Hormone Imbalance: What Does it Look Like?
Hormone imbalance is so very common, but certainly not always recognized, and often times, even dismissed. It can look different for each one of us; its presentation can be disguised, camouflaged, and confusing. We want you all to know you’re NOT alone and there are supportive options out there once its figured out!
If you’re having any of the following symptoms and everything else has checked out A-ok, keep your hormones + endocrine system in mind:
Fatigue throughout the day or at certain times (enter 2PM, who needs a nap?!)
Low mood (when you feel for all intents and purposes that life is actually pretty good)
Depression
Anxiety
Inability to enjoy loved ones including children
Weight gain
Gut problems
Low libido
Skin issues
Infertility/recurrent miscarriage
Poor sleep
Ongoing pain
Hair loss
When working with patients, we always start by investigating the basics of health dysfunction. Anything that may be lending to any and all of the above symptoms, are called obstacles to cure - these obstacles may include poor sleep hygiene, a bad diet, nutrient deficiencies, excessive stress, too many daily demands, lack of exercise, systemic inflammation, and/or a toxic environment. These obstacles can be contributing factors to hormonal imbalance but we can’t place the full responsibility on the hormones themselves.
Integrative medicine docs (like us!) are trained to steer clear of being “reductionistic” (which is all too common within standard medical care…) meaning that health problems are often times reduced using an outdated, linear way of thinking to one issue… one dysfunctional organ, is responsible for not producing one hormone, meaning you need at least one medication, prescribed by one of your doctors, who’s not talking to any of your other doctors… wrong-o! It’s not simply about medication to cure (aka...to mask) symptoms (for example, how many of you have been prescribed years of oral contraceptives to prevent cramping + heavy periods, anti-depressants to manage mood + low energy, thyroid medication for weight gain + hair loss, etc. without exploring any other contributing factors?). Don’t get us wrong, these medications may be necessary on occasion but only after 1. a thorough investigation into the root cause has been completed, 2. followed by addressing and removing any obstacles to cure (listed above) and then, 3. supporting the body to optimize organ performance on its own without the input of exogenous chemicals—all by way of dietary changes, proper hydration, sleep, exercise, stress reduction, and cleaning up a toxic environment.
If your body’s been working overtime for too long, additional therapies may be needed. We commonly look towards nutrient repletion (supplements or IV therapy), botanical medicines or glandulars for outside, natural support. Bioidentical hormones can also be fantastic, if implemented later on in the therapeutic order, after the above have been exhausted. And only after highly reliable hormone testing has been completed. Testing is important to provide a baseline inventory of your actual hormone levels and to monitor treatment moving forward. Too much or too little of any hormone can be problematic. Precision Analytical Inc. offers our favorite hormone panel, called the DUTCH Plus (It’s an awesome test!)
If anything in this article resonates with you, reach out for help! If you’re not feeling your best, you owe it to yourself, and your family, to get to the bottom of it! Check out “Are your hormones making you crazy?” for more hormone discussion.