Can Hormones Be Balanced Without Medication
It depends. If your hormones are out of balance due to a lifestyle factor , it is definitely possible to balance your hormones without medication.
However, if your hormonal imbalance is due to something outside of your control, such as PCOS or another underlying condition, you will likely require assistance from a doctor who may prescribe medication.
How Menopause Disturbs Our Hormone Balance
Wondering how hormones send their messages to different parts of the body? Heres a rundown of the process!
The whole process begins when hormone production takes place in your glands. Your hormones travel via your blood to the different cells and organs in your body. When they reach their destination, they knock on your cellsgatekeepers, called receptors, where they will relay their message.
If your receptors feel like your cells need them, they allow entry to dock into your cells, and they will turn on a specific function. This is how your hormones keep the body balanced. But
During menopause, your hormone production changes big time. In the early stages, your ovaries start to falter, but they will still produce normal amounts of estrogen. On the other hand, progesterone production reduces. This causes an imbalance called estrogen dominance where estrogen is higher relative to progesterone. In the later parts of menopause, you experience declining hormone levels, which can make you deficient.
As the receiving end, your receptors will accept whats coming to them. Excessive estrogen in your body will hyperactivate your organs and the lack of progesterone may affect some body functions. Hormone deficiencies on the other hand slow down the majority of your body functions and you may experience symptoms such as:
- Changes in your monthly periods
- Slow digestion
- Sluggish metabolism
Supplements To Balance Hormones
Hormone balance is one of the most common reasons patients pay me an initial visit, and a common question is whether I recommend supplements to balance hormones. In recent years, focus on womens health has gone from just a yearly PAP smear and breast exam to discussion around optimal health and wellness. Women feel empowered to talk to their health care providers about topics that were previously perceived as normal- things like painful periods and PMS symptoms which includes cravings, mood changes, acne, and changes during perimenopause. Seeking treatment for hormone balance means that women are finally able to start the journey to optimal health and complete wellness.
I thought I would take some time to discuss some of my favorite herbs, nutrients, and nutrition options for hormone balance.
However, choosing supplements for hormone balance isnt always cut and dry. Depending on why your hormones are imbalanced can mean that is it time for a different treatment plan.
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Herbs For Heavy Painful Periods
Heavy, painful periods can be debilitating for many women, often compromising their day to day lives. If youre experiencing these symptoms, its best to speak to a qualified natural therapist to determine the root cause as its often multifactorial and can vary woman to woman.
Two common herbs used to address painful, heavy periods are Shepherds Purse and Yarrow.
Shepherds Purse is a uterine antihaemorrhagic herb meaning it can help to regulate or stop excessive menstrual bleeding. Its particularly helpful for women who haemorrhage during childbirth or bleed postpartum as it effectively stems the blood flow, preventing excess blood loss. Shepherds Purse contains specific compounds that stimulate circulation, balance hormones and exert an anti-inflammatory effect which can reduce the pain associated with a womans menses.
Yarrow is another antihaemorrhagic herb that has been used for centuries to treat bleeding wounds. Due to its astringent properties , yarrow is very effective at stopping excessive blood flow and tightening/strengthening tissues in the uterus both of which help to regulate heavy menstrual flow. Yarrow is often used by herbalists to treat painful menstrual cramps as it stimulates circulation and exerts an antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory action. When the muscles of the uterus suddenly contract and there is also stagnation and inflammation, a woman will experience painful, cramp sensations during her menses.
The Quickest Ways To Balance Your Hormones Fast
To regain balanced hormone levels, youll want to start with the two most important pillars: nutrition and lifestyle.
First, youll want to begin by tracking your cycle, and evaluating the feedback your body provides. Then, you can begin eating and making lifestyle changes in a way that better aligns with your hormones.
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Black Cohosh To Balance Female Hormones
Black cohosh is often used to treat menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, moodiness, excessive sweating, and more . It also has use in inducing labor in pregnant women, premenstrual syndrome , and dysmenorrhea . Black cohosh is an excellent herb to balance female hormones because it is a phytoestrogen, which can help to lower elevated estrogen or raise low estrogen . Black cohosh is often found in a supplement form. Do not use this herb if pregnant or breastfeeding.
Zuma Nutritions Happy Hormones Tonic
While each of these herbs offers unique benefits for womens hormonal health, they work best together. Together, these herbs work synergistically help balance hormones, regulate the menstrual cycle, provide PMS relief, and regulate and support the health of the endocrine system.
Weve combined these herbs into our Happy Hormones Tonic, using only wildcrafted, organic, and biodynamically grown herbs, ensuring the highest quality and integrity that we can offer. We also take great measures to ensure that we do not use any toxic chemicals, fillers, or preservatives in any of our products.
This formula is especially helpful for women who are coming off the birth control pill or going through menopause. For many women coming off birth control, cycles remain irregular for up to two years after stopping the pill. Chasteberry can greatly shorten that time and helps ease the body into regaining its own natural rhythm. Chasteberry may also help to relieve many of the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes, irregular cycles, depression, and flooding.
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How It Helps To Restore Hormone Balance In Women
Ashwagandha is a superstar herb that relieves many hormone problems in women. Find out how it works and how to take it for maximum benefits.
Hormone imbalance is a major cause of many disorders in women. For example, polycystic ovarian syndrome , abnormal thyroid functions, adrenal issues, fertility problems and sexual dysfunction. Ashwagandha, an age-old herb, is a highly effective remedy for most of these problems. The health benefits of Ashwagandha come from its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and hormone-balancing properties.
Common names: Indian ginseng or winter cherry .
Ashwagandha might be new to you . But did you know the people of the Indian subcontinent have been using this wonderful herb for more than 3,000 years? In Ayurveda, a traditional medicine system that originated in India, it is considered a panacea of female health. In addition to boosting hormone balance in women, it calms the excited nerves and may also help to prevent certain cancers from spreading to other body parts.
The good news is: Currently, a wealth of study supports the benefits of Ashwagandha for treating PCOS, female sexual dysfunction, and fertility problems.
Take Prebiotics And Probiotics*
Good digestion and a healthy gut are, in many ways, the foundations of your overall health, including hormone balance.
But though good digestion and a healthy gut are vital, they dont necessarily happen on their own. Support via prebiotics and probiotics can help.
Prebiotics offer the nourishment that your healthy digestive flora need to thrive within the GI tract.
In addition to a high-quality probiotic supplement, opt for prebiotic foods or a supplement such as Gaia Herbs Microbiome Food. This pleasant-tasting powder prebiotic contains gut-healthy plants and herbs including Larch, Acacia, Acerola, Fenugreek, Cinnamon, and more.
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Ashwagandha For Hormone Balance
Ashwagandha is a traditional remedy for hormonal imbalance that has its roots in Ayurvedic medicine. Modern research has found this herb to be effective in boosting thyroid function and balancing adrenal hormones and androgens. Ashwagandha is adaptogenic, meaning that it has a normalizing effect on hormone levels helping both excess levels and low levels of hormones return back to normal range. Our Herbal Equilibrium and Adaptisol formulas both contain therapetuic amounts of Ashwagandha.
As it brings hormones back into balance, Ashwagandha helps to counteract depression, increase energy levels and concentration, boost libido,reduce blood pressure and inflammation and balance blood sugar levels. Recent research has shown promising results for Ashwagahda as a natural treatment for PCOS, female sexual dysfunction, and fertility problems.
Top 10 Foods To Restore Hormone Balance
Hormones have a huge impact on our overall health and well being as they affect everything from our menstrual cycles to health issues such as PCOS, Thyroid, PMT and Endometriosis. Nutrition can be a powerful tool when addressing hormone imbalances as when hormones are in harmony you reclaim your life back! Here are my top 10 foods to eat to help restore hormone balance.
Also read my read post on: Top 10 Daily habits to promote Hormone Balance
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Can Vitamins Help Hormonal Balance
The endocrine glands requires key micronutrients to create hormones and support them in carrying out their important work. If you have low thyroid, for example, then you may have deficiencies in iodine and selenium, two minerals required by the thyroid gland to make and use thyroid hormones.
Herbs and other natural compounds can also provide therapeutic support to correct hormonal imbalances. Ashwagandha, a traditional medicine and ingredient in our Herbal Equilibrium and Adaptisol formulas, is an adaptogenic herb prized for its ability to re-regulate high cortisol, an adrenal imbalance tied to chronic stress and anxiousness. If you are experiencing hormonal symptoms in perimenopause, a sign that estrogen and progesterone are not in the correct ratio, supplementing with herbs including wild yam, black cohosh and red clover extract can help restore balance to these two hormones and relieve perimenopause symptoms. These herbs are all found in our Herbal Equilibrium formula. To increase progesterone levels, you can use a bioidentical USP progesterone cream.
These are just a few examples. There are so many herbs, vitamins and minerals that can help with hormonal imbalances. Described in detail below, the best herb and vitamin supplements for natural hormonal balance include:
Extraordinary Herbs For Springtime Wellness + Hormone Balance
As the weather starts to warm up and the days get longer, you might feel a slight boost in energy and a desire to get outside and enjoy the fresh air. Spring is a time of renewal, and its also a great time to focus on your health and hormone balance by incorporating some herbs into your routine. These five herbs are all natural adaptogens that can help balance hormones, regulate menstrual cycles, improve mood, promote better sleep, and help manage stress levels. Read on to learn which herbs are right for you.
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Incorporate Healthy Fats Into Your Diet
Adding healthy polyunsaturated fats to your diet, such as omega-3 and omega-6 may help reduce your appetite and. Fatty acids signal the production of leptin, a hormone that reduces appetite by suppressing the area of the brain that controls our appetite and signals to us its time to eat. Without adequate healthy fats in your diet, youre more likely to have low leptin levels, which can induce overeating and an inability to feel satiated. That may be one reason women have been experimenting with seed cycling for hormone balance.
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Fenugreek Seed To Balance Female Hormones
Fenugreek seed contains phytoestrogens, which help balance estrogen, making it an excellent herb to balance female hormones. Studies show that fenugreek may help painful periods . This herb may also help to increase low testosterone and improve low libido in women . Fenugreek can be found in tea, supplements, or spices.
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Dandelion Root To Balance Female Hormones
Dandelion root is high in plant estrogens and plays a significant role in the detoxification of the body, which plays a crucial role in detoxifying excess hormones in the body . This herb may help to prevent constipation, which is an important step in clearing hormones from the body. It can be found in tea or supplements.
Weight Gain Or Difficulty Losing Weight
Why do so many people struggle with weight loss and maintenance? Usually, its because they are eating nutrient-poor foods and working too hard. The body processes this hard work as stress and when the body is stressed, it goes into survival or fight or flight mode, producing cortisol. When youre chronically stressed, your cortisol is always high and in an effort to protect itself from whatever danger it senses, your body holds onto fat as a form of energy.
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Hormone Balance Solutions Part 1
Holistic Health
Estrogen and Progesterone Balancing Herbs, Supplements and Lifestyle Change
When hormone levels are optimal for your body, you are energized, radiant and feel good in your skin, at any age. When things are out of balance, you intuitively know that something isnât quite right. You might feel tired, irritated, swollen and a host of other symptoms. Often routine lab work will have your doctor saying that nothing is wrong , but deep down you know to keep looking for answers.
Hormones are messengers made by an endocrine gland, such as the ovaries or adrenals, which flow through the blood and have effects on other parts of the body. Even small amounts of hormones have a big impact on how we feel.
Luckily, there are many natural solutions including diet, lifestyle change, herbal medicine and specific supplements that are helpful for restoring balance. In todayâs article, I will discuss hormonal support for estrogen and progesterone. And, in my next article, Iâll cover adrenal support and testosterone.
Keep reading to learn more about:
- Herbal supplements for low progesterone, high estrogen and low estrogen
- Diet and lifestyle tools to balance progesterone and estrogen
Letâs get started!
Best Herbs for Hormone Balance
Low Progesterone
High or Low Estrogen
Healthy Lifestyle Changes and Hormone Balance
- Eat a whole foods diet with plenty of plants. Plant foods help to support estrogen detoxification.
References
What Causes A Hormone Imbalance
There are many things that can disrupt the body and lead to a hormone imbalance. The longer your hormone levels are out of balance, the more difficult it is to rebalance your hormones. Finding the root cause of your hormone imbalance is key. Some of the common causes of a hormone imbalance include chronic stress, a poor diet, exposure to endocrine disruptors, diabetes, and thyroid disease.
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S To Balance Hormones Naturally
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Hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, adrenaline and insulin are extremely important chemical messengers that affect many aspects of your overall health.
Conventional treatments for hormonal imbalances typically include synthetic hormone replacement therapies, birth control pills, insulin injections, thyroid medications and more. Unfortunately, for the majority of people suffering from hormonal disorders, relying on these types of synthetic treatments often does three things:
Is it possible to balance hormones naturally? The good news is: yes, in many cases it is. Below youll learn about some root causes of hormonal problems, as well as about treatment options to help you balance your hormones naturally.
Eat Foods Rich In Polyphenols
Polyphenols are plant compounds that have many health benefits, including reductions in blood pressure, inflammation, cholesterol levels, and oxidative stress .
Human cells cant always digest polyphenols. Because they arent absorbed efficiently, most polyphenols make their way to the colon, where they are digested by gut bacteria (
- blueberries
Polyphenols from cocoa can increase the amount of Bifidobacteria and lactobacilli in humans and reduce the quantity of Clostridia .
Furthermore, these changes in the microbiome are associated with lower levels of triglycerides and C-reactive protein, which is a marker of inflammation .
The polyphenols in red wine have similar effects and have even been shown to increase levels of beneficial bacteria in people with metabolic syndrome .
Summary
Polyphenols cant be digested efficiently by human cells, but they are efficiently broken down by the gut microbiota. They may improve several health outcomes related to heart disease and inflammation.
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Summary Of 12 Ways How To Balance Your Hormones Naturally: