HORMONE IMBALANCES SERIES
SIGNS OF HORMONE IMBALANCES
How many of these do you experience?
At one point I was experiencing 13 of these on a regular basis. I felt TERRIBLE, from the inside out. I didn’t feel like MYSELF, but didn’t know what to do or how to get better.
Symptoms & health changes are SIGNS to not be ignored.
These might be common, but they’re not normal or healthy.
Other Signs include:
PMS
Painful & heavy periods
Food cravings & feelings of being “hangry”
Abnormal thirst
Feeling lightheaded & dizzy
Feeling apathetic & no “zest for life”
These listed (plus many more) are all ways your body is trying to tell you THERE’S A PROBLEM.
Justifying it, making excuses, or band aiding the symptom (like taking a pill or medication) isn’t solving the problem, nor is it asking WHY you have symptoms & WHAT is the root issue.
Hormones & the Endocrine system play a huge role in the overall functioning of the body. Your metabolism, reproduction, digestion, mood, energy & more all rely all hormones. If one hormone is imbalanced, it will affect others, creating a domino effect. Long term hormone imbalances also increase the risk for other health problems & major conditions, like diabetes, Alzheimers, cardiovascular disease.
The Good News? Your lifestyle directly influences your Hormones. That means you have the power to change/improve them. You don’t have to suffer with these symptoms!
Top Lifestyle Triggers of Hormone Imbalances
These can be direct causes, triggers or exacerbate an underlying condition. All of these are various forms of STRESS. Short term, stress is okay & we can manage it. But long term it negatively affects our hormones.
♾EXTREME STRESS: Mental & emotional stress wrecks havoc on our hormones. This can be related to finances, relationships, job/work, new baby, moving, putting too much on your plate, a perfectionist mindset, not asking for help etc. Ladies, you KNOW what I’m talking about here!
♾UNDER/OVERWEIGHT: Our bodies need a healthy amount of body fat to produce hormones. Too little & the body doesn’t feel safe to make/maintain levels. Too much can lead to imbalances (like PCOS or estrogen dominance).
♾POOR DIET: Processed, packaged foods raises inflammation, causes blood sugar imbalances & leads to nutritional deficiencies.
♾MEDICATION: The birth control pill suppresses the body’s natural production of hormones. Antibotics & other meds disrupt the good gut bacteria, suppresses the immune system along with other side effects.
♾INFLAMMATION: Signs include headaches, joint or muscle pain, digestive stress, acne, trouble sleeping etc. Inflammation is a sign of chronic STRESS at a cellular level.
♾PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVELS: Too much exercise halts our hormone production, while a sedentary lifestyle raises inflammation! Our bodies need to move in balanced amounts.
♾POOR GUT & LIVER HEALTH: Our gut & liver are responsible for detoxification. Without proper function, imbalances will occur.
♾CHRONIC TOXIC EXPOSURE: Environmental toxins from plastics, air supply, water supply, cleaning, beauty & self care products all contain chemicals that are classified as “endocrine disruptors”.
As you can see, there are MANY factors to Hormone Health. Many people will have MULTIPLE triggers/factors. Plus, one factor will affect another (ie medication with gut health).
This is why to not treat the symptoms or individual system, but the body as a WHOLE.
I specialize helping women balance their hormones using a functional medicine & comprehensive approach. Curious of what your root triggers and unsure of what to do to get started? Let’s chat!
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