Hypothalamus & how I work it in reflexology

The master of ALL glands. This is the guy that sits in your brain secreting hormones which send signals to the pituitary gland for further action from another gland or directly into the bloodstream.

The hypothalamus is a very small gland at the base of your brain above the pituitary gland and produces seven hormones. It plays one of the most important, if not the most important role in your endocrine system because when it goes down, especially for a prolonged period of time, it’s likely there will be a dominos effect.

Here is a little overview of each hormone and their role followed by a bit about how I work the hypothalamus in reflexology.

• Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH).

  CRH is sent to the pituitary gland which triggers the secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone. The adrenocorticotropic hormone travels through the blood stream to the adrenal glands, where it causes the release of cortisol, the stress hormone. In pregnancy, CRH is produced in larger amounts by the foetus and placenta in order to increase cortisol. The high levels of CRH, amongst other hormones are what are thought to start labour.

• Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH).

  A very important hormone but not only one of the smallest in the body, but also very short lived. It can only manage the quick journey to the pituitary before it starts to break down. TRH travels to the blood surrounding the pituitary, which then triggers the release of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and as you guessed, regulates the production of thyroid hormones in the thyroid gland. TRH, can also stimulate the pituitary gland to secrete prolactin (whose role is to prompt lactation).

• Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).

  GnRH travels to the pituitary gland through teeny tiny blood vessels. It stimulates the production of both follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinising hormone (LH). Both of these hormones work their way to the ovaries/testes to start and regulate their reproductive functions by controlling the levels of hormones produced. They play an important role in the growth of eggs from the ovarian follicles and then the egg release, and also the production of sperm in men.

• Oxytocin.

  Also known as the love hormone. First and foremost, this hormone starts in the hypothalamus (and the amount or when it’s released depends on exciting specific neurons in the hypothalamus – such as a kiss from a lover). Once excited, it travels through the blood stream to the posterior pituitary gland. Here it doesn’t produce another hormone, but it sends signals to the body. These can be to stimulate uterine muscles for contractions and also to increase production of prostaglandins, which increase the contractions further. And it also, just as importantly, helps lactation.

  It has also been shown to be important in human behaviours including sexual arousal, recognition, trust, anxiety and mother–infant bonding. 

• Antidiuretic hormone (ADH).

  This hormone again goes through the pituitary to begin with and then travels directly into the bloodstream rather than another gland. It’s role is to control blood pressure through the kidneys regulating the water levels in the body.

• Growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH).

  This lovely hormone is to stimulate the pituitary gland to release growth hormone into the bloodstream. The growth hormone works on basically every tissue in the body to control metabolism and growth. GNRH also affects our sleep, food intake and memory.

• Somatostatin.

  Somatostatin works to stop the pituitary gland from releasing certain hormones, including growth hormones and thyroid-stimulating hormones. It is known as the inhibiting hormone and is produced by many tissues in the body, not just the hypothalamus.

Hypothalamus in reflexology

As you can see, the hypothalamus is an incredibly important part of our physiology. And it is this reason that without a shadow of a doubt, I will always always work it within a treatment.

It is vital for this gland to stay balance because if it goes off balance for a certain length of time then it’s likely that other elements will begin to fall off balance as well.

I will interact with the endocrine system at some point in any treatment, be that for stress, during pregnancy, fertility, migraines, aches and pains and so on and I will probably go over it more than once. In the foot, the hypothalamus point can be found on the squishy bit of your big toe (the bit that touches the ground) and there are a few ways I can interact with it. Either with a firm thumb rub, a knuckle rub if I really want to get in there (like when I am doing my preparation for labour technique post 37-weeks pregnancy) or I may gently hover my thumb over it and link it up with the pituitary to encourage a good flow of energy between the two of them.

This is an infographic I found on the internet which I think is really easy to visualise the above - like me, I find it easier to see rather than read. VIEW HERE.

So, there you have it, the all important hypothalamus and it’s seven vital hormones.