The Connection Between Optimal Breathing and Endocrine Balance

Have you ever thought about the common factor between Thyroid disorders, complicated menopause, Premenstrual Syndrome, PCOS, diabetes, obesity, and osteoporosis?

These are the hormonal problems that occur when your endocrine system does not function optimally. Your body’s endocrine system is like the body’s internal messaging network. Simply put, it helps cells in different parts of your body stay connected and work together.

This system includes the hypothalamus, pineal gland, pituitary gland, thyroid gland, parathyroid glands, thymus, adrenal glands, and pancreas.

• Hypothalamus: Hypothalamus connects the endocrine system with your nervous system and notifies the pituitary gland to start/stop synthesizing hormones.
• Pituitary Gland: Also known as the Master Gland, this gland produces many vital hormones: prolactin, Antidiuretic Hormone (vasopressin), corticotropin, thyroid-stimulating hormone, oxytocin, and luteinizing hormone.
• Pineal Gland: Produces melatonin that helps your body sleep well.
• Thyroid Gland: This gland produces the thyroid hormone, which is responsible for your growth and metabolism, as well as calcitonin- the hormone that contributes to bone strength.
• Parathyroid Glands: This set of 4 glands regulates calcium and phosphorus levels and plays a vital role in bone health.
• Thymus Gland: The thymus gland helps build a child’s immune system by synthesizing T-lymphocytes, the White Blood Cells that fight infections. After puberty, the thymus starts to shrink.
• Adrenal Glands: This gland is best known for producing the “fight or flight” hormone, adrenaline, and corticosteroids. These hormones influence metabolism, heart rate, oxygen consumption, blood circulation, and sexual function.
• Pancreas: Pancreas is part of both your digestive and endocrine systems, and it is responsible for synthesizing digestive enzymes that aid in food breakdown and hormones such as insulin and glucagon. These two hormones are crucial in regulating blood sugar levels and ensuring appropriate glucose utilization in the body’s cells.

What does your Endocrine System Do for You?

Your endocrine system helps you by:

• Synthesizing hormones that regulate growth and development, moods, metabolism, organ function, and reproduction.
• Regulating the release of hormones
• Distributing those hormones via the bloodstream to various parts of the body.

Why are Hormones Important?

So what exactly are hormones?

Hormones are essential chemical messengers that control everything from your energy and mood to how you grow and heal. They are released into the bloodstream and act on target organs or cells.

According to Randi Hutter Epstein, MD, the author of Aroused: The History of Hormones and How They Control Just About Everything, hormones are the body’s internal Wi-Fi. Hormones are responsible for regulating many biological functions such as blood sugar control, reproductive organ differentiation, growth and function, body growth and energy production, and many other vital processes.

Similar to how a key fits into a lock, many hormones bind to receptors that are synthesized within cells.

When a hormone binds to a receptor, it triggers the receptor to carry out the hormone’s instructions, either by modifying the cell’s existing proteins or by turning on genes to create new proteins. The hormone-receptor complex then activates or deactivates specific biological processes in cells, tissues, and organs.

The endocrine system, composed of different hormones, regulates all your biological processes from conception through adulthood and into old age. The system controls the brain development, nervous system development, growth and function of the reproductive system, metabolism and blood sugar levels. Without hormones, the body cannot function optimally, and many vital processes would not occur, which highlights the importance of hormones in maintaining good health.

What Causes an Endocrine Disorder?

Endocrine conditions can develop due to:

• Insufficient production of a specific hormone
• Excessive production of a specific hormone
• Dysfunction in the hormone synthesis process/Inability of the hormone to function properly

What are the Factors that Affect Endocrine Function?

Interestingly, research has shown that several lifestyle factors, such as chronic stress, exposure to air pollution, and nutrition, can interfere with hormone balance. The adrenal hormones exert a strong influence on all other hormones in the body. It’s been observed that stress can make patients vulnerable to or trigger hormonal imbalances. Additionally, stress can exacerbate symptoms in patients with preexisting hormone imbalance conditions.

Next comes the endocrine disruptors—the chemicals that mimic/interfere with the body’s hormones and can cause developmental, reproductive, immune, and brain problems. Some of the common endocrine disruptors are BPA, dioxins, perchlorate, PFAS, phthalates, phytoestrogens, PBDE, PCB, and triclosan. These chemicals are present in our everyday products, such as plastic bottles, plastic containers, flame retardants, metal food can liners, detergents, food items, toys, cosmetics, and pesticides. We usually come into contact with these disruptors through diet, air, skin, and water

Unfortunately, the majority of us have these factors in our lives today. No wonder many of us are struggling with our health and wellness!

The Connection Between Optimal Breathing and Endocrine System Function

So here’s the key question: How does all of this relate to breathing? Literally everything!

Learning to breathe optimally can help you by:

1. Calming your chronic stress responses
2. Promoting healthy detoxification in your body

Let’s take a look at how breathing better can de-stress and detoxify your body.

When you’re stressed, you tend to take shallow breaths, often involving your upper chest. This causes tension in the jaw, neck, shoulders, or abdomen, which can prevent full lung expansion and deprive your body of its most vital nutrient-oxygen.

On the other hand, diaphragmatic breathing promotes relaxation, a balanced nervous system, and an endocrine system. Wondering how? Diaphragmatic breathing gently stimulates the heart, spinal column, digestive organs, adrenal glands, and vagus nerve. These calming signals help slow down the constant release of stress hormones. In turn, your body’s endocrine function and hormone synthesis come back into balance.

As mentioned above, optimal breathing also promotes detoxification.

Here’s how:

When you exhale, you release carbon dioxide and other toxins from your body. This detoxification process can be improved with specific breathing patterns and practices. such as relaxed, open exhales through the mouth during breathwork practice. This type of breathing can help to stimulate the Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS), which is responsible for rest and relaxation, and further support the body’s ability to detoxify.

In addition to this, breathing the right way supports detoxification by regulating the digestion and elimination processes. Did you know diaphragmatic breathing acts like a gentle massage for your digestive organs? It promotes the natural wave-like movements in your intestines, making it easier for your body to eliminate waste. This is important for the detoxification process because when elimination isn’t smooth, toxins and excess hormones can get stored in your body. In short, diaphragmatic breathing plays a major role in helping your body stay healthy and balanced.

The Deepest Calm Program, a comprehensive breathing plan included in the Optimal Breathing Kit, helps your body, mind, and internal systems relax and maintain a healthy balance across all the physiological functions.

Restoring endocrine and hormone balance needs a well-rounded approach. This means following a nutrient-dense diet, minimizing exposure to toxins, getting restorative sleep, effective stress management, and adopting a regular workout routine.

Having said that, mastering the art of breathing is one of the most powerful tools available. Optimal breathing has the ability to switch off the chronic fight-or-flight response and provide the body with the capacity to rejuvenate hormone and endocrine balance!

Sources

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