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Your endocrine system is comprised of several glands which direct activities within the body by releasing chemical messengers, called hormones, into the bloodstream. The target cells for each hormone require the presence of that specific hormone in order to carry out their own functions.

Overweight individuals may have one or both of the following conditions:

1. Endocrine Gland Dysfunction - The glands themselves arent functioning right, perhaps necessary coenzymes arent being supplied or tissue has been damaged from inflammation. This causes your endocrine glands to secrete too much or too little of certain hormones.

2. Target Cell Hyper or Hyposensitivity - The lines of communication in your endocrine system arent functioning right. Tissues and organs which are supposed to respond to your hormones are either responding too well or not well at all. This sends confusing signals to your endocrine glands that now think they need to stop sending hormones out or else send out a lot more.

Either of these conditions results in levels of hormones that are out of balance, and can be the original cause of weight gain or the unfortunate result of excess weight. In either case, the logical step toward optimal health is to assist our bodies in regaining a balanced, normally-functioning endocrine system.

When most of us think of correcting hormonal imbalances we think of HRT- Hormone Replacement Therapy in postmenopausal women. Yet the hormones used in HRT make up only a small percentage of the more than fifty hormones which regulate our mood, our metabolism, our sexual function, our growth and development, and other functions.

Research into the hormones involved in obesity is actively underway, but there is currently no HRT for the hormone imbalances that are causing weight gain, water retention, and difficult weight loss in your body. Yet, the absence of this treatment option may not be as disheartening as it seems.

HRT for obesity could likely prove to be a very imperfect solution to these hormonal issues. Crucial lessons can be learned from postmenopausal HRT which has been fraught with difficulties, being largely ineffective or causing highly undesirable side effects, and in some women even promoting the development of certain cancers.

Research and clinical experience is showing that we cannot apply one general hormonal treatment to all people and expect it to work for each of them. In response to these difficulties, the current trend in HRT is to treat women with individualized, or bio-identical, hormones based on an analysis of the specific hormonal imbalances in their system.

However, the specific imbalances in each person changes over the course of treatment requiring frequent re-evaluation of the situation and alteration of the HRT concentrations and dosages. Therefore, the effectiveness of even individualized HRT is questionable in light of the expense, as well as physical and mental stress, involved with the treatment.

The complications of postmenopausal HRT reveal the unlikelihood of truly successful obesity HRT. Allowing doctors to prescribe large doses of hormones or even treating ourselves with phytohormones may be largely ineffective, dangerous, or both, and is obviously not the best option.

The absolute best option is for our bodies to regain their own regulatory control of hormone production and to rebalance their own cellular sensitivity to levels of circulating hormones. Ideally, weight loss should be achieved by safely and naturally assisting our body in regaining a state of optimal health.

A well-balanced diet, regular exercise and adequate stress control are weight loss basics that have a huge healthy impact on your endocrine system. Other natural approaches include iodine supplementation if you suspect subclinical hypothyroidism or adrenal gland or licorice supplementation if you suspect low-functioning adrenals. Both endocrine conditions are commonly associated with obesity.

Another natural, useful approach is homeopathy. This healing modality is gaining popularity because of its gentle, restorative capabilities. The following list contains official homeopathic hormones and glandulars. These ingredients should be included in homeopathic weight control and appetite control products that are designed to correct endocrine dysregulation and hormonal imbalance.

Thyroidinum (Thyroid): Indicated for excessive obesity. Thyroidinum provides a general regulation of carbohydrate, protein, and fat metabolism through its influence over the organs of nutrition, growth, and development. Effective relief for metabolic disorders, muscular weakness, and sugar cravings.

ACTH (Adrenocorticotropin Hormone): Indicated for appetite irregularities, excessive mental and physical sluggishness in the morning, hypothyroidism, and excessive thirst, increased excretion of calcium and phosphorous, muscular weakness, and swelling and edema of the extremities.

Cortisone: Indicated for fat and water retention, tendency to hypothyroidism, and rhythmic disorders of several glands: pituitary, adrenal, pancreas. For individuals with a tendency to obesity with retention of water, dry skin and mucous membranes, acne of the face, shoulders, and back, diminished sexual desire, and/or restless legs.

Hypothalamus: Indicated for the oversensitive individual with depression linked to stress or physical issues. This remedy is effective in issues of thyroid malfunction, water retention, and obesity. Also indicated for disturbances of the appetite and circulatory malfunction.

Adrenalinum (Adrenaline): For relief of increased appetite, apathy and lack of ambition, loss of strength, general marked anemia, and belching after meals.

Pituitarum (Pituitary Gland): Stimulates muscular activity, regulates reabsorption of water at the kidneys, treats atrophy of the breasts, and alleviates gallbladder inflammation [often linked with obesity]. Effective in the relief of back and neck ache, night time anxiety, difficult mental concentration and obsessive thoughts.

Nicole Evans is an alternative medicine researcher/developer turned medical student. She also enjoys working with King Bio, a homeopathic company dedicated to empowering people to safely and naturally improve their health. Visit http://www.kingbio.com for cutting edge water-based homeopathic medicines.