Must’ve been a bus. Well, maybe a truck. It had to be something big to flatten us so completely.

We don’t know what caused the problem, why it had to pick on us or how to fix it.

Meanwhile, doctors tell us we’re ‘fine.’ We know we’re not ‘fine,’ but we don’t know what to do about it.

So in a series of posts (14 at last count), I aim to tell you all about your endocrine system. Well, sort of. We’re dealing with an exquisitely complicated system here, with much yet to be learned.

But we can understand enough to figure out some things. And, as the saying goes, knowledge is power.

Now I recognize that you probably never put understanding the endocrine system on your top-ten list of things to do. But sometimes you just have to dig in and do what you have to do to get where you want to be.

If you’re content to live at the bottom of the energy barrel and don’t want to be bothered with understanding how it goes, you’ll have to find some alternate reading material for a while. Sorry.

Cause I’m talking endocrine.

First, let’s talk about what the endo part of endocrine means. Our bodies have lots of pipes and plumbing taking things hither and yon, but not the endocrine system. With one exception (which I’ll talk about down the road), our endo systems are plumbing-free. They have to work without it.

Here’s how it goes: Our endocrine glands emit hormones. The hormones drift along through our bodies until they come upon receptors that chemically fit them, with each hormone have its own specific set of receptors. Having found a fit, the hormone locks into the receptor and gets to work. Nothing happens until the hormone/receptor fit happens.

Unfortunately, chemically similar imposters lurk about, ready to enter or take over the receptor before the hormone can get there. Chaos ensues.

While things seem to be working, our hormones lose the power and the glory to do anything.

For instance, the iodine that completes your thyroid hormone gets pushed out by fluoride, chlorine and, most of all, bromine (a fire retardant used in bread–for reasons unknown, but probably money. It doesn’t show up on the ingredients label or people might avoid it.)

With no place to go and nothing to do, iodine gets washed away in your urine. But when thyroid loses its iodine and combines with the imposter, you end up with thyroid that doesn’t work. That’s bad enough, but here’s the real gotcha: Blood tests can’t tell the difference between functional, iodine-enriched hormone and the imposter garbage, so they say you’re ‘fine.’ Bald, brain-fogged and tired to death, but ‘fine.’ The test said so.

Some hormones get even. If you take phony-baloney estrogen into your body, you put yourself in a world of hurt. Whether it’s something you eat, plastic containers, the lining in canned foods, parabens in your lotions and potions, birth control pills, whatever–fake estrogen wreaks havoc. You end up awash in estrogen, and things run seriously amok.

You can end up with estrogen dominance. Men grow moobs, lose their libido along with their testosterone and can eventually succumb to prostate cancer. Women say ‘good-bye’ to their libido, too, and ‘hello’ to PMS, endometriosis, menopause problems, etc. They also increase their odds of breast cancer. Little boys endure a lifetime of low testosterone. No more John Waynes to take care of business; just Pee Wee Hermans. Little girls experience precocious puberty–and a lifetime of estrogen problems, including fertility issues.

While doctors know the emitter/receptor process, they’re not taught the rest of what you just read. We really need to know this stuff if we’re going to conquer it.

Next time I’ll start talking about the ten glands that make up the endocrine system. Well, actually, they just figured out two more parts, and they say more are on the way. So we’ll be talking about ten plus.

Confused about what vitamins and minerals you need? Not certain about what to look for in nutritional supplements? Bette Dowdell dug herself out of a really deep health ditch, and she wants to use her years of study to help you do the same. Don’t go dragging through life when you don’t have to. Bette’s e-book Pep for the Pooped: Vitamins and Minerals Your Body Is Starving For helps you build a solid health foundation–and takes you directly to the right brand, the best type, at the lowest price. Save time and money–plus get the knowledge you’re on the right track. Real help is waiting for you at http://PepForThePooped.com

Product offer: Life has a way of introducing us to all sorts of weirdness. Perhaps, for instance, you grind your teeth at night–which is hard on your teeth and jaw–and the nerves of anybody in the vicinity. Well, who knows what that’s about? Raising your minerals, especially magnesium, helps, but it takes a while for minerals to fully kick in. In the meantime, I’ve found a simple little program that helps you stop the nightly racket. Check it out here.