What: "A long-acting chemical messenger. A hormone is like a biochemical "office memo" that is produced by an organ somewhere in the body, travels through the bloodstream to reach the "mailbox" of a distantly located target organ, and then tells the target organ what to do. For instance, the biochemical messenger thyroid stimulating hormone is produced by the pituitary gland (a pea-sized gland in your brain), travels through the bloodstream to the thyroid gland (located in your lower neck), and then tells the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormone - a hormone that has a plethora of effects including regulating your metabolism."

Writer: Dr. Leonardo Noto

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Date: Feb 21 2014 3:54 PM