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The Endocrine System

The Endocrine System
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 5 to 7
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   7.84

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    endocrine, feedback, imbalanced, parathyroid, pituitary, reproduction, thymus, thyroid, bloodstream, calcium, electrical, gland, adrenal, system, hormone, adrenaline

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The Endocrine System
By Jennifer Kenny 		  
1     When you think of a system in the body that responds to stimuli, you think of the nervous system. In its own way, the endocrine system responds as well. Instead of electrical messages, though, it sends messages using chemicals.
 
2     The endocrine system controls body functions with the help of glands that release chemicals. A gland is a group of cells that produce these chemicals. These special chemicals are called hormones. Hormones are released into the bloodstream in order to be carried to other places in the body.
 
3     Perhaps the most famous of the endocrine glands are your adrenal glands. They make the hormone adrenaline (also called epinephrine). It speeds up your heartbeat and breathing rate so you can escape danger or fight. The effect you get is called a fight-or-flight response.

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