Supporting Hormonal Imbalance

Many people suffer unknowingly with a hormone imbalance

The main causes of hormonal imbalances in women are lifestyle choices and environment. The reality is that hormonal imbalances are so common now it feels ‘normal’ to most of us. But it’s not!

Here are some signs that you may have a hormonal imbalance:

Mood issues:

• Depression and anxiety
• Foggy thinking / difficulty concentrating
• Irritability, anger and erratic moods

Reproductive System issues:

• Irregular or painful periods
• Fertility problems / Low libido
• Hot flushes
• Endometriosis / Fibroids
• Miscarriage history
• Monthly breast tenderness / lumps
• PMS
• Premature puberty

Sleep issues:

• Fatigue that’s not alleviated by sleep
• Problems falling asleep or staying asleep
• Polycystic ovary syndrome
• Night sweats

Other issues:

• Insulin resistance / metabolic syndrome
• Acne or other skin issues (including very dry skin)
• Weight issues
• Breast or Uterine Cancer

What are Hormone Disruptors?

These are natural and synthetic chemicals that we absorb into our bodies that can upset the normal regulation of our hormones, causing imbalances and disrupting the normal workings of our bodies.

Sources of Hormone Disruptors:

Shampoo, hair products*
Soaps, fragrances, perfumes*
Skincare, sunscreen, make up*
Bleached feminine hygiene products
Cleaning products, air fresheners
Paraffin wax candles + fragranced
Linings of cans (BPA)
Plastic bags, bottles & food containers
Receipts! (BPA)
Unfiltered tap water
Herbicides & pesticides
Meat from animals fed with growth hormones
Dairy food
New Furnishings treated with flame retardants

 Chemical names to be aware of:

Parabens
Triclosan
BPA (bisphenol-A)
Sulphates (SLS)
Phthalates
Fragrance / Parfum
Dioxins
Ureas
Atrazine
Organophosphate Pesticides
Glycol ethers, propylene glycol
Petrolatum, mineral oil
Diethanolamine (DEA), Triethanolamine (TEA)
DMDM hydantoin or methenamine

Rebalance your Hormones

As a Holistic Therapist, I help a lot of people with hormonal problems – particularly with the use of Reflexology. In fact it’s an area that I specialise in. You can see the list of health problems involving hormones is pretty extensive!

Reflexology is a fantastic treatment for helping the body to balance itself, regulate hormones and reduce stress. It also helps to eliminate toxins which cause the disrupting messages within your system. It will make you feel SO much better, physically and mentally.

Other key lifestyle changes to help you detoxify and heal hormone imbalances include:

• Exercise daily  –  helps your body eliminate excess hormones
• Daily movement! –  Lots of high fibre dark leafy vegetables and flax seed, great to help you keep regular and eliminate toxins. Greens also feed the gut flora great for hormone detox. Drink lots of water
• Probiotics  – important for detox and elimination of hormones
• Love your liver! – You need it to remove the excess hormones from your system. Avoid excess alcohol and investigate herbs such as Turmeric, Milk Thistle and Dandelion root which help to support the liver.
• Epsom Salts bath – a great way to absorb Magnesium into your body and help your body detoxify and lower stress levels

Avoid Hormone Disruptors

There are things you can do to limit your exposure to hormone disruptors, but this does mean taking a hard look at your purchasing choices. Below is a list of the top 6 ways you can do to limit your exposure to hormone disrupting chemicals:

• Use Toxin Free Cosmetics & Skincare
• Talk to me about botanically derived chemical free Tropic Skincare & Make Up
• Use Clean Cleaning Products – or make your own!
• Beware of non-stick cookware
• Opt for organic food – or at the very least scrub all fruit and vegetables before eating
• Pass on Plastic – avoid plastic packaging, don’t heat food in plastic containers