Better Gut Health Improves Hormone Balance
Hormonal imbalances can lead to a variety of negative symptoms. Overall, weve found targeting the gut along with foundational nutrition and lifestyle changes to have the most powerful impact when it comes to balancing hormones. Try the above strategies and monitor your symptoms. If youre feeling great, then youre probably on the right track.
If you continue to struggle with some symptoms of hormone imbalance though, Healthy Gut, Healthy You details our simple step-by-step plan for improving your gut health, which will translate into better hormone balance. If, after working through the foundational steps, you feel you need a more personalized plan, contact us at the Ruscio Institute for Functional Medicine.
The Ruscio Institute has developed a range of high-quality formulations, including Progest-Harmony and Estro-Harmony, to help our patients and audience. If youre interested in learning more about these products, please click here. Note that there are many other options available, and we encourage you to research which products may be right for you.
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When To Seek Medical Care
What Else Can You Do For Your Hormones
- Juice vegetables for extra doses of nutrients in the morning, and drink plenty of spring water. Add a pinch of sea or Himalayan salt to your water to support your kidneys
- Eat at around the same time every day, and dont restrict your calories. Focus on nutrient rich whole foods and avoid processed oils, refined sugars and caffeine.
- Do a little yoga or gentle movement on a daily basis. Integrate even 10 minutes into your morning routine, and do something slow before bed if you can.
- Keep your lighting dim in the evening to allow your cycles to regulate. Bright lighting and blue lights shut off the melatonin production which is necessary for a good nights rest. You can find low blue lights online which are little nightlight you can put throughout your home that dont have the blue light in them. If you get up in the night to go to the bathroom you dont run the risk of interrupting your melatonin by turning on a light.
- Get more sleep. Being in bed before 11 pm and sleeping anywhere from 8-10 hours is ideal for adrenal nourishment and liver detoxification. That said, most moms will laugh out loud at this fantastical idea, so do what you can and ask your friends and family to help you out as much as possible.
- Take magnesium before bed. Minerals are best absorbed at night, and magnesium is very important. It can help to relieve PMS symptoms and support hormonal balance.
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The Different Types Of Hormones And Their Functions
Before I tell you how to get to this Promise Land, we need to discuss what these hormones actually are.
Put simply, our hormones are the bodys chemical messengers. Every moment of the day, they whizz through the bloodstream, traveling to our organs to let them know the work that needs to be done.
Theres a hormone for all our functions, too even those you didnt even know existed!
Lets look at 7 types of hormones in the body:
- The love hormone which responds to touch,
- The stress hormone which tells us when to run when were in danger,
- The metabolism regulator ,
- The sex hormones needed for a healthy cycle and fertility,
- Mood-boosting hormone
- The hunger-quelling hormone
Of course, I could go on, and there are many, many more. But, really all you need to know is that theres a hormone for everything!
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.
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What Is The Heal Your Hormones Masterclass
Heal Your Hormones Masterclass is a simple yet comprehensive program that will help you transform your mind and body and leave you living your best life! Over the 6 week course I will not only walk you through the easy changes you can make in your life to feel better, but I will help you understand why it’s so important.
More Energy, Sleep Better, Less Stress
Get Off The Sugar Roller Coaster
Eating significant amounts of sugars and refined carbohydrates like cakes, pasta, bread, cookies, and soda wrecks hormonal balance. Eating these foods often creates abrupt highs and lows in blood sugar that not only promote body fat storage, but they can increase inflammatory markers that interfere with hormone communication.
Instead, aim for balanced meals with proteins, healthy fats, and fiber-rich carbohydrates in the form of vegetables and minimally-processed whole grains like quinoa or oats.
WATCH: Which Diet Is Right for Me?
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Stress Hitting You Hard I Can Relate
My body doesnt respond well to stress, it never has. Even when I was a little kid, if anything stressful or upsetting happened, I would get really bad stomach migraines and headaches.
As I matured into a woman, stress impacted my body in the form of painful PMS symptoms, fatigue, yo-yo weight gain and loss, eczema and later in life, acne breakouts.
After years of exploring holistic health and alternative healing, I became a little obsessed with the female endocrine system. How to re-balance the female hormones in-particular, has become quite the passionate subject.
I think part of that is because so many of us struggle with our hormones, and are taught by mainstream media that hormones are confusing, too difficult for the average person to understand, and essentially work against us.
Im here to tell you that none of the above is true. Hormones can be confusing at first, although once you understand the basic foundation of how stress impacts your hormones, I guarantee youll start to see the picture much more clearly.
Your hormones are not working against you, just like mine are not working against me. Even when I am very out of balance, I know my body is only doing its best to protect me from the perceived danger evoked by stress.
Quieting The Noise In The Green Living Space
Even in the wellness world, theres so much fallacy floating around. Think about this: youre in a room with 2,000 all shouting different opinions at you. These opinions all challenge the other and your mind feels like its going to explode. This is whats happening to you every day that you are on social media, in your inbox, etc. No wonder youre so confused on what to do, not to do, etc. to work on your hormone health.
I recommend you set a 15 minute timer on your phone and do a purge. Unfollow any accounts that you:
- Didnt even know you were following
- Post contradictory information
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How Common Are Imbalances
Our bodies have an amazing internal regulating system called homeostasis. The theory goes that if you leave the body alone it will harmonize to its own best rhythm.
Thats not the case for all of us though, thanks in part to some genetic or physiological conditions and because of the increased environmental toxin load were all living with in our modern, busy, post-industrial lives.
Many of us knowingly or unknowingly suffer with imbalances: a survey of 2,000 American women, aged 30 to 60, also found that nearly half have experienced symptoms of a hormonal imbalance.
One of the most common hormone imbalances that can cause fertility issues is polycystic ovary syndrome, or PCOS. It affects at least 1 in 10 of us maybe 1 in 5 by some measures.
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How Can I Prevent A Hormonal Imbalance
While many hormonal imbalances arent preventable, there are certain things you can do to optimize your overall health, which could help keep your hormones balanced, including:
- Maintaining a healthy weight.
- Managing your chronic health conditions well .
- Quitting smoking or using tobacco products, if you smoke.
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Try Stress Reduction Techniques
Stress harms your hormones in several ways.
The hormone cortisol is known as the stress hormone because it helps your body cope with long-term stress.
Your bodys response to stress activates a cascade of events that leads to cortisol production. Once the stressor has passed, the response ends. However, chronic stress impairs the feedback mechanisms that return your hormonal systems to normal .
Therefore, chronic stress causes cortisol levels to remain elevated, which stimulates appetite and increases your intake of sugary and high fat foods. In turn, this may lead to excessive calorie intake and obesity (
50 ).
In a review of 21 studies in 2,250 people, those assigned to a short sleep group showed higher ghrelin levels than those who got the recommended amount of sleep .
Plus, your brain needs uninterrupted sleep to go through all five stages of each sleep cycle. This is especially important for the release of growth hormone, which occurs mainly at night during deep sleep .
To maintain optimal hormonal balance, aim for at least 7 hours of high quality sleep per night.
Summary
Poor sleep has been shown to decrease fullness hormones, increase hunger and stress hormones, and increase insulin resistance.
The Four Phases Of The Menstrual Cycle
What happens during each menstrual cycle? High-level, an egg develops and is released from the ovaries. If a pregnancy doesnt happen, the uterine lining sheds during a menstrual period. You bleed, and the cycle starts again. The four phases of the menstrual cycle are the menstrual phase, follicular phase, ovulation phase, and luteal phase. The length of each phase can differ from woman to woman, and it can change over time.
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The Features Of The Masterclass
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A comprehensive program hosted on a portal complete with workbooks, videos, eBooks and printable guides.
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Exclusive and private Facebook group for support and more education.
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Nutrition plan structured for hormonal balance.
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Supplement guides detailing which supplements help in your specific case.
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Exercise guidance for your goals and body type.
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Understand how stress creates increased anxiety, poor sleep, and hormonal imbalances and uncover the root cause of all of these symptoms – not just a bandaid.
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Learn how to hack your sleep regimen to improve the quality and awake full of energy.
How To Treat Hormonal Acne Naturally
In some cases, plant-based treatment options may be used to clear up mild hormonal acne.
Natural treatments are usually free of the side effects sometimes caused by prescription options. But they may not be as effective. Research on natural options is lacking, and at this time nothing has been proven to produce results. Talk with your doctor about potential risks and to ensure the treatment wont interact with any medications youre taking.
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Make Sleep A Priority
From the article: Getting enough sleep not only increases your energy and lowers risks for certain diseases, it also plays a key role in your hormones. Because proper sleep directly impacts your endocrine and immune systems, look for ways to maximize the sleep you get each night.
To help you sleep, make your bedroom as dark as possible, use earplugs or a white noise machine to reduce distractions, and keep it cool. Another way to help your body settle down is to stay away from screens before bed. At least 30 minutes before you turn in, turn off computers or the tv- the blue light can keep you up.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Hormonal Imbalance
Because your body makes over 50 different hormones all of which contribute to important bodily functions you could experience several different symptoms depending on which hormonal imbalance you have.
Its important to know that many of the following symptoms could be caused by other conditions, not just from a hormonal imbalance. If you ever notice a change in your day-to-day health and are experiencing new, persistent symptoms, its important to talk to your healthcare provider no matter what you think the cause might be.
Hormone imbalance symptoms that affect your metabolism
Common hormonal imbalances include those that affect your metabolism. Your metabolism consists of the chemical reactions in your body’s cells that change the food you eat into energy. Many different hormones and processes are involved in metabolism.
Symptoms of hormonal imbalances that affect your metabolism include:
- Slow heartbeat or rapid heartbeat .
- Thin, warm and moist skin.
- Irregular body fat distribution.
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How Are Hormonal Imbalances Diagnosed
Healthcare providers typically order blood tests to check hormone levels since your endocrine glands release hormones directly into your bloodstream.
Certain hormone levels vary drastically throughout the day, so providers may order other tests to measure your levels, such as a glucose tolerance test or insulin tolerance test.
Your provider will also ask you about your medical history and symptoms and perform a physical exam.
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.
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Hormonal Acne: Diet Dos And Donts
The exact role between diet and hormonal acne isnt fully understood. Some foods may help prevent acne particularly inflammation-fighting foods.
Plant-based foods high in antioxidants may help reduce inflammation and promote clearer skin. Omega-3 fatty acids may also decrease skin inflammation.
Contrary to popular belief, junk food alone doesnt cause acne. But overdoing it on certain foods may lead to increased inflammation.
You may consider limiting the following:
- refined carbs, such as white bread and pasta
To clear up hormonal acne and keep it at bay its important to establish an appropriate skincare routine.
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Heal Your Gut And Aim For Healthy Digestion
An unhealthy gut can wreak havoc on your digestive system and cause hormonal problems, too. To clean up your gut, avoid processed foods, added sugars and hydrogenated oils. And eat plenty of foods to restore gut balance, these include bone broth, fermented foods such as sauerkraut, and high-fibre foods like leafy greens.
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Mineral Rich Sea Salt
Your adrenal glands hold the keys to your stress response as well as play a vital role in your hormone health. Without working to balance your adrenals first, your hormone health will never reach its full potential!
One of the functions of the adrenal glands is to control your sodium-potassium levels and thus the fluid balance in your body, which also helps regulate blood pressure. This is done through aldosterone, a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands. Aldosterone regulates blood pressure according to stress levelsthis is why blood pressure generally rises in stressful situations.
Consuming mineral rich, pure salt will provide the adrenals with the raw materials they need to function and thus help balance the bodys natural stress response. Pure, mineral rich salt is balanced in minerals so that your body receives exactly what it needs.
When the body is in adrenal imbalance, you must be very careful not to over consume water as that can actually dehydrate you. Often the body simply needs more minerals to retain the water, not actually more water.
My favorite mineral rich salt is Celtic Sea Salt, plus the taste is amazing!