Why are
your hormones out of balance?
Today more than ever many women are seeking medical help to
get relief for issues to do with their hormones. Women have to live, they have
to work and they have to take care of their families but hormones can really
get in their way and turn a pleasant woman into a drama queen who is always
edgy.
Migraines, hot flashes, weight gain, poor memory and being
irritable are not things that make any woman happy thus many of them are
desperate to get a quick solution to solve the issue.
When it comes to dealing with hormonal imbalance, many women
have been made to believe that the best way of dealing with the issue is
closing down all the functions of the ovary but actually this could only be
dealing with the symptoms and not the root cause. There is something deeper.
 |
| Hormones can really go out of control/ PHOTO/handheldhumanrights.org/ |
The
possible causes of hormonal imbalance
When a hormone leaves a gland, it does so to send a message
to the rest of the body. Now you do know that at times a messenger may not
deliver the correct message and a breakdown in the communication might occur.
Well if the gland responsible for releasing a certain
hormone does not produce the hormone in its right levels then the hormone will
not send the correct message.
At times there is one hormone that is produced in very large
quantities and when it reaches the body cells then there are the unintended
effects that occur.
Hormonal imbalance does not just happen from the blue. There
are several factors that can cause it for instance poor eating habits, physical
activities, not having enough sleep or being exposed to toxic substances. The
situation can also be as a result of being overweight, use of pills or using
non organic products.
Now that I have mentioned food, the saying you are what you
eat really makes sense here and that is why I want us to look at the foods that
could be causing you to go all gaga. What am trying to say is that as humans we
do a lot of eating thus food is the main culprit in hormonal imbalance.
Foods that
can trigger hormonal imbalance
Processed foods
Processed foods are basically foods made in in the factory
and therefore they do contain chemicals that could bring about cell damage in
the body. The chemicals in these foods have already been linked to hormonal
changes in the body. They come in form of artificial sweeteners, flavor
enhancers, additives and synthetic hormones.
The foods taste better with the chemicals and they also trick the brain
into wanting more of that food.
Do yourself a favor darling and avoid all processed foods.
You already have enough chemicals in your body so why cause a chemical warfare?
The Dirty
Dozen list
There are foods that even though grown in healthy fertile
soils, have been exposed to high levels of pesticides. How do you know which
produce to avoid? You can have a look at the dirty dozen lists where a list of
such produce have been put down by environmental bodies.
Too much exposure to chemicals could result in very many
negative things, hormonal imbalance included.
High
amounts of Omega-6 Polyunsaturated Fat
The body makes good use of polyunsaturated fat but the
quantity taken in should be watched. For cells to be rebuilt, the ration of
Omega 3 to Omega 6 is supposed to be 1:1.
There are some oils such as soybean and cotton cooking oil
that have high concentration of Omega 6 as compared to Omega 3. If the 1:1
ration is interfered with then hormonal imbalance can occur.
It is therefore important to work with cooking oils with a
healthier ratio for instance coconut oil and avocado oil. You can take chia
seeds for a healthier supply of Omega 3.
Sugar
Every time you consume lots of sugar, your body produces
insulin, adrenaline and cortisol so as to bring back the sugar levels to
normal. Sugar also affects hormonal functions since when taken in large amounts
it affects how the body absorbs and utilizes vitamins and minerals which
hormones use in their bodily functions.
If you consume food that has high levels of sugar for a long
time, then your body eventually develops resistance to insulin. This means that
your body cells will no longer be able to get blood sugar needed for energy.
Caffeine
drinks
There are conflicting reports on whether caffeine is good
for the body or not. But research has shown that only minimal amounts are good
since they give our brains a boost but too much of it can interfere raise the
levels of cortisol, lower thyroid hormone amounts and work the adrenal glands
to death.
Too much caffeine causes acute stress on the endocrine
system. If you add your everyday stresses on top of that and you have a
disaster in your hands. I am not saying that you should not take your favorite
cup of coffee but you should minimize the amount you take.
Alcohol
The brain controls all the functions of the body including
those of the endocrine system. When you take alcohol, you are impairing the way
your brain works; it also interferes with how the body responds to too much
glucose in the blood. Alcohol will also increase cortisol levels in the body
and negating the production of growth hormones.
Hormones also interact with each other and when they do, we
can accidently handle them the wrong way. For instance if you are stressed the
cortisol hormone is produced from the adrenal gland which might give you
sleeping problems. If the stress continues then the cortisol stays longer and
makes you have lots of fat in your belly.
When you have lots of belly fat or stubborn weight that just
won’t go then the thyroid hormone is responsible. High levels of fat simply
mean that the hormone is not quite active.
Research also shows that due to industrialization in our
societies, a lot of chemical substances are being released into our environment
and they might also result into hormone like effects since they interfere with
the processes in our bodies which are usually conducted by our hormones.
Comments
Post a Comment