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.
How To Know If Hormones Are Imbalanced
“During reproductive years, women can look to their cycle to give them signs that their hormones are out of balance. Infertility, ‘period problems’ like PMS, heavy, painful periods, and migraines all can be signs that hormones are out of balance,” says Ayla Barmmer, M.S., RD, LDN, owner of Boston Functional Nutrition and creator of Full Circle Prenatal.
Sudden weight fluctuations or changes in energy levels could also signal a hormonal imbalance. “But, really, the best way to know for sure is to get tested,” says Azzaro.
How To Balance Hormones Naturally For A Better Menopause
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Have you heard that balanced hormones mean a balanced life? There might be some truth to this!
A hormones job in the body is enormous! They tell our organs when its time to go to work. They have the power to make our hearts beat faster and send signals to the brain that were hungry. Hormones also prepare the gut for incoming food and tell the body when its time to sleep.
Hormones are a family of molecules that act as messengers. After they are made in a specific gland, they will travel to other parts of the body to control and instruct how cells and organs do their work.
Whats more impressive? One hormone can play many hats and may influence other hormones to improve our overall body functions. For example, estrogen is a sex hormone, but it also contributes to the brain, heart, gut functioning, etc.
Since weve come to this topic, here are three hormones that may affect our menopause journey, plus learn how you can balance hormones naturally in 5 simple ways!
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Make Some Magnesium Oil To Help Balance Hormones
Magnesium is better absorbed through the skin than the digestive tract, so thats why magnesium oil is the magnesium supplement of choice recommended by many natural healthcare practitioners. Its actually a mixture of magnesium chloride flakes dissolved in water.
Dr. Sircus, a leading magnesium researcher and author of Transdermal Magnesium Therapy, says
After oxygen, water, and basic food, magnesium may be the most important element needed by our bodies, vitally important yet hardly known. It is more important than calcium, potassium or sodium and regulates all three of them. Millions suffer daily from magnesium deficiency without even knowing it.
Mineral balance goes hand-and-hand with hormone balance. Want to balance hormones naturally? Make sure you are obtaining and absorbing adequate magnesium!;Heres my guide to making and using magnesium oil. There are a couple application tips that you dont want to miss in there. For example, applying magnesium oil to your legs after shaving is not a good idea!
Avoid Sugar And Refined Carbs
Sugar and refined carbs have been linked to a number of health problems.
Indeed, avoiding or minimizing these foods may be instrumental in optimizing hormone function and avoiding obesity, diabetes and other diseases.
Studies have consistently shown that fructose can increase insulin levels and promote insulin resistance, especially in overweight and obese people with prediabetes or diabetes (
Summary:
Diets high in sugar and refined carbs have been shown to drive insulin resistance. Avoiding these foods and reducing overall carb intake may decrease insulin levels and increase insulin sensitivity.
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Natural Ways To Balance Your Hormones
Hormones have profound effects on your mental, physical and emotional health.
These chemical messengers play a major role in controlling your appetite, weight and mood, among other things.
Normally, your endocrine glands produce the precise amount of each hormone needed for various processes in your body.
However, hormonal imbalances have become increasingly common with todays fast-paced modern lifestyle. In addition, certain hormones decline with age, and some people experience a more dramatic decrease than others.
Fortunately, a nutritious diet and other healthy lifestyle behaviors may help improve your hormonal health and allow you to feel and perform your best.
This article will show you 12 natural ways to balance your hormones.
Hormones Menopause And Perimenopause
Menopause is the time when menstruation stops completely. The ovaries stop producing hormones and releasing eggs for fertilization, which means the bodys reproductive years are over.;;
The symptoms associated with menopause happen before, during perimenopause.
You may notice:;
- Vaginal dryness and dry skin
- Urinary tract infections or frequent urination
When menopause occurs most -if not all- of these symptoms go away.;;
Hormones are secreted by various glands and organs throughout the body – not just the ovaries- working together to control, support, and regulate your organism in one synchronized network called the endocrine system. The pancreas,; pituitary gland, thyroid, ovaries, and testicles, are all part of this system.;
When you learn to balance hormones naturally, you get to influence more hormones than the ones secreted by the ovaries, which helps manage these symptoms better.
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Hormone Balancing Tip #: Support Hormone Detoxification
Our liver and gut are the two major organs responsible for breaking down and clearing hormones once they have been used in the body. It’s so important that these systems are working properly to prevent build-up of hormones which contributes to hormonal imbalances. Heres a brief overview of how to support these two systems of detoxification .
Find Your Sleep Rhythm
Your microbiome has its own circadian rhythms with a continual fluctuation of the amounts of different bacteria, depending on the time of day, which influences your sleep. It also interacts with the genes that regulate your body clock. Melatonin, a hormone that is an important regulator of sleep, is produced in not only the brain but also the gut, where it helps your organs sync up your circadian rhythms, says Arthur Beyder, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor at the Mayo Clinic.
To keep your rhythms steady and get more zs, feed your microbiome prebiotic foods , like artichokes, raw garlic, leeks, and onions. When bacteria digest these, they release by-products that affect your brain, boosting sleep quality, according to an animal study in Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.
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Reduce Or Eliminate Sugar And Other Food Sensitivities
Sugar keeps insulin elevated, knocking other hormones out of balance and paving the way for insulin resistance. Food sensitivities, including gluten intolerance can also increase inflammation and contribute to hormonal imbalances, including elevated cortisol. Research shows that a healthy gluten-free diet can reduce inflammation and insulin resistance. Consider working with a chiropractor or other healthcare professional to develop an elimination diet to see if your symptoms improve.
Make A Commitment To Sleep
Sleep is by far one of the most neglected practices of our time, yet its a huge factor in how healthy we are. Lack of sleep leads to lower willpower, higher body fat, stress and illness. However, getting the proper amount of sleep can help you build a resilient, strong and fit body. While you sleep, your brain is filtering and sorting out all the information you in that day, your body is healing, repairing and renewing itself, while your digestion is taking a rest and your organs are doing their daily detox. Without sleep, all of this progress is put on hold and the result is hormonal imbalance and fatigue. Aim for 7-9 hours per night with a goal to be in bed before 11pm for the best results.
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To Decoding Your Hormones: How Long Should Your Period Be
Since we only have our own period to compare to, it can be hard to know whether what we experience is normal. Lets run through some normal cycle parameters so that you can determine where you fall:
The length of your periodrefers to the number of days from the first day of your bleed to the last day before your next bleed. A healthy range for your cycle length is anywhere between 21 and 35 days, with the average being around 29 days.
Many of my clients tell me their period is always late because it comes on day 30 . This is a huge misconception: that if your period isnt 28 days, you arent normal. If your period consistently arrives around the same day of your cycle, and it falls within the healthy range of 21 to 35 days, this is your normal, healthy cycle length.
Whether or not you fit this textbook 28 day cycle , the most important factor to consider is whether your normal has changed or not.
Our menstrual cycles are very responsive to stress in our lives and demonstrate this most clearly in the length of our cycles. Stress is not always psychological , but may be physical .
When we are more stressed, our body does not deem our environment to be a safe place to bring a baby in to the world, and can shut down ovulation all together, or delay it until it deems we are safe. The end result of this change in ovulation is a missing period altogether, or longer cycles than your normal. Think this might explain your menstrual cycle problems?
Engage In Regular Exercise
Physical activity can strongly influence hormonal health. A major benefit of exercise is its ability to reduce insulin levels and increase insulin sensitivity.
Insulin is a hormone that has several functions. One is allowing cells to take up sugar and amino acids from the bloodstream, which are then used for energy and maintaining muscle.
However, a little insulin goes a long way. Too much can be downright dangerous.
High insulin levels have been linked to inflammation, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Whats more, they are connected to insulin resistance, a condition in which your cells dont respond properly to insulins signals .
Many types of physical activity have been found to increase insulin sensitivity and reduce insulin levels, including aerobic exercise, strength training and endurance exercise (
18 ).
For people who are unable to perform vigorous exercise, even regular walking may increase these hormone levels, potentially improving strength and quality of life .
Although a combination of resistance and aerobic training seems to provide the best results, engaging in any type of physical activity on a regular basis is beneficial.
Summary:
Performing strength training, aerobics, walking or other forms of physical activity can modify hormone levels in a way that reduces the risk of disease and protects muscle mass during the aging process.
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Trouble With Sleep Digestion Or Focus
These types of symptoms could be a sign that you have higher-than-normal levels of cortisol ;the stress hormone running through your body. If youve been stressed out lately, you might have noticed stomach issues, difficulty;sleeping;or muscle weakness. It can also affect your ability to focus, as well as your mood and energy levels.;
How Functional Medicine Can Help You
If you feel like you may have an imbalance in your hormones, a functional medicine provider can give you the opportunity to get your hormones tested. They wont hand you a medication that covers up your symptoms without giving you the option to try other methods to fix the root cause. When you complete a hormone test, it can give you the specific levels of each hormone, and your provider can guide you on the specific natural practices you can focus on to regulate your hormone of interest.;
If you want to take charge of your health the right way, the first step is finding the right functional medicine provider for you. While our private practice in Texas is fully booked for 2021 we have exciting ways to work with our team coming summer of 2021! Be the first to know by clicking here and filling out your information so we can be in touch.
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Be Smart With Sugar Intake
Anotherhigh-impact change you can make to your lifestyle is to reduce your sugar intake, and choose wisely when youre opting for something sweet. Natural sugars like fruits, and sweeteners like honey, maple syrup or coconut sugar are healthier options to processed sugars. You can also choose low to no impact sweeteners that arent artificial like monk fruit sweetener or stevia leaf. These two are 0 calories and dont spike your blood sugar whatsoever when theyre consumed. Consider using these options in hot drinks for a simple way to reduce your sugar intake consistently. If you find you struggle with stress-eating, heres ten tips on how to avoid it and take back your power with food.;
Hydrate In The Morning
You become dehydrated while you sleep, so its important to drink at least 2 cups of water before anything else upon rising. Aim for 1 liter within the first 4 hours of being awake. Room temperature water with fresh squeezed lemon is alkalizing for the body and kickstarts your digestion. Another thing to keep in mind is that sometimes you may think youre hungry when what your body is actually asking for is water. One of the well known keys to weight loss is hydration. Here are 5 more benefits of drinking lemon water daily.;
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What Kathleen Zelman Mph Rd Says:
Does It Work?
Research suggests that a Mediterranean diet, similar to Turner’s, can aid weight loss. You will lose weight on the plan because it is low in calories.
But promising that it can “balance hormones,” cure a whole host of problems and diseases, restore sleep, give you glowing skin and healthier hair, and more is not based on solid, scientific evidence.
Eating a clean, natural, preferably organic diet, free of preservatives and processed foods is ideal, but it’s not practical or necessary for weight loss or good health. Nor are the tremendous amounts of supplements, including herbal and bowel cleansers.
Is It Good for Certain Conditions?
Following a Mediterranean-style, low-glycemic diet is a sensible approach to healthy eating and weight loss that could benefit most people. Reaching a healthy weight can improve many conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
The Final Word
The cocktail of supplements and the hormone theories are unfounded and not recommended. Keep in mind that many things affect your hormone levels. It’s not just about your food. To say that certain foods are “hormone hindering” is inaccurate and oversimplifies the role of nutrients in the body.
If you think you have a hormonal imbalance or would like to follow this diet, consult your doctor.
Liver: The #1 Superfood To Balance Hormones
Gram for gram, liver is the most nutrient-dense food on the planet. Due to its unique nutritional profile, liver easily deserves the title, Ideal Superfood to Balance Hormones.
Most importantly, liver provides the highest source of vitamin A, one of the most valuable vitamins to balance hormones. Vitamin A not only improves thyroid function, it improves liver health so we can synthesize and detox hormones well.
Contrary to popular belief, we cannot obtain vitamin A from vegetables , including carrots and sweet potatoes. The beta carotene in veggies must first be converted to vitamin A in the body and this conversion is so poor it is virtually insignificant. Hormonal imbalance further compromises your ability to convert the carotene into useable vitamin A.
Optimally, enjoy 2-4 servings of pastured liver each week. If you abhor the taste of liver, I recommend taking these grassfed desiccated liver capsules daily. 2-6 capsules per day is recommended.
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Tips On How To Naturally Balance Your Hormones
Mar 12, 2016Carly FraserSave For Later
Are your hormones out of balance? Hormones like estrogen and insulin and chemical messengers that affect many aspects of your health. If your hormones are out of balance, you may experience unexpected weight gain, infertility, depression, insomnia, fatigue, hair loss and hair thinning.
Hormone production is regulated by the thyroid, adrenals, pituitary, ovaries, testicles and pancreas. If these organs or glands are not functioning properly, your hormones will likely be unbalanced, leading to major health issues.
Thankfully, there are ways to balance your hormones naturally, most methods of which work better than pills.
Three Steps To Balance Hormones Naturally
A womans endocrine system is comprised of many hormones that affect our mental, emotional, and physical health. When the body is stressed, hormones can become imbalanced and lead to conditions such as:
- PCOS
- Adrenal Fatigue
- Depression/Anxiety
- Low or high hormones ;we test for all of these at CentreSpringMD
When hormones are off you can feel any of the following:
- sleep disturbances
- menstrual irregularities
- digestive issues
If you have been diagnosed with a current hormonal imbalance or have any of the symptoms above, there are natural ways to help balance them.
1. DietDiet plays a huge part of hormones because many of them are created from the foods we eat.; That is why it is important to eat more healthy fats such as avocados, coconut oil, olive oil, walnuts, fish, chia seeds, and flax seeds.; When the body metabolizes these fats, a hormone called pregnenolone is formed.; Pregnenolone is a precursor to estrogen, progesterone, DHEA, testosterone, and cortisol.; I usually recommend having at least 20-30 grams of healthy fats daily to ensure optimal hormone health.
Written by CentreSpringMD
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