Hormones are crucial in how we feel and how healthy we are!! Hormone imbalance can be caused from a wide variety of things such as an intense stress situation, ongoing pedal to the medal stress, surgical induced, thyroid or adrenal issues, and more. Hormones are very powerful substances found in very small amounts in our bloodstream. Our hormones determine our energy level, our emotional state, how we react to a situation, how our body functions at a cellular level, and many more critical functions.

Testing hormones is vital in order to know exactly if an imbalance exists and where it may lie. Saliva testing is preferred because it tests for the active available hormone versus blood testing for the protein-bound inactive form. Also, for women who are still cycling, it is imperative to get multiple samples throughout the cycle as hormones rise and fall. It is much easier and less expensive to use saliva over blood tests. The ranges given to blood tests also reflect a very wide, and often unhealthy, range; whereas saliva has ranges more in the healthy range for women. Hormones should never be given without the proper testing and follow up.

Synthetic hormones are given routinely with traditional medical intervention. All HRT research has been done on women who have taken synthetic hormones. It is accepted and assumed that synthetic hormones act the same as natural hormones, and this simply is not true. Tell me, just how many horse hormones does a woman need??? Synthetic estrogen made from a pregnant mare’s urine and synthetic progesterone have been linked to breast, uterine and ovarian cancer, heart disease and blood clotting. Natural progesterone is protective of cancer, heart disease and the formation of blood clots.

Typically, as female hormones become imbalanced, progesterone is much lower in ratio to estrogen causing Estrogen Dominance. As a woman gets older, the ovaries slow down production of progesterone and the adrenal glands become the backup system by producing more progesterone. Despite conventional medical thinking, progesterone is a very necessary hormone after menopause. Estrogen is typically in abundant supply as it is produced in the fat cells and consumed in non-organic dairy products and meat. A woman in Estrogen Dominance will produce a multitude of symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, difficulty getting to or staying asleep, mood swings, depression, anxiety, sweet/carb cravings, salt cravings, weight gain, body aches and pains (which when left uncontrolled may become Fibromyalgia), fatigue (which may become Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), and many more. Estrogen Dominance is, most often, the cause of heavy bleeding which is the more common reason for hysterectomy. After which, a woman is put on more estrogen!! Obviously, the bleeding is halted but the Estrogen Dominance is enhanced.

There is a better way!! By testing the hormones accurately, understanding where the imbalance lies, we can rebalance the system using whole food supplements and herbs. Remember, hormones are very powerful substances found in very small amounts in our bloodstream. Hormones are part of a family, and they function and dysfunction together. Any hormones, even bioidentical hormones, should be used only as a temporary crutch or as a last resort and never slathered on in a more-is-better approach. And if hormones are used, testing and monitoring is vital. Otherwise, easily the wrong hormone could be given – once again upsetting the delicate balance. The use of supplements and herbs can frequently bring the body back into balance. The body was designed to regenerate for well over 100 years, and is internally driven to homeostasis – balance and health. We do not need to make the body healthy; we only need to allow the body to be healthy.