The adrenal glands, pituitary gland and thyroid gland are all hormone-producing organs. Hormonal imbalances occur when these organs produce too little or too many hormones. Conditions such as autoimmune diseases, trauma and tumors can cause hormonal imbalances. When the body is exposed to such imbalances, diseases like hyperthyroidism and gigantism may arise. There are several remedies for hormonal imbalances, including drugs, surgery and radiation therapy.
Drugs
Certain drugs help in the management of hormonal imbalances. The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library explains that bromocriptine, ocreotide and pegvisomant are drugs used to treat growth hormone imbalances such as acromegaly and gigantism. In these diseases, the pituitary gland secretes too much gowth hormone, leading to immense growth of the long bones in gigantism and thicker bones in acromegaly. These drugs work by lowering the amount of growth hormone in the body or by blocking its action.
Methimazole and propylthiouracil are drugs used to lower blood levels of thyroid hormone in hyperthyroidism--a hormonal imbalance in which the thyroid gland overproduces thyroid hormones. They work by reducing the amount of hormones produced in the thyroid glands.
Surgery
Tumors in the pituitary and thyroid glands can stimulate them to produce excessive amounts of hormones. Surgery is a remedy for hormonal imbalances caused by tumors. Part or all of a hormone-producing gland may be removed if it is affected by tumors. The thyroid gland may be surgically removed when it overproduces thyroid hormones. Also, surgical removal of pituitary tumors is used in cases like gigantism and acromegaly.
Radiation
When tumors cause hormonal imbalances, radiation therapy can be used to kill them off. This type of treatment is used when surgery and medication have not worked. Radiation therapy can be administered in the conventional way, by administering small doses of radiation every day over a period of several days or weeks. The Hormone Foundation explains that radiation can also be administered through radiosurgery. This type of radiation therapy delivers high doses of radiation to the tumor cells. The radiation is targeted at the tumor cells in a highly focused manner, so that healthy tissues around the tumor cells are not exposed to too much radiation. These methods are used to treat pituitary gland tumors.
Hormone Replacement
Synthetic hormones are used to treat hormonal imbalances. They are used as remedies in hormonal disorders where hormone levels are low or absent, such as hypothyroidism--a hormonal disorder characterized by low thyroid hormone levels. Levothryroxine is a synthetic hormone used to replace thyroid hormone in patients who have hypothyroidism.
