Hormone Balancing Tip #: Tune In To The Subtle Energies Throughout Your Cycle
Our patriarchal work culture has been built around the masculine energy of high productivity every day of the month. Unfortunately, women are not designed to operate like this. Our menstrual cycles mean that we naturally go through phases of high energy and slower, more introspective times . Learning to identify and respond to these subtle energetic changes can revolutionise your productivity and output throughout your cycle.
When first becoming aware of your changing energy throughout your cycle, start by taking time to truly rest at menstruation. Even if this means for just one hour asking someone to watch your kids, going to bed early, taking a bath or reading a book instead of tidying the house. I guarantee if you can take some time for some self-care at menstruation, you will be rewarded with overflowing energy, productivity and creativity at your next ovulation time.
Your highest energy levels will be during ovulation . This is when your productivity and focus will be at their highest. You will feel like connecting with others and being social. This is the time to schedule big meetings, important life decisions, parties and social gatherings. Use this energetic burst to achieve things on your to-do list that then allow you to slow down and rest during your menstruation.
Switch To Clean Beauty
Here at CS, we love all-things clean beauty. From moisturizers to mascaras, weve tried em all. When it comes to skincare and makeup products, clean is keen. On a daily basis, we are exposed to so many chemicals, and as women, we are particularly targeted. Chemicals are found in our beauty and personal care productswhich we use, every day. In fact, women use an average of 12 personal care products, daily, that contain 168 different chemicals.
Although an individual beauty product may have small amounts of harmful chemicals, our overall exposure is what causes problems. More research is showing that the chemicals in these products can affect our hormones, fertility, and the health of our babies. Thankfully, clean beauty brands are a dime a dozen.
Diet Herbal Medicines Nutrients & Vitamins
Taking healing herbs, having a healthy diet comprising of fresh whole foods, and supplementing for any vitamin deficiencies is beneficial to hormone health.
Nature has provided us with an abundance of herbs to treat hormonal imbalances no matter what stage of life you are at. From puberty to menopause there are herbs that are safe and effective to help you achieve healthy hormonal balance. I do advise that you have professional advice when supporting your endocrine system with herbs as they are very powerful and if prescribed incorrectly could cause your symptoms to worsen.
I really struggle to not step in and offer advice when I see people picking up herbal remedies off the shelf at the supermarket please dont just take a herbal supplement because a friend recommended it. We are all individuals with our own genetic make-up and what is the perfect herbal remedy for one person may be detrimental to another.
When working with hormonal imbalances in women I will commonly request blood and urine pathology for both iodine and vitamin D. These are two of the most common deficiencies I see in women impacting on not only hormones but also in the prevention of cancer.
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Synthetic Hormone Replacement Vs Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy
Bioidentical hormones such as estradiol, estriol, and progesterone have the same molecular structure as the hormones made by your body. Meanwhile, synthetic hormones used in hormone replacement therapy do not have the same molecular structure as the hormones in your body. Instead, your body has to work to break them down into a usable form.
This may come as a surprise to you but both bioidentical hormones and synthetic hormones are made in a laboratory. Although bioidentical hormones are considered more natural because they are derived from plants rather than man-made chemical compounds. Bioidentical hormones can be produced by a pharmaceutical company or a compounding pharmacy.
While more research is needed, initial studies found that patients report greater satisfaction with HRTs that contain progesterone compared with those that contain synthetic progestin.
Bioidentical hormones have some distinctly different, potentially opposite, physiological effects compared with their synthetic counterparts, which have different chemical structures.
Ultimately, the research found that through physiological data and clinical outcomes bioidentical hormones are associated with lower risks, including the risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease, and are more effective than their synthetic and animal-derived counterparts.
Holistic Medicine For Hormonal Imbalances
Hormones are chemicals that are released into the bloodstream, playing a major function in the body and affecting all aspects of it. Hormones work to regulate a number things, including metabolism, appetite, heart rate, sleep cycles, reproductive cycles, sexual function, mood, stress levels, and body temperature. Holistic medicine can be a great way to naturally restore the hormone balances of your body.
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Your Overall Health Depends On A Balanced Hormone System
Our hormones are the messengers in our bodies. They are part of a vast communication network known as the endocrine system that directs how we sleep, breathe, metabolize food, and much more. Major organs make hormones, cells make hormones, and each talks to the other. Meanwhile your body has to metabolize all these hormones, producing hormonal by-products which have their own effects as well. Needless to say this is an incredibly complex system. And simply adding more of one hormone or another typically doesn’t solve root imbalances.
If you think of your endocrine system like an orchestra, adding more estrogen or progesterone is like adding more trumpets or making them louder without considering the rest of the musicians or the overall piece. Does this increased noise make better music? No. What helps create the music is the conductor, which is your body. Once you supply consistent support to your whole body, each hormone has clear directions and the resources to perform its function of keeping you healthy and strong.
Natural Ways To Balance Your Hormones
Hormones are chemical messengers that have profound effects on your mental, physical, and emotional health. For instance, they play a major role in controlling your appetite, weight, and mood.
Typically, your body produces the precise amount of each hormone needed for various processes to keep you healthy.
However, sedentary lifestyles and Western dietary patterns may affect your hormonal environment. In addition, levels of certain hormones decline with age, and some people experience a more dramatic decrease than others.
However, a nutritious diet and other healthy lifestyle habits may help improve your hormonal health and allow you to feel and perform your best.
Here are 10 natural ways to balance your hormones.
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Can Hormonal Imbalance Cause Irregular Periods
A hormone imbalance could contribute to irregular periods. Common reasons women experience irregular periods include breastfeeding, menopause, hyperthyroidism, and Polycystic ovary syndrome . Be sure to track your cycle and note any changes in health or lifestyle that may be contributing to hormone changes when consulting with a healthcare professional.
Natural Remedies For Hormonal Imbalance In Females
Hormonal imbalances can be treated in a number of ways. Although prescription medications can be a valid treatment option, acupuncture and herbal medicine are an effective path to natural hormone balance. Many women choose to treat hormone imbalances with natural remedies due to the lack of side effects and the preference of choosing a method that treats the whole body.
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How To Naturally Balance Your Hormones
The good news about hormone imbalance? While it often has natural causes, that doesnt mean you need to live with the negative impacts or symptoms any longer. Hormone replacement therapy has been around for decades, and is a safe and reliable solution for hormone imbalance.
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is increasingly popular for several reasons. It offers a replacement that is chemically identical to the hormones your body produces naturally, and it is derived from natural products like soy or yams. That means your body can use the hormones effectively, while leading to fewer side effects because they act like your own natural hormones. Bioidentical hormones can help reduce or eliminate the symptoms of hormone imbalance, and they have little to no side effects. This improves quality of life while reducing the risk for serious health conditions at the same time.
BHRT is also often most effective when combined with lifestyle changes. Since hormone imbalances are often caused or worsened by things like diet, exercise levels , weight, and stress levels, a combination of support for a healthy lifestyle plus BHRT can yield significant results for you. Thats why a holistic approach to hormone imbalance, like youll find at Nava Center, is the most effective way to find true relief from your symptoms.
Balancing Kapha Pitta And Vata
Vata, stress, and your mood
Vata is especially susceptible to chronic stress, and its typically the first dosha to become imbalanced. Vata and the nervous system are in close communication with your hormones. An imbalance in this dosha can cause cortisol levels to ramp up sugar cravings, mood swings, and more. Everyday stressors such as being constantly plugged into social media, late nights, traveling, and overexercise are especially aggravating for Vata. This, in turn, triggers an imbalance in the other doshas.
Pitta, digestion, and energy
Hormones fall under the regulation of Pitta. Pitta is involved in transformative processes, like digestion, body temperature, and hormone balance. Pitta also governs the liver, where much of hormone metabolism takes place. Sour, acidic and an excess of hot substances like spicy foods, caffeine, alcohol and tobacco aggravates Pitta and will affect your hormones via the liver. When Pitta is imbalanced you may experience digestive issues, reflux, or indigestion.
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Kapha, activity, and metabolism
If you want to better your personalized recommendations for food, exercise, self-care strategies, and even your ideal beauty routinetake the Power Type quiz.
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Make Sure Youre Getting Enough Sleep
Sleep is vital for all bodily functions, including keeping hormones balanced and healthy. Our natural circadian rhythm is regulated by hormones like cortisol and melatonin. These hormones literally work on a schedule in tune with our bodys 24-hour biological clock.
Melatonin is released by the pineal gland at night when it gets dark. Cortisol, the bodys stress hormone, is regulated at midnight where it drops to its lowest levels. These levels begin to rise and then peak about an hour after you wake up. When we dont get enough sleep, the body is more likely to produce more cortisol, meaning youre exposed to more of the bodys flight or fight response than necessary.
Sleep is vital for keeping our stress hormones balanced. Ideally, youre getting at least 7-9 hours of sleep each night. If youre one of the millions of people who dont get enough sleep, taking steps to naturally get a rejuvenating nights sleep could be seriously beneficial for balanced hormone support.
Women Have Now Realized That A Holistic Approach Is The Only Philosophy For Successful Natural Hormone Balance
Every aspect of our lives interacts with the other, our body and mind are connected in a way that we owe it to our body to understand this connection and work on it.
What is the answer to a holistic approach, let me give you a few points to review privately in the comfort of your own home. Ask yourself the following questions regarding your holistic health: By analyzing your answers you will get a good idea of how you should begin to change your ways to a healthier hormone balance journey.
- Do I control my diet and take care of what foods I consume?
- Am I taking a good intake of healthy liquids and plenty of water?
- Am I conscious of my level of supplements, including herbs, vitamins, and minerals
- Am I looking out for my mental attitude towards other people
- Do I chose my acquaintances and friends wisely
- Do I practice a relaxing exercise routine that keeps me calm and supple
- Do I get plenty of fresh air and take in the beauty around me
- Do I get regular sleep and sufficient hours to keep me healthy?
- Am I focused on the positive side of hormone balance?
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Who Should Not Use Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy
You may be wondering if you are a good candidate for BHRT. Using bioidentical hormones is a decision you should make with your functional medicine provider by weighing the risks and benefits. If you have had or are at high risk for the following conditions, hormone replacement therapy may not be the best solution for you:
- Blood clotting disorders
How Are The Adrenals Related To Hormonal Health
When people start to feel fatigued or just not as well as they used to, most people will automatically tell them to go test their thyroid. In reality, the adrenals play an even bigger role in overall health as they are higher up on the totem pole in the endocrine system . The adrenals play a big role in metabolism, hormonal balance, and overall vitality.
The adrenal glands are two little pea-sized glands that sit on top of the kidneys. The outer part of the adrenal gland, the adrenal cortex, secretes the corticosteroid hormones including cortisol that monitor the bodys metabolism, inflammation, and blood pressure. The adrenal medulla is the inner part which secretes adrenaline and noradrenaline, hormones that respond to stressors. When the adrenal medulla fires, it increases the heart rate, boosts blood flow to the muscles, and creates a surge of glucose in the bloodstream. This mechanism evolved so we could draw from a quick burst of energy in a fight-or-flight situation. The adrenals are extremely vital to our health and well-being!
This fight-or-flight response can becoming chronic for many people, and eventually the adrenals can get into burnout. With this chronic stress going on our bodies continually burn through more nutrients, our digestion can suffer, our metabolism can slow down, and detox can become incredibly hard. The body is a whole- and this is why healing hormones is a whole body job.
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Can Insomnia Be Caused By Hormonal Imbalance
Yes, a hormone imbalance could lead to sleep issues and insomnia. There are several hormones that impact the circadian rhythm that dictate the production of hormones that control bodily functions. An imbalance to one of those could impact tiredness level, reaction to stress, reaction to pain, or other factors that could impact sleep quality.
Learn How To Balance Your Unique Hormonal Imbalance Naturally
Balancing your hormones is a complicated process and takes time. It will often take up to 3 menstrual cycles to fully experience the benefits of bringing your hormones back in to balance. Unfortunately, there isnt one quick fix or magic solution which will fix all of your period problems. Addressing diet, lifestyle, stress, exercise, mindset and emotional and spiritual health are the cornerstones to improving your hormone health.
To get you started, Im sharing my top 6 tips to begin balancing your hormones naturally. These are a great place to start if you are new to hormonal imbalances, and will give you a taste of addressing your symptoms naturally.
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What Is Holistic Hormone Replacement Therapy
Holistic hormone replacement therapy utilizes bioidentical hormones to mimic those produced by the human body. Bioidentical hormones are artificial hormones that are processed from plant estrogens that are chemically identical to what the human body produces. Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is used to treat men and women when their hormone levels drop or become unbalanced. It is most often used for symptoms of perimenopause and menopause in women.
You see, hormones are chemicals made by your endocrine glands. They tell other parts of your body how and when to function. Even the slightest imbalance can cause symptoms that disrupt your daily life. Holistic hormone replacement therapy is used as a treatment for these symptoms. Estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are the most commonly used bioidentical hormones.
What Is Bioidentical Hormone Therapy & What Are Its Benefits
Balancing your hormones is key to integrative and functional health. There are many reasons a person may experience a hormone imbalance. Some may be health conditions or treatment-related while others may be a bodys natural reaction to aging, stress, or other underlying factors.
Treating hormone imbalances or deficiencies holistically means understanding what natural factors may be triggering or exacerbating a hormone imbalance, empowering the body to heal and balance hormones naturally, andif neededto utilize therapies or hormone replacement to support the bodys natural hormones.
A Holistic Guide to Hormone Replacement
Below, well discuss how to approach hormone replacement holistically. This includes identifying which factors may be contributing to hormone imbalances or deficiencies and empowering your body to balance itself naturally.
1 Identify Contributing Factors
In holistic medicine, the first step to treatment is to determine what factors may be causing your condition. This includes looking at physical sources as well as mental, spiritual, emotional, and environmental factors.
If you are working with a holistic healthcare provider, they may do tests to determine which hormonal deficiencies or imbalances you may have, then will work with you to understand what factors may have a role in causing these deficiencies or imbalances.
Potential causes of hormonal imbalances may include:
2 Balance Your Diet
3 Balance Your Gut & Liver
5 Improve Your Stress Levels
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My Treatment Protocols For Hormonal Imbalance
The treatment protocols for hormonal imbalance may vary with test results but might include herbal compounds , specific homeopathic remedies or cremes , B6 or magnesium supplementation or sometimes chiropractic alignment is necessary of the lumbar and adjoining bones. The results are almost always relatively rapid and satisfactory.
In summary, our approach is comprehensive, safe, unique to the patient, and highly effective in most hormonal imbalance cases.
If you are disturbed by hormonally related issues and wish to avoid prescription hormones, feel free to contact me.