Hyper as a Sniper

¶ … Thyroid and Hormones

In some ways, the thyroid, parathyroid, aldosterone, and antidiuretic hormone (also known as ADH) all contribute to similar types of effects on the body, since they are either glands that secrete hormones or actual hormones themselves. Hormones help to regulate processes in the body. Many of the aforementioned glands and hormones regulate processes that pertain to water and electrolytes either directly or indirectly. The thyroid is one of the most sizable endocrine glands existent within the body and is located in the neck in the area that is close to where one's Adam's apple is (Tweed, 2015, p. 46). The thyroid plays an invaluable role in the regulation of other hormones because it essentially controls how responsive the body is to other hormones. Therefore, in terms of electrolytes and other types of energy that may be gained from conventional food and drink sources (such as water), the thyroid dictates how rapidly the body actually utilizes that energy through the creation of various thyroid hormones.

Parathyroid glands are much smaller endocrine glands (Thompson, 2014, p. 246) that are located in relative proximity to the thyroid itself, which partially explains the similarity in name between these two glands. The parathyroid is responsible for the secretion of parathyroid hormones, which have an indirect effect on water and electrolyte absorption in that they (and their secretions) dictate how much calcium is actually in one's blood and, by extension, how much is in one's bones. Although they address different processes and functions in the body, the parathyroid and the thyroid are similar in the way that they work. Aldosterone is one of the many secretions produced by the adrenal gland; it is a hormone. Its effect on water and the electrolytes that serve as sources of energy is indirect and pertains to its effect on blood. Simply, aldosterone helps to regulate blood pressure, which intrinsically relates to the body's propensity to retain water a, secrete potassium, and other valuable functions. ADH is a hormone that has some similarities to Aldosterone in the fact that the former also pertains to the body's ability to retain water. It also is involved in the constriction of blood vessels, which indirectly relates to its impact on the body as a mechanism to control water. ADH performs its water retention duties in the kidneys themselves by helping to increase or decrease water reabsorption as it is needed to achieve a degree of homeostasis. Such homeostasis not only relates to water absorption, but also that of glucose and salt as well.