To celebrate International Women’s Day, we thought we’d share some ways to look after your health, the natural way. Ladies, many of us struggle with hormonal imbalances from time to time. The good news is that Acupuncture, Naturopathy and even Chiropractic work hand-in-hand for hormonal healing. At Saltuary, we can help!
Stress and hormonal imbalance
Today’s fast-paced, “always on” world has placed increased pressure on women to perform highly all day, every day; both at work and in life. As a result, more and more women are suffering from ongoing stress and anxiety.
Unfortunately, a side effect of stress is lower oestrogen production, as the “ingredients” for its production are instead used for making stress hormones! At Saltuary, Naturopathy can help to reduce stress, and therefore balance hormones, as we take into account all lifestyle, environmental and health factors. Rather than providing a “quick-fix” solution, we work with you in the long-term, coming up with strategies and therapies that can be used in combination, tailored to your exact needs.
Acupuncture at Saltuary is also amazing for decreasing stress and treating hormonal disorders and imbalances. Acupuncture pinpoints stress points and hits the “diffuser” switch to release built-up stress, leaving you feeling rejuvenated after just one session.
Book a consultation at Saltuary!
When it comes to women’s health and hormonal issues, Lisa, our Acupuncturist, Tiina, our Naturopath, and Mark, our Chiropractor are highly trained and experienced. They work together to treat hormonal issues, tailoring treatment to suit your needs.
Our expert team treat not only oestrogen imbalances, but heavy, long or irregular bleeding cycles; completely absent periods; infertility; skin problems; menopausal symptoms, stress and more.
Symptoms of oestrogen excess include issues like fibroids, breast cancer and endometriosis. If you’re experiencing any of these issues, we can help!
Inflammation and oestrogen overload
Did you know that inflammation plays a major role in most chronic health imbalances? This is especially so when it comes to oestrogen. Inflammation increases local oestrogen activity in our tissues, so it’s an important consideration of treatment for hormonal problems.
Luckily, Naturopathy uses a range of herbs and minerals to help balance and shift hormonal levels back to a state of harmony. Likewise, Acupuncture and Chiro help to reduce inflammation, using gentle, hands-on methods that target the affected areas and concerns.
Opt for organic food
Oestrogen is a proliferative hormone, which means it promotes growth. Oestrogen levels fluctuate naturally at certain times, such as during puberty, when it increases to catalyse breast development etc. Oestrogen is also very high during pregnancy, to help increase the uterine size and trigger breast development for lactation.
To help stabilise your oestrogen levels it’s important to eat foods and spices that stimulate healthy hormone production. Ginger, rosemary, turmeric, and anti-inflammatory foods such as nuts, seeds, fish and avocado work wonders for this! Eating organic, fresh foods rather than processed ones will maximise nutrients and lessen your intake of toxins.
Additionally, nutrients like magnesium are very important for hormonal health and balance. Stress depletes magnesium, furthering the hormonal imbalance, that naturally robs oestrogen production of its necessary ‘ingedients’. Dark green leafy vegies and cacao (pure chocolate!) are an excellent source of magnesium…giving you an idea of why so many women crave chocolate at certain times of their cycles!
Avoid harmful toxins
Oestrogen-dependent cancers develop not only from internal hormonal imbalances, but external oestrogens (termed xenoestrogens). These can enter the body from things like plastics, which over time degrade and starts to mimic our own hormones. It pays to be aware of what you’re storing and cooking your food in for this reason. Opt for glass drinking bottles and containers over plastic, and recycle any plastic food storage containers and drink bottles often.
POPs are something else to be very aware of. POPs or “persistent organic pollutants” are very prevalent toxins in today’s world. POPS are endocrine disruptors, meaning they mimic our hormones. They can activate and deactivate receptors designed for our own, natural hormones, causing hormonal shifts in the body.
When it comes to diet, 95% of POPs intake is through animal fats. So when eating animal products, ensure that you eat only organic, free range and sustainable produced produce, ensuring you don’t ingest “toxicity” by way of food. Eating as much organic produce as possible will also the xenoestrogens being ingested, and decrease the amount of POPs we produce into our environment.
Unfortunately, the liver can also become overburdened by external toxins. The liver is responsible for detoxing our hormones. If we absorb too many herbicides and pesticides from our food, use chemical-laden skin care products, eat food wrapped in plastics etc, the liver can struggle to cope with it’s detoxification load and our hormones, maintaining, or making worse, any existing hormonal problems or imbalances. Detoxification and liver support are a huge component of hormone balancing treatments. Decreasing stress, and things like inflammation are very important aspects of rebalancing hormones. Mark, Lisa and Tiina are all very well equipped to help you with this!