HEALTHY HORMONES
I recently had the pleasure of hosting a healthy hormones workshop and I received a massive influx of questions from women with their concerns. So I am tackling one of the main questions that I was asked, in the hope that it may help more women out there. It is a complex subject and of course every patient is different, but here is a snapshot of some ways we can tackle a hormone imbalance.
Estrogen dominance or excess estrogen is the precursor to a number of conditions that I see regularly in clinical practice. Estrogen plays a vital role within the female body and when hormones are out of balance we can experience symptoms and conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, fibroids, thrush/candida, migranes/headaches, PMS, depression and anxiety, sleep issues and in more chronic cases hormonal cancer, menopausal issues and high blood pressure.
When treating patients with estrogen dominance, we start by eliminating endocrine disrupting toxins and enhance detoxification of the liver to regulate the amount of estrogen circulating in the body.
The liver is fundamental to regulating the hormones in the blood stream. Often, the liver is overwhelmed with detoxifying our bodies from all the environmental toxins and toxins from our diet. In order to keep the liver happy, we need to look at what we are putting into and onto the body because the liver is being bombarded with toxins from food and our household cleaning products, from alcohol, personal care products, pesticides, pollutants and pharmaceutical drugs, the OCP, and IUD devices.
Estrogen has an important relationship with progesterone and estrogen dominance can occur when there is a progesterone deficiency. We support the healthy production of progesterone by including nutrients such as vitamin B6, zinc, evening primrose and EPA/DHA fish oils and ensuring adequate consumption of cholesterol. If an underlying thyroid issue exists, we treat this as it also causes an imbalance in estrogen production.
Gut health is very important as some bacteria influence the production of estrogen in the body. Cutting out gluten and dairy is recommended as both can cause inflammation of the gut lining which produces further inflammation in the reproductive areas.
Reduce stress through regular and nourishing exercise, listen to your body and tune into what it needs. Move your body in a way that feels right. This can be a gentle walk, yoga or low-impact exercise. Forget about the long distance running or high intensity work-outs. Practice meditation, nourish relationships with those close to you that lift you up, connect with nature.
Sleep is vital to melatonin regulation, helps to regulate hormones while we sleep. Try to get 7 - 8 hours of sleep per night.
Checking on your Vitamin D levels is also imperative in healthy hormone balance. Get some sunshine!
Herbal medicines are wonderful to support hormonal health and can be very effective.
Optimal nutrition and diet tweaks such as increasing consumption of wholefoods, fresh fruit and vegetables (green leafy vegetables, brassica vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, kale, cauliflower) and ensuring adequate hydration. Reducing animal products for one month and cutting out alcohol, sugar and refined carbohydrates also helps to regulate gut flora.
Above all, I highly recommend a thorough investigation to understand the history and current symptoms for each patient. I am currently offering a free naturopathic discovery call for 15 mins, which can help you to determine that we can work together on your health concerns. Please book an appointment a time that suits you.
Emily x