Hormones are integral to proper functioning of different body organs and systems. Essentially, hormone are chemical messengers that send signals to vital organs such as heart, brain, muscles and the gonads down to individual cells in the body.
There’s a fine hormonal balance that must be kept so that the desired effects or functions are produced. Outside of that delicate balance, hormones can cause serious health issues.
Possible Causes if Hormonal Imbalances
Hormonal imbalances are common and vary depending on the state of your health. There are naturally occurring hormonal cycles while life stages such as puberty and menopause may lead to varying hormonal levels.
The following are four major causes of hormone imbalance in the body:
- Menopause/Premenstrual Syndrome: Women and girls experience monthly hormone fluctuations as part of their reproductive health. The hormonal changes can be supported through a healthy lifestyle and exercise. Sometimes, medication can be used to support the hormonal fluctuations. Menopause is one such instance where hormonal imbalance is a big problem and drugs can be used to mitigate the impact on your health.
- Stress: A major cause of hormonal imbalance is stress – both physical stress and emotional stress. Stress is related to diet and health problems such as inflammation. Stress leads to increased cortisol production which impacts the production of progesterone.
- Digestion: Your digestive system plays an important role hormone production and balance. A diet that causes poor digestion may lead to hormonal imbalance. The liver metabolizes the hormones estrogen and progesterone.
- Thyroid Function: The thyroid has a critical role to play in keeping good hormone balance in the body. The thyroid is particularly connected to the production and regulation of sex hormones. Hormone balance treatment begins with checking thyroid function and treating any issues there.
Hormonal imbalance involving estrogen is the most common. High estrogen levels in the body are associated with the following issues:
- Breast tenderness
- Breast cysts and lumps
- Cramping
- Fluid retention/bloating
- Headaches
- Heavy periods
- Infertility
- PMS-like mood changes such as anger, anxiety and irritability
- Weight gain
How to Restore Hormonal Balance
Irrespective of whether you are suffering hormonal imbalances or not, you need to take on the following tips in addition to hormone balance treatment:
- Eat health fats – include avocado and coconut oil in your diet since they contain building blocks for hormone production. Healthy fats will help boost metabolism, improve weight loss and prevent inflammation.
- Improve gut health – include foods such as fermented vegetables, high fiber foods, kefir, and bone broth to improve gut health and aid in hormone balance.
- Avoid toxins – avoid toxins in your food, beauty and body care products, and in the kitchen to keep hormone production and balance ticking. Radiant Health SF’s hormone balance treatment recommends that you avoid specific body care and beauty products that introduce toxins in the body.
- Exercise – You can aid hormone production through physical exercise. Exercise will reduce stress levels, reduce inflammation, and help you sleep better.
