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While you may not consciously think about it, your hormones are an integral part of your life experience on a daily basis. The body makes dozens of hormones, tiny chemical messengers that give instructions to our cells, and in turn, dictate how our body functions.

Each and every hormone plays an important role, but some are more well known than others. I’d bet that even if you’re not very interested in hormonal health, you’ve probably heard of a few all-star hormones, such as estrogen, testosterone, insulin, cortisol, and adrenaline (also called epinephrine). To keep things simple, we can say that estrogen and testosterone play a major role in reproduction, libido, and sexual health; insulin is implicated in many growth and metabolic functions in the body; and cortisol and adrenaline are key to a balanced stress response. If any of these hormones falls out of range (either too high or too low) the important body functions they are responsible for suffer. Symptoms such as low sex drive, infertility, weight gain, fatigue, insomnia, and anxiety can all be related to imbalanced hormones.

The conventional approach to balancing hormones is to supplement low hormone levels with hormone replacement therapy, or other medications. For example, corticosteroids are given to those with low cortisol, birth control pills to those with imbalanced estrogen or testosterone, and supplemental insulin to those with diabetes. While these medications do work, there are a few problems with using them.

First, medications that impact hormones levels do not address the root cause of the hormone imbalance. This means that while you may feel better while taking the medication, as soon as you go off of it your symptoms will return. The most common example of this is when young women with painful or irregular periods are put on the birth control pill, only to find their symptoms return when they stop the pill later when they want to have children. The pill effectively masked their hormonal symptoms, but did nothing to address the root cause.

Second, medications are powerful, and usually reserved for those experiencing the most severe symptoms. Insulin is not available to someone with blood sugar dysregulation until they become diabetic, which means they often suffer for years with unpleasant symptoms such as fatigue, blood sugar swings, and metabolic issues like weight gain or loss. Unfortunately, during this time the body suffers as well, and eventually medication is the only option.

So what can you do to get to the root cause of your hormonal health symptoms without taking medication?

Luckily, there are many ways that nutritional therapy can assist in bringing hormones back into balance.

First, we consider the raw materials that the body needs to create enough healthy hormones. Depending on the hormone in question, the body uses fat, protein, carbohydrates, and minerals as the base materials for the structure of that hormone. By analyzing your diet, we can make sure you are getting enough of the required nutrients and use dietary changes and target supplements to make up the difference.

Next, we consider how well your body is able to break down and absorb that nutrition through proper digestion and absorption. If it turns out that you’re eating well but your body isn’t able to absorb those nutrients, we can support digestive function through supplementation and lifestyle changes to make sure you get the most from your meals.

Finally, we determine the effect that internal and external stress is having on the balance of your hormones. When the body is exposed to stress in the form of nutrient deficiencies, toxic exposures, physical or emotional stress, or systemic stress, it will prioritize the creation of stress hormones such as cortisol, while the production of other hormones such as estrogen and testosterone lags behind. By addressing stress at the source, the body is able to prioritize creating hormones in a balanced ratio so that you can feel your best.

Nutritional therapy is a safe and effective tool for bringing balance back to your hormonal system, and resolving symptoms of hormonal imbalance in a sustainable way, either without medication, or as a supplement to medical management of a hormonal condition.

Are you interested in learning more about hormonal health? Drop your email below to join in a series of educational blog posts about hormones.

Would you like to learn more about how nutritional therapy can balance your hormones and support your health journey? Contact Nicole for a complimentary consultation today.

Why you should consider nutritional therapy to balance your hormones