Balancing Hormones Naturally
Hormones — such as estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, thyroid and cortisol — affect many aspects of your overall health. So when your hormones are out of whack, your life is out of whack!
Ladies, are you dreading your monthly cycle because you get whalloped with gut-wrenching cramps, mood swings, and bloating that slows you down at the office and makes you just want to crawl into bed?
Are you shedding your hair and watching your pony tail get thinner and don’t know why?
Is sex the last thing on your mind (honestly all you want to do is go to sleep) but your lack of interest is starting to cause stress in your relationship?
Do you have belly fat that just won’t budge, even with cutting back on calories and exercising more? It is so frustrating to stand in your closet every morning trying to find something that fits!
Are you tired of dragging yourself out of bed in the morning (after pressing snooze a couple of times) and then find yourself reaching for caffeine or sugar in the afternoon because of an energy crash?
Chances are, as we have seen with many of our clients, you could be struggling with a hormone imbalance and don’t even know it!
Don’t be held hostage by your hormones one more day…
Imagine a day when you bounce out of bed in the morning, excited to take on your day!
Imagine a day when you zip up your skinny jeans and they fit great!
Imagine a day when you have energy to play with your kids or grandkids, and energy for your husband!
Together, we can get to that day.
Understanding The Endocrine System
Hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, thyroid and cortisol are chemical messengers – they tell your cells what to do. When your hormones are out of balance, your cells are getting the wrong messages! No wonder you’re not quite feeling like yourself.
Your hormones influence hunger and cravings, whether you burn or store fat (and WHERE you store the fat!), your sleep, mood, memory, sex drive and so much more!
Your various hormones work together kind of like a symphony, so they all need to be playing in tune!
If even just one of your hormones is “out of tune”, this creates imbalances that can lead to widespread health issues ranging from chronic fatigue to low metabolism and reduced libido.
Signs & Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalances
Symptoms of hormone imbalances can manifest in many ways, including:
- Menstrual changes (including painful, heavy or irregular periods)
- Increased PMS
- Unexplained weight gain (or difficulty losing weight)
- Mood changes, including depression, anxiety, irritability or mood swings
- Bad memory or brain fog
- Fatigue
- Lack of motivation of just feeling “flat”
- Difficulty falling asleep, or not sleeping soundly at night
- Loss of interest in sex, vaginal dryness, or painful sex
- Digestive problems like bloating or constipation
- Adult acne
- Dry skin
- Dry eyes
- Hair loss, dry hair or change in hair texture
- Hot flashes or night sweats
Symptoms of hormonal imbalances can range quite a bit depending on what role that specific hormone plays in your body.
Some common issues associated with hormonal imbalances may include:
- Estrogen Dominance (low progesterone or high estrogen): disrupted sleep, weight gain, increased stress and anxiety, increased PMS, heavier periods and shorter menstrual cycles.
- Low Estrogen: decreased libido, loss of menstrual regularity, fatigue, vaginal dryness, mood changes, memory problems.
- Low Testosterone: lack of interest in sex, vaginal dryness, loss of muscle tone, feeling “flat” or unmotivated
- Adrenal problems (low or high cortisol): fatigue, anxiety, depression, trouble sleeping, brain fog, weight gain
- Hypothyroidism: slowed metabolism, fatigue, weight gain, mood changes, constipation, irregular menstrual cycles, feeling cold
- Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS): infertility, weight gain, acne, excess hair growth in unwanted areas but loss of scalp hair.
- Graves Disease (hyperthyroidism): anxiety, hair loss, weight loss, diarrhea, irregular sleep, racing heart or palpitations.
- Pre-Diabetes: weight gain or difficulty losing weight
Potential Causes of Hormonal Imbalances
- Food allergies: We estimate that up to one in three women may have an immune reaction to common foods they are eating on a regular basis. This inflammation creates hormone imbalances.
- Gut flora imbalances: It is common in our modern world to have too much of the wrong bacteria in your digestive tract (or even too much yeast, called candida), and not enough of the helpful “probiotic” bacteria. An imbalance in your gut bugs can cause imbalances in your hormones.
- Weight gain: Your body fat cells can create inflammation, interfere with insulin function, and also produce estrogen!
- Inflammation: inflammation from any cause can create various hormone imbalances, especially with cortisol and insulin.
- Genetic predisposition: Certain genes affect how your body metabolizes estrogen and how well you can metabolize toxins. Do you have hormone problems in your family?
- Toxin exposure: We are all exposed to thousands of man-made chemicals every day. Many of these chemicals are hormone disruptors, meaning they interfere with how your hormones work.
- Stress: This is a huge cause of hormone imbalances due to the effect of cortisol (your main stress hormone) on all your other hormones.
- Lifestyle factors: Poor nutrition (especially too much sugar!), lack of sleep, and lack of exercise affect your hormonal balance in very profound ways.
- Age: If you are 25 years old your hormonal symptoms are likely caused by very different factors than if you are 55. We go through predictable hormone changes throughout our lifetime, but not all women have PMS or menopausal symptoms. So why you? If you aren’t feeling good, please don’t blame it on your age!
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