Treatments for Hormonal Imbalance

Hormonal imbalance is a medical condition where the body produces too little or too much estrogen, progesterone, or testosterone. The condition is often associated with menopause but also affects adolescents during puberty, those who gain or lose too much weight during a brief time period, and those experiencing stress. Symptoms can include nausea, mood swings, and tiredness. Hormone replacement therapy used to be the treatment of choice for an imbalance of hormones, but this treatment caused illnesses such as heart disease, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, and blood clots. There are now better methods to treat hormonal imbalance.

Herbal Remedies

• Some herbs, such as Black Cohosh, have estrogenic effects in the body, due to the high level of estrogen-like compounds that the plants produce. When taken internally, they stimulate the endocrine and the pituitary glands, thus allowing these glands to produce hormones naturally. Normalizing the level of estrogen balances the testosterone and progesterone levels as well, thereby stabilizing all levels of hormones.

Acupunture

• Acupuncture is a technique where small, thin needles are inserted into the skin. The needles are strategically placed by a trained acupuncturist. Placement of the needles depends on the illness and the individual patient. Some people suffering from hormonal imbalance have been successfully treated with acupuncture.

Biofeedback

• Biofeedback uses instruments that measure vasoconstriction, muscle tension, blood pressure, and brain waves, among other things. With hormonal imbalance treatment, biofeedback attempts to retrain the body to gain control of hormone levels to effect change. Biofeedback is instantaneous. Whether hormone levels change or not, patients will know immediately whether or not this therapy will work for them or not.

Aromatherapy

• Aromatherapy uses oils from plants to effect physical change. For example, the aroma of lavender has a calming effect on people. Aromatherapy has been used to treat the hormonal imbalance symptoms of depression, stress, irritability, moodiness, and anxiety. Hormonal imbalance symptoms originating in the brain, such as depression and anxiety, are instantly relieved by the calming smells delivered through aromatherapy. Aromatherapy lowers the level of hormones that produce the symptoms of hormonal imbalance.