Have you ever felt or wondered 🤔 if your hormones were off?
Or what hormonal imbalances actually look like?
Read on to find out during our next installment of our WOMEN'S HEALTH SERIES.
This week’s post is alllll about ESTROGEN (also called 'Estradiol')- one of the main hormones we address when it comes to regulating a woman’s cycle and fertility.
While it is important to understand that hormones are complex and interrelated, there are definite patterns which take place when certain hormones become out of balance. Here’s a glimpse of those main patterns associated with estrogen and what they mean in Traditional Chinese Medicine.
Signs of TOO LITTLE ESTROGEN include light periods, feelings of depression/anxiety, hot flashes or night sweats, trouble sleeping, achy joints, dryness, and recurrent bladder infections.
This type of pattern, called “yin deficiency” in Chinese Medicine, is more common in women in their 40s-50s, as the ovaries’ production of estrogen begins to decline.
To support healthy estrogen levels, try adding healthy fats to the diet, such as avocado and coconut oil, sardines, mackerel, and flaxseed.
Signs of TOO MUCH ESTROGEN, or 'estrogen dominance,' include heavy, painful periods, bloating and weight gain, headaches, brain fog, and irritability.
Estrogen dominance may also be related to fibroids and cysts, and in Chinese Medicine we refer to these patterns as stagnation of damp, phlegm, and blood.
Supporting the liver system is key for these kinds of patterns, as the liver is in charge of metabolizing and clearing excess estrogen in the body.
To balance levels of excess estrogen, avoid alcohol, get regular exercise, and implement foods to support the liver and gallbladder, such as dandelion tea and leafy greens.
Acupuncture, herbs , and diet are all natural ways to effectively balance and reset hormones, so if you’re feeling like either of these patterns fits you, book a session with Mallory, and find out how Chinese Medicine can help balance your hormones!