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Most of our body functions happen automatically. How many of us think about our heartbeat or about every breath we take? These processes just go on in the background without us giving it a single thought. This is true with almost all our bodily systems and processes.
The system that makes sure that all of our body processes are functioning properly is the endocrine system. The complex system of hormone-producing glands that make up your endocrine system work to promote growth and development, boost your metabolism, help you get the most from your sleep, and much, much more.
You will see later in this report how extremely crucial the endocrine system is to mental and physical health. In addition to those important functions mentioned above, there are even more vital processes this system oversees.
So what exactly is the endocrine system and what does it do?
How does the endocrine system get out of balance and how can we identify when this happens?
Last but not least, a look at how essential oils support your endocrine glands and help them function more efficiently.
What is the Endocrine System? What Does It Do?
All the glands in your body that produce hormones are part of the endocrine system. Hormones are “chemical messengers” that travel throughout your body, regulating and coordinating the processing of nutrients, metabolism, digestion, heart rate, reproduction, and other functions. Hormones may also dictate your behavior because they can influence your moods and emotions.
The Hypothalamus, Pituitary, Pineal, Thyroid, Parathyroid, Thymus, Adrenal, and Pancreas are the major glands within the endocrine system. With each of these glands coordinating and regulating crucial bodily processes, it is important for the entire endocrine system to function efficiently in order for us to be in peak health, both physically and mentally.
How Does the Endocrine System Get Out of Balance?
Our hormone levels fluctuate throughout the day. This is because the glands that create hormones vital for so many functions may under or over-perform for a number of reasons.
Your endocrine system may start to get sluggish if:
- You do not get enough sleep regularly
- You are constantly stressed
- You are exposed to high levels of environmental pollutants and toxins
- You are exposed to first-hand or second-hand cigarette smoke
Estrogens present in exhaust and paint fumes, plastics, pesticides, and some cosmetics also affect the endocrine system adversely.
Do you get out in the sun regularly? Did you know that only 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure is all you need for your body to create healthy vitamin D levels? Low vitamin D levels can wreak havoc with your endocrine system.
Signs of an Imbalanced Endocrine System
Since your endocrine glands are responsible for producing so many different hormones, a wide variety of symptoms may develop when this system gets affected.
Some of the more common signs of an inefficient endocrine system may include one or more of the following:
- Excessive thirst, hunger, or fatigue
- Unexplainable weight gain or loss
- Aches and pains in joints and muscles for no known reason
- Problems sleeping, sleep apnea
- Depression and anxiety
- Diarrhea or constipation
- Low blood sugar and low blood pressure
- High blood sugar
- Inability to control moods and emotions
- Hair loss
- Rapid or slow heart rate
- Infertility or erectile dysfunction
- Unexplained headaches
Diabetes is one of the more well-known disorders of the endocrine system. According to the CDC or Centers for Disease Control in the United States, an estimated 9.3% of the US population has diabetes. This includes the 21 million people who are diagnosed and the approximately 8 million who are still undiagnosed.
Cushing’s disease, adrenal insufficiency, Addison’s disease, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, and hypopituitarism are some of the lesser-known endocrine disorders caused by an imbalance in this delicate system.
Several of the symptoms listed above are contrary to each other and many are also indicative of some other type of health problem. These two factors make it difficult to diagnose endocrine problems on your own.
If you experience one or more of the symptoms, it is important to get a medical assessment to determine whether or not they are caused by an imbalance in the endocrine system or some other reason. Self-diagnosis is dangerous.
How Essential Oils Help Maintain a Healthy Endocrine System
The endocrine system as a whole is a complex system responsible for so many different jobs. Fortunately, the individual glands in this complex system can be positively influenced by different essential oils.
What makes essential oils good for strengthening the endocrine system and making it work more efficiently is that it uses the same delivery process as the glands in that system.
The health-boosting properties of essential oils make their way to the tissues, cells, and organs through the circulatory system, which is the same way that endocrine glands send out hormones to the different parts of the body. The fact that this process is familiar to both essential oils and the endocrine system means that in many cases, you may see a very rapid and positive response when you use essential oils for your endocrine system.
Best Essential Oils for a Healthy Endocrine System
Let’s take a look at each of the glands in the endocrine system to see what its specific job is and which essential oils are best for that particular gland.
Pituitary
This is the “master gland” of your endocrine system. Your brain communicates with the other glands through the pituitary gland. Several hormones are produced by this gland, including the growth hormone.
Your pituitary helps you grow and develop physically. An unhealthy pituitary gland can stunt growth. This gland also produces prolactin, which enables pregnant moms-to-be to produce breast milk.
Frankincense, Vetiver, and Sandalwood are the best essential oils for the pituitary gland – These wonderfully aromatic oils can help the overall job of your endocrine system to deliver hormones. Since these essential oils boost pituitary gland health, the “master gland” of the hormone system we mentioned earlier, they all help all of the other endocrine glands function more efficiently.
Hypothalamus
The endocrine system connects to the nervous system through the hypothalamus. It is the hypothalamus that tells the pituitary gland when to stop or start making hormones, which are crucial to a number of physiological processes and developments. The hypothalamus also influences thyroid and adrenal function, regulates how you handle stress, and controls your thirst and hunger.
Frankincense, Ylang-Ylang, and Patchouli are the best essential oils for the hypothalamus gland. – These oils keep the hypothalamus gland working at its efficient best. And because the hypothalamus affects all endocrine functions, using these oils regularly can benefit your entire endocrine system in many ways.
Thymus
The thymus is an important gland that’s closely related to the immune system. It plays a crucial role in developing and maturing T-lymphocytes, or T cells, which work to fight deadly infections. This gland is vital for the development of the immune system in children and begins to shrink in size after puberty.
Rosemary, Frankincense, Oregano, and Ginger are the best essential oils for the thymus gland – These oils boost the performance of your thymus gland. A healthy thymus gives the immune system the support it needs for overall health and well-being.
Thyroid
The thyroid gland produces the thyroid hormone, which controls our metabolism.
Insufficient thyroid production results in a slow and sluggish metabolism, which in turn hampers fat and calorie burning. This makes it more difficult to lose weight, leading to obesity.
On the other hand, overproduction of the thyroid hormone can make it difficult to maintain a healthy body weight.
Frankincense and Lemongrass are the two best essential oils for the thyroid gland – These two oils can help your thyroid work more efficiently. Through the release of thyroid hormone, your thyroid influences the health of your digestive system and metabolism, as well as cardiovascular function and brain development.
Parathyroid
These 4 tiny glands are located directly in the back of your thyroid. Their main task is to keep our bones healthy by regulating calcium and phosphorus levels.
Frankincense, Spearmint, and Peppermint are the best essential oils for the parathyroid gland– Among other benefits to the endocrine system, these aromatic oils promote parathyroid gland health.
Pancreas
This gland is so important that it belongs to both the endocrine and digestive systems. It creates enzymes that help break food down into nutrients that our body can use the nutrients more efficiently.
The pancreas is also responsible for producing glucagon and insulin hormones, which help maintain healthy blood sugar levels.
Rosemary, Basil, and Cinnamon are the best essential oils for the pancreas gland – When your blood sugar level is healthy, not too high and not too low, your body uses energy efficiently. A healthy pancreas gets a boost from basil, cinnamon, and rosemary essential oils, which means your digestive system and metabolism benefit.
Adrenals
The adrenal glands are responsible for producing the hormone adrenaline, which is most often associated with the “fight or flight” response in human beings. Your 2 adrenal glands additionally produce corticosteroids that affect sexual function, metabolism and other processes.
Basil and Rosemary are the best essential oils for the adrenal glands – Adrenal glands benefit from these two essential oils. You can use them in a blend or individually to boost metabolism and control stress responses.
Ovaries
Ovaries are found only in women, and they produce both progesterone and estrogen. As ovaries develop in puberty, they contribute to the growth of breasts in young women, and they also support healthy menstrual cycles and pregnancy.
Geranium and Rosemary are the best essential oils for ovaries – These two essential oils ensure a woman produces healthy eggs so that fertilization and pregnancy as possible. They also influence a woman’s ovaries by helping in the production of healthy estrogen and progesterone levels. This is important for healthy reproduction and a smooth menstrual cycle.
Pineal
The pineal gland produces melatonin, which helps prepare the body and mind for a good night’s sleep.
Frankincense, Lavender, and Sandalwood are the best essential oils for the pineal gland – These oils stimulate your pineal gland, which is responsible for maintaining healthy sleep habits.
As you can see, Frankincense, Rosemary, and Sandalwood are three of the most versatile essential oils for the endocrine system. They promote endocrine health in a number of ways. If you have problems with a sluggish endocrine system, keeping these three essential oils on hand is a good idea.
With your endocrine glands responsible for so many vital life functions, keeping them healthy and working efficiently should be a top priority. Something as simple as filling your surrounding environment with an essential oil mist can boost your metabolism, improve your mood, help you lose weight, reduce stress, and regulate growth and development.
If you’ve never bought essential oils before and are looking to buy a set of oils to get started, I highly recommend checking out Plant Therapy. Not only are all of their oils 100% organic but if you are looking to start your collection, you can benefit from their regular discounts and offers.
Rocky Mountain Oils and Barefut Oils are two other essential oil brands that I highly recommend for their high quality and great value for money.
Recommended Books to Learn More about Essential Oils for a Healthy Endocrine System
This article skims just the surface of how essential oils work to boost the endocrine system. Pick up one of these books to learn more about this topic:
Balancing Your Hormones with Essential Oils: How Essential Oils Can Help to Reset Your Hormones Kindle Edition by Eve Bell
This 67-page book goes into detail about what happens to our hormones as we get older, recognizing the signs of hormonal issues, which essential oils are best for the different stages of our life and which essential oils are best for different hormonal disorders.
The book has received 5-star reviews from all readers who said they found lots of information that was very useful for them.
I picked this book up when I was just starting on my aromatherapy journey and find myself going through it regularly when I am looking for more information on a particular topic.
You will find a wealth of information in this book, whether you are just starting out with essential oils or you have been a long time user. With more than 2,500 readers praising this book, you know you can’t go wrong. Pick up this book from Amazon today to learn more about the best essential oils for a healthy endocrine system and so much more.
You may also be interested in:
Immunity-Boosting Essential Oils & Blends That Work
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Cinnamon Essential Oil Benefits, Uses & Cautions
Disclaimer: This information is not intended to serve as medical advice. Please consult your physician before using essential oils. See Full Disclaimer here.
