Hormone Balance

Many patients come to my office with the intuition that something is off about their hormones. I am a believer in a women’s intuition about her body and that she is the most expert of her own wellness. However, I also get asked “just do a blood test, tell me what’s wrong with my hormones, because I know something is off doctor,” unfortunately it is not so simple. Your hormones are a constantly changing orchestra of messengers from day to day and depending on your environment, stress level, and pre-existing state of health. Not only do they change within the cycle, but they also have diurnal rhythms and are affected by taking medications, especially oral contraceptives. Tracking your cycle is one way to find patterns in symptoms that you see. Also your hormone levels can fall into the normal range and you may be experiencing symptoms of hormone imbalance. That is because the normal range is wide and depends on myriad variables. I highly recommend that a women start with what I call biblio therapy which means reading some books to shed some light on common patterns of symptoms and how to interpret them. Check out my book recommendation list for some great places to start. I think knowledge is power; I also believe there is no perfect way to control all the variables in your life and self care and mind body work is an important part of finding balance.

Little changes to help your hormones

There are several seemingly simple steps that will start to support your own body’s hormonal rhythms when they have gotten off track. I say this knowing how complicated sometimes following these recommendations can be. Your hormone systems can be supported by

• Working on your sleep hygiene, by keeping consistent sleep hours, going to bed at the same time, taking sleep supporting supplements, getting off your screens and setting boundaries with your workspace, journaling, and not eating too close to bedtime.

• Support healthy digestive patterns. shift your diet to include more plants, and eat fermented foods to support your microbiome.

• Find a way to support your mind body connection, when our stress hormone system is out of whack it will impact your period cycles, fertility, and menopausal symptoms. Experiment with what mind body techniques works for you. I personally use a yoga practice, massages, epson salt baths and acupuncture to support my stress system.

Remember, you don’t have to be perfect, just notice the variables and what changes you can make when you’re having symptoms that are bothering you.

Add omega-3s from fish oil with gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) from evening primrose oil to support skin health, hormonal balance, including reducing cyclic breast pain and breast cysts; and helping with painful periods.

If you have been diagnosed with fibroids or have a family history of fibroids, listen here for a holistic approach to preventing fibroids and a natural approach to treatment.

Click below to listen to a podcast about causes of heavy periods and how to support your body in order to improve your cycle.

Herbs to gently support healthy hormone levels