Both mine and my wife's favorite magazines (Success & Oprah, you guess which is who's!) always feature an article by the famous Dr. Oz. Below are the pearls of one of his recent columns on Hormone balance. He likens the hormones that run a women's body to an orchestra: '…each plays its own part in creating a perfect concert – until the day one is out of tune and throws off the entire melody.'
Estrogen
If you are overweight you may have elevated estrogen levels as fat cells produce this hormone. This can elevate your chances of reproductive cancers.
Bring back balance: lose weight. You must commit to consistent sustainable dietary and activity goals. Even a minimal weight loss can significantly reduce your chances of cancer, increase fertility potential, and reduce recurrent miscarriage. If you are overweight avoid soy products. Consult a qualified Doctor of Traditional Chinese medicine or Naturopathic Doctor for more help with your reproductive health and hormone balance.
Testosterone
Excess testosterone may be the result of a condition called Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Symptoms include; irregular periods, acne, obesity, excess body hair.
Bring back balance: eliminate refined sugars and reduce carbohydrates in your diet (insulin resistance, a diabetes like state, is linked to a bost in testosterone production) and eat more fiber (which counteracts blood sugar spikes and promotes the excretion of excess sugars from the body). Consult a qualified Doctor of Traditional Chinese medicine or Naturopathic Doctor for more help with your reproductive health and hormone balance.
Thyroid
This hormone glad regulates how fast you burn calories. Often women do not produce enough (hypothyroidism) and this leads to infertility, weight gain, depression, thinning eyebrows, withered skin, and fatigue.
Bring back balance: include more onions in your diet. They include kaempferol, a compound that may kick-start production of the hormone. Consult a qualified Doctor of Traditional Chinese medicine or Naturopathic Doctor for more help with your reproductive health and hormone balance.
Cortisol
Stress hormone. In acutely stressful conditions this hormone spikes and can be very helpful. But, in situations that display chronic long term stress, health dangers become evident. Cortisol suppresses our immune system which leaves us vulnerable to a plethora of disease, as well, it has been linked to increased accumulation of abdominal fat.
Bring back balance: when you feel stressed, close your eyes and breathe deeply for 2-3 minutes with your hands on your lower abdomen. Be sure your lower abdomen is expanding and not your chest. Belly breathing helps ground nervous energy and ensures a more full breath. This will lower your blood cortisol levels.
