Estrogen is a sex hormone in humans that is important for bone growth, blood clotting and reproduction in men and women. Outside of these roles, it contributes skin and heart health, mood, as well as healthy aging. Our body does a good job at regulating estrogen until it becomes overexposed to a poor diet, xenoestrogens (estrogen synthetic compounds), and poor lifestyle choices. Estrogen dominance is simply when our body is producing too much estrogen and it comes along with some not-so-pleasant symptoms. Issues ranging from irritability and weight gain to more chronic diseases such as thyroid dysfunction, breast cancer, uterine cancer and endometrial cancer. With estrogen dominance at an all-time high in both men and women, estrogen related cancers and chronic illnesses are rising right along with it. Here's the good news-if you suspect you may be estrogen dominant, you can reverse it and better yet, hop on the preventative health train. I am here to walk you through identifying estrogen dominance, learning some of the causes as well as ways to balance estrogen the natural way.
"With estrogen dominance at an all-time high in both men and women, estrogen related cancers and chronic illnesses are rising right along with it."
Signs and Symptoms of Estrogen Dominance
As we know estrogen is great to a point. Instances it is not so great is when you start to see some of these uncomfortable signs and symptoms:
-
Weight gain in waist, hips and thighs
-
Anxiety & depression
-
Mood swings
-
Severe or increasing PMS
-
Cold hands and feet as a symptom of thyroid dysfunction
-
Loss of sex drive
-
Foggy thinking/memory loss
-
Hair loss
-
Insomnia
-
Fibroids in breasts and uterine
-
Water retention
-
Breast tenderness
-
Insulin resistance
-
Migrains
-
Dry eyes
-
Infertility
-
Breast enlargement
-
Infertility
-
Sexual dysfunction
What are the Causes of Estrogen Dominance?
Our modern lifestyle is a perfect recipe for estrogen dominance. Everything from our diet, to plastic containers, to our beauty products contain xenoestrogens (estrogen-containing synthetic compounds), which contribute highly to estrogen dominance. Xenoestrogens are artificially made compounds produced by the industry and are non-biodegradable in the body so end up being stored in our fat cells. This raises the total amount of estrogen. Alot of conventional farming methods use antibiotics, growth hormones, and pesticides all of which mimic estrogen. Other causes include stress, a diet low in fibre, increased body fat, gut dysbiosis, mineral deficiency, heavy metals, birth control, hormonal replacement therapy and even our personal care products. It is important to get to the root cause when addressing estrogen dominance.
Natural Recommendations to Balance Estrogen:
- Clean up the diet: Eliminate all toxic foods from your diet which contain hidden estrogens. This includes food from conventional farming practices- conventional meat, dairy products and produce. Decrease your meat intake and opt for grass-fed, pasture-raised and organic to avoid added hormones, pesticides and fertilizers in your food. Also avoid food preservatives such as (BHA) and most red food colourings.
- Drink clean water: Reduce your exposure to chlorine and fluoride in our tap water. I recommend buying a water filter for your taps.
- Use clean personal care products: This includes all of your beauty products, shampoos, toothpastes and cleaning products. Reduce your exposure to toxins and xenoestrogens by using organic beauty products especially the ones you put right on your skin. Buy toxic-free household cleaning products such as Norwex.
- Reduce your plastic consumption: Everything from plastic containers, to water bottles and plastic wrap contain BPA's which mimics estrogen. Don't re-use plastic water bottles or microwave your food in plastic. Opt for ceramic or glass for food storage wherever possible.
- Treat gut dysbiosis & detoxify the body: Your gut plays a huge role in circulating estrogen and metabolizing it. When the bacteria in your gastrointestinal (GI) tract becomes unbalanced the gut can't do it's job. Work with a Nutritionist to heal the gut, treat candida, and detoxify the liver.
- Reconsider your birth control: A lot of oral contraceptives contain too much estrogen without the necessary progesterone to maintain hormonal balance. There are natural forms of birth control out there such as seed cycling and the temperature method. Read this article for more info.
- Reduce your body fat: Excess body fat in the hips, waist and thighs is one of the leading causes of estrogen dominance. Fat tissue stores and absorbs estrogen, as well as produces it! A viscous cycle occurs as high estrogen = body fat and more body fat = high estrogen. Get active and switch up your lifestyle.
- Reduce your stress: When we are stressed our body uses progesterone to create cortisol. Progesterone is needed to balance out our estrogen. Try meditation, yoga, and mindfulness as these are great ways to lower stress. Identify what triggers your stress and see if you can do anything about it.
- Take your supplements: Mineral deficiencies are more common than not, as a lot of us have a weak digestive system and diet full of processed foods. Minerals such as folate, B6, magnesium and zinc all a role in proper detoxification of estrogen. Magnesium specifically is critical to Phase II detoxification in the liver. Get your hands on a bottle of Flowhouse Magnesium Oil for a highly absorbable and effective source of magnesium.
- Get a baseline test of your hormones: Saliva and urine testing can show active hormones and their metabolites to see your imbalances in order to correct them.
In conclusion, estrogen dominance puts us at risk for many serious health conditions. Many of us will experience a bit of estrogen dominance as we can not escape the amount of excess estrogens we are exposed to every day from our environment. We do, however, have control over our lifestyle and being proactive in our approach to our health. If you are looking for somebody to work alongside with to balance out your hormones naturally through food, working out, and supplementation contact me here!