Hormone Imbalance Remedy

Hormones can be your best friend or your worst enemy. When you want them to work, they do not; when they are off track and causing you grief, you fail to realize they are to blame. You can level this uneven playing field, though. Whether you choose the all-natural route of diet and exercise or the medical route of hormone replacement therapy, options exist to make your life a happier one.

Causes and Symptoms

• Hormone imbalance can begin when a woman is in her 20s or may not begin until she reaches her 40s--the pre-menopausal age. No matter how old a woman is when symptoms present themselves, a waging war between estrogen and progesterone is usually the culprit.

  During a menstrual cycle, both hormones have their part to play; estrogen is to reign during the first half, while progesterone rules over the body for the second half. An imbalance occurs when estrogen attempts to take over completely. This imbalance also occurs during years which pre-menopause and menopause occur.

  Common symptoms associated with hormonal imbalances include headaches, fatigue, low sex drive, PMS, weight gain, depression, anxiety, and dizziness. These symptoms should not be ignored, as hormone imbalances themselves can be a symptom of an underlying health condition.

Changing Your Diet

• Making simple changes in your diet can help relieve the symptoms that are caused by hormonal imbalances. Foods containing animal fats, such as red meat and dairy products, can upset your balances because of the chemicals found in them.

  Fatty acids such as omega-3 and omega-6 may help maintain healthy hormonal balances and can be found in foods, such as fish, nuts and ground flaxseed, as well as in the form of supplements.

  In addition to dietary changes, help relieve stress caused from hormonal imbalances by practicing yoga and meditation on a regular basis. Exercising daily may also reduce the number of mood swings you experience; when you exercise, endorphins (or your "happy hormones,") are released. Not only will your mental outlook improve, but you may find your energy levels have increased as well.

Herbal Remedies

• There are two major types of herbal remedies for hormonal imbalances: phytoestrogenic and non-estrogenic. Herbs, such as black cohosh, contain estrogen compounds which have been produced naturally by plants. The advantage to taking a phytoestrogenic herb is that it restores estrogen to the body naturally while repelling any excess estrogen; this produces the balance your body needs. The drawback is that over time, your body may begin to depend on this herb, eventually resulting in the inability of your body to produce any estrogen on its own.

  Non-estrogenic herbs, such as Macafem, do not contain any estrogen. They do, however, nourish both your pituitary and endocrine glands, resulting in stimulation of your body's own hormone production. This balances both estrogen and progesterone, along with your testosterone levels.

  Both phytoestrogenic and non-estrogenic herbs can be found at your local health food store.

Hormone Replacement Therapy

• Though this is one of the most popular treatments used for women in the United States, it is also considered to be a high risk option. In these cases, women are given synthetically produced hormones to replace the hormones their own bodies are no longer producing. The safety of this option is debatable.

  In 1991, the largest clinical study--called the Women's Health Initiative--was conducted by the National Health Institute. This study was being conducted to answer unanswered questions about the benefits and risks of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). The study was ended, without being completed, in July 2002, due to the study having proved at that point that HRT increased the risk of developing heart disease, blood clots, ovarian and breast cancer. To this day, the findings of this study are undisputed.