Porkchop!! My baby puppy. =) These past few days, I've been spoiling him with so many treats, wondering what my little Porkchop would enjoy playing with and of course, what food suites best for him. I've even been trying different flavors of dog food. If Porkchop gives me an ugly feedback, its obvious that he doesn't like it.... I guess its a trial and error type of thing. And for sure, there will be adjustments to keep things balanced....... just like hormones, keeping the body balanced - adapting to the changes of the environment (what we call homeostasis). Hehe...
Although Porkchop is still new to me, I already notice if he would feel hunger or would like to play. One time, while I was wiping the drops of water as I was washing the dishes - Porkchop chased the rag i was using to wipe the floor. That gave me a sign that baby Porkchop wanted to play. =) After I cleaned up the mess, I, right away, grabbed the time to play with my cuddly puppy which gave him a positive feedback for baby Porkchop.
Soon, I noticed Porkchop got tired and just laid down, flat on the floor like those rugs rich people put on the center of their living room. I figured he got hungry because of the playing and chasing around. Just imagine, chasing a ball back and forth my apartment for maybe an hour or even more.... Who wouldn't get tired doing that?? hehe... I then took his bowl and made noise with it. To serve as signal to Porkchop and if he reacts to the noise and comes up to his bowl, for sure it means he's hungry. Without surprise, he was hungry! Haha..
Here, I realized that the tapping of the bowl on the floor or the signaling of food for Porkchop represents the hormones in our body. I was sending a message to Porkchop and Porkchop actually understood. =) Going back to hormones, we all know their found in the body. And understanding this, they are chemical signals or messengers in the body which involves positive and negative feedbacks. And if you think of it, it is so much familiar with the activities I've been doing with Porkchop for communication. In comparison, hormones are transported to one cell on to another cell while with me and Porkchop, i try making sounds (signals) to Porkchop vice versa. Together with these feedbacks, I can see and understand whether Porkchop or the body is able to adapt to the changes properly or not.
These hormones function as signals or messengers and of course with the involvement of receptors for proper communication in the circulation. The two mechanisms which involves steriods and nonsteroid hormones provide the feedbacks if the functioning of the cells to the signals respond properly. If not, as to my understandings with the nonsteroid hormone, other cells are activated by other kinds of messengers to achieve its target response. That is how it works throughout the body. Well, it may be complicating for others to understand the functions of hormones in the living body but understanding its mechanisms and just relating it with daily activities, you surely will be able to realize how simple some explanations may be. =)