September 29th, 2020
Hormones matter so let's talk about them!
I'm beginning to see a HUGE connection between hormones and pain and low energy "conditions," and it is somehow tied to the decreased ingestion of fat, particularly animal fats, and grass-fed meat in our society, along with many of the things that I mention below, which all can lead to a hormonal imbalance or dysregulation within the body, especially within the female population. Many times, when women eat a more carnivore-type/keto/or low carb diet, their hormones can become better regulated because they are getting more fat, protein, and cholesterol in their diet, which is what produces these hormones that matter so much in our body to begin with for regulating a whole host of things, including our metabolism...hello, those pesky pounds that won't quite melt away may be due to a hormonal issue and not an "I didn't work out long enough at the gym" issue! In the next couple of paragraphs, you will gain a better idea of how you can get your hormones back on track, but of course, always, always do what feels most aligned with your body!
There are some other areas besides those that I mentioned above that can cause hormone disruption and dysregulation and those areas include high levels of stress, a lack of sleep, blood sugar imbalances/insulin resistance, eating too many carbohydrates, sugars, and processed foods, having a high level of inflammation within the body (these can show as high C-reactive protein and erythrocyte sedimentation rate on blood tests), dysautonomia/autonomic nervous system issues, imbalanced electrolytes, overexercising or overexerting ourselves, low vitamin D levels or not getting enough sunlight, consuming nutrient depleting and mitochondria damaging medications, and exposing oneself to plastics, chemicals, and toxins within our environment.
So to lay it out better for you, here are some ideas on how to balance your hormones:
1. Find some way to alleviate your stress - meditation, taking a walk in nature, finding another job, leaving a relationship, taking a vacation, setting up "me" time, having bodywork or energy work done, etc.
2. Sleep when your body feels the need to sleep. If you can't sleep, find a way to calm down the nervous system...magnesium, melatonin, and the like can all assist with sleep. Red light therapy can assist with regulating one's circadian rhythm as well, especially if one is exposed to too much blue light from electronics during the day.
3. Eat a diet that is lower in carbs, if not going full keto/carnivore, in order to stabilize blood sugar levels as well as correct insulin resistance issues. If you are eating carbs, then supplementing with vitamin B1 (thiamine) is recommended because it is needed as a co-factor to break down the carbs that are consumed, as well as performing a whole host of other important duties within the body. If you don't know your nutrient status, you can get it checked through an alternative health physician or even using applied kinesiology. Making sure that one has adequate nutrients within the body is crucial to one's body functioning optimally.
4. Cut out sugars, artificial sweeteners, and processed foods as much as possible as they cause inflammation and a cascade of other dysregulations within the body.
5. Decrease inflammation in the body - this can be done through diet as well as supplementation of turmeric, CBD, magnesium, etc., and also other alternative methods of healing, like essential oils and red light therapy.
6. Don't be afraid to eat meat and fats...they are full of bioavailable nutrients! Of course, organic is best in anything that you eat, use, and consume. Much of what we have been told about these two categories of foods by the medical "establishment" is not accurate or true. Many studies don't take into account all of the other variables that those who have health issues were actually partaking in...it is more epidemiological based studies that they are looking at to come to certain conclusions that could also involve a whole host of other health factors that aren't taken into account within them. And you really have to look at who is benefitting from the results of the studies, information, and narratives that are released and then ask yourselves about the agenda behind it all, especially since our ancestors have been eating meat and fats for centuries before this time with far less cases of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Why is that? It's most likely due to sugar, carbs, and the toxins within our soil, air, food, and everyday products that we use. These are the true endocrine system disruptors, not the meat nor fat!
7. Regulate the autonomic nervous system through relaxation techniques as well as calming supplementation...like B complex, schizandra, ashwagandha, etc, and essential oils as well as Bach flower essences. Red light therapy can assist with this as well as many of the other services that I provide at Beyond Wellness.
8. Don't be afraid to use salt...especially natural sea salt and Himalayan salt for electrolyte balance. You can use it on your food or mix some in with a glass of water and drink it that way.
9. Weight training is great for assisting the body, instead of spending hours and hours of doing cardio at the gym, which can be stressful on the joints, depleting of electrolytes, and overexerting oneself leads to cortisol spiking and when done too often, it can lead to inflammation within the body as well as throwing off other hormones and functions within the body.
10. Supplement with vitamin D, if you find that you aren't getting adequate levels of sunlight and don't have adequate levels of cholesterol within the skin in order to convert the sunlight to vitamin D.
11. Find alternatives to medications, if possible, with the help of a physician who understands alternative health options.
12. Cut out environmental toxins and detoxify the body. You can find a rating of products here in order to assist you in choosing clean products - https://www.ewg.org/.
13. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!! If your body requests something then listen to it. Act as an investigator and find something that works for you since there is no one size fits all approach when it comes to anything!! If you need assistance, then reach out to those that you feel called to reach out to.
14. Don't let others use their fear tactics on you. If something works for you, then do it!
15. Follow your own intuition and always align with that.
Dr. Chandler Marrs has done some great work on hormones and why they matter. If you are interested in doing some investigative research, you can find her website here - https://www.hormonesmatter.com/author/chandler/
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