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10 Signs You Have a Hormonal Imbalance + How to Fix It  

Last updated on September 14, 2018 By Astrid 2 Comments


Is it a hormonal imbalance? Imagine you could get your health back and make every ailment go away…

If every symptom simply disappeared, and there was no more pain, sleepless nights, or anxiety-stress…  Eventually, your doctor’s visits are less or medications are removed one by one– How great would that be?

Your lab work results aren’t looking great or you just feel off. You feel drained, can’t sleep, overeat or have no appetite, and you can feel that your stress levels are through the roof… But right now that feels like a whole world away doesn’t it?   We’ve all been there, but it doesn’t have to be this way. There are ways to gain your health back starting right now.

Below you’ll learn about the possible culprit– a hormonal imbalance!  Not to worry,  I am going to share with you what I’ve learned to get your hormones back on track, and that’s only a few scrolls way.

Ready? Let’s do this…

Hormones are small chemical messengers that navigate throughout your body. They send messages to your cells, tissues, and organs in order to enhance your metabolism., get rid of stress, enhance your mood, build muscle, and so on. These lifestyle factors that play an important role in maintaining an optimal hormone balance such as:

  • The foods you consume, how much exercise (and the kind of exercise), and other crucial factors like stress management and sleep.
  • Lack of exercise, making the wrong food choices or burning yourself out will have an impact on your health in the long run.   A few of us can get away with this for a very long time without suffering too greatly. For others, it can rapidly hinder health and overall performance.
  • There are no shortcuts when it comes to hormone balance–  lifestyle changes, food, activity, and environment–  are the way to go when it comes to addressing the root cause of why hormonal imbalances take place, to begin with.

If you have been feeling off, there are signs that you can be dealing with a hormonal imbalance.

1. How Is your sleep?

If you aren’t sleeping as soundly as you used to– hormones may be the culprit. Lower levels of progesterone and estrogen, as you get older, have the capability to interfere with sleep and wake you up in the middle of the night. That can trigger you to grab OTC sleeping pills– however, they’re a band-aid to a much deeper issue.

If getting out of bed every morning is a struggle, then that’s a clear indication your circadian hormonal output is out of balance. Particular hormones are produced in a cyclical or circadian pattern daily, and if their rhythm gets modified you’ll begin to feel fatigued, and can’t function properly.

For instance, let’s look at the stress hormone cortisol.  Cortisol should be high in the early morning; it wakes you up, gets your brain in high gear sets you up for the day. If you notice that it takes more effort than usual to get going in the morning, then your circadian cortisol high might be stuck in neutral.
How does this rhythm get out of balance?

Well, if you’re always on the go and consuming a few cups of java or stimulants, it can affect your deep sleep and eventually circadian pattern. Additionally, having a hectic social life and a couple of beverages every night can likewise impede your deep sleep and circadian rhythm.

Paradoxically, if you’re stressed out and busy, you usually grab more coffee throughout the day to enhance your brain and energy, and consequently more alcohol at night to loosen up and alleviate. This is the perfect combination for circadian disruption. (Research studies show that consuming more than 4 cups each day is related to increased threat of heart disease)

2. Are Your Periods Inconsistent?

This is a huge warning: if a female’s menstruation is off, it’s time to take a look at her hormonal imbalances.  It deserves taking a better look at your cycle.  Have your doctor test your fasting cortisol, leptin, fasting morning glucose, estrogen, and progesterone.

3.Mood Swings  (Irritability, Anxiety, Depression)

Haven’t been feeling like yourself? Right now isn’t the time for pharmaceuticals. Depression, stress, and anxiety are hints that you have a hormonal imbalance, overworked, stressed out, have toxicity, and more than likely you aren’t nurturing your body with what it requires.

Sugar consumption has drastically increased over the past 40 years and the rates of type II diabetes are climbing side to side with them. There is a strong link between poor blood glucose control and depression.  It’s no surprise the World Health Organization forecasts that depression will be the leading reason for illness burden in the world.

Compelling evidence from research has been connecting the dots, suggesting that high blood glucose results in (and intensify) anxiety and depression, meanwhile depression causes (and worsens) diabetes. It’s the ultimate “chicken and egg” scenario, and the down spiral appears to be affecting everybody to some extent.

4. Breast Tenderness

This is most likely an estrogen or progesterone problem. When these 2 hormones aren’t at ideal levels, your body will react.  Tender breasts can be an indication of too-high estrogen or too-little progesterone.

 

5. You are Fatigued, Cold and Hair is Lifeless

The thyroid gland is the forerunner for your total health. If there is anything off balance in your body, the thyroid reacts by raging up or down its function. Trademark indications of low or slow thyroid function are cold feet and hands, constant tiredness, thinning or lifeless hair and skin, in addition to slow bowels. (When your thyroid gets sluggish, everything in the body appears to slow down as well).

Like many hormones, excessive stress plays a significant role. Your cortisol stress hormone hinders the production of the thyroid hormone, stops the conversion to the “active T3” kind of hormone. It can even make your cells resistant to thyroid hormone (a sophisticated medical term that suggests your body can make thyroid hormone easily–even though your body is not utilizing it efficiently). Simply put, it resembles having a bad connection on your smartphone– sluggish service that leaves you disappointed and dissatisfied.

6. Excessive Visceral Fat (Stomach)


High tummy fat shows high levels of visceral fat– the fat that builds up around your organs. It is really pro-inflammatory and harmful for your total health.  The large bulk of your cortisol receptors lie around your mid-section.

If your stubborn belly fat is high, your cortisol stress levels will be out of whack and will lead you down to weight gain, poor vitality, and bad health. Cortisol is the “yang” to insulin’s “yin,” accountable for raising blood sugar levels by breaking down your muscle mass. If your cortisol levels are out of balance, it can result in an insulin problem– which can lead to Diabetes.

7. You Feel Exhausted After a High Carb Meal

Do you crash after a high carb meal? If so, your insulin hormone might be to blame.
Does this sound familiar?

You eat a delicious lunch, return to work and by mid-afternoon, you can hardly stay awake?
Or possibly it’s the high-carb breakfast (bagel, oatmeal or cereal) you ate to begin your day,  and you still have a hard time to remain sharp by mid-morning?
If you discover a considerable crash after a high-carb meal, then you are likely having poor insulin function (the blood sugar hormone that transports the sugars from your breakfast or lunch from your bloodstream right into your cells).

If you’re obese, out of shape, or in bad health and battle with crashes after a high-carb meal, it’s maybe that your insulin hormone. Your body has to drain higher and higher quantities of insulin to deal with high carb meals (compared with a lean or fit individual). This results in a huge blood glucose and insulin high after your meal, followed by a roller coaster-like fall a few hours later on.

8. Sudden Weight Gain

This sign typically indicates out-of-whack hormone levels. The weight issue is typically related to the lack of sleep, given that your body will release more cortisol following sleep deprivation. Cortisol, in turn, motivates your cells to keep extra fat.

9. Low Sex Drive

A tell-tale sign of a hormonal imbalance is low sex drive. If you’re training pretty hard and pushing yourself, one good indication of overtraining is losing your mojo.  Or if you are working late hours into the night (or staying up late), your sex drive can drop significantly because stress levels increase.

In gents, cortisol stress levels go up while testosterone goes down. In the ladies, stress levels lower the female hormone progesterone, which is among their main sex drive hormone.

Must Read: The Best Way to Detox And How Lymphatic Drainage Therapy Works

 

10. Consistent Cravings (Mainly Sugar)

                                                                                                                                                               Image source Viktor Forgacs
Do you crave sugary foods throughout the day or even at night?

Sugar cravings can be attributed to several reasons. However, there is a specific hormone that is accountable for keeping you full– leptin, your “satiety” hormone flag– when life gets hectic or east the wrong foods, or sleep very little, your leptin signal gets out of whack and cravings to take place.

If you seem like you’re constantly reaching for sugary foods, fruit,  or trying to find that post-dinner sweet treat, then your leptin levels are probably low. How do they get out of balance?  Here’s how:  When insulin levels are high they block the leptin signal, resulting in more cravings  (regrettably not for a healthy salad).  The more simple carbs and sugars you consume (due cravings), the more insulin output and the more you reduce leptin.

Another culprit is stress. Stress interferes with leptin. It’s no surprise that when anxiety, stress or you get worried the very first thing you reach for is a sweet treat (most of the time even before you “feel” stress). This huge boost of cortisol and insulin issues disrupting your leptin levels is the perfect combo for sugar cravings.

Now let’s get to how you can address those imbalances not merely masking the symptoms:

What you read above are some of the signs of a hormonal imbalance. Do any of those indications sound familiar?

If you believe your “offness” might be a hormonal imbalance, there are lots of natural ways you can take to fix the issue.

 

 

hormonal-imbalance-hormones-weight loss
Image credit Paleo Hacks

How to Address Hormonal Imbalances

Re-evaluate your diet

You don’t necessarily have to go on a diet, however, you can add some hormone-helping foods or herbs.  For instance, if you love salad, add some spinach and toss some almonds. Both will enhance your and magnesium and calcium, which benefits bone health and hormones.   If you enjoy tea, try some Kombucha. The antioxidants in tea will boost your metabolism.

If you like eggs don’t skip the yolk. The joke will boost your Vitamin D levels and contrary to what we’ve been told, egg yokes won’t “raise your bad cholesterol”.  This article debunks the myth on Cholesterol.

Additionally, eating clean proteins (lean and grass-fed meats, nuts, wild caught fish, and so on) instead of simple carbohydrates (pasta, white bread, cereal, rice, and so on) is an excellent way to up your minerals, enhance digestion, natural energy, helping your hormones work as efficiently as possible.

Sugar cravings

when sugar cravings hit, reach out for frozen fruit or a handful of berries, almonds or a low glycemic snack.  Dark organic chocolate is a great option.

Low Libido

Low progesterone in women is usually the culprit of low libido, but creams or gels only mask the issue.  The answer is– to address the root cause… stress! If you pushing yourself at the gym and training too hard (fatigued, run down, overtrained you can lose your mojo) . Sleep and relax more, drink less coffee, and fewer alcoholic drinks while spending more time relaxing at home or favorite park/beach. You can also schedule a vacation to disconnect, reset,  and reinvigorate your life.

Stock up on supplements

Diet can help so much when it comes to nourishing your body to balance hormones.  However, adding high-quality supplements can make a huge difference.  For example, omega-3s  assist in regulating cortisol levels and reduce inflammation, a magnesium supplement taken with calcium, and black cohosh (addresses hot flashes).  Additionally, supplements which contain Chaste Berry, a great hormone helper, but one — if not the best hormone balancing supplements is Ashwagandha.

Ashwagandha is a natural source of energy and vitality. Being a super powerful adaptogen, Ashwagandha supports adrenal and cognitive function by balancing cortisol (hello? stress hormone) release induced by physiological, mental, emotional and environmental stress.   Read the full article on adrenal health and more on Ashwagandha.

Asensia— research studies recommend it can increase progesterone production by 153 percent.

Thyroid Function~

The Thyroid gland has the arduous task of keeping your metabolism running properly, brain sharp, and energy levels up.  With that being said, research has linked chronic inflammation, stress and a sluggish thyroid.
The higher your stress levels– the greater the inflammation in the body, which hinders thyroid function.

If you struggle with thyroid function start off with:  removing sugars from your diet immediately, limit or stop alcohol and get more sleep (this is huge) I know it sounds boring, but it’s all about the basics.   That way you can have an idea if you have thyroid issues or not.  Finally, ask your Endo to run a full thyroid panel — TSH, reverse T3, free T3, free T3, anti-TPO antibodies.  Check out this and this website for excellent lab test interpretation and in-depth info on thyroid issues — especially when you are on meds and still feel terrible or to find out of thyroid issues are potentially developing.

Introduce Meditation to Your Lifestyle.

Meditation? Boring already… nope here’s the scoop:

Your brain is a regulator of chemicals in your body that dramatically impacts how you feel overall.  Cortisol, the stress hormone that’s very easy to skyrocket in our non-stop-repeat culture, can be seriously lowered with some meditation practice. The impact that meditation has in your body and mind is remarkable. Even 5 minutes a day will do!
Also, there are apps that you can download to your phone where you can meditate or even have some quiet time. I like The Calm app meditation to relax, focus and sleep better (Android and Apple).

Early morning meditation for focus and a night meditation for much better sleep. An important recommendation — power down all gadgets 45 to 60 minutes before bed then settling into a meditation length of your choice will help you counteract insomnia fall under a deep, serene sleep.

Your turn– What are your go to foods or lifestyle changes to address hormonal imbalances? I’d love to hear your tools to combat hormonal imbalances. 

Learned something new? Share this with friends or family who may be displaying any of the symptoms.
We can always help each other and answer any questions you may have.

To your best health,

 

 

 

 

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Image credits:
Maine header Xavier Sotomayor on Unsplash
Carb meal
scale
Hair by Pablo Charnas on Unsplash
insomnia Photo by kaluci on Unsplash

 You may like to read: 

The Best Way to Detox And How Lymphatic Drainage Therapy Works

 

Filed Under: Hormones Tagged With: cortisol, hormonal imbalance, hormones, insomnia, insulin, leptin, low libido, sugar cravings, thyroid function, weigh gain

What You Need To Know About Nutritional Deficiencies And How To Fix Them

Last updated on September 25, 2018 By Astrid 1 Comment

nutritional deficiencies and how to fix them
Nutritional Deficiencies can be more serious than you may have realized.
Nutritional deficiencies are usually a big red flag that reads– poor nutrition or if you are nourishing your body adequately but foods aren’t being absorbed by your body you may be experiencing malabsorption which leads to malnutrition. 

If your last lab test results came back with low levels of Iron, iodine, vitamin D or calcium you need to realize that, nutritional deficiencies are no joke. If left untreated, your organs will eventually take a toll and end results can be devastating leading to some conditions such as:

  • Mood disorders (panic disorders and depression)
  • Diabetes
  • High blood pressure
  • Thyroid disease (Iodine deficiency)
  • Osteoporosis
  • Obesity
  • Alzheimer’s disease or Dementia
  • Gum disease
  • Cardiovascular disease

The list goes on…

Strangely enough, nutritional deficiencies are very common today, and can even happen to some of us trying to lead a healthy lifestyle, where all of that healthy food, juices, and supplements may not be absorbed.

This happened to me, and still working on it.   In my case, it was due to a lack of solid sleep, very little nourishing foods while in college and a bacteria –Helicobacter pylori that I contracted while traveling abroad in the 90’s.   Helicobacter P. is the bacteria responsible for the damage of the lining of the stomach, and that also leads to ulcers.

[box title=”Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori):” style=”noise” box_color=”#efe3f0″ title_color=”#060705″ radius=”12″] Is a type of bacteria that causes infection in the stomach. It is found in about two-thirds of the world’s population. It may be spread by unclean food and water, but researchers aren’t sure. It causes Peptic ulcers and can also cause stomach cancer.[/box]

Not knowing what I know now,  I was put on the strongest type of antibiotics {8 pills a day}, in order to get rid of it because of I had a small ulcer that was causing the worse acid reflux, and pain.  Eventually, the bacteria were eradicated, and the healing process began.

When nutritional deficiencies are present every single organ suffers including the brain. That is why it is imperative to pay attention to symptoms and get tested pronto.  Do you suspect you may have nutritional deficiencies? Then keep on reading it gets better…

nutritional deficiencies vitamin D
 Nutritional deficiencies- Vitamin D

What Are Nutritional Deficiencies

Nutritional deficiencies are imbalances caused in our body due to the absence, less intake, or even in rare cases, an excessive intake, of certain minerals and vitamins. These minerals and vitamins especially Vitamin D3, are necessary for the body to function properly.

Vitamins and proteins are organic chemical substances needed for normal growth and the regeneration and replacement of dead-tired cells and tissues.

Since our body is composed of cells, it is extremely important that quick regeneration is present for faster growth. When vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, fatty acids, minerals, and roughage are not ingested in the required amounts, you may experience symptoms of nutritional deficiencies.

Unlike vitamins, minerals are inorganic substances that are directly responsible for the proper functioning of bones, teeth, hair, and tissues.  According to the World Health Organization individuals between 10 and 19 years are more at the risk of nutritional deficiencies, and around 200 million people worldwide suffer from the deficiency.

What Causes Nutritional Deficiencies

A number of factors can cause you to become nutritionally deficient including gluten sensitivity,  stress, little rest & lack of sleep, dependence on alcohol, and medicines, a poor diet filled with processed foods unhealthy fats; to name a few. Consequently, nutritional deficiencies hinder the body’s capacity to absorb the nutrients from the foods you ingest.

Here’s a great video that sheds some light on the connection between gluten sensitivity and nutritional deficiencies by Dr. Peter Osborne:

Read his full article here.

If you are clearly suffering from nutritional deficiencies you may experience conditions such as anemia, osteoporosis, dementia, rickets, night blindness, and pellagra, among several other conditions caused by inadequate intake of essential nutrients.

Walk-In Lab

How do you know if YOU are Malnourished- The Precursor of  Nutritionally Deficiencies?

The first thing you should do to find out if you are experiencing nutritional deficiencies is to pay attention to your symptoms or by requesting a simple vitamin and mineral levels test with your Doctor, PCP, Naturopath or Holistic Nutritionist.

If for some reason you can’t order these tests or your doctor can’t figure out what your symptoms are there are other alternatives alternative.

  • You can get a nutritional assessment, which is a set of screening questions used to establish whether you are likely to have a vitamin or mineral deficiency. This questionnaire will outline changes in weight, activity and food consumption. A nutritional assessment can be performed by a doctor, nutritionist or can be done online.(source)
  • If your doctor can’t do it for some reason you can get a Vitamin, Mineral and Nutrition Test from Walk-In-Labs. It is convenient and way affordable -compared to medical bills when it’s too late.
    Vitamin and nutrition blood tests can detect gluten, mineral, iron, calcium and other deficiencies, telling you which vitamins you lack and which you are getting enough of through natural sources. Don’t just take supplements, know how much and which ones you should be taking.  Walk-in Labs has several types of tests that range from thyroid, wellness tests, hormonal panels, health tests for Men and many more.
  • There is a home evaluation kit from Optimal Wellness Labs (which I took and was shocked to learn that I, in fact, had malabsorption in the gut a few years ago).  I’ve worked hard to turn that around.  That is in part how healYOUnaturally was born too. A reliable and reputable company located here in the US.
    The MAP (Matrix Assessment Profile) is a very simple test— that peeks into your biochemistry and evaluates the condition of the ‘Human Matrix’ — the complex system of organs, glands, tissues and cells that sustain your river of life. All of this is done from the comfort of your home at your own pace.
  • Also, have a hair analysis done. Properly called a hair tissue mineral analysis.  This test consists of taking a hair from your head and thoroughly checking for signs of mineral deficiency or metal exposure. The use of hair ensures accuracy because hair tissues change slowly. This means if you eat a steak, iron levels will not rise rapidly in your hair as it will in your blood, so you will get a more accurate reading.

 Treatment and Prevention of Nutritional Deficiencies

If you already aren’t– start consuming probiotic-rich foods such as kefir, sauerkraut, yogurt, kombucha and fermented foods.  I wrote this article which highlights the top natural probiotic foods.  You can also supplement with a top of the line probiotic,  vitamins, a mineral complex and whatever else you are lacking, along with a tailored protocol to heal your gut.

I prefer this probiotic and Garden of Life Primal Defense for when my family or I feel we need an extra boost (ei: after an inevitable round of probiotics or traveling).

A great tool to get your nutritional values up is to juice as much and as often as possible.  My favorite kind to get the most out of your juicing experience is with you have a juicer– dust it off and use it. If not get yourself a top-notch Juicer and start juicing immediately. The Magic Bullet or the  Nutri bullet high-speed blender/ mixer are highly recommended and what I use, because it pulverizes fruits and vegetables, nuts and fruits, allowing you to get all of the nutrients. Plus, all of that great fiber for digestion.

If you prefer you can get a regular juicer for the days that you can’t juice.  As always, keep in mind that it is always best to eat fruits and vegetables with every meal.

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fix-nutritional-deficiciencies

 

A multivitamin (we prefer the liquid form), and a mineral supplement that is hopefully made of wholesome organic foods, & bioavailable. Additionally, it is important to supplement your minerals and eat foods to support your hormones such as healthy fats, daily servings of fruits and vegetables, cut down on high glycemic index (HGI) foods, and eat a protein with each meal.

While most of us are relatively deficient in omega-3s, this is not likely to show up on a blood test. Therefore, a reliable source of Omega 3 fatty acids is ideal. The liquid fish oil Omega-3 is one of the purest out there. However, if you are following a vegan lifestyle you can get an all plant based Omega 3, 6 & 9 Flax Oil , iodine, and several other minerals are essential for the proper functioning of the body.

An inadequate intake of these essential vitamins and minerals exposes the body to a number of physical and mental problems. Thus proper intake of essential vitamins, minerals, and natural organic products is important for the body to function properly.

Now let’s hear it from you.  Have you been diagnosed with  Malabsorption or Nutritional Deficiencies? What lifestyle changes have you made to heal your condition?

 

To your best health,

About healYOUnaturally

 
 
 
 
 
 
References
https://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/index.html
https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/
https://dermatlas.med.jhmi.edu/derm/result.cfm?Diagnosis=227
https://youroptihealthsite.com/nutritional-vitamin-deficiency-why-is-it-so-important-to-avoid-and-how-to-avoid-it

 

Filed Under: Healthy Living Tagged With: gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity, gut healing, hair loss, hormonal imbalance, insomnia, leaky gut, magnesium, nutritional deficiencies, omega 3, zinc

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