Hormones: The Invisible Forces Driving Everything

There’s a phrase that gets tossed around a lot in medical circles:

“It’s your hormones.”

It’s vague. Frustrating. And usually said as if that’s all the explanation you need. But if you’ve ever been told that without context, you’re not alone. The truth is — hormones are involved in almost everything your body does. They regulate, direct, and fine-tune the systems that keep us alive and functioning.

I’ve come to understand this not just through reading or listening to podcasts, but by living it — through cancer, through alcohol recovery, through liver dysfunction, and more recently, through a brush with pre-diabetes that I didn’t see coming.

What Exactly Are Hormones?

Hormones are signaling molecules produced by glands like the pancreas, adrenals, thyroid, pituitary, ovaries, and testes. They travel through the bloodstream to organs and tissues, delivering instructions that affect metabolism, sleep, hunger, libido, mood, temperature regulation, stress response, and more.

Think of them as the software instructions in a complex operating system. They don’t just operate in isolation — they interact, balance, counterbalance, and amplify one another depending on what’s needed at the time.

A Breakdown of Key Hormones and Their Interactions

1. Insulin

• Made by: Pancreas

• Main job: Regulates blood sugar levels by transporting glucose into cells for energy or storage.

• Interactions: Works with glucagon to maintain balance; elevated insulin suppresses fat burning and can lead to resistance if chronically high.

• In context: After breaking my leg last November, I became far less active. Despite a clean diet, my insulin shot up — my body wasn’t using energy efficiently, and fat started accumulating, particularly around the middle. My HOMA-IR score showed clear signs of insulin resistance — and pre-diabetes.

2. Glucagon

• Made by: Pancreas

• Main job: Raises blood sugar when it’s too low by signaling the liver to release stored glucose.

• Interactions: Opposes insulin — they’re like yin and yang in glucose control.

• In context: A well-timed release of glucagon during fasting can improve metabolic flexibility — something I’ve focused on through intermittent fasting and OMAD.

3. Leptin

• Made by: Fat cells

• Main job: Tells your brain when you’ve had enough to eat.

• Interactions: Works with insulin and thyroid hormones. Chronically high insulin can lead to leptin resistance.

• In context: With more fat mass comes more leptin, but paradoxically, the brain stops listening. That’s why losing fat and improving insulin sensitivity often restores appetite control.

4. Ghrelin

• Made by: Stomach

• Main job: Triggers hunger, especially before meals.

• Interactions: Inversely related to leptin and insulin.

• In context: When I started doing OMAD, ghrelin would spike — but after a few weeks, it normalized. The hunger became more predictable, not frantic.

5. Cortisol

• Made by: Adrenal glands

• Main job: Manages stress, raises blood sugar, suppresses inflammation (short-term).

• Interactions: Stimulates insulin production; long-term elevation increases belly fat, muscle wasting, and disrupts sleep.

• In context: Chronic stress, even emotional, can raise cortisol — something I’ve learned to manage through breathwork, sauna, and cold plunges.

6. Melatonin

• Made by: Pineal gland

• Main job: Regulates sleep cycles and circadian rhythm.

• Interactions: Influences growth hormone, insulin, and immune function.

• In context: I’ve been taking melatonin at high doses (under supervision) since cancer. When sleep is good, everything else — including insulin regulation — improves.

7. Testosterone

• Made by: Testes (and adrenal glands in smaller amounts)

• Main job: Builds muscle, boosts libido, energy, drive, and mood.

• Interactions: Suppressed by cortisol; influenced by insulin levels and body fat.

• In context: After a full 10 weeks on weekly TRT, I feel stronger, more motivated, and sexually alive. Muscle mass is up, body fat is down, and insulin is finally moving in the right direction.

8. Thyroid Hormones (T3, T4)

• Made by: Thyroid gland

• Main job: Regulate metabolism, heart rate, temperature, and energy.

• Interactions: Work in concert with cortisol, insulin, and estrogen/testosterone.

• In context: Subtle dysfunction here can make weight loss hard despite effort — another piece I’m watching closely via blood tests.