A Functional Medicine Practitioner's Definitive Guide to Hormones
*Written for Wellness By Josie by Taylor Dukes, FNP, a private elite health consultant and functional medicine provider based in Texas. She works with professional athletes, celebrities, and CEOs of major health companies, as well as busy mamas like herself.*
Have you ever had painful periods, acne or low libido? You are not alone.
Conventional medicine usually treats symptoms of hormone imbalances with a laundry list of prescriptions and devices. However, functional medicine providers like me look at this in a different light. Instead of covering up the symptoms of unbalanced hormones, we look to find and fix the root cause. Before we can talk about ways to naturally balance hormones, let’s talk about what hormones are in the first place.
What are Hormones?
Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers of the endocrine system. They allow different parts of your body to communicate with one another. Hormones are created by different glands or organs and travel all throughout the body via the blood. Since there are hormone receptors (aka where hormones can bind and set off a cascade of events) all throughout the body, these messengers can control and regulate the activity of cells and organs (ultimately affecting functions in your body).
Hormones play a vital role in regulating appetite, emotions, sleep, growth, sexual development and your menstrual cycle. Because hormones play such an essential role in the body, even a slight change in levels can cause your body to go out of whack. If you’ve had hormonal issues, I see you nodding your heads in agreement: “out of whack” is an understatement.
Some of the most common hormones that people have issues with are thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol and insulin. If one of these is unbalanced, there’s a chance that it can affect the levels of another hormone, causing even more disruption and chaos in the normal functioning of your body. Yikes right?
What are the Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance?
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms below, there is a possibility that you are dealing with a hormone imbalance where your hormones are either too high or too low- both can cause havoc:
Infertility
Depression
Mood Swings
Low Libido
Anxiety
Difficulty Losing Weight
Acne
Irregular Periods
Heavy Periods
Fatigue
Hair Loss
Sleep Issues
What Causes Hormonal Imbalance?
There are numerous factors that can affect the levels of your hormones. While there are dozens of causes, these are the major sources I see in my patients, and may be the culprit for you too:
Stress
Chronic stress can affect your adrenal glands by increasing your cortisol levels. This is vital because high levels of cortisol over time can cause thyroid dysfunction, high blood pressure, increased glucose in the bloodstream, and can suppress both the digestive system and reproductive system.
In addition to that, when the body creates more cortisol, it lowers the amount of progesterone in the body. This creates an issue because it messes up the progesterone to estrogen ratio (low progesterone to high estrogen). This can cause a long list of health problems, with mood swings, anxiety, weight gain and fertility complications being common side effects for women.
Toxin Exposure
Products like makeup, shampoos, lotions, perfumes, as well as our household cleaners like soaps, laundry detergent and air fresheners are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This means that these products we are coming in contact with every single day, multiple times a day, could (and often do!) contain harmful chemicals that we don’t know are there.
These toxins may include endocrine disruptors that can either block certain hormone receptors or mimic hormones (like estrogen-mimicking hormones), causing a change in your hormone levels. Even if these products have a tiny amount of these chemicals, it only takes a tiny amount to impact the body. Plus, many of us are likely using these products on a daily basis, increasing our exposure to them over time and allowing them to accumulate in our bodies.
Poor Diet
Diets high in sugar and processed foods can lead to high levels of insulin hormone. High levels of insulin can lead to obesity, heart disease and insulin resistance. Dairy products can also contain synthetic hormones that can alter your hormone levels. Preservatives and pesticides, which are found in many processed foods, can act as estrogen-mimicking hormones which can lead to estrogen dominance. A balanced diet full of leafy greens and healthy fats does way more good than just making our stomach flatter; hormone balance is a big one.
Periods/ Pregnancy/ Menopause
Women will experience many hormonal imbalances throughout life that are natural. Every month women’s hormone levels change depending on where you are in your cycle. These can lead to mood swings and what we know as PMS. When women become pregnant, hormones change A LOT, which is why you may feel more emotional at times and is the reason for that dreaded morning sickness. During menopause, estrogen levels decrease which may cause symptoms of vaginal dryness, painful sex and hot flashes. Some of these changes are nothing to be concerned about but there are ways to help balance your hormones and make your life a little bit easier.
How Do I Naturally Balance My Hormones?
While some doctors may just put you on a medication to help regulate your hormones, there are natural ways you can beat unbalanced hormones. Please be aware that temporary medication may be necessary in serious cases until natural practices can regulate them better and you should always consult your medical provider.
Eat Nutritious Foods & Drink Filtered Water
Include an abundance of organic fruits and vegetables to your diet and drink filtered water (since the majority of water is contaminated with at least one unwanted toxin). Replace high sugar and processed meals with real whole food. Reduce your intake of dairy, which can include high amounts of added hormones. If you do have dairy, make sure it’s organic and grass-fed. Avoid high amounts of gluten since many people have a food sensitivity to it that causes inflammation and increases cortisol. Adding flax seeds, cruciferous veggies and good fats to our diet can help regulate female hormones as well.
Get Moving
Exercise can greatly enhance the regulation of your hormones. Depending on which hormones need balancing, high-intensity, low-impact workouts could be more helpful than long extensive ones. Patients dealing with thyroid issues, blood sugar imbalance or adrenal fatigue may benefit from shorter workouts to lessen the stress on their bodies. Movement is also great for circulation and detoxing and riding our bodies of harmful toxins.
Manage Your Stress
We all know that stress can affect our body in harmful ways. Yet, most of us don’t really practice managing it. Make a promise to yourself that you’ll incorporate at least one stress management practice into your daily routine. This can include prayer, meditation, journaling, yoga, taking a walk in nature or breathing exercises- whatever helps you feel grounded and more calm
Also, try to avoid stressful situations or environments in the first place. I know that stress isn’t always avoidable (especially right now), but be mindful of how you spend your time, what is robbing you of joy, and how you can restructure your schedule and life to minimize stress. Surround yourself with a community that brings love, laughter, encouragement and joy to also help reduce the stressors in your life.
Stay Away From Toxins
Be sure to buy non-toxic beauty care products and household cleaners. This is a simple switch you can make that can have a huge impact. There are also DIY recipes online of anything from laundry detergent to all-purpose cleaner to air fresheners, that are easy to make and include non-toxic ingredients. We want to stay away from those harsh endocrine disruptors that are causing havoc on your body and they are typically much better for the planet too–a win win!
Supplementation
In addition to changing up your diet and lifestyle behaviors, taking certain supplements may help bring those hormones back into balance. I've included some recommended supplements that could help you, but be sure to discuss these with your healthcare provider since everyone’s individual needs differ. Also, be sure to buy your supplements from a reputable source, since they are not regulated by the FDA. Your functional medicine provider can recommend specific brands to you that they prefer for their patients. I personally recommend that all of my patients buy pharmaceutical grade supplements from fullscript.
B Vitamins: taking B vitamins are essential for great hormone production and balance. They support adrenal health and healthy production of cortisol. They also help the liver detox and get rid of that extra estrogen you may be getting from the toxins in our environment. B vitamins can also help with energy production and I always recommend methylated B-vitamins so the body is better able to utilize them.
Magnesium: magnesium helps keep the pituitary gland healthy, which is essential for signaling to the glands that produce your hormones. Taking magnesium can aid in insulin resistance issues and can replenish the magnesium that is used up during high-stress situations by stress hormones.
Vitex: this is an incredibly popular herb for people that struggle with hormone imbalance. It's also referred to as Chaste Tree or Chaste Berry. It can be incredibly helpful for those that struggle with PMS. In fact, a study found over 50% of women that were taking vitex daily for 3 months had improved PMS symptoms. These include, but are not limited to: headache, depression, anxiety, breast swelling, bloating and food cravings.
Omega-3 Fish Oil: omega-3 fatty acids are a wonderful anti-inflammatory supplement. They also can help support healthy hormone metabolism and pregnancy. Studies show that omega-3’s have been found to contribute to healthy ovulation. Also, those struggling with PCOS, may have blood sugar imbalances and omega 3’s can help decrease insulin resistance.
How Functional Medicine and Health Coaches Can Help You
If you feel like you may have an imbalance in your hormones, a functional medicine provider or health coach can help you balance your hormones naturally. They won’t hand you a medication that covers up your symptoms without giving you the option to try other methods to fix the root cause.
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