Prof. John Wass, Professor of Edocrinology at Oxford University and consultant physician at the Churchill Hospital gave a talk entitled “You and Your Hormones.”
He commenced with a quick summary of the the significance of hormones and the medical conditions that can be created in the event of hormone imbalance.
Next he focussed upon the effects of some particular hormones upon the body. These included growth hormone and the way that it’s extraction from human sources had given way to safer biochemically engineered hormone.
He also discussed sex hormones and their use in ameliorating conditions including sexual dysfunction and some transgender issues associated with unusual gene sequences.
The importance of the thyroid and its associated hormone thyroxine upon weight, energy, mood etc was described and the surprisingly high prevalence thyroxine imbalance in women over 60.
The role of insulin in diabetes was more widely known but the fact that losing 10-15 kg often has the effect of controlling type 2 diabetes was a surprise to some.
After a lively and wide ranging Q&A session the speaker was thanked in the normal way for a talk that had commanded full attention despite the vagaries of Zoom!
