Our bodies’ hormones are made by the tiny(1) but mighty glands of the endocrine system. Though the amounts of hormones our glands secrete into the bloodstream or the fluid surrounding our cells are minute, these hormones are incredibly powerful and determine how long and well we live. All glands and hormones work in concert and exquisite balance with each other but some glands become weak as we get older. One such gland is the very important immune system regulating thymus gland positioned near the Heart, the yin organ of the Fire element.
Hormones regulate our digestion and the transformation of nutrients into blood, bone, and tissues. They regulate our heartbeat, liver and kidney function, fertility, sexual behavior and even our personality. And they are very well known for mobilizing our bodies’ defenses against human or germ attack.
“Much like a lock and key, many hormones act by binding to receptors that are produced within cells. When a hormone binds to a receptor, the receptor carries out the hormone's instructions, either by altering the cell's existing proteins or turning on genes that will build a new protein. The hormone-receptor complex switches on or switches off specific biological processes in cells, tissues, and organs.” —Environmental Protection Agency, Overview of the Endocrine System
Though hormones circulate throughout the body, they will only affect their target organs and according to how much the body needs, provided the body is relatively in balance. The more hormone in the blood the more active the target organ becomes.
In traditional Chinese medicine hormonal balance is closely associated with yin and yang energy balance.
We wrote in our former article, Balance: Traditional Chinese Medicine’s Simple Must-Have Key for Total Well-Being, Enduring Health and Longevity:
“Yin and yang chi, the fundamental feminine and masculine energies, respectively, help establish the balance and harmonious flow of vital energy which is crucial to maintaining balance throughout the body.”
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Both hormones and yin and yang energies depend on one another to function properly. Too much or too little yin or yang energy in the body and imbalances occur which, in turn, affect the hormones.
Hormonal imbalance doesn’t happen overnight but as we age. It takes time for the symptoms of hormonal imbalance to become apparent.
Hormonal imbalance does, however, occur faster in some people than in others. And if the feedback our glands are receiving from the body is faulty or the glands fail to produce enough of the hormone required, we develop physical and even mental conditions.
Courtesy of Environmental Protection Agency; “Overview of the Endocrine System,” EPA, www.epa.gov/endocrine-disruption/overview-endocrine-system.
The word hormone is derived from the Greek hormao meaning “I arouse to activity.” Hormones are messengers of physiological information inciting the body to activity in one way or another. The biochemical information carried by hormones creates an energetic impetus which directly affects the way we feel not just physically and mentally but even spiritually if we are attuned to sensing it.
This is because the esoteric/spiritual energy chakra points and the physical endocrine glands pretty much line up with each other in their positions in the body. By virtue of these alignments, chakras and glands communicate with each other in important ways.
The ancients, especially in Egypt, were very much aware of how the energy systems in the body were connected to glandular function. They found these energy systems or chakras to be sensitive contact points where the spiritual world touched the physical world. They even had a holistic understanding of the significance of glandular function and its central role in reproduction and also in consciousness itself.
The thymus gland is located in the upper chest, behind the sternum and between the lungs. The thymus being a physical counterpart to the Heart chakra, the ancient Egyptians found the Heart to be a critical activator of consciousness.
This lines up with how traditional Chinese medicine of antiquity and today view the Heart as shen, the higher universal consciousness in every person which regulates emotions and many mental functions.
“Yoga looks at chakras as the body's energy points.(3) And they are located almost exactly where the hormone-secreting glands that connect our mind, emotions and body are situated,” writes Shikha Sharma of Hindustan Times in What You Must Know about Your Body and Its Chakras
For example, the fourth chakra seal located in the region of the Heart is associated with unconditional love and the thymus gland. When this seal is activated or when Heart is healthy and in balance, a flow of love is expressed and felt. And as a result, the thymus gland releases its hormone thymosin. This hormone has been directly related to the aging process by University of Texas medical researchers.
Thymosin is a hormone that helps keep the body young and healthy. Many call this hormone the anti-aging hormone.
But thymosin levels in the blood have been found to decrease dramatically with age. This is probably because the thymus atrophies over time with the process beginning when we’re quite young.
The thymus is most active when an infant is in utero. It is large in early childhood and at around age eight or ten it begins to decrease in size until at about age 20, it is only five to ten percent of its original size. By age 50, just a small portion of the thymus remains with fatty tissue replacing it somewhere around age 75.
The thymus gland provides us with a built-in immunity. It helps to activate the body’s defenses against infection.
Dr. Glen Rein of HeartMath Institute(2) has been able to prove that an irregular heartbeat caused by emotional upset produces erratic thymus function which in turn suppresses the immune system. Dr. Rein also found it possible to train people to control their heartbeat through biofeedback and raise their level of immune function.
The shriveling of the thymus gland is scientifically believed primarily responsible for aging and the destruction of the body.
The thymus gland offers us protection against diverse pathogens, tumors, and antigens, while it is mediator of tissue damage. Though the thymus has the capacity to regenerate itself, it is often insufficient to reconstitute a fully intact thymic function.
The great disturber of all endocrine function including the thymus gland is stress. Stress can be defined as a physical, chemical, emotional, or electromagnetic pressure which goes beyond the safe reserves of a person and his or her ability to respond resiliently to that pressure.
Stress of any kind and possibly in any amount may stimulate any endocrine gland to excessive or deficient production of that gland’s hormones. For this reason, over- or under-activity of glandular function is a fairly common condition.
Dysfunction of the thymus gland leads to an increased risk of opportunistic infections, autoimmunity, tumor relapse and adverse clinical outcomes. It is proven associated with severity of atherosclerosis.
One of the functions of the thymus is to process and mature killer T-cells. In effect, these T-cells are the immune system’s warriors.
The T in T-cell stands for thymus. A T-cell is a a white blood cell occurring most especially in the lymphatic system. Also known as lymphocytes, they actively participate in the immune response. They fight viruses and malignancies.
A T-cell began as a stem cell which then became a lymphocyte in the bone marrow. Through the action of the thymus hormone thymosin, the lymphocytes, having migrated to the thymus gland, now multiply and mature in the thymus to become cells capable of producing an immune response.
What can we do to shore up our thymus gland and immune response?
Though you may be older and have deduced after reading this article that your thymus is virtually non-existent, you should know that no vital part of the body ever truly vanishes. An energetic imprint of your thymus gland remains where there may now be fatty tissue.
First, consider the power of your mind and intention to will the thymus into robust action. Also remember that, as mentioned above, the thymus has the ability to regenerate itself.
Second, consider that thyme is believed to stimulate the thymus gland. The terpene thymol in thyme essential oil is an anti-age antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial. It has proven effective in treating colds, flu, and respiratory viruses. It works as an anti-microbial for lungs.
Third, no matter your age or thymus gland condition, you can perform simple thymus tapping to activate the gland and boost your immune system. The vibration you create by tapping gently on your thymus for several seconds helps to stimulate the release of T-cells.
With your fingertips or the side of your fist, gently tap two to three inches up and down your sternum, between and above your breasts for 15 to 20 seconds. Breathe normally through the exercise.
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Endnotes:
The largest of the glands, the pancreas, which is very involved in digestion, weighs on average less than three ounces and is about the size of your hand. The smallest gland is the pineal, about the size of a grapeseed. The combined weight of all the other glands in the human body is between four and seven ounces. In addition to pancreas and pineal glands, the other glands are thyroid, four parathyroids, twin adrenals, pituitary, thymus and paired ovaries of women or testes of men.
https://www.heartmath.org/
The first or root chakra is associated with the gonads (male testes and female ovaries).
The second or sacral chakra is associated with the adrenals.
The third or solar plexus chakra is associated with the pancreas.
The fourth heart chakra aligns with the thymus from which anti-aging hormones are released.
The fifth throat chakra aligns with the thyroid and parathyroid.
The sixth third eye chakra is associated with the pineal gland which unveils the knowingness of the subconscious mind.
The seventh crown seal chakra associates to the pituitary and hypothalamus glands which work together to regulate the entire endocrine system and encourage enlightenment.
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Sources:
Dispenza, Joe. Evolve Your Brain: The Science of Changing Your Mind. United States, Health Communications, Incorporated, 2010.
Winter, Ruth. The Anti-Aging Hormones: That Can Help You Beat the Clock. United Kingdom, Crown, 2013.
“Ancient Egyptians: ‘Your Glands Are Your Chakras!’” YouTube, 21 Sept. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2No07yt-IA.
Hammoudi Halat, Dalal et al. “A Focused Insight into Thyme: Biological, Chemical, and Therapeutic Properties of an Indigenous Mediterranean Herb.” Nutrients vol. 14,10 2104. 18 May. 2022, doi:10.3390/nu14102104
Thapa, Puspa, and Donna L Farber. “The Role of the Thymus in the Immune Response.” Thoracic surgery clinics vol. 29,2 (2019): 123-131. doi:10.1016/j.thorsurg.2018.12.001
Shealy, M.D., Ph. D., C. “The Endocrine System - Edgar Cayce Health Care.” Edgar Cayce Health Care - Education And Information Relating To Edgar Cayce Health Readings, 16 Oct. 2017, cayce.com/health-information/edgar-cayce-the-endocrine-system/.
Dai, Xianliang et al. “The Pivotal Role of Thymus in Atherosclerosis Mediated by Immune and Inflammatory Response.” International journal of medical sciences vol. 15,13 1555-1563. 20 Oct. 2018, doi:10.7150/ijms.27238
“Overview of the Endocrine System,” EPA, www.epa.gov/endocrine-disruption/overview-endocrine-system. Accessed 26 June 2023.
Remedy, My. “Thymus Tapping.” My Remedy Natural Medicine, 7 June 2018, myremedy.co.nz/articles/thymus-tapping/#:~:text=Thumping%2C%20or%20tapping%2C%20your%20thymus,and%20boost%20your%20immune%20system.&text=Gently%20tapping%20on%20the%20thymus,release%20of%20white%20blood%20cells.
Sharma, Shikha.“What You Must Know about Your Body and Its Chakras.” Hindustan Times, 2 Aug. 2014, www.hindustantimes.com/brunch/what-you-must-know-about-your-body-and-its-chakras/story-a4XKHxkAHJZ5yVBoicJeeJ.html.