Hormonal Balance

Have you ever heard, if your hormones are out of balance then its a good sign that your whole body is out of balance? Our hormones are made by proteins and steroids, that act as messengers to keep our body in homeostasis (self regulating process) There is not an organ in our entire body that doesn’t depend on them for functionality, including sleep, reproductive system, digestion, energy, blood sugar, immune system, sex drive, and balancing our moods. Hormones are all created within our endocrine system and some of the main contributors of our hormones are the hypothalamus, thalamus, parathyroid, pineal, ovaries, and testes.

If you’re struggling with your hormones here are a few indicators that its a little sluggish:

• irregular periods

• weight gain; especially that won’t budge

• night sweats

• PCOS

• digestive issues

• Pregnant

• Breastfeeding

• extreme fatigue

• decreased sex drive

• depression

• pain and swelling in joints

• infertility

What causes dysfunction to our hormones ? It’s not ONE thing that will cause our hormones to get outta wack! The endocrine system interacts with hormone producing glands that responds to many different offenders. We called this the endocrine cascade and these offenders can be:

• Stress

• Toxins

• Poor Diet

• Poor Digestion

• Blood Sugar Imbalance

• Fatty Acid Deficiency

• Mineral Deficiency

• Dehydration

Supporting your hormones looks a lot like getting to the root cause of the irregular periods, mood swings, weight gain, managing stress and a few more examples could look like:

• Eating Nutrient Dense Meals

• Balance blood Sugar

• Avoid Caffeine

• Avoid Xenoestrogens (hormone disrupting chemicals)

• Finding time to rest

• Working with an NTP to understand what your specific needs are.

There a two work horse hormones our body produces and I want to chat about them for just a second! There are lots of hormones we need to function, however beginning in bite size pieces will make it so much more manageable! These two hormones we hear lots about.

Estrogen and its job consists of growth and development of your reproductive anatomy including your vagina, growth of breasts, growth of pubic and armpit hair in puberty, build up uterine lining to prep for potential pregnancy, controls cholesterol levels, keeps your heart healthy, decreases inflammation, has a strong affect on a brain chemical called Serotonin that affects our mood.

Progesterone’s job is to sustain the uterine lining, build strong bones, increases your metabolic rate (metabolism), helps reduce bad habits, supports sleep, protects against coronary heart disease, boosts energy, supports healthy hair and skin, and prevents autoimmune diseases.

These two hormones are constantly working hard for our bodies and they drastically shift postpartum, meaning they drop to their lowest they’ll ever get. This can lead to adrenal stress, thyroid disfunction, allergies, depression, anxiety, low libido, mood swings, rage, irregular periods, breast milk issues, hair loss. All common, but not normal symptoms.

Take the time to listen to your body! It’s always talking to you, but it’s our job to pay attention to what it’s saying. It’s also important to know that because we experience these symptoms and our Dr’s tell us its common doesn’t always mean that it is. Getting to the root cause of your symptoms will give your more healing and more balance.

If you’re curious what getting to the root cause looks like, book a free 15min discovery call and we can chat about what care looks like.