Why Hormonal Balance Is So Essential

Managing your hormones, especially stress hormones, is essential in becoming free from stress and stress-related symptoms and conditions.

Adrenal Hormones

Whenever you're stressed (and most of us live in a perpetual state), adrenal glands create excess cortisol. In average amounts, cortisol is a friend sent in to protect us from stress, but when sent too often and for too long, it begins to break down protein in the body (muscles and tissues). Excessive cortisol causes your body to release more sugar, which spikes insulin. When this happens too often and for too long, it can lead to Diabetes.

After many months or years of high cortisol levels, cortisol receptors will shut down and not do their job anymore, known as Cortisol Resistance. You'll begin to experience the symptoms cortisol is supposed to protect you from, such as joint inflammation and autoimmune disease. Why? For one thing, cortisol is an immune suppressant. You'll become more susceptible to viruses, bacteria, and fungi. Your immune system can't fight them as well. Harmful microbes can take over, triggering your hypothalamus to release more cortisol, which you can't use. It can become a vicious circle, leading to poor health, brain fog, inability to solve problems efficiently, and little energy. Digestive issues, muscle loss, sagging skin, and bone loss occur. All of these are signs of aging. Yes. Stress makes you old.

NOTE: Some say cortisol isn't the problem, which is true. The problem is the cortisol receptors inside cells shutting down and not letting the cortisone in. Why does this happen to begin with? It occurs when the mitochondria (electrical powerhouses in every body cell) lose energy. Why do they lose energy? Sometimes, there's a genetic cause, but most of the time it's caused by stress. So the argument is one of what came first, "the chicken and the egg".

Symptoms of Adrenal Imbalance

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• Hump (fat pad) at the lower-neck, upper-back area
• Mid-section weight-gain
• Thinner legs and arms with sparse hair
• Thinning skin
• Discolored or white patches on the skin
• Puffy face or eyes with dark circles under the eyes
• Facial hair (where there shouldn't be)
• Breast atrophy
• Tightness or pain in the chest
• Weak bones, muscles, and ligaments (muscle aches)
• Cravings for salt, cheese, coffee, and sugar
• Fatigue, depression, anxiety, worry, can't tolerate stress
• Insomnia
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Low sex drive
• Asthma
• Fibromyalgia Syndrome
• Frequent viral infections (including herpes breakouts)
• Out of breath climbing stairs
• Legs feel heavy when exercising
• Autoimmune disorders
• Fluid retention

You may need to eat more protein than usual to counteract the effects of cortisol. It could be twice as much for a while until cortisol balances out. Why? Because protein is calming and repairing. Furthermore, low-fat diets won't do when cortisol levels remain high. Why? The body needs healthy fats to manage hormones. Also, low-fat diets spike insulin more than whole-fat diets do. Blood sugar problems keep the body in a state of stress.

Vitamins B, C, potassium, and zinc are necessary, although you should check your potassium levels before supplementing with potassium. Being deficient in C, D, or zinc sets you up for more frequent and severe infections, including herpes breakouts.

Exercising, such as walking, yoga, and dancing, is one of the best ways to reduce stress (and cortisol). Of course, the type of exercise you engage in should be determined by how well you recover from exercise.

Consider drinking lemon balm tea three times daily, as it raises brain levels of the neurotransmitter GABA by inhibiting the enzyme GABA transaminase. When GABA increases in the brain, cortisol diminishes.

If you live with the Herpes Simplex Virus (and most people do), you'll want to pay close attention to keeping your adrenal hormones in check. Why? Because cortisol triggers herpes breakouts. How? Cortisol triggers the release of histamine, which triggers the activation of the herpes virus. Therefore, thyroid, liver, and ovary hormones can also trigger breakouts. These other three are likely out of whack due to an imbalance of adrenal hormones.

Also, see Adrenal Burnout Syndrome.

Thyroid Hormones

Thyroid disease is the most common of all autoimmune diseases. In mentioning, adrenal problems often precipitate thyroid imbalances. Ovarian issues can also cause thyroid imbalances. For example, excessive estrogen can block the thyroid from functioning correctly. Additionally, if you have liver problems or no gallbladder, you'll likely have thyroid problems.

Thyroid hormones are made from iodine, so including iodine-rich foods is essential for healthy functioning. However, too much iodine can also cause problems. The thyroid also needs an abundant supply of selenium. Including seaweed in your diet is one way to ensure you get enough of these essential nutrients. Kelp is exceptionally high in selenium. However, if you have Hashimoto's or Grave's, the iodine in seaweed can worsen things. Symptoms of thryoid imbalance are as follows. 

• Hair loss (baldness on the sides and back of the head, patches of baldness on the head, the outer part of the eyebrows missing, thin eyelashes, baldness in the pubic area)
• Low body temperature and feeling cold when it's not related to weather temperatures or illness
• Dry skin
• Constipation
• Hoarseness
• Constant throat clearing of phlegm
• Aches and pains, especially head and shoulders
• Weakness and fatigue
• Mood swings, anxiety, depression, and apathy (loss of hope)
• A sleep disorder (apnea, trouble falling or staying asleep)
• Puffy eyes or face (unrelated to salt retention)
• Tinnitus (ringing in the ears)
• Sensitivity to light
• Severe menstrual cramps
• Tongue issues (fat, light-colored, indented teeth marks on the side of the tongue)
• Eye tics
• Gaining or losing weight without trying
• Sagging skin under chin, arms, and stomach
• Carbohydrate cravings (bread, sweets, chocolate)
• Brittle nails with vertical ridges
• Sagging eyelids
• Brain fog
• Frequent cold sores

So that you know, thyroid problems trigger cold sores (HSV-1). Why? One of the thyroid hormones (T-3) plays a significant role in suppressing herpes replication. T-3 is made from T-4. If T-4 can't supply enough T-3, you'll experience more frequent and severe breakouts.

Also, see Hypothyroidism.

Liver Hormones

Your liver is one of your purification organs and has approximately 500 functions. Others are your kidneys, lungs, and skin. It processes nutrients from your food, breaks down fats, builds proteins, produces cholesterol, makes bile to assist digestion, metabolizes toxins (including chemicals and drugs), and helps the immune system fight infection. Your liver also produces insulin growth factor (IGF), a hormone that regulates blood sugar between meals. If you have a damaged liver, you can suffer a wide range of symptoms, including Diabetes.

Your liver prefers you to eat vegetable proteins. However, it needs saturated fat (from animals) sometimes. Why? So that it (and your gallbladder) can break down dietary fats. If your liver is healthy, reducing animal fats (but not eliminating them) will keep it that way. Your liver also needs B vitamins and many cruciferous vegetables, such as garlic, onions, beetroot, eggs, leeks, apples, kale, cabbage, cinnamon, and turmeric, which help render toxins in the liver harmless. ​Symptoms of liver imblance are as follows. 

• Brown spots or tiny red spots on the skin
• Hives and itching
• Acid reflux
• Constipation
• Hemorrhoids
• Decreased tolerance for fatty foods and grains
• Chemical sensitivities
• Pain or tightness in the right shoulder
• Gallbladder problems
• Arthritis
• Spider and varicose veins
• White tongue
• Jaundice (in severe cases)
• Waking early in the morning before the alarm goes off and inability to go back to sleep
• Moody or anxious (with brain fog) in the morning
• Feet are hot at night
• Ankles swell
• Deep crease down the center of the tongue

Also, see Cleansing & Detoxifying. 

Ovarian Hormones

Ovarian imbalances result in sex hormone imbalances (estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone). Ovarian imbalances can be related to thyroid problems. Why? Like your thyroid gland, your ovaries require iodine to function correctly, which is why, if you have thyroid problems, you'll likely have problems with your female hormones. Other causes of ovarian imbalance are the removal of the ovaries, menopause, ovarian cysts, and hormone-disrupting substances in foods, beverages, plastics, and the environment. Symptoms of ovarian imblance are as follows.  

• Weight gain primarily in the lower stomach, hips, and thighs
• Cyclic PMS with cramps, brain fog, mood swings, cravings, excessive bleeding, constipation, or bloating each month
• Lower back or knee pain associated with the monthly feminine cycle
• Infertility
• Night sweats and hot flashes
• Thinning of the hair on the head or the body
• Ovarian cysts​
• Vaginal complaints

Your ovaries are sensitive to hormone additives in foods. If you experience any symptoms mentioned below, avoiding foods containing BST and GMOs is essential. Instead, eat pasteurized and organic meats and foods derived from organic meat and wild-caught seafood.

Where cruciferous vegetables are great for your liver, they are not so great for the ovaries. Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, deplete iodine levels, so increasing iodine-rich foods in your diet, such as seaweed, is essential.

Also, see Navigating Menopause.

Hormone Inhibitors to Avoid

• Taking in too much estrogen (birth control, hormone replacement therapies (HRTs)
• Consuming non-organic foods containing hormones, pesticides, and other chemicals
• Using plastics that contain harmful chemicals
• Drinking too much caffeine (coffee, black tea, and sodas)
• Eating excess chocolate
• Taking medications (unless doctor prescribed)
• Ingesting monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• Not getting regular, deep sleep
• The use of common table salt (use natural sea salt instead)
• Imbibing in alcohol (beer, wine, and mixed drinks) 
• Refined sugar and artificial sugar substitutes 

When Getting Hormones Tested Is Crucial

When you've been suffering for a long time, have tried everything by guessing, and still haven't found a solution, it's crucial to run a few tests. What kind of tests? You could have your hormones checked, but before doing that, consider getting a hair mineral analysis test to check for vitamin and mineral imbalances. Hormones become imbalanced when there are nutrient imbalances. When vitamin and mineral deficiencies are corrected, hormones frequently balance themselves out, and symptoms disappear, so testing your vitamin and mineral levels first makes good sense. You might also test for deficiencies or overgrowths of gut microbes causing Leaky Gut Syndrome and inflammation. Both prevent absorption of nutrients, leading to vitamin and mineral deficiencies and hormonal imbalances. You'll find testing resources here.