Are you constantly tired? Do you feel depressed or have problems falling or staying asleep?
Are you gaining weight even though your diet didn’t change? Or having a hard time losing weight even though you completely changed your diet?
If you answered yes to any of the above, it’s possible that you are experiencing hormonal imbalance symptoms.
I know you are frustrated, and maybe tried a few things that didn’t work and you feel like there is no way to fix this new reality, but I am here to introduce to you a natural way to support a healthy hormonal balance.
Hormones are responsible for so many functions in our body; from mood to hunger to reproduction, too much or too little of a certain hormone may cause a verity of health problems.
Hormonal imbalance symptoms include mood swings, insomnia, depression, weight gain, and a few more. But before we go into what to look for and how to deal with the problem, let’s start at the beginning…
What are Hormones? What is the Endocrine System?
In order to recognize hormonal imbalance symptoms, it’s important to understand what hormones are and what they do in our body.
Hormones are chemical messengers. They are created in special hormone-producing glands and organs that together make up the Endocrine System.
From the book Modern Essentials
Those glands and organs work together to release and manage hormones.
The hormones are released into the blood stream and travel to areas of the body where they either stimulate other endocrine glands or stimulate tissue and organs directly.
Hormones control most major bodily functions like hunger, reproduction, emotions and mood.
For example, the hormone cortisol is made in the adrenal gland and is released during stress. But aside from it’s connection to the stress response, it can also help regulate blood sugar, reduce inflammation, regulate metabolism, and assist with memory formulation.
High levels of cortisol can cause weight gain in the core of the body and in the face while arms and legs stay slender (Cushing’s syndrome). It can cause high blood pressure, change in the skin, depression, and anxiety.
Low levels of cortisol can cause the rare Addison’s disease which symptoms are fatigue, mood swings, weight loss, muscle loss, and changes to the skin.
Let’s look at another example, the hormone insulin. Insulin is made in the small organ panacea that is located behind the stomach. Insulin allows cells to absorb glucose that is in the blood; therefore, insulin production is regulated based on levels of blood sugar and other hormones in the body.
The most common problem associated with insulin is diabetes. We won’t dive too deep into the different kinds of diabetes but just mention that diabetes occurs when the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or does not use the insulin it produces effectively.
Some other major hormones are:
Adrenaline – responsible for the fight-or-flight response.
Aldosterone – affects the body’s ability to regulate blood pressure.
Glucagon – helps control glucose levels in the blood. Mainly blood glucose levels from dropping to dangerous levels.
Thyroxine – plays a crucial role in heart and digestive function, bone health, metabolism, muscle control, and brain development.
Testosterone – stimulates the development of male characteristic.
Progesterone – one of the main hormones to control fertility and menstruation.
Calcitonin – helping to regulate the blood’s calcium and phosphate levels.
Prostaglandins – control processes in the body that relate to the healing process like pain, fever, and inflammation.
Melatonin – causes the relaxation and lower body temperature that help with restful sleep.
Leptin – helps the body maintain its weight.
Vitamin D – controls blood calcium concentration and impacts the immune system.
Oxytocin – responsible for signaling contractions of the womb during labor in women and have a role in moving sperm in men.
Estrogen – main sex hormone in women. It causes puberty, prepares the body and uterus for pregnancy, and regulates the menstrual cycle.
Hormonal Imbalance Symptoms…
If you ever went through menopause, monthly period, childbirth, or pregnancy, you are probably a little bit familiar with the feeling of hormonal imbalance.
Suddenly it’s hard to sleep, your mood is constantly changing without your permission, you are hot, you are cold, you lose weight or gain weight without changing your diet… It’s like you have no control of your body, like your normal self is no longer present.
Since so many functions in our body are controlled and regulated by hormones, there are many hormonal imbalance symptoms.
Here are a few symptoms to look for…
Sleep problems – low testosterone is linked with snoring and breathing problems during sleep. Low estrogen can trigger night sweats and hot flushes, making it hard to stay asleep. Low levels of progesterone can make it hard to fall and stay asleep and imbalanced levels of melatonin can interfere with your internal clock keeping you awake at night and sleepy during the day.
Depression – low estrogen levels often found in menopause can cause sadness and hopelessness. Low levels of progesterone interfere with restful sleep like we mentioned before, which can contribute to a bad mood. Progesterone also helps balance levels of estrogen which helps promote a feeling of calmness. Low or high levels of cortisol can cause weight gain, extream fatigue, inability to handle stress, low libido, and mood instability.
Weight gain – when the ovaries don’t make enough estrogen, our body is looking for it somewhere else. Fat is another source of estrogen, so in order to increase levels of estrogen, our body converts more calories into fat which means weight gain. This also causes insulin resistance and therefore problems with levels of sugar in the blood.
Low levels of progesterone cause water retention and bloating, making you feel heavier. Low levels of testosterone cause loss of muscle mass and low metabolism.
High levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, signal your body ‘panic mode’, basically telling it that you are not going to eat for a long time which causes the body to store calories.
The hormone leptin, the ‘satiety hormone’, has the job of regulating energy balance so that we don’t overeat or starve to death. Leptin is produced within our fat cells, so the more we eat the more leptin is available to communicate with the brain (hypothalamus). When leptin levels are low, the brain signals the need for increased eating.
Fatigue – access progesterone can make you sleepy. Not enough testosterone also will cause fatigue. If your thyroid is not working well, you’ll also feel very tired.
Everything that we mentioned before like depression, weight gain and sleep problems will contribute to the feeling of fatigue.
Memory fog – estrogen levels regulate cortisol levels which affect the function of neurotransmitters (chemicals used for communication) in our brain. Low levels of estrogen result in its inability to control cortisol properly, which causes neurotransmitters malfunction, as a result we experience memory fog or loss.
Other hormonal imbalance symptoms can be acne that will not go away, low libido, vaginal dryness, headaches, hot flushes, night sweats, ongoing stress, and constant hunger.
When you experience hormonal imbalance, chances are you’ll experience more than one symptom because many hormones effect and regulate the levels of other hormones and so the snowball keeps rolling and you experience one health problem after another.
What are the Causes for Hormonal Imbalance?
It doesn’t take much to cause hormonal imbalance in our bodies, and once one hormone is imbalanced it causes a chain reaction, throwing other hormones out of balance.
Here are a few causes to consider…
Environmental pollution – did you know the EPA initiated a program called The Endocrine Disruption program? It makes a lot of sense although not so easy to test… Chemicals in our environment affect our endocrine system to the point where it does not produce and regulate hormones the way it should.
Some chemicals mimic hormones and fool the body, others block the effects of hormones from certain receptors, and others directly stimulate the endocrine system to overproduce or underproduce hormones.
Diet – you are probably tired of hearing that what you eat has a direct effect on your health… But that’s just how it is.
It links to the point above, the use of insecticides and pesticides in agriculture might have a big part in a case of hormonal imbalance.
Gut health is another point to consider and it is now known to have a big effect on how your body produces and regulate hormones. If you have leaky gut syndrome, not enough beneficial probiotic bacteria, or inflammation of the stomach, you might experience hormonal imbalance.
Stress – you work 10 hours a day, have a nasty boss to keep up with, a house to run, kids to feed, a partner that will benefit from a little bit of attention, a million bills to pay, and so on and so on…
Stress causes the production of cortisol (the stress hormone). Too much cortisol blocks your estrogen. Less estrogen causes low serotonin, and on and on it goes. Now you are not only stressed but also extremely tired, have no patience, you are worried which causes you to not sleep well at night, your stomach is upset, and you are on the verge of depression. What a mess.
Chemicals in beauty products – just like in our food, harmful chemicals can be found in the beauty products we apply to our skin. Those beauty products might make you look better, but they can have a harmful effect on your hormonal balance.
Some beauty products have estrogen added to them, others have chemicals in them to support a longer shelf life, a preservative really, and in addition, they often contain chemicals to help them maintain their color and consistency.
Those chemicals can block or mimic hormones and ultimately cause or contribute to a hormonal imbalance in our body.
You can research safe cosmetic products at Skin Deep cosmetic database and at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, or you can ditch the industry completely and make your own natural products. This might sound intimidating but you won’t believe how easy it is. Here is a recipe for a simple face scrub and a simple face wash to get you started (you can find more recipes on my doTERRA site).
Adrenal fatigue – this is not an accepted medical term, but you might see it mentioned around when you read about hormonal imbalance.
What it means is that your adrenal glands can’t keep up with producing the right amount of hormones to make you feel good. It’s not proven but it’s said that this situation is caused by chronic stress.
Essential Oils to Support Healthy Hormonal Balance…
Remember that we are looking for a way to bring our whole body back into balance, not to just ‘fix’ one symptom. And we want to do it naturally!
First thing to do is to look at your lifestyle and change whatever you can that might help. Reduce stress, eat healthier, exercise more, use safe beauty products, sleep more, back off birth control pills, watch your caffeine and alcohol intake… Some of those might be hard to change, but the benefit for your body and therefore for your life as a whole will be worth the hard work.
In addition, or as part of your lifestyle change, let me introduce you to a few product that will help you support a healthy hormonal balance naturally. Those natural products are or made of doTERRA’s pure and potent essential oils.
So why would essential oils help you balance your hormones? Because some essential oils act like hormones. They have the unique ability to adapt to your body’s needs and both stimulate or relax depending on what your body needs. Those essential oils can support a healthy balance in one area without creating an imbalance in another.
A few essential oils products to consider…
Lifelong Vitality Pack – this pack is the best thing you can give yourself. It will give your body a boost of energy and strength and you will feel the difference within a few days. As one of doTERRA’s most popular products, doTERRA Lifelong Vitality Pack is full of essential nutrients, metabolism benefits, and powerful antioxidants designed to help promote energy, health, and lifelong vitality. The list of benefits is just too long to list, this complex works on improving you as a whole, improving every cell and function.
doTERRA’s Phytoestrogen Lifetime Complex – this is a blend of natural plant extracts in a form of a pill that you take as a daily supplement.
Taking Phytoestrogen Lifetime Complex daily helps to balance and support normal hormone levels.
Phytoestrogen Lifetime Complex supports a woman through her menstrual cycle.
It helps temper the normal symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats.
It also helps to support healthy bones, heart, and breast tissue as a woman ages.
Clary Calm Essential Oil Blend – this is a proprietary blend designed to provide a soothing effect during a women’s menstrual cycle, it offers cooling effects for the skin and helps balance hormones.
During your menstrual cycle, apply to the abdomen and massage gently to help with pain.
During moments of heat, apply to the skin for a cooling, soothing effect.
Diffuse for a calming aroma that helps soothe heightened emotions.
Use throughout the month to help balance mood.
Clary Sage Essential Oil – clary Sage is a biennial or perennial herb. It is known for its calming properties and benefits to the skin. The main chemical component of Clary Sage is linalyl acetate, part of the esters group, making it one of the most relaxing, soothing, and balancing essential oils.
During your menstrual cycle, apply Clary Sage to the abdomen for a soothing massage.
In 2014, a study found that inhalation of clary sage oil had the ability to reduce cortisol levels significantly and improved thyroid hormone levels. (Journal of Phytotherapy Research)
Combine Clary Sage with Roman Chamomile and add it to bath water for a stress-relieving bath.
Apply one to two drops of Clary Sage to the bottoms of the feet or to the pulse points.
Add three to four drops to shampoo or conditioner.
Apply one to two drops of this essential oil to pillowcases to prepare for a restful night’s sleep.
Diffuse Clary Sage at bedtime to promote feelings of calmness and relaxation.
This essential oil may synergistically help to soothe and calm the nervous system.
A topical massage with Clary Sage calms and supports healthy mood, particularly during menstruation and menopause.
It creates a restful environment while reducing feelings of stress and anxiousness.
Thyme Essential Oil – thyme is commonly used as a seasoning, but it also produces a potent essential oil that has balancing, cleansing and purifying effects (it is very strong and might need to be diluted with fractionated coconut oil before it’s applied to the skin).
Add Thyme to favorite daytime diffuser blends to promote a sense of alertness.
Add it to a winter routine to support a healthy immune system.
Research shoes thyme essential oil has progesterone balancing effects. (Read more here)
Thyme provides cleansing and purifying effects for the skin.
Use one to two drops in place of dried Thyme in favorite recipes.
Thyme has a stimulating aroma.
Thyme promotes peaceful sleep.
It supports healthy cellular function.
Thyme has antioxidant qualities.
It promotes the health of the nervous system.
It supports healthy liver function.
Thyme is cleansing to the gastrointestinal tract and the digestive system.
It may help to support healthy metabolism and weight management.
Thyme may ease symptoms of normal menstruation in women.
Sandalwood Essential Oil – sandalwood is a name given to a class of fragrant woods that, unlike other aromatic woods, can retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood has a sweet, woody aroma that can enhance mood and is frequently used in meditation for its grounding effects.
Diffuse in your bedroom after a long, stressful day or before meditation.
Sandalwood has been added for men cologne for years because of it being a natural aphrodisiac. It has the ability to naturally balance levels of testosterone.
Diffuse or apply to the neck and shoulders at bedtime for a restful night’s sleep.
After a long day of working on your honey-do list, add one to two drops to your hot bath to promote relaxation and reduce stress.
Enhances mood.
Frequently used in meditation for its grounding and uplifting properties.
Inhale Sandalwood directly from palms or diffuse to lessen tension and balance emotions.
Basil Essential Oil – Basil has a warm, spicy, yet herbal aroma known to reduce anxious feelings, it provides great benefits to both the mind and body due to its high linalool content, making it an ideal application to help reduce feelings of tension when applied to the temples and back of the neck.
It promotes mental alertness and lessens occasional anxious feelings.
Diffuse Basil to promote a sense of focus while studying, reading, or completing other tasks that require mental clarity.
Massage Basil and Wintergreen with doTERRA Fractionated Coconut Oil on the back of the neck for a stress-relieving experience.
This essential oil may help to ease monthly feminine discomfort.
Take a drop of Basil internally to provide soothing support during your menstrual cycle.
Diffuse Basil for feelings of relief at the end of your work day.
Blend Basil with Lime, Bergamot, and/or Peppermint for an invigorating aroma.
Apply it to the temples and the back of the neck to reduce feelings of tension.
This essential oil has cleansing properties.
It helps to support healthy blood flow.
It may soothe and calm the nervous system.
Basil supports gastrointestinal health and function.
Diffuse Basil to promote feelings of calmness and relaxation.
Basil may calm tense muscles.
Combine Basil with Geranium and citrus essential oils for an uplifting massage.
Rosemary Essential Oil – it turns out, the culinary herb that we love so much can benefit our body in many ways.
Help to support healthy digestion.
Helps reduce nervous tension and occasional fatigue.
Take internally to support healthy internal organ function.
Diffuse while studying to maintain concentration.
Mix equal parts Rosemary and Lavender for stress reduction.
Combine with Epsom salts and Frankincense for a rejuvenating bath experience.
Lavender Essential Oil – Lavender is often considered a must-have oil to keep on hand at all times due to its versatile uses.
Lavender is widely used for its calming and relaxing qualities.
This essential oil helps to ease feelings of tension.
Add a few drops of Lavender to pillows, bedding, or the bottoms of feet to prepare for a restful night’s sleep.
Add Lavender to bath water to soak away stress, or apply it to the temples and the back of the neck.
Take Lavender internally to reduce anxious feelings.
Take Lavender internally for a peaceful sleep.
It may support the heart and cardiovascular system.
Lavender synergistically helps to soothe and calm the nervous system.
It can be particularly calming and support healthy moods during menstruation and menopause.
Lavender promotes feelings of vitality.
It can reduce anxious feelings, even when the ability to smell aromas has been lost.
This essential oil evokes positive feelings of self-awareness.
It is helpful to diffuse when trying to stay on task.
Ylang – Ylang Essential Oil – derived from unique star-shaped flowers it provides a calming effect and promotes a positive outlook.
Apply Ylang Ylang to the back of the neck for a calming, uplifting effect.
Blend several drops of Ylang Ylang with doTERRA Fractionated Coconut Oil and massage into back and shoulders to help reduce the effects of daily stress.
Diffuse to lift your mood while experiencing a calming effect.
Promotes a positive outlook.
Ylang Ylang provides antioxidant support.
Ylang Ylang promotes a healthy libido.
Bergamont Essential Oil – Bergamot is the most delicate of the citrus plants, requiring special climate and soil in order to thrive. Italians have used Bergamot for years to reduce feelings of stress and to soothe and rejuvenate skin.
Bergamot has a calming and soothing aroma.
It is frequently used in massage therapy for its calming and uplifting benefits.
Diffuse it in the classroom, at work, or at home when stress levels or tension is high.
Change regular tea to Earl Grey tea with the addition of Bergamot.
Apply Bergamot to the feet before bedtime for a sense of calm and harmony.
Diffuse it for a sense of self-confidence.
Use Bergamot with doTERRA Fractionated Coconut Oil for a calming, soothing massage and a relaxing aroma.
This essential oil supports healthy nervous system, cardiovascular system, and cognitive function.
It may calm the nervous system and relax the muscles.
Blend Bergamot with Lavender and apply it topically to the abdomen to promote feelings of relaxation.
Diffuse Bergamot to reduce feelings of negativity and stress.
Bergamot helps soothe and calm the nervous system.
It helps to support a healthy metabolism.
Bergamot has cleansing properties.
How to Bring doTERRA Into Your Home?
I started using doTERRA essential oils months ago and they transformed my health to the point that I now use them all day every day and I buy them on a regular basis every month.
Yes, it is an investment, but your health is worth every penny.
If you wish to bring essential oils into your life or if you have any additional questions on how they can help you improve your health, please contact me directly at lee@ladyleeshome.com or visit my essential oils page to learn why doTERRA and how to become a doTERRA member.
If you are ready to get started, join doTERRA here:
SHOP / JOIN doTERRA NOW!
I know this is a lot of information, but if there is one thing I want you to take out of it is that you must reduce the stress in your life if you wish to balance your hormones. Stress has a direct connection to the levels of hormones in our body, and reducing stress will be a great place to start.
If you experience hormonal imbalance symptoms, don’t concentrate on ‘fixing’ each symptom at a time, think about your body as a big machine with many parts that rely on each other. Try to look at the big picture and change and improve your life as a whole; exercise, eat healthier, reduce stress, stop smoking, sleep more… This in return will naturally rid you of many hormonal imbalance symptoms like fatigue and depression.
Essential oils are great in helping you transform your life and balance hormones naturally because they won’t mess up another area or function in your body. They will support a whole you, and I hope you choose to give them the opportunity.
Please join my essential oils email list. I send one email at the beginning of each month with essential oil information and our current promotions at doTERRA.
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