Hormone balancing

At some point in their lives, most women will experience some sort of hormone imbalance after puberty. Hormones play a pretty important role in a woman’s health, helping her maintain a regular menstrual cycle, keep weight off and to sleep better. When balanced, hormones can help a woman look and feel young. Hormones, however, are far from perfect, and occasionally fail in their various roles.  Even the healthiest of women can experience a temporary glitch in their system, but most of these glitches end up being only temporary system meltdowns in an otherwise fairly normal hormonally balanced life. These imbalances are common for women between the ages of 20 and 40, and imbalances become more common as a woman ages up until they reach menopause

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Symptoms

Not all symptoms are the same for every woman who experiences a hormonal imbalance, but there are a few common ones that seem prevalent. Here are some of the more sommon symptoms of a hormone imbalance that many (but not all) women experience:

• Allergy symptoms
• Low sex drive
• PMS
• Endometriosis
• Fibrocystic breasts
• Urinary tract infections
• Uterine fibroids
• Osteoporosis

Other women might experience the following symptoms:

• Wrinkly skin
• Depression
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Weight gain
• Water retention
• Bloating
• Hair loss
• Facial hair

Estrogen and progesterone

The two main types of female hormones are estrogen and progesterone and symptoms of a hormonal imbalance can crop up if one or both of these hormones are at the incorrect level. The balance between the two is a very delicate one and any variation, no matter how slight, can have an effect that can cause the above mentioned symptoms. Important factors in the production of these hormones are stress, nutrition, and exercise and ovulation cycles.

Ovulation

A menstrual cycle within a healthy woman lasts about 28 days. For the first ten to twelve days, only estrogen is produce, then ovulation kicks in and the ovaries start producing progesterone.  On day 28, the cycle then restarts, causing hormone levels to drop and menstruation to happen. However, sometimes ovulation can fail to occur and your body fails to produce enough progesterone to balance out the estrogen. You still get your period, but you progesterone levels end up being very low causing symptoms of a hormonal imbalance.

Nutrition

A healthy diet can help your maintain a good hormonal balance. Foods that are high in carbs, junk food, processed vegetable oil, fatty foods, stimulants and soy products are all known triggers of a hormone imbalance. If you want to keep your hormone levels optimal, eat a diet high in animal proteins, fish oils, coconut and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Cutting out the grain and gluten from their daily diet, have also proved beneficial for many women.

Avoiding non organic dairy products (milk, cheese, ice cream) from dairy cows that have been treated with bovine growth hormone and antibiotics is another thing you may wish to do in order to avoid a hormonal imbalance. Both rBGH and antibiotics tend to stay in the milk and can end up causing interferences with female hormones. Organic dairy products are produced naturally and are not laden with any steroids or antibiotics, making them safer to consume.

Cutting down on stimulants that can overwork the adrenal gland and disrupt hormone production is alo a good idea. Tone down the coffee, black tea, chocolate and soft drinks. Commercial salad dressing have also been shown to disrupt the natural regulation of hormone production.

Exercise and well being

To help regulate your biochemistry and reduce symptoms of PMS, many women find yoga, meditation and deep breathing extremely beneficial. Getting enough sunlight, allowing the full spectrum of the sun to help regulate your hormones is another good preventative step. Keeping a positive attitude about your body and its cycles is also. Instead of declaring it a pain in the butt, recognize your cycle as a source of femininity and power and celebrate your womanhood.

Supplements

Herbal supplements can also help to keep your hormones naturally balanced.  A good product to try is Enhance Her by Alternative Health Supplement. It is an all natural product that is safe for any woman past the age of puberty to take.

Some of the ingredients it includes are:

• Saw palmetto: used for bladder problems, breast enlargement, frigidity, hormone regulation and weight regulation.
• Kava Kava: useful for urinary tract infections, vaginitis, anxiety and fatigue
• Dandelion: helps prevent breast cancer, tumors, organ disorders, PMS symptoms, water retention, yeast infections, age spots, and lethargy.
• Mother wort: menstrual cramps, menstrual pain, and sleeplessness
• Wild Yam: useful  against miscarriages, morning sickness, nervous tension, and PMS
• Blessed Thistle: helps with cramps, menstrual headaches, and help eliminate vaginal discharge.