What is Hormonal Imbalance?

Hormones play a vital role in every woman’s health and well-being. Very often when women are in a bad mood, you will find that they, or their partners, blame it on their hormones. When hormone levels fluctuate, this can affect your mood, sexual desire, fertility and ovulation. In other words, the imbalance of hormones may impact negatively on how your reproductive system responds.

Causes Of Hormonal Imbalance In Women:

Several young women today, some in their thirties and some even younger, have started to experience the early onset of hormone imbalance symptoms and their associated disorders.

Some of these symptoms are depression, extreme fatigue and weariness, allergies, endometriosis, hair loss and probably facial hair growth, PMS [PMS symptoms], osteoporosis and so on, and unfortunately, if the symptoms are ignored in the initial stages, then they can grow worse as time goes by.

The symptoms of hormone imbalance may be caused by a multitude of reasons, but the basic reason is that there is an incorrect relationship between progesterone and estrogen levels in the woman’s body.

These are the two hormones that must co exist peacefully in a perfect balance, and any variations and changes in this perfect balance will start to have a dramatic effect on the woman’s health, thereby causing the onset of the above mentioned symptoms.

Please remember; the amount of these hormones produced in a woman’s body can vary from one month to the next, because they are dependent on factors such as stress, nutrition or lack of it, exercise or lack of it, and ovulation, or lack of it. (Orchid Recovery Center)

When there is no ovulation, the production of progesterone from the ovaries does not happen, and as a direct result, the healthy accepted levels of progesterone start to decline.

This means that ovaries may not produce the eggs that have to be fertilized every month, and as a result, the estrogen levels start to increase. This is one of the main causes of hormone imbalance in a woman’s body.

Few other causes of hormonal imbalance in women:

·     Taking the Pill, a contraceptive and birth control medication, introduced during the 1960s. The Pill was made out of synthetic estrogen, and although it was declared as safe by the FDA, the fact that several women were dying was not taken into account. In addition to several other symptoms, the Pill caused lower progesterone levels, causing hormone imbalance in these unfortunate women.

·     Using hormone replacement therapy or HRT as it is commonly known. The HRT is a combination of synthetic progestins and progestogens, as well as estrogen, and usage of these pills causes a hormonal imbalance in women.

      Too much of stress.
Poor diet.
Environmental reasons, including pollution, poisons.
Above average consumption of non organic and also animal products that have excessive amounts with estrogen.
Cosmetics.
 

Approaches to heal emotionally and hormonally during your premenstrual phase.

1. Try to reclaim and appreciate the wisdom of your monthly cycle …

You can easily do that by celebrating it as a source of your feminine power, rather than an annoying condition in need for a medical intervention.

2. Have a good look at your everyday menu …

Because the food you eat may be the main culprits of your monthly suffering. A high-carbohydrate diet of junk foods, processed vegetable oils, trans fats, stimulants, and soy products instigates hormonal imbalance and sets the stage for women’s health problems.

3. Adjust your diet …

Adjust your diet taking care to include adequate animal protein, plenty of healthy fats such as natural butter, fish oils, and coconut products, as well as a variety of fresh and fermented vegetables and fruit. Do you also know that many women begin to feel better after eliminating grains containing gluten, especially wheat?

4. Stop eating non-organic dairy product …

And I am talking milk, cottage cheese, ice cream, etc. Supermarket milk usually comes from cows treated with BGH (Bovine Growth Hormone) and antibiotics. Both steroids and antibiotics reside in the milk and interfere with the female hormonal system. Organic dairy products from independent small producers, though, are perfect foods, and you can eat them liberally.

5. Refrain from buying highly processed vegetable oils and commercial salad dressings …As the chemicals they contain disrupt the natural regulation of hormone production. Instead, bring back tradition and use healthful animal fats for cooking and natural sour cream and extra-virgin olive oil for dressing your salads.

6. Try to cut down on coffee, black tea, chocolate, and sugary soft drinks …Since they overstimulate the adrenal gland and may negatively influence hormonal health. Opt for purified water and your hormones will thank you.

7. Let it shine!

Help stabilize your hormonal levels with everyday exposure to a full-spectrum natural light. Not only it will restore your hormonal health, you will feel so much happier too.

8. Yoga, Tai Chi, meditation, or other types of calming exercises and deep relaxation techniques …

They all protect women’s biochemistry and are capable of reducing many PMS symptoms. Try them all and see which one works best for you.

9. There are yet more comprehensive options available to women …Such as those involving the healing arts: acupuncture, Ayurveda, homeopathy, massage therapy, and reflexology, which have been used for centuries to help women balance and restore their feminine chemistry and overall health.

Hormonal Imbalance In Men

Hormones are essential for maintaining a fit and healthy body as most of the vital functions of the body are controlled by the hormones that secretes from the pituitary glands, testes and the adrenal glands. But in this the 21st-century men still seem to experience the effects of hormonal imbalance at an early age this can be due to the changes in the environment and also to the diet and cultural eating habits.

Pollution in the environment increases toxins in the body which affects the hormonal secretion and the overall functioning of the body can lead to various types of problems.

Hormonal imbalance is also caused by the natural ageing process and which is experienced by most men all over the world. Other hormonal imbalances can be caused by common products such as petrochemical products which increases the level of estrogen in the body which leads to the malfunctioning of the endocrine system which in turn leads to further imbalance.

Problems Caused By Hormonal Imbalance In Men

The problems caused by hormonal imbalance in men can be easily detected as one can experience many changes like abdominal weight gain, irritation, alteration in moods, depression, fatigue, erectile dysfunction, breast enlargement, heart disease, decreased libido and prostrate diseases. The most prominent decrease that is observed in men who are ageing is the decline in testosterone.

The dominance of estrogen in the male body also causes urinary problems, impotency, allergies, diabetes, infertility, osteoporosis, increase in weight and many other types of abnormalities. If these problems are noticed in mature men then it can easily be attributed to hormonal imbalance that is taking place in the body.

Testosterone is perhaps the most well known hormone in the male body and plays a major role in all tings masculine, you may refer to our section on "What is Testosterone" for more information.

Methods For Overcoming Hormonal Imbalance

Drugs and therapies are not always very effective in overcoming the problems caused by hormonal imbalance as most drugs that are used nowadays have adverse side-effects which tend to increase the problems instead of eliminating them. The best way to overcome the problem of hormonal imbalance is to adopt natural methods that will help the body to improve the efficiency of the immune system and internal organs so that the body develops the ability to fight against all the harmful effects of toxins that enter the body through the environment and the food.