Are your Hormones Out of Balance?

Many people come to me with issue like skin problems, acne/stubborn spots, mood swings, food bingeing/cravings, headaches, tiredness, weight gain especially around their mid rift which they cannot shift (no matter how healthy they eat or no matter how much they exercise), menstrual problems and so on. An imbalance in hormone levels is often the culprit behind many of these ailments.

Hormones control several functions in the body. Here are the names of the some of the common ones – Adrenaline, Nor Adrenaline, Cortisol, Oestrogen, Testosterone, Thyroid Stimulating Hormone and so on, even Cholesterol is a hormone which many do not realise. These hormones are generated naturally in the body based on their specific rhythms and when they have carried out their function they are then sent to the liver to be broken down and sent out of the body.

When they are out of balance, they can be either over or under produced. Over production is usually the cause of a congested liver, when they are sent to the liver and it cannot break them down the liver in turn send s them back into the body. The body sees the hormone like poison so it generates fat to store the toxic hormone in the body to protect you from its nasty damage. This results in tiredness, slowed metabolism, mood swings, weight gain, skin problems etc. The weight will not shift through exercise or dieting and in fact you may find your weight increases due to exercise. The body will produce more fat as you try to lose it in order to keep protecting you! If this is happening to you, then you are more than likely suffering from hormone imbalances.

When the hormones are out of balance, it is most commonly due to nutritional deficiencies like Omegas 3, 6 and 9, iron, B vitamins especially B3, Niacin and B5, the mineral chromium and many others. Again stress, anger outbursts, diets high in processed foods, high sugar foods, high alcohol consumption, toxins in the system, hormone replacement treatments, contraceptive pill and so on all affect the natural production of hormone levels.

Both male and female hormones change at different stages and both go through menopause! For females it’s a well-known fact, for men it’s a hidden trauma! One of the secrets is a healthy uncongested liver.