Endocrinology

Around age of 12, as I enter the puberty stage, I  have experienced some physical and behavioral changes. Hips begin to widen, breast develops, pimples begin to appear, mood swings and my menstruation started. I know that this changes are just normal. According  to Gerald J. Tortora this changes are because of the secretions from the endocrine glands.

According to Lauralee Sherwood, Endocrinology is the study of homeostatic chemical adjustments and other activities accomplished by hormones, which are secreted into the blood by endocrine glands.

Exocrine and endocrine are the two kinds of glands in our body. Exocrine glands, such as sweat (sudoriferous), oil (sebaceous), mucous, and digestive glands, secrete their products into ducts that carry the secretions to other parts of the body. While the endocrine (ductless) secrete their products- called hormones into the extracellular space.

Photo Credit: noblehospitalspune.com

Endocrine system releases chemical messengers called hormones (hormones which means set in motion) into the bloodstream. They bring changes in the metabolic activities of body tissues.

Some Features of hormones?

• They are produced by a specific tissue 
• They are released directly from the tissue into the bloodstream and carried to the site of action
• They act as target cells to induce certain biochemical changes

Clinical endocrinology is one of the fastest growing fields in clinical chemistry.

Thank you for reading!

"When we stop reading, we stop learning"

References:
Donald F. Calbreath, "Clinical Chemistry: A Fundamental Textbook
Gerald J. Tortora, "Introduction to the Human Body: The Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology Third Edition