Hormone issues can strike at any time! Whether it’s male pattern baldness or PMS symptoms hormones issues can affect any of us.  Women tend to be very aware of their hormone fluctuations due to a lifetime of menstruation however men can be unaware that certain symptoms are influenced by their hormones.  And yes, men have oestrogen too!

Some common symptoms that can be caused in part by hormones include headaches, poor memory, fatigue, depression, anxiety, breast tenderness, heavy or irregular periods, reduced muscle mass and reduced body hair in men. 

Whatever your hormonal symptoms there are a few tips that can help balance hormone function.  

1. Blood Sugar Control – Eating a diet that keeps blood sugar in balance is key to stabilising hormones.  We do not want spikes in blood sugar.  The biggest causes of this are simple carbohydrates and sugary food and drinks. If you want to eat these foods (and we all do sometimes!) please do so with a meal.

2. A healthy microbiome – guess what – the health of your guts has a huge impact on your hormone health.  Not only are thyroid hormones activated partly via the intestines but other hormones that have been used by the body need to be eliminated from the intestines.  If the microbiome is imbalanced and digestion is poor – you can inadvertently reabsorb hormones which can lead to symptoms.   Eat lots of vegetables with soluble fibre to safeguard against this.  Brown Rice, pulses, flaxseeds and vegetables are all good examples.

3. Eat more cruciferous vegetables! Yay! Don’t you just love broccoli?   Well if you don’t you could also have sprouts, cauliflower, kale, rocket or watercress!  These all help detoxify oestrogens and broccoli sprouts have been found to play a role in preventing hair loss in both men and women.

4. Women need phytoestrogens! These compounds mildly mimic oestrogens in the body and can balance symptoms at a time when you may be going through changes such as menopause.  These include soy, chickpeas, flaxseeds and seed sprouts.

5. Stress affects the body negatively in a number of ways.  Excess cortisol can affect the health of the intestines as well the function of the thyroid itself which in turn has multi-system impacts.  In other words, contributes to hormone imbalances poor thyroid function can be felt all over the body.  Find the stress management technic that works for you.  It doesn’t have to be elaborate!  A walk in the woods or by a river is a great way to destress.

These 5 tips can help enormously with the symptoms listed above.   If you need a more personalised protocol or have medications to consider you may need a personalised approach.

Don’t forget we have our Women’s Wellbeing Retreat (click for more info) coming up this May (10th – 13th) when we will go into more depth around the imbalances in perimenopause and menopause.  We still have a few rooms so do get in touch if you want to know more.