Wellness Coaching: The Hierarchy of Hormones
In 1994, medical science discovered a major hormone that they previously didn’t know existed. But it wasn’t just any major hormone, it was the king of all hormones that oversees virtually every function of the brain’s hypothalamus gland. The name of hormone is “leptin” and it was found in our fat cells.
Until scientists discovered leptin, scientists thought that body fat’s only function was to store units of energy. Today, science acknowledges it to be a complex organ of the endocrine system. One of leptin’s primary roles is to govern the body’s behavioral responses to starvation, which is crucial for our survival. As a result, its activities affect our emotions, cravings, and metabolism. For leptin, survival of the body is primary, and everything else takes a back seat.
Big Pharma has yet to come up with a drug that can positively influence leptin function. Diet is the only thing that can do this. Subsequently, very little about this major hormone is taught in medical schools or discussed in the media, despite its central role in our physiology. Its activities throughout the body are both intricate and comprehensive. It regulates the endocrine system, the nervous system, the metabolism, and even has role in prolonging your life.
Because it oversees all other hormonal functions, no other hormonal imbalance in the body can be restored without leptin functioning normally. Moderated and balanced levels of leptin in your body means that most diseases can be prevented and your lifespan can be increased. Degenerative disease, obesity, and inflammation has been associated with chronically high levels of leptin in the body.
Leptin controls our metabolism. Before its discovery, scientists believed that the thyroid gland was responsible for this, but leptin actually controls the thyroid which regulates the rate of metabolism. Leptin also regulates our energy storage. It decides whether or not to store or burn fat and whether or not to make us hungry for food. It also governs the nervous system’s “fight or flight” response via the sympathetic pathway arousal. Leptin decides whether or not to calm our nerves after the storm. In fact, if any part your endocrine system is awry, you won’t be able to do anything about it until your leptin levels are restored to normalcy.
Your hormones have their own hierarchy. At the top of the chain of command is leptin, the “king.” Underneath him is “insulin,” his subservient and somewhat antagonistic “general.” Beneath him are adrenaline and cortisol, the “colonels.” Then there’s the pituitary (“major”) hormones which regulate the thyroid and growth hormones, then your thyroid (“captain”) hormones, then your sex (“sergeant” ) hormones, and on down the line. Hormones work together as a team to keep your body’s metabolism, nervous system, and energy levels in perfect harmony.
So at this point, you’re probably wondering, “How can I restore my leptin levels to normal and bring balance to the hormonal hierarchy of my body? I think that Nora Gedgaudas, CNT, CNS, in her book, “Primal Body, Primal Mind,” answers this question best, saying, “The only thing that can possibly restore healthy leptin functioning is a diet that is very low in sugar and starch (which includes eliminating grains, breads, pasta, rice, and potatoes as well as sweets) and is sufficient in healthy natural fats.
Jason Lincoln Jeffers is a Wellness Coach, Online Life Coach and the founder of The Art of Transformation, a company dedicated to teaching Self Realization to the masses. His Online Life Coaching program uniquely synthesizes spiritual wisdom with ego transcendence, holistic wellness, life path astrology, heart-brain intention, the power of presence, and the law of attracti