Your hormones can affect every part of your life no matter what age you are. They can cause problems with energy, mood swings, food cravings, memory and concentration, muscle cramps, sweating, anxiety, tension and irritability. They can even change how well your digestive system works giving you symptoms such as bloating, flatulence and IBS.
In women, hormone imbalances can manifest as:
- infertility
- menstrual problems
- PMS
- PCOS
- endometriosis
- fibroids
- breast problems.
And the way your hormones work can affect your weight and body shape.
Balancing Your Hormones Naturally
To balance hormones naturally there needs to be a combination of a good diet, supplements and lifestyle changes in order to give your body the tools it needs to address the underlying cause of the problem.
Your Diet
Your body uses the nutrients from the food that you eat to repair cells, produce hormones and regulate your menstrual cycle. Phytoestrogens found in foods such as lentils, soya and flaxseeds can help balance your hormones and also help you through the menopause.
Your liver
Your liver is the waste disposal unit of your body, not only for toxins, but also for hormones. If your liver is not functioning efficiently, old hormones can accumulate.
As well as avoiding substances that can compromise the liver, such as alcohol, certain nutrients can be taken to help improve liver function.
The benefits of nutrients
Research has shown that that oxidative stress can influence the entire reproductive lifespan of a woman and have a role to play in many female hormone problems.
Omega 3 helps to prevent inflammation, regulate your immune system and reduce abnormal blood flow.
Probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that should be at good levels in your digestive system, can help with hormone balance in general and particularly those oestrogen dependent female problems such as fibroids and endometriosis.
Other nutrient’s such as vitamin D, the B vitamins and magnesium are particularly helpful for women.
Stress
You may not be able to control the stress in your life but you have some control over how it affects you physically and also to make sure you are not making it worse
Tool much sugar in your diet can lead to blood sugar imbalances which releases stress hormones.
In order to get your female hormones back in balance, the aim is to eat a good diet, correct any nutrient deficiencies and look at lifestyle issues such as stress in order to make sure that you are getting all the nutrients that you need and the tools for your body to get you back into good health.