Root Causes of Hormone Imbalances

Hormonal imbalance is a root cause for so many other illnesses such as PMS, PCOS, autoimmune disorders, and mental health disorders, but what is the root cause of the hormonal imbalance in the first place?

If we want to feel good, look our best and thrive in every area of our lives, our hormones need to be working together in harmony. If something feels off, it probably is, our bodies can tell us best. However, it can be hard to heal it completely if we don’t know where it stems from. Some common root causes for hormone imbalance that may manifest as symptoms include:

Chronic stress: When our bodies experience a stressful event, it goes into survival mode. This is when our adrenal glands pump out our stress hormone, cortisol. Elevated cortisol levels tell our body to divert resources from anything not seen as important (i.e. digestion, a healthy period, and ovulation) in a life or death situation, so our body can allocate all of our energy on our survival. Over time this depletes our hormone levels, leading to fatigue, infertility, acne, PMS, PCOS, constipation, diarrhea, and insomnia.

Blood sugar imbalances: blood sugar balance is key for healthy hormone function. Eating excessive sugar, processed foods, overconsumption of alcohol and caffeine, skipping meals, not sleeping, and high stress activities disrupt sugar levels by causing it to spike and then crash. This leads to insulin constantly releasing, resulting in insulin resistance. This is a major contributor to PMS, PCOS, diabetes, cravings, and brain fog.

Dieting or undereating: If our diets aren’t providing us with enough energy to make our hormones, it’ll prioritize the production of the stress hormones first because they are essential for survival. This leads to unhealthy fluctuations in our hormone levels, triggering unwanted symptoms like infertility, stubborn weight loss, irregular periods, brain fog, constipation, etc.

Gut conditions: When the gut bacteria becomes unbalanced, food and nutrients aren’t absorbed well and larger particles cross the gut lining, known as leaky gut. This leads to food sensitivities and increases inflammation in the body. It also affects hormone production, as nutrient absorption via our gut is necessary to synthesize hormones.

Having a baby: Pregnancy can lead to hormonal imbalance due to nutrient depletion, lack of sleep, and extreme hormone fluctuations postpartum. These usually show up in the form of thyroid conditions, low progesterone or excess estrogen.

Overtaxed liver: Our livers are responsible for filtering out toxins and excess hormones. When the liver gets overloaded with caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, toxins, and heavy metals, it ineffectively processes hormones, specifically estrogen, dumping it back into our bloodstream. This leads to estrogen dominance which is a key component of painful periods, fibroids, cysts, and breast cancer.

Birth control/medications: Birth control, antibiotics, anti-depressants, and other common drugs like aspirin and ibuprofen (NSAIDs) cause gut dysbiosis. Recent research also shows that synthetic birth control shrinks your clitoris and ovaries, reduces the body’s ability to absorb nutrients needed for fertility and menstruation, and increases the risk of autoimmune diseases.

Our Hormones!

We know we have hormones but do we even know what they do? I’ll let you know what’s going on in our body! When I first started observing how I felt when I’d read an angry text or watch an awesome show/movie I realized I could FEEL my hormones going through my body. This is how I became conscious of my body and how I could stop feeling “that type of way” during an uncomfortable situation. I used to be a very angry person, who can relate? But now I passively listen and observe and I don’t let my body control me, I control my body! Have you ever been in a heated texting match with your partner because you just need to get your point across, and you can feel your blood boiling? Or how about when your stomach is grumbling or you feel so full that you can’t eat another bite? These are all messages from our hormones! Many hormones are created in the gut and sent to the brain via the gut-brain axis so it’s so important to maintain a healthy gut!! (Check out my post on the link between the gut and brain!)

Ghrelin – is our hunger hormone, this increases when we have a LACK of sleep! Make sure you get at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night to keep this in balanced because this hormone regulates our appetite. If we aren’t getting restful sleep, our appetite will crave very unhealthy things like sugar and salt at very unhealthy times!

Leptin – is our satiety hormone, this is released when we are feeling full, therefore, decreasing our appetites. So when you feel like you’re full DON’T OVER EAT!!! Even if you feel like you’re wasting food, be conscious of how much you can eat beforehand so you don’t feel regretful later about wasting food. This hormone increases our metabolism.

Insulin – this is something everyone has obviously heard of, diabetics everywhere! Insulin converts glucose into glycogen (stored glucose) and fat and it lowers blood sugar by converting glucose into energy. It stimulates the absorption of amino acids as well as protein synthesis in our muscles.

Growth hormones – also stimulates protein synthesis and amino acid absorption. It breaks down fats for energy and it promotes cell production.

Glucagon – breaks down glycogen for energy by increasing blood glucose levels, this results in a release of insulin.

Testosterone – these are male sex hormones, women also have this in small amounts. It regulates protein synthesis as well as increasing muscle and bone density growth.

Estrogen – these are the primary female sex hormones also found in small amounts in men. It enhances HDL blood levels (good cholesterol) so it’s vital to keep this in balance because excess can lead to breast cancer and heart disease, and watch out for those estrogen mimickers everywhere! (Check out my blog on endocrine disrupters). It also increases growth hormone and cortisol and promotes lung function.

Cortisol – this is released when we are stressed, so excess cortisol will store and lead to chronic inflammation. When cortisol is released, it raises the heart rate, pressure, and glucose levels in response to the stress. This is responsible for breaking down proteins and fats for energy. Try observing how you feel the next time your blood is boiling, that’s cortisol running through your blood.

Adrenaline – breaks down glycogen and fat for energy, it’s released when we are ready to fight or flight. High levels of adrenaline as a result of chronic stress can also lead to chronic inflammation and mental health issues such as depression and anxiety. Remember chronic inflammation leads to illnesses such as heart disease and obesity.

Oxytocin – is the hormone that is released during childbirth and sex, it’s also found in breast milk. It’s the hormone that is also released when we stare into a cat, dog, or baby’s eyes and feel that feeling of unconditional love!

Dopamine – this hormone regulates how our brain perceives and experiences pleasure, which is when it is released. Constantly releasing this hormone can lead to addictive habits to recreate that pleasurable experience.

Seratonin – this is responsible for regulating mood, sleep, and digesting food. 95% is created in the gut, so consider most mental health issues like depression and anxiety may just stem from an imbalanced gut. Excess serotonin may cause sleep issues, while low serotonin leads to crippling anxiety, it’s all about maintaining a balance.

Melatonin – this hormone is created in our pineal gland when it begins getting dark outside to let our brain and bodies know it’s ready to wind down and get ready for bed. This regulates our circadian rhythm and when we have artificial light all around us, including TVs and cell phones the blue light depletes our melatonin production which can cause all sorts of sleep and health issues.

There are so many other hormones that I haven’t mentioned, these are just some that we’ve all heard of at some point in time and could perhaps be familiar with. We should all know what happens in our bodies!!

Lets Boost Our Immunity for Covid-19!

Hey guys and gals!! I hope everyone is staying safe during these trying times. It’s a crazy unpredictable situation right now in our lives, but we will eventually overcome this together! I’ve personally been an anxious mess because of how uncertain everything is, things are changing every minute and that really put me into a funk. After a while I had to really recognize all that I could be grateful for, my job, my healthy family, my happy home environment, my access to food and water, this started to bring me out of darkness. Let’s take advantage of this time to bring out the best in ourselves, help wherever you can, provide support to those that are in need. This is a great time to show everyone that the human race is actually a collective consciousness with compassion and empathy, take note toilet paper and hand sanitizer hoarders!!!

So after a month of being in a catatonic panic state I’m back with more health and wellness information so you can use this time to develop a new lifestyle to keep your body and immunity in tip top condition to fight that Covid-19!!

So let me tell you about how many chemicals that we are exposed to on a daily basis in our internal and external environments that interfere with our body’s hormones. Constant exposure to these chemicals have been linked to developmental, immune, brain, and reproductive disorders and eventually lead to lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, cancer, allergies, and some autoimmune disorders. These chemicals mimic our hormones causing an imbalance in the production of our vital hormones, and hormonal health is so crucial because it’s linked to mental health disorders as well. Hormone disruptors interfere with hormone signaling, they compete with essential nutrients, they bind to essential hormones, they accumulate in the organs that produce hormones and they cause premature cell death. How are we exposed to these? Through cosmetics, plastics, detergents, toys, certain foods and drinks, the environment, and pesticide use on produce, so essentially through our skin, our diets, the air, and our water supply.

Flame retardants (PBDEs) – this chemical imitates thyroid hormones and disrupts thyroid activity. It is found in almost all furniture with foam, mattresses, couches, cabinets, carpets, etc. To avoid this you’ll really have to do research on the furniture that does not contain this, you can also use a HEPA filter vacuum cleaner to reduce exposure.

Perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) – are found in non-stick cookware (Teflon), microwave popcorn bags, household cleaners, cosmetics, furniture, packaged food containers, and clothing. PFC breaks down into PFOA which does not biodegrade, it affects thyroid and sex hormone levels and is linked to low birth weight, thyroid and kidney disease, high cholesterol, and sperm quality. Avoid eating microwavable popcorn, avoid using non-stick cookware, and make your own cleaners.

Glycol Ethers – are found in cleaning products, cosmetics, paints, and brake fluid. Exposure is linked lower sperm count, blood abnormalities, asthma and allergies. LOOK OUT FOR THIS WHILE COVID-CLEANING!!! Don’t lose sight of your long term health while cleaning away trying to protect yourself from coronavirus. To avoid this, use cleaners that have more natural ingredients, make your own cleaners using vinegar, baking soda, and essential oils.

Atrazine – is an herbicide used on corn which in turn contaminates the water supply. It has been linked to delayed puberty, prostate cancer, and breast tumors. Eat organic produce and drink filtered water.

Lead – also might know this one, it’s linked to nervous system problems, miscarriages, premature birth, hearing loss, kidney damage, increased blood pressure, and brain damage. It disrupts hormones that regulate the body’s stress system. Lead is found in paint and in drinking water so make sure you filter your water!!

BPA (Bisphenol A) – this is one everyone has heard of because it is found in a lot of plastics, cans, thermal receipt paper, fast food wrappers, and polycarbonate. BPA mimics estrogen and is linked to reproductive issues, and cancers including breast cancer. How can you avoid this? Many companies are now aware of the adverse health effects so some plastics say NO BPA on it, avoid canned foods, and opt for fresh foods or the tetra packs (paper), use glass containers instead of plastic Tupperware.

Organophosphate pesticides – affects behavior, fertility, and brain development and is a commonly used pesticide on our produce. So buy organic produce when you can, search out for the Dirty Dozen list of produce which contain the most pesticides and also check out the Clean 15 list of produce that does not contain pesticides and can be bought non organic.

Mercury – is found in farmed fish so check out my blog on the fish with the least amount of mercury! Bigger fish have more and smaller fish have less, so go for the salmon and the trout.  Mercury causes brain development issues in fetuses, so pregnant woman should avoid at all costs! Mercury binds to a hormone that regulates the menstrual cycle and ovulation, this prevents our hormones from working correctly. It also damages cells in the pancreas which may cause diabetes (Lifestyle illness!!)

Perchlorate – alters thyroid balance by competing with iodine which is necessary for the thyroid to make hormones. These hormones regulate metabolism, brain and organ development. It is found in tap water so avoid that by drinking filtered water, you can install a reverse osmosis filter! To counter the effects of this chemical, make sure you are getting plenty of iodine throughout the day.

Dioxin – is a byproduct released during industrial manufacturing and can be found in non-organic meat and dairy. You can avoid this by cutting out or reducing meat and dairy or buying it organic. Dioxin affects the immune and reproductive systems.

Phthalates – are found in toys, shampoos, conditioners, perfumes, cosmetics, lotions, scented candles, air fresheners, nail polish, and laundry detergents. These have been known to cause hormonal changes, birth defects, thyroid irregularities, diabetes, and obesity. Avoid plastic food containers and any cosmetic products that have added fragrance to it, always look at the ingredients of your cosmetics! Most toys have this chemical removed now, thankfully, we do NOT need to be exposing infants to this kind of stuff.

Arsenic – messes with how our body processes sugar and carbohydrates, this disruption leads to weight gain/loss, insulin resistance (leads to diabetes), immunosuppression, osteoporosis, high blood pressure, protein wasting, and growth deficiency. Avoid this once again by filtering your water and avoiding conventional rice and pastas.

Triclosan – is found in anti-microbial and personal care products like body wash, toothpaste, and deodorant. Once again be careful with all that hand sanitizer, it becomes resistant to bacteria after a while and can be harmful to our health in the long run!

I’ve come to realize that our water supply is highly toxic to our overall health, that’s quite ridiculous considering we need water to survive!! Thank you for those that made it to the end ❤ I love and appreciate that you take an interest in what will help us all achieve a more balanced mind, body, and soul!

Is Your Sleep at Night Adequate?

We live in a chaotic world that has forgotten the importance of sleep for optimal health, most people are constantly on the go for work, pulling all nighters to study for exams, or dealing with stress which can lead to insomnia. Insomnia affects 70 million people, and many people are reaching for stimulants such as coffee and energy drinks during the day and using relaxants such as alcohol and sleep medications (prescriptions) or supplements like melatonin or valerian root to wind down at night. This is a vicious cycle that can create an unhealthy dependency which can ultimately lead to gaining weight, adrenal fatigue, chronic fatigue, brain fog, irritability, anxiety, digestive issues, and even risks for chronic diseases like hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

We need to remember it’s okay to rest and to give our bodies a break! When we sleep our organs are recovering from working all day, tissues are repairing, and if you do heavy lifting, your muscles repair and protein synthesizes during sleep. Hormones that regulate appetite control such as ghrelin and leptin, stress, growth, and metabolism are released as well. Most importantly, when we sleep our memories are processed and consolidated, this allows for more memory storage which is vital for learning new information. So in addition to sleep affecting the mind- focus and creativity- it also affects the body and immune system.

Adults 18 years and older need between 7-9 hours of sleep a night, if you are younger you need more!!! To achieve restful sleep, eat your lightest meal in the evening consisting of protein and healthy fats (avocados, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, ghee, salmon are just some examples). This stabilizes blood sugar levels and avoids an insulin spike and crash cycle. Limit sugar consumption and do not drink caffeine after 2pm.

Your environment plays a huge role in deep sleep, keeping your bedroom clutter free, using calm/cool colors and good smells like essential oils decreases stressful energy. Removing all electronic devices is major because they all emit blue light which affects your body’s natural production of the hormone melatonin. This includes TVs, computers, tablets, and laptops, (this one is hard I know, it took me 27 years to finally give my TV the boot!) Blue light also leads to premature macular degeneration so use a bluelight filter if you can! Electromagnetic radiation is a serious thing guys, put your phones on airplane mode when you’re sleeping and keep it as far away from you as possible.

Reducing light and sound exposure is crucial for deep sleep. Creating a bed time routine which consists of sleeping at the same time every night and limiting technology and artificial light is also helpful for our circadian rhythms! Reading a book, journaling when those nagging thoughts occur, yoga, stretching, meditation, and deep breathing are some ways to get the body to relax at night instead of keeping it stimulated with light!

These are all lifestyle changes for sure, no need to do them all at once, but implementing them slowly will make a difference!