The number one thing that women are making appointments, for now, is hormone support.
Here’s what I’m hearing:
My periods are out of control!
I’m bleeding through tampons and pads and can’t keep up.
I need to shower several times daily.
The cramps –oh the cramps!
I’m so grumpy I can’t stand myself!
My breasts are aching.
I can’t sleep.
I’m exhausted.
My migraines are getting worse.
I believe that the biggest cause of this, right now, is stress. Stress makes hormone issues worse because it upsets the apple cart by flooding the body continuously with stress hormones. They’re being triggered by the uncertainty that’s hanging over us, and more is being demanded of us than perhaps at any other time in our lives.
We’re missing the connection with our tribe. We’re spending more and more time on our electronics and less time taking care of ourselves.
It’s starting to show.
When the brain needs to send out a message to the ENTIRE body, it sends a hormone. When we’re stressed, the brain is calling for stress hormones to be released STAT. We are spending our days in fight or flight without a reprieve and it’s making a mess of us.
Everything we do in our daily life affects our hormones and our hormones affect everything in our lives! In addition to lording over our menstrual cycles, did you know that hormones also manage temperature regulation, blood sugar levels, mood management, sleep and more? It’s no wonder we feel so gawd awful when something is out of balance.
Sadly, there isn’t just one thing that I can tell you to do to balance your hormones. Hormone balance is a big picture issue. It takes a commitment to improving in 5 key areas of your life in order to see a difference. It takes time.
Hang in there. Take a breath. It’s not as ominous as it sounds.
The 5 areas we need to be most aware of are:
- diet
- movement
- sleep
- stress
- toxic load
Let’s start with diet because that’s something that we do all day long.
It’s important to eat as clean a diet as you can. I know it’s not always easy. Remember that Health on Purpose is small habits, stacked, to add up to better health over time.
Can you make better choices today than you did yesterday?
Make better choices at dinner than you did at lunch?
Swap that pepsi for a club soda?
Can you have an herbal tea instead of that 4th cup of coffee?
Here are the basic “rules” of a clean diet for healthy hormone balance.
- drink enough water daily
- eat generous amounts of healthy fats
- consume lean proteins. When consuming animal products, eat only locally farmed, grass fed meats
- reduce or remove dairy products
- load up on fruits and veggies (10 servings a day!)
- add phytoestrogens to your diet
- reduce or remove stimulants such as caffeine and alcohol
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
Next, move your body daily.
I’m asked all of the time; “ Vickie, what’s the BEST exercise I can do? If I only have 20 minutes, what should I be doing?”
My answer – the one that you WILL do.
That’s it. That’s the answer. If you’ll go for a walk at lunch daily, do that. Do you like to swim at the local pool 4 x a week,? Then do that. If you like to run, run. Lift weights if you like them. Do SOMETHING that will increase your heart rate for at least 30 minutes daily, that you can stick with.
Get adequate rest.
Women are not sleeping. We are overwhelmed and overworked and too exhausted to figure out how to hit the “off switch” on our brains to get some rest. The body heals when we sleep. We reduce stress when we sleep. It’s important to try to get at least 7 hours each and every night. Some things you can try if sleep eludes you:
- sleep in a cool, pitch black room
- try a weighted blanket
- diffuse essential oils (florals, grasses and trees are best for sleep)
- remove electronics from the bedroom and turn off any devices with a blue light at least an hour before bed.
- try to spend a few minutes in gratitude or meditation as you get tucked in
Curious about using essential oils to improve sleep? That’s been my biggest win with oils. I went from sleeping just 2-3 hours a night, feeling like I could barely manage to get through the day to getting 8+ hours and feeling great!! You can too. Schedule your appointment here to get started.
Reduce stress or use tools to help you to manage it as best you can.
Along with sleep help, this is my favourite use of essential oils.
When we smell something, the scent travels into the limbic system of the brain, where it can alter emotions. USE THIS!
Yes, it’s important to reduce stress. Trouble is, that doesn’t always feel like it’s an option. Right now, you may be working harder than ever in an essential role. You may be on quarantine with the people you’d normally give your left arm to get to spend more time with. Trouble is, after 9 weeks, they don’t seem so hot anymore, do they? Maybe you’re just not cut out to home school. It’s ok.
Sometimes stress can only be managed and not removed. For those times, use tools to manage your response to the stressors.
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.
Essential oils are an excellent way to engage the limbic system. By diffusing, the tiny molecules can make their way through the olfactory system, the amygdala and into the limbic system.
Mood shift – approximately 30 seconds.
The general rule of thumb is this:
Grasses, Trees, Florals will be grounding and soothing
Citrus, Mints, Spices will be uplifting and energizing.
Not sure where to start?
BOOK ME HERE for a free 30-minute consult.
Reduce your toxic load
We can’t blink without being hit with toxins in our modern world. Toxins are in our personal care products, our cleaning supplies, they’re sprayed on our foods, we breathe them in through exhaust and chemical waste, and so on. Chemicals, pesticides, & toxins are known as endocrine disruptors. Endocrine disruptors do just that. They disrupt the endocrine or hormone system by binding to and/or blocking hormone receptors in the body and the brain.
It’s important to reduce the toxic load as much as possible. Check your skincare and personal care products and switch to more natural/chemical-free options. Purchase organic produce as much as possible. Reduce packaged foods in your home. Purchase only in glass and not plastic. NEVER drink out of plastic water bottles. Consider DIY cleaners and skincare. It costs less than purchasing ready-made, it’s better for you, and what I love most is the ease of it. It’s super simple to make a cleaner on the go and my entire house smells great.
If you need some help getting started with DIY’s and you’re an existing doTERRA member, you can check the VIP customer group for recipes.
If you’re not yet a doTERRA member, you can book a free appointment here to get started.
When working with clients to balance hormones, my most used tool is essential oils. Why? Because they work to support the body in maintaining hormone balance while helping to manage discomforts associated with PMS, perimenopause, and menopause.
They’re simple to use. They cost less than other options and they work.
If you’re not yet a doTERRA member, you can book a free appointment here to find out how to get started.
