What triggers the thyroxin hormone?
What diseases emerge when thyroxin is not released sufficiently?
How is the right amount for thyroxin hormone determined?
Why is it very important that this hormone interoperates with the growth hormone?
Your eye cells that help you read this text, need glucose for energy. For this, a system has been set up in your body that works out and maintains the required sugar level in your blood. The communication network between your cells also calculates how many times your heart should beat a minute, the calcium amount currently stored in your bones, the amount of blood that should be filtered by your kidneys every minute and many other countless details. This chemical communication system that ensures the interoperation of 100 trillion cells is called the hormone system. There are many hormones functioning in this system and one of them is the thyroxin.
The tissues making up the human body renew themselves all the time. For example, every minute, 200 million cells are produced and replace the old ones. This amazing transformation is supervised by the thyroxin, a hormone charged by All-Mighty Allah. The thyroxin hormone inspects the entire body, determines the cells that reached the end of their lives and sends the new production order to relevant units. In other words, the renewal of the body depends on the activities of this hormone.
The miraculous features of the thyroxin hormone
To understand the importance of the thyroxin hormone, you can just look at the mirror. Unless there is a congenital disease, every person’s nose, mouth, eyes, and entire body has a perfect proportion. You owe this amazing proportion to thyroxin hormone that All-mighty Allah created with an amazing function. If, years ago, when your body was still growing, the thyroxin hormone didn’t visit each of your cells, telling them with the speed they should be dividing, your organs would develop with differing speeds. This could even have led to mental retardation.
Indeed, mental retardation is a result of cretinism, which happens after the thyroxin hormone is released in insufficient amounts. People suffering from this disease, usually have disproportional bodies - for example very short legs and big skulls. The lack of thyroxin is also known to cause dwarfism.
Why is the thyroxin hormone released?
A system that has a superior technology was created to determine the amount and time of the release of the thyroxin hormone. The release of the thyroxin hormone takes place by the means of a very advanced chain of command. The lumps of meat made up of unconscious cells, actually have a very disciplined and orderly hierarchy amongst them.
When need for thyroxin arises, the brain of the hormone system, hypothalamus, sends an order to the maestro of the hormonal system (TRH- Thyrotropin-releasing hormone), the pituitary gland. Then the gland sends an order to the thyroid gland (TSH- thyroid - stimulating hormone. The thyroid gland, the last chain in the chain of command, immediately produces thyroxin hormone and distributes it to the entire body using the blood stream.
The sensitive production quantities in the thyroxin hormone
The amount of the release of the thyroxin hormone, is determined with a very special system created with the amazing art of creation of Allah. This system consists of two separate measurement mechanism and one feedback mechanism. Each of these mechanisms represents a unique engineering wonder.
When the thyroxin in the blood is more than necessary, the thyroxin hormone starts having a very strange effect on the pituitary gland and even sometimes on the hypothalamus: the sensitivity of the pituitary gland to TRH hormone suddenly drops. Obviously there is something extraordinary here. Because normally TRH hormone triggers the pituitary gland and makes it sends orders to thyroid gland (TSH- thyroid stimulating hormone). This order is the second part of the chain of command in the production of thyroxine hormone.
However the system was created so elaborately, the excessive thyroxin takes an amazing precaution to make sure that its producer doesn’t produce more than needed and interrupts the chain of command built for its production. Due to this system, when the thyroxin exceeds normal levels in blood, the thyroxin production automatically slows down.
There is a second system that determines the production amount of the thyroxin hormone. The excessive thyroxine affects the hypothalamus cells and these cells, in turn, reduce TRH production. So the TSH production of pituitary gland drops and thyroxine production slows down.
Thyroxin and Growth Hormone in Action
In a developing child, the thyroxin doesn’t act by its own, but together with the growth hormone. The growth hormones are molecules that order the cells of a developing child to divide and reproduce. This hormone also determines the amount of division and reproduction. But there is another very important detail that it has to take into account; the speed of division. The thyroxin hormone appears at this stage and affects the speed of division of the cells, thus helping shape the child into a healthy looking, proportional individual.
The people you see every day; your colleagues, school mates, people on the street, your family… All these people got their body shapes by the means of these tiny molecules that All-mighty Allah created in an amazing manner: the growth hormone and thyroxin hormone. These hormones were released at the right time, with the right amount, managed trillions of cells one by one, told them with what speed and how much they should reproduce and this resulted in the excellent structure of the human body.
In every human being, the production amount of these molecules is adjusted in the best way for the human body- not less not more than what is needed. If the amount of production of these hormones varied from one human being to another, what would happen? There would be huge differences in the appearances of humans. Billions of people would be 2.5-3 meters tall, billions 1 meter or less, all of them with disproportionate bodies, and almost all of them with mental retardation. And billions would lose their lives in their adolescence.
Conclusion :
…Everything has its measure with Him. (Surat ar-Ra‘d, 8)
The physical appearance of people comes about by the means of two tiny molecules that Allah created in an excellent way - the thyroxin and the growth hormone. If the thyroxin hormone didn’t count the number of the needed cells or produced less or more than needed, everything would get mixed up in the body. Since the cells are not renewed enough, the body would age, the organs would start losing their functions. As a result of excessive production, the uncontrolled organs and tumors, would have led to death. However, our All-Mighty Lord created this miraculous hormone and created His servants in the most excellent fashion:
He created the heavens and the earth with truth and formed you, giving you the best of forms. And He is your final destination. (Surat at-Taghabun, 3)
Are you aware of the miracles happening in your body every moment?
The hormone system ensures coordination between the body cells, together with the nervous system. If we are to compare the nervous system to the emails sent over the Internet, the hormone system can be compared to regular mail. It is slower but has longer lasting effects.
When we look at these systems governing the human body, we come across with an amazing fact that the people are not aware of. Some people think that they control their lives, and they lead their lives. If you ask such a person: ‘how much control do you have over your own body?’, he will surely say ‘I have the entire control of my body’. But this answer is contradictory with scientific facts. Because humans can control only a small part of their body functions, and that also is very limited. For example he can walk, talk or do something using his hands. But there are thousands of chemical and physical reactions happening in its body, and all of them outside the control and will of humans. A person that actually thinks that he has control over his own body and life, is therefore gravely mistaken. In one verse, Allah states as follows:
Say: ‘Have you thought about your partner gods, those you call upon besides Allah? Show me what they have created of the earth; or do they have a partnership in the heavens?’ Have We given them a Book whose clear signs they follow? No indeed! The wrongdoers promise each other nothing but delusion. (Surah Fatir, 40)
As you are reading this, millions of different reactions and functions are happening in your body. Some determine what the cells need, what they need to do, take measures to meet the needs of the cells, and tell them their duties. 100 trillion cells in your body meet your needs with this communication system, while you are none the wiser. This perfect communication system functions through your hormones and thyroxin is just one of the many hormones in your body.
