• What to Eat:

Vitamins and nutrients are essential for hormone synthesis, metabolism, detoxification and elimination. It is essential to eat a variety of foods. Cruciferous vegetables are especially important estrogen metabolism. Make sure you are eating your broccoli, cauliflower and broccoli sprouts (different then broccoli). Organic is always best. The chemicals used for traditional food can disrupt the endocrine system which requires a delicate balance.

It is also important to reduce inflammation. Anything that is processed, has MSG, or “natural flavors” will raise insulin and result in inflammation in the body. Try to avoid anything in a bag, a box or a window!

• What to Remove:

Removing endocrine disruptors to your environment (home and work) can improve your hormone balance. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals found in beauty and cleaning products that alter the endocrine system. Try to avoid anything with scents. When you are unsure, you can use an app called Yuka to scan products or food for safety information.

• Elimination:

Old, used hormones are meant to be neutralized and eliminated. This requires phase 1 detox by the liver then elimination in the kidneys and stool. Liver detoxification can be improved by using a castor oil pack over your liver at bedtime. This promotes liver health and function. Castor oil liver packs can be found on Amazon. Also, look for organic castor oil to apply to the pack.

Kidney function and bowel elimination are essential. Increasing water can help with both of these functions. The goal is to get 100 oz. of water/day. This may seem like an unreachable number for some. Try measuring how much water you are getting daily now. Then, set a goal of 12 oz. more than that. Every 2 weeks, increase this amount until you are as close to 100 oz. as you can get. This requires a lot of planning in the beginning.

Everyone should have 1-2 soft, large BMs per day! It is NOT “okay” or “normal to have a BM every 3-4 days. Old estrogen is being eliminated in your stool. If that stool sits in your gut, the estrogen will leach back into your blood stream. This can lead to estrogen dominance symptoms (irritability, anxiety, insomnia, low libido, hot flashes). You may need water, fiber or magnesium to reach this goal. Please do not rely on a laxative. There are much safer alternative. There are supplements specifically for increasing gut motility. Please ask me if you need a recommendation.

• Assist the Lymphatic System:

The lymphatic system is an essential part of immunity, cardiovascular health and removing toxins. But the lymphatic system doesn’t have a great “pump” like the circulatory system. It needs some assistance to help with movement. This can be accomplished by dry brushing (https://youtu.be/-pygu7OlOj0) or rebounding (https://youtu.be/BqXfL-OhDco).

• Prioritize Sleep:

It is so important to get 7-8 hours of deep, restful sleep. I think it may actually be the most important intervention necessary for being healthy and optimizing your health. There are so many processes that occur during sleep involving melatonin, cortisol, growth hormone, etc. If any of these processes are interrupted, there is a cascade effect on the other hormones as well.

If you are one that struggles with sleep here are a few suggestions:

-Create a bedtime routine: take a bath or shower 1 hour before bed; use a lavendar lotion afterwards; journal (including something you are grateful for); meditate for 10-20 minutes (apps like Meditation Minis can help); no phone 1 hour before bed.

-Make your space conducive for sleep. No TV! Have a cool, dark room. Plants can also improve mood and air quality.

-Avoid alcohol most days of the week. Even 1 drink can prevent REM sleep. You may “sleep”, but it’s not the deep, restful sleep you need.

-When you wake up, don’t look at your phone for 15 minutes. Try to get sunlight asap.

• Mood

I would say reducing stress is the 2nd most important intervention (maybe 1st along with sleep). Stress creates excess cortisol produced by the adrenal glands. When a lot of cortisol is created, the body has less ability to produce other hormones. Cortisol will “steal” the basic ingredients necessary to create DHEA, progesterone, estrogen or testosterone. It doesn’t feel good to have a lot of cortisol and very little sex hormones.

I don’t know your situation. You may not have the ability to reduce the stress in your life. But everyone has the ability to change how they deal with or manage stress. Starting with a full cup will help. Make sure you are eating well and getting enough sleep. Journaling and meditation will also help increase your adaptability to stress.

Then, when stress or anxiety does occur, have a plan. Drink some green tea. Green tea contains L-theanine which some call “nature’s xanax.” Take a walk outside if you’re able. And when you start to feel your jaw clench or your shoulders tighten, try some box breathing (https://youtu.be/tEmt1Znux58).

Just changing these basic things in your life will make a huge difference in your hormone balance. You will feel so much better! If you still feel “off” after completing these tasks, please reach out to me. For a cycling woman, we can use precision testing to determine what is altering your hormone balance. We will then create a plan using lifestyle modification and supplements to rebalance your hormones. For postmenopausal women, I would find a provider who specializes in bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. This is the safest form of treatment!