your endocrine system is responsible for the production of the various hormones necessary for essential functions – from regulating metabolism to maintaining healthy tissues, sex drive, reproduction, sleep cycles, and mood.

The endocrine system pairs specific hormone functions to each organ, to determine which chemicals need to be released, at what time, and for which purpose.

The pituitary gland, a small pea-sized gland, is also called the “master gland” as it controls the other glands in your body. It produces many hormones like growth hormone (GH or somatotropin) while stimulating other glands to release additional hormones like cortisol.

Other important glands of the endocrine system include the pineal gland, a pine cone-shaped gland that regulates melatonin and circadian rhythm, the thyroid gland important for thyroxine (T4) production, the thymus gland responsible for childhood growth and releasing disease-fighting T cells as well as the adrenal glands that regulate cortisol levels.

The glands that are part of your endocrine system work together, like a complex hormonal symphony to control the level of hormones that circulate throughout your body at any given time.

So when just one of these glands is “out of tune”, creating imbalances, it can lead to widespread health issues ranging from chronic fatigue to increased risks for other imbalances like low metabolism and reduced libido.

So when patients present with hormonal imbalances, most traditionally-trained clinicians typically focus on a diagnosis along with a drug protocol to treat the symptoms – for example, synthetic hormone replacement therapies such as thyroid medications.

Unfortunately, this drug-first approach oftentimes “misses the boat.”

• Taking prescription drugs oftentimes just masks the symptoms but does nothing to remedy the underlying root cause creating the imbalance in the first place — which can be poor diet, nutritional deficiencies, or stealth infections.
• Using prescriptions to mask symptoms is dangerous as it allows the underlying disorder to progress without the patient knowing — and in many cases can create additional “downstream” imbalances in other areas of the body.
• Many medications have serious side effects — such as stroke, osteoporosis, anxiety, reproductive problems, cancer, and more.

Balancing hormones naturally is not only effective but can frequently have additional benefits such as increased energy, weight loss, improved sleep, and healthier skin.

That’s why at All Functional Health, we’re focusing on identifying the root cause of your hormonal imbalances so we can craft a  personalized plan that addresses the issues for good.