Common Hormone Balancing Mistakes | Hormone Imbalance | Hormone Balance Supplements
What Is Hormone Imbalance?
Your body is run by hormones, which are chemical substances that are transported throughout the body and act as messengers to stimulate certain actions from cells or tissues.
Hormones regulate many body functions, including:
hunger
fullness
digestion and motility
glucose metabolism (blood sugar balance)
mood
period cycles, menstruation
muscle building
bone density
stress response
thirst
sleep-wake cycle
sexual function
You can see from that list just how important hormones are, and your body works hard to keep them in balance.
Hormone imbalance is when there is either too much or too little of any hormone. While addressing the effects of the hormone imbalances might help with your symptoms, as a holistic practitioner, my goal is to figure out why there is a hormone imbalance and help you address the hormone imbalance at the root cause.
The following are some common mistakes I see in individuals working to address hormone imbalance, specifically in relation to female sex hormones.
Whether you’re working to regulate your period cycle, reduce PMS symptoms, dealing with PCOS symptoms (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome), trying to get pregnant, or approaching menopause, it’s important to work from the ground, up.
Common Mistakes with Addressing Hormone Imbalance
7 of the most common mistakes I see people make when addressing hormone imbalance are:
Not addressing root cause - There are many ways to address hormone imbalance with hormone supplements, medications, or modalities to address symptoms of hormone imbalance. And these all have their place in some cases, but the biggest mistake I see is not looking for and addressing the reason(s) why your hormones are imbalanced to begin with.
Not prioritizing rest and sleep - A busy lifestyle complete with a lack of boundaries and inability to say ‘no’ will keep your Sympathetic Nervous System activated (fight or flight). When this happens, your brain is actively working to prepare your body to flee a tiger, not regulate ovulation. Other examples of chronic stressors include:
chronic over-exercising
poor blood sugar regulation
people-pleasing behaviors
eating on-the-run
no downtime
Ignoring the impact of dietary and environmental toxins - Your body is doing everything it can to deal with what is thrown at it. Many modern products that have been designed to offer us ease and convenience, are loaded with endocrine disrupters and substances that are considered toxic to your body. Skincare products, household cleaners, air fresheners, plastics in packaged food and cookware, even low-quality supplements.
Not addressing liver health, gut health, drainage, and bowel movements - Piggybacking on the last topic, your liver is responsible for preparing toxins for elimination from the body. Excess hormones are considered a toxin to the body, if not eliminated. If your liver is congested due to a diet rich in processed foods or is burdened by toxic overload, it will not be able to keep up, and those toxins will be reabsorbed into the body.
Not eating enough (and not addressing digestion) - Skipping meals is a stress to your body and nervous system. But also poor digestive health means you are not able to break down foods and utilize their nutrients, even if you are eating the most nutrient-dense diet.
Not addressing blood sugar - Blood sugar management is not just about how much sugar you consume. It involves eating satiating meals, eating a balance of quality-sourced animal proteins, green leafy vegetables, healthy fats, and whole grains, and minimizing processed foods.
Not getting enough whole-food fiber - I’m not talking about foods engineered to have more fiber content on the nutrition label. I’m talking about fibrous vegetables, fruits, and grains in their whole, unprocessed forms. Fiber binds to bile (from the liver) and toxins and escorts them out of the body (elimination). Fiber is an important part of the detoxification process and is essential to addressing hormone imbalance.
What’s Your Story?
Women often feel very alone when experiencing symptoms of hormone imbalance.
Sharing your thoughts and experiences helps others to feel seen, which is arguably the biggest change that needs to happen in our healthcare system. Be that for someone else!
Please share your thoughts and experiences with hormone imbalance in the comments below.
And if you want some help figuring out the best course of treatment for your hormone imbalance symptoms, I can help.
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