How To Balance Your Hormones Naturally

When it comes to breast cancer prevention, hormones have a much bigger effect than many people realize. In fact, hormones have an effect on your mood, weight and even bowel health. If you have symptoms such as: fatigue, weight gain, insomnia, menstrual irregularity, PMS, hot flushes, endometriosis, low sex drive, vaginal dryness, painful breasts, water retention, hair loss, and facial hair growth; chances are you have a hormonal imbalance.

Here is a list of important steps you can take to balance your hormones naturally. 

Reduce Stress

Many have very hectic lifestyles that lead to disruption of hormonal balance in women. Stress and anxiety lead to a rise in cortisol levels, which in turn increases blood sugar levels and the level of inflammation in your body. Find ways to incorporate rest and relaxation throughout the day, such as yoga, meditation, light exercise, walking.

Avoid Caffeine

Caffeine causes your adrenal gland to overproduce cortisol and it converts your own testosterone to estradiol. Cut down on your caffeine intake by switching to herbal teas or just drinking more water.

Avoid Alcohol

Even moderate alcohol consumption increases the risk of breast cancer by promoting excess estrogen. Regular alcohol consumption is just as dangerous as cigarette smoking. For more on this subject read Alcohol and Breast Cancer

Avoid Xeno-Estrogens

These hormone-disrupting chemicals mimic estrogen effects on your body.  They include plasticizers, pesticides, herbicides, toxic cleaning products, bleached products, anti bacterial soaps, plastic food containers, most cosmetic products and sunscreen lotions. For a comprehensive list of environmental pollutants please see http://www.preventcancer.com

Maintain Proper Weight

Extra fat and especially belly fat affects your hormonal balance by producing more estrogen in your body. Excess estrogen suppresses your thyroid function and as your thyroid slows down you will gain more weight. Permanent weight loss cannot be achieved without balancing your hormones and you cannot balance your hormones if you’re overweight. Please read Your Hormones and Weight Loss

Get More Sleep

If you’re not getting enough sleep, your hormones will not be balanced. Insomnia will swing your hormones into overdrive.  Try to get 7 hours of sleep every night. For more on this subject please read Sleep and Breast Cancer Connection

Maintain a Healthy Diet

Eat more fresh organic fruits and vegetables, raw nuts and seeds, foods containing iodine (seaweed), whole grains, organic fresh dairy and eggs, wild caught fish and hormone free grass fed animals (if necessary)

Eat more Omega-3 and avoid Omega-6

Omega-3 fats are anti-inflammatory and help promote proper hormonal balance. Eat more wild cold-water fish, flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts, and leafy green vegetables. Avoid foods with Omega-6 fats that promote inflammation such as, sunflower, cottonseed and canola oils, corn and corn containing products, soybean and peanuts. 

Exercise and Physical Activity

Exercise helps to reduce stress, increases growth hormone levels, maintains muscle mass, enhances your immune system, regulates metabolic function and helps maintain good body weight. It is a very important component to balancing your hormones naturally. Depending on your existing level of physical activity start by walking every day for a minimum of 20 minutes.

Let the Sunshine In

Sunshine helps to stabilize your hormones by producing Vitamin-D. It may be beneficial for you to supplement with Vitamin-D especially if you live in a northern climate where we do not get enough sunshine year round. Anywhere from 2000 IU to 5000 IU daily during winter months of the year can make a big difference.

Hormone balance plays a vital role in both health and disease prevention. Balancing your hormones naturally can always be helped with simple lifestyle changes. Your health does not get better by chance or quick fixes here and there. It will however get better with change and the lifestyle choices that you make.