WHY?
It’s probably the question that sets naturopath’s apart from different health care professions. We all have our strengths and weaknesses but when you see a naturopath, not only will they be aiming to determine what is wrong they will also be aiming to find out how your body became out of equilibrium in the first place.
When we talk about a hormonal imbalance we don’t just want to rebalance your hormones, we want to work out why it happened in the first place. There’s little point rebalancing your hormones, when we don’t fix the cause (the why) in the first place.
Estrogen is broken down in the liver and then excreted via the bowel. If you are experiencing constipation, these estrogen metabolites can be reabsorbed back through the gut and back into the blood stream. Not ideal if your estrogen levels are higher than normal.
Symptoms of higher then normal estrogen can include:
Fluid retention
Bloating, especially before your period
Headaches before or during your period
Weight gain
Depression or teariness and agitation before your period.
Constipation may contribute to unbalanced hormones.
Constipation affects many people. A person should be having between 1 and 3 complete bowel movements per day and if that’s not happening, we need to work out why!
Ideally our stools should be either 3 or 4 on the Bristol stool chart. If they are 1 or 2, then you probably have constipation.
Constipation can occur due to:
1). Not enough fibre
2). Not enough exercise
3). Low hydrochloric acid/ low bile production
4). Low Magnesium
5). High stress levels
6). Dehydration
7). Poor gut flora
Ensure you drink at least 2 litres of water or herbal, non-caffeinated tea a day. Aim for 5 different coloured vegetables at lunch and dinner and include raw vegetables at one of those meals. If your stools don’t start to get easier, then see your naturopath as they can help rebalance the function of your digestive system.
So remember, seeing a naturopath will give you a wholistic “Why” as to why you are experiencing a hormonal imbalance. This will include questions about your digestion and help your body rebalance to it’s full potential.
Andrea Strand, Naturopath has been practising Natural Medicine for over 14 years. She has a special interest in helping women to rebalance their hormones particularly if they are experiencing PMS, fibroids and other hormonal imbalances. Ask to book a free 10 minute phone chat with Andrea today!
