HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!
I sincerely hope this year has started out wonderfully for you and your family! May we all feel the blessings and graciousness that life has to offer.
BRING OUT YOUR BEST AT EVERY AGE!
Far too often we think hormonal imbalances are only tied to menopause (and andropause), when in fact, teens, young adults, child bearing women, and women in the postpartum phase also face these issues.
An increasing number of women and men in their 20’s and 30’s are improving their health and quality of life with Alternative and Integrative Medicine. Whether the issue is insomnia, weight gain, depression, stress and adrenal burnout, PMS, infertility, chronic fatigue, or gut and digestive disorders, there are protocols to regain balance.
In this article, I would like to discuss how, in Integrative Medicine, we assess and treat hormonal imbalances.
Stress affects all of us at every stage of life, it is how our bodies response to what is happening around us that determines how we handle stress. When we feel we don’t have the ability to manage our circumstances, we generate a negative stress response. Typically we get caught up in the treadmill of life with demands from school, jobs, relationships, family, and finances. When do we stop and take the necessary time for ourselves to fully relax, adjust, and recover?
Unresolved stress has a detrimental effect on our bodies and undermines all of our hormonal systems – adrenals, sex hormones, thyroid, insulin, and neurotransmitters. We begin to feel tired all of the time, have food cravings, often gain weight, feel depressed and moody, can’t think straight, or get overwhelmed. We may also experience extreme PMS, face problems with fertility, experience low sex drive and how we feel about life in general.
When you are in a state of chronic stress, the adrenal glands steal the sex hormones in your body, converting them into cortisol. This can trigger heavy bleeding, severe cramping and PMS, or halting your periods altogether. Taking birth control pills can also lower your hormonal levels, often creating progesterone and testosterone deficiencies, the latter leading to lowered libido in many women. Taking some needed hormones or specific supplements can often get your body back in balance within 4-6 months. Many times, young women I work with are surprised that these natural therapies can eliminate PMS and other symptoms entirely.
Oftentimes it is necessary to explore your thyroid function. It is a highly overlooked gland that can affect energy, weight, and other hormones. In certain cases, we need to look at other issues that might affect keeping a balanced weight; it is not just about food and exercise! Understanding what can suppress your sexual and sensual self, along with options to encourage a good nights sleep, can create positive changes in your life.
Taking simple yet significant steps to improve our diet, understanding stress management, and the use of daily supportive supplements and herbs may also be needed for a period of time. The bottom line is we can revive our adrenals, balance our hormones, and feel good about our life.
Clients are often amazed at how much better they feel – even before we do any hormonal treatment.
As a young adult, I experienced extremely heavy menses that nearly kept me in bed, or at least restricted my activities and quality of life, due to severe cramping and heavy bleeding. I was experiencing the effects of low progesterone, what is called “estrogen dominance.” Fortunately, as outline here there are solutions for these problems.
If you find yourself, or someone you know, in an “in between” place and not experiencing the quality of life desired, I encourage you to take the steps needed to get more in balance live the life you want and deserve.
Make it the best life you can!
Finding (hormonal) balance amidst the stress,
Jane
