Hormonal health: What can we do about it?

Hormonal health is primarily about balance vs. absolute levels of any one hormone at any point in time.

Cholesterol is the starting point (LDL specifically) of all sex hormones. Hormones are made overtly by glands (e.g. testosterone in testes for men; estrogen and progesterone in ovaries in women; both sexes make progesterone in the adrenal glands as well). Hormones can also be made via peripheral conversion of upstream hormones in other tissues. (e.g. Women make a significant percentage of their testosterone from adrenal DHEA (for men, this is typically not a significant source until late in life. Both sexes can aromatize testosterone to make estrogen in adipose tissue.) Hormones can be absorbed into the body from exogenous supplementation (e.g. pills, creams, suppositories, troches, pellets, patches). Some of these are measurable in body fluids (if bio-identical); others are not (if synthetic).

There are multiple hormonal imbalances that can occur. According to Hormone University: 80% of women experience hormonal imbalances, 75% are affected by the symptoms of Menopause and 35% have PCOS/endometriosis. One of the most common hormonal imbalance challenge for women before menopause, and a notable number of men, is estrogen dominance.

The most common contributing Root Causes include at least one of the following:

• Excess estrogen (e.g. hormones in food, estrogen-potentiating chemicals, birth control pills, body fat e.g. high-glycemic diet, hypothyroid state, hyperinsulinemia)
• Inability to detoxify/excrete estrogen (e.g. low B vitamins, low-nutrient diet, fatty liver, constipation, caffeine intake, imbalance of strong vs. weak estrogens)
• Insufficient progesterone (e.g. high or ongoing stress/cortisol, luteal insufficiency, natural reduction from age ~35-50, hypothyroid state, menopause, toxic exposure/stress causing anovulation (recent or much earlier in life)

Estrogen dominance can manifest as many common, modern hormone syndromes, diseases, and illnesses. And a diagnosis is not a Root Cause discovery:

e.g. Premenstrual syndrome (PMS), Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), Premenopausal Syndrome (PS), highly-symptomatic perimenopause or menopause, Endometriosis, Fibrocystic Breast Disease (FBD), Breast/Uterine cancer.

Some of the potential symptoms of Estrogen Dominance are:

o Bloating
o Water retention/weight gain/ swollen appearance
o Strong premenstrual symptoms (PMS) e.g. abdominal cramps
o Heavy, lengthy menstrual bleeding, perhaps with many clots
o Irritability/Impatience
o Anxiety
o Headaches, perhaps migraines
o Breast tenderness, cysts
o Outbursts of rage
o Hypothyroid function
o Extreme emotional sensitivity
o Panic attacks
o Excess weight in lower torso, hips, buttocks, thighs (pear-shape vs apple shape – which is associated with androgen dominance and insulin resistance).

There are multiple strategies that can help address estrogen dominance. However, we need to understand first the root cause of each particular client. In general, some of the following recommendations may help: low glycemic diet, lose body fat, reduce/eliminate caffeine, eliminate dairy products, reduce/eliminate xenoestrogens, stress reduction, eliminate constipation, estrogen detoxification support, modulate estrogen balance, improve methylation.

Hormone University has developed an outstanding solution for PMS and Menopause. The first ever pill-free & hormone free supplement, GLOW by Hormone University!. Hormone University is an educational platform with the mission to improve hormone health through accessible knowledge and to advocate for social impact in our communities. They are science-based and backed by some of the leading experts in the field. Check their incredible products here: https://glow.hormoneuniversity.com/pages/our-science and feel free to use my discount coupon: VIRGINIA_10

If you feel you may be experiencing hormonal imbalances please let me know and I will be delighted to help you.

THE BLOG
For additional recipes and inspirational functional medicine insights direct to your inbox, be sure to subscribe to my blog!

GET EVEN HEALTHIER!
If you have any questions about how you could benefit from Functional Medicine applied to health coaching, please schedule an initial consultation with me. During this session we will discuss your health and lifestyle to determine how I can best support you in achieving your goals.

Virginia