5 Tips for Balancing Hormones Naturally

Lindsay Bell — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 21:32:00 +0000

Nicole Jardim is acertified women’s holistic health coach specializing in the treatment ofhormonal imbalances that cause conditions like PMS, fibroids, infertility andendometriosis.

1. Avoid caffeine(coffee, soda and other “energy” drinks):

Caffeine increases estrogenlevels. Studies have shown that drinking just two cups of coffee a day boostslevels of estradiol, a natural estrogen. Every woman has anatural, individualized ratio of estrogen and progesterone that surges andrecedes to make up her unique menstrual cycle. When estrogen is too high andprogesterone is too low, it tends to irritate the nervous system causinganxiety, irritability and insomnia. On theflip side, progesterone is a natural diuretic, sleep aid, anti-anxietycompound, and metabolism stimulator. It acts like Valium.

2. Avoid dairyproducts: Sohere’s the scoop – most dairy in the US comes from factory farms, where cowsare fed products not natural to their diet, such as grain, corn and soy. Someare injected with bioengineered hormones that forces the cows to produce moremilk than their bodies normally would. This over-stimulation of the cow’s uddercauses it to become infected, thus requiring antibiotics. As a result, theseadded hormones and antibiotics reside in the milk, which interfere with thefemale hormonal system – most notably changing the way hormones are metabolizedin the bowel and ultimately changing our hormonal levels.

Nicole & her God child

3. Choose organicfish and meat when possible: Non-organic animalsare fed estrogenic steroids to fatten them up. When we eat these foods, theestrogenic compounds are passed into our blood stream causing a rise inestrogen levels. This ultimately leads to estrogen dominance. Estrogendominance has been linked to some unpleasant conditions such asmigraines, PMS, fibroids, ovarian cysts, infertility, weight gain and irregularperiods.

4. Eat full fatproducts (skip fat-free products): Low-fat diets are one of the main reasonsso many women have hormonal imbalances. We know this may sound crazy sincewe’ve been told for years to cut out fat but fat is yourfriend! We’renot condoning over-consumption of fat or cholesterol by any means but guesswhat? Your hormones aremade out of cholesterol. If you don’t eat enough cholesterol,your body can’t make hormones. If you are not eating sufficient amounts of fat andcholesterol, you could be exacerbating your hormonal imbalance. Natural, healthy fats include olive oil, coconut oil, butter, avocados,nuts, seeds, and fish.

5. Stop the stress: Okay, we know thatthis isn’t entirely possible but you sure need to try. Here’s why: studies haveshown that stress affects the endocrine system in such a way that it throws offour hormonal balance, which can literally stop ovulation from happening.Therefore, it is important to find ways to lessen the load and start havingsome FUN! Try yoga, guided meditations or an exercise routine that you actuallylike.

Nicole is a women’sholistic health counselor specializing in the treatment of hormonal imbalancesthrough food and lifestyle modification. Her latest program is called Fix YourPeriod – 8 Weeks to Better Periods in 2012. Go to www.fixyourperiod.comfor all the details. You can contact herat nicole@thehealthyelements.comor visit her website at www.thehealthyelements.com.

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5 Tips for Balancing Hormones Naturally