Let’s take a look at Biological Aging
IS YOUR THYROID DAMAGING YOUR SKIN AND YOUR BRAIN?
The low down on thyroid slow down
Midlife can bring subtle changes in our skin, hair, energy, weight, and even mental outlook. Before writing them off as products of aging, it’s a good idea to make sure they’re not the result of an under-active thyroid. Low thyroid hormone production, or hypothyroidism, causes a range of symptoms— fatigue, constipation, dry skin and brittle nails, aches and pains, and feeling down — that you might easily attribute to other health problems. Nutrition is huge here – organic iodine deficiency in the diet is a major contributing factor. Symptoms of Low Thyroid include:
- Hair that is scanty, dry, brittle, dull, lusterless, and lifeless
- Hair loss from the eyebrow
- Flaky, dry, rough skin
- Sleep disturbances
- Poor short term memory
- Poor response to exercising
- Hypoglycemia
- Cold hands or feet
- High cholesterol
- Cholesterol deposits on eyelids
- Depression
- Difficulty in concentrating
- Loss of interest in things normally important to you
Your Thyroid, Hormones and Glandular System:
What is The Master Glands Impact on the Skin and the Aging Process?
Hormones are chemical substances produced within an animal or a plant. They act as “chemical messengers” as a means of communication among various parts of an organism. They help these parts function in a coordinated way. Hormones control such body activities as growth, development, and reproduction.
First definite evidence of existence of hormones was found in 1902, when British researchers discovered that a chemical substance controlled certain activities involved in digestion. Since then more than 30 hormones produced by the human body have been identified.
Most hormones in the human body are produced by organs called ductless glands (endocrines). These include the two adrenal glands, the pituitary gland, the four parathyroid glands, the sex glands, and the thyroid gland. A few hormones are also produced by endocrine tissue present in organs which are not primarily endocrine glands. These organs include the stomach and pancreas.
Various endocrine glands secrete hormones into the blood, which carries them throughout the body. When a hormone arrives at its target organ or tissue it causes certain actions to take place.
Hormones may be grouped according to the functions they control. These functions include the way the body uses food; growth; sex and reproduction; the regulation of the composition of the blood; the reaction of the body to emergencies; and the control of hormones themselves.
Most human hormones can be divided into two groups according to their chemical structure – steroids and amino acid-based hormones. Steroids, consists of the sex hormones and the hormones of the adrenal cortex. Most other human hormones contain some form of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.
Chemical structure of a hormone enables it to combine with a receptor in the cells of its target. The union of the hormone with the receptor triggers a change in the chemical processes of the cell. This change, in turn, modifies many of the hundreds of chemical activities of the cell, causing the target to behave in a certain way.
For the purpose of this article, we will look at a few specific hormones that can wreak havoc on the body and impact the skin directly.
Thyroid hormones are produced in the thyroid gland, and function to increase the basal metabolic rate and affect protein synthesis. Excessive thyroid hormone can cause diarrhea, irregular heartbeat, headache, chills, nervousness, stomach cramps, fever, chest pain, or difficulty sleeping. Thyroid hormones also stimulate oil glands and when your thyroid hormones are imbalanced, as in the case of hypothyroidism or sub-clinical hypothyroidism, dry skin can be one of the first symptoms to arise.
As hormone levels fall, so does oil production, causing skin to become rough, dry, itchy or flaky. Deficiencies in essential fatty acids and other nutrients (organic iodine) contribute directly to dry skin by failing to give your skin cells the materials they need to replenish themselves. This can also make women more susceptible to hormonal imbalance, exacerbating the problem. Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency is a major contributing factor involved in both thyroid imbalance and aging skin conditions.
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Thyroid imbalances can make skin not only dry, flaky, and sallow, but cause cold hands and feet and an increase in anxiety and depression. In addition, horizontal neck wrinkles, sagging skin and overall accelerated aging caused by the acceleration of the “stress factors” that occur with thyroid imbalance.
Too often these symptoms are treated with anti-anxiety medications and anti-depressants. Skin issues due to thyroid imbalance might also occur with other thyroid symptoms, like heat or cold intolerance, puffiness in the skin, fatigue, and unusual changes to body shape and weight.
Adrenalin: Adrenal hormones are produced in the adrenal medulla. These hormones function to increase the supply of oxygen and glucose to the brain and muscles (by increasing heart rate); increases catalysis of glycogen in the liver; causes damage to lipids in fat cells; and suppresses the immune system. The adrenal glands are really designed to produce this hormone sporadically, but due to modern lifestyle issues, can be producing more or less constantly which leads to adrenal exhaustion. When adrenal glands become exhausted, the quality and quantity of adrenaline produced will be compromised and the adrenals will compensate with overproduction of cortisol and testosterone, and puts additional stress on the thyroid gland, which creates the 21st century stress syndrome and a vicious cycle of glandular burnout and accelerated aging effects.
Insulin: This hormone is produced in the pancreas and functions to capture glucose, glikogenesis and glycolysis in liver and muscle from the blood. Excessive insulin can cause low blood sugar levels, irregular heartbeat, sweating, tremor, nausea, severe hunger and anxiety. Sometimes insulin can also cause hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Insulin deficiency can cause hyperglycemia (elevated blood sugar levels) that leads to diabetes mellitus.
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