The Truth about Hormones

by Unknown

• ISBN13: 9781590201800
• ISBN10: 1590201809
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2009-05-01
• Publisher: Atlantic Books

Summary

Hormones rule our internal world: they control our growth, our metabolism, weight, water-balance, body clocks, fertility, muscle bulk, mood, speed of ageing, whether we want sex or not (and whether we enjoy it) and even who we fall in love with. Their effects may occur in seconds and be over in a flash, or take months and last for thirty years. While we can name some hormones we rarely know what they actually do. But that doesn't stop us claiming that 'it's my hormones' whenever our behavior seems erratic. As it happens, we're right. It is our hormones. And yes, we are completely in the thrall of things we know nothing about. In The Truth About Hormones, Vivienne Parry explains how, exactly, these mysteriously powerful things affect us. The Truth About Hormonesis also a treasure trove of fascinating stories. For example: ¥ Trojans practiced the first known instance of hormone replacement therapy, by eating the glands of their dead conquests ¥ The hormones used for infertility treatment are still manufactured using nun's urine, collected daily from the Vatican City

Author Biography

Vivienne Parry is a science commentator for the Guardian and the science editor of Good Housekeeping magazine. She has been a presenter of the BBC science program, Tomorrow's World, a columnist for the News of the World and a reporter for Panorama.