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ON HORMONES AND HUMANS


I was in a bus this morning, happy with myself for having bagging such a ride. You see, this bus was going to transport me from almost literally my doorstep to where I needed to be exactly; and this completed exemplified and simplified hormonal activity in my ever-active mind. Two exact straight lines were being joined.
A hormone (a human) is a chemical substance (is a mechanical being), formed in one organ or part of the body (who lives in his/her house) and is transported by blood (transported by land, air or water) to its site of action (to where he/she needs to perform necessary actions).
The word hormone originates from the Greek word hormao, which is translated to mean ‘to rouse or set in motion’. Any need then to wonder on the amazing correlations between the human movement and hormonal transport?
The similarities between hormone transport and human movement include, but aren’t restricted to:
1.      SITES OF FORMATION AND ACTIVITY ARE DIVERGENT: A hormone is formed in a different place and it acts at a different site. My house and school are two different places, yet I go to school everyday
2.      TRANSPORTED: Both the hormone and the human need to be transported for their activities to take place
3.      ENERGY USAGE: Production of hormones require the usage of energy substrates e.g.:
(i)                 Amino acids are used up in the formation of protein hormones and hormones derived from tyrosine (e.g. pancreatic, anterior and posterior pituitary, cathecolamines, thyroid hormones)
(ii)               Cholesterol (very important in formation of cell membrane) is used in the formation of steroid hormones  (e.g. adrenal cortex, gonadal, placental hormones)
The human is a fuel-using mechanical being as well. He/she makes use of energy in the form of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)
4.      CONTROL IS BY FEEDBACK: Most hormones are known to be regulated by negative feedback to prevent them from being overtly expressive, while a few are controlled by positive feedback- an example of which is the LH surge.

Can human motion be controlled by feedback reactions? That’s an open question. Comments are welcome. 

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