Holistic Approaches to Balance Hormones: What Every Woman Needs to Know
Hormones play a huge role in the health of women. These chemical messengers are essential to almost everything our bodies do, from regulating mood to affecting sleep cycles and metabolic rates to cognitive processing. When our hormones are in balance, things feel smooth, “in flow.” But when they’re off, it can feel like everything is out of whack, leading to such side effects as fatigue, irritability, and weight gain.
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The good news? There are lots of natural ways to balance your hormones and get back to feeling like yourself. At The Wellness Concierge, one of our goals is to help women take ownership of their wellness through preventative solutions. Let’s dive into a few key ways to naturally support female hormonal health.
Why Hormones Matter
Hormones are your body’s messengers, telling your organs when and how to act. For women, the primary sex hormones estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone influence the entirety of our reproductive health and beyond, including our menstrual cycle, libido, bone health, and sense of well-being. So it’s no surprise that life events like puberty, pregnancy, and the menopause journey can throw things off balance, causing symptoms that can be tricky to handle. Before turning to medication, there are natural ways to restore balance and ease intrusive symptoms.
How to Balance Your Hormones Naturally
Fuel Your Hormones with Food: What you eat can have a huge impact on your hormones. It is crucial to focus on eating whole, nutrient-dense foods like leafy greens, lean proteins, and healthy fats to keep your body balanced.
Use Herbs Help Your Stress Levels: Stress can wreak havoc on your hormones, so certain herbs like Ashwagandha and GABA can help manage your stress levels. Both supplements are a gentle but powerful addition to your routine.
Manage Your Stress: In addition to herbal supplements to help control stress, there are healthy practices you can adopt to manage stress (particularly chronic stress) naturally, such as therapy, meditation, carving out time for adequate self-care, and spending time in nature. These often-overlooked approaches can make a tremendous difference in how you think and feel with relatively small effort.
Be Active: Movement is one of the most important factors when it comes to hormonal health. Regular exercise helps regulate insulin levels, balance cortisol, and improve your overall mood.
Get Enough Sleep: Do not underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep. This is a critical element of balancing your hormones because sleep quality can affect you for long periods of time and can have negative consequences on your hormones. A 2023 study of 100 participants found that levels of cortisol, ghrelin, and growth hormone increased during sleep deprivation, while leptin levels decreased.
Avoid Toxic Chemicals: Toxic chemicals are everywhere—in shampoos, deodorants, candles, cleaning supplies, and more. It can feel overwhelming to try to get rid of everything harmful around you, but being mindful of dangerous substances and making conscious choices about them is more manageable. Many products with toxins can disrupt hormones, so try to use organic skincare and cleaning products whenever possible. Also, heating in plastic can release chemicals into consumables, potentially causing long-term health issues, so switch to glass or ceramic containers for your food and beverages.
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Supplements and Therapies to Consider
If you want to give your hormones a little extra support, certain supplements can help.
Magnesium: This mineral is great for relaxing your body, improving sleep, and balancing stress hormones. There are different types of magnesium supplements, but the one that has been found to help with relaxation and sleep is magnesium glycinate.
Vitamin D: Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to hormonal imbalances, so consider adding a supplement if you’re not getting enough from sunlight.
Acupuncture: This ancient therapy can help balance hormones, especially for women going through menopause or dealing with period issues.
Maca Root: Known for balancing estrogen levels and supporting overall hormonal health, maca root is often used to alleviate PMS and menopause symptoms. It’s also great for increasing energy and improving mood.
For more tips or more personalized support, visit https://www.thewellness-concierge.com/.
