More than ever in our modern world hormone balance is top of mind. Whether you are experiencing menopause, fertility challenges, irregular periods, brain fog, difficulty sleeping, low mood, low energy, low libido and or weight gain; you know what we are talking about. Besides seeing your health care provider there are a lot of other answers to your questions. From healthy fats, adaptogen herbs, essential oils and other natural supplements, we are a source for the best options to achieve optimal hormone balance

Hormones are not just for women; men often experience hormone imbalances as well. Such things as insomnia, weight gain around the belly, breast enlargement, brain fog, infertility, depression, anxiety, diabetes, low libido, erectile dysfunction and hair loss may be sidelining your life. Don’t worry there are real world practical solutions to whatever is going on for you. Chat with one of our trusted experts to discover your options and get your confidence back.

Hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, adrenaline and insulin are extremely important chemical messengers that affect many aspects of your overall health. The entire endocrine system works together to control the level of hormones circulating throughout your body, and if one or more is even slightly imbalanced it can cause health problems.

Causes for hormonal imbalances can include such things as poor gut health, inflammation, high amounts of stress, genetic susceptibility, exposure to chemicals, poor diet and more. Keep in mind, however, that balancing hormones isn't a result of a one-time solution. Rather, hormonal equilibrium is achieved through lifestyle changes, both big and small.

Here are a few basic tips for hormone balancing, however, be sure to consult your healthcare provider if you have a serious concern.

Balancing Hormones with Food:

Healthy fats – hormones are made largely from fats so it makes sense to have a sufficient amount of fats in your diet to make it easy for your body to make them. Such things as Community Naturals coconut oil, avocados, and grass-fed butter, flax seeds, and Community Naturals wild salmon are good sources of healthy fats.

Healthy gut – the healthier your digestive health the more balanced your hormones will be so make sure to eat fermented foods which are full of beneficial bacteria. Such things as plain yogurt, tempeh, sauerkraut, kimchi, kefir, Kombucha and lacto-fermented veggies are great examples.

Remove inflammatory foods – highly processed foods, refined sugars, alcohol and for many people, gluten, lactose, and dairy foods create inflammation as they are difficult to digest. When your gut health is not optimal it is likely to turn on an inflammatory cascade that can affect your hormone balance and production.

Balancing Hormones with Supplements:

Fill in the gaps – even if you are eating a well-balanced whole foods and organic diet there are times where there may be gaps in your nutrition. Such things as a busy lifestyle, pregnancy, illness or a medical concern may require a multi-vitamin (eg. Life Choice Balance Female Multi). Additional supplements may be required during these circumstances as well.

Support your liver – the liver is the great alchemist through which all processes pass through. If you want balanced hormones then it is best to support the liver. Such things as a greens supplement, dandelion or milk thistle supplement may be in order.

Helpful herbs – adaptogenic herbs such as ashwaganda, maca and holy basil work to balance hormone excesses or deficiency in times of stress by boosting the efficiency of the sites where hormones bind with the cells.

Get your probiotics – the better you digest the better your hormone balance will be and probiotics are an easy and convenient way to keep your gut healthy especially if you are not a fan of fermented foods.

Balancing Hormones with Lifestyle:

Avoid harmful chemicals which can bind to hormone receptor sites and cause imbalances. These chemicals can be found in food, cosmetics, the general environment and more.

Managing stress in general makes all the difference in any health condition. However when cortisol levels are constantly high (due to stress), they affect the production of sex hormones, slow down thyroid function and imbalance blood sugar levels. They also make it hard for your body to create those ‘feel good’ hormones like serotonin.

Exercise moderately as intense exercise such as long distance running, HIIT workouts, triathlons, hockey or any other high intensity sports can create hormone imbalance in the body. Instead do such things as swimming, walking or yoga until your hormones are in balance.

Explore essential oils such as: clary sage, frankincense and thyme to reduce anxiety, lower stress hormones and more.

The natural treatments above can help you overcome your illness and greatly reduce symptoms, but by no means is this an exhaustive list. Be sure to check in store with our staff to ensure you get the information you need to make an informed decision about our health.

*these recommendations shouldn’t take the place of medical supervision.

All information and tools presented and written within this Article are for educational and Informational purposes only. Any nutrition, lifestyle and product recommendations are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Before starting any new supplements, diet and exercise program please check with your doctor or practitioner.