The Neuroendocrine System: Lecture Transcript

© Copyright 2003 by Dr. Alta Smit, M.B., B.Ch. B.Sc.,(Phys.), M.F. Hom; South Africa
(Explore Issue: Volume 12, Number 3)

NOTE:It is recommended that the reader first read the Overview of Homotoxicology (Explore! For the Professional Journal Vol.12, Number 1, pp.5-10) before commencing with this lecture transcript.

The neuroendocrine system is under particular onslaught in our modern life. Not only does it serve as the conduit for our emotional life, but it is also under threat from our external environment. The amount of chemicals acting as so-called endocrine disruptors is going up by the day. These chemicals, which range from pesticides and herbicides to ingredients of plastics, which look chemically like some of the hormones in our bodies, can then bind to the receptor and cause a stimulation of the receptor, or block it so that the appropriate hormone cannot do its work. Our neuroendocrine system is even affected before we are born. Maternal stress during pregnancy is thought to have an effect on the formation of the Hypothalamic Pituitary axis. Childhood experiences can affect our behavior in later life, and the hormonal system bears the brunt of it. It has been shown that children growing up in dysfunctional homes may become adrenal junkies in later life to try and recreate this pattern they got used to in childhood. Time urgency stress seems to predispose to certain diseases, as adrenalin and especially cortisol, our chronic stress hormones, may play a role in the development of autoimmune syndromes, CFS and cancer. This is the so-called Time Urgency Perfectionist Syndrome, or TUPS, where individuals do many things at once, but feel out of control the whole time, thereby giving the adrenal gland a message of flight or flight. Typical symptoms may be road rage, always being late for events due to distraction, and not being able to stand in line to wait for anything. From the above we can see that treating any neuroendocrine disorder is a difficult task, as we need to take the external and internal environment of the patient into consideration. However, the neuroendocrine system is also one of our major auto-regulatory systems, which makes homotoxicology especially suited to treat conditions of this system, with its products.