Your hormones affect your mood, energy, appetite, metabolism and reproductive health. Hormones are complex but healing them doesn’t have to be. When working with clients, I combine current research, functional nutrition and Ayurveda to find balance. Read on for my perspective on hormone healing.
What are hormones?
Hormones are chemical messengers, secreted into your blood, and carried to organs and tissues of the body to exert their functions. There are many types of hormones that act on different bodily functions and processes.
For simplicity, we can think of them in 3 main categories
Development and growth such as thyroid hormones regulate metabolism and bodily functions
Sex hormones: estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, FSH, LH
Stress hormones: adrenaline, cortisol & DHEA which in turn affect insulin & metabolism
Signs of Hormone Imbalance
With hormones playing a key role in many bodily processes, imbalances can show up in different ways.
Major stressors and life events can lead to an imbalance and some may be temporary such as after childbirth & weaning. Whereas others are an accumulation of chronic stress, gut imbalances, nutritional deficiencies and environmental toxins (to name a few). Here are some common signs:
fatigue
hair loss & thinning
hard to lose weight
feeling cold
dry skin
blood sugar issues
craving carbs
unwanted hair growth
fibrocystic breasts
Uterine fibroids
bloating
difficulty sleeping
brain fog
excess belly fat
constipation
irregular periods
painful or heavy periods
low libido
acne
PMS
headaches
What Causes Hormone Imbalances
The most common cause of hormonal imbalance is stress. As a whole, we are overstressed and undersupported. We're expected to do it all - career, family, run a household, exercise, look good & have a social life. And while clearly, WE CAN do it all... we shouldn't have to.
Another major cause is toxins both in the foods we eat and what we’re exposed to. Women put an average of 168 chemicals on their bodies everyday, so it's no surprise that thyroid disease is 5-8x more common in women.
Some common causes:
stress
caffeine & stimulants
alcohol & MJ
gut imbalance
nutrient deficiencies
excess exercise
too much screen time
personal care products
fragrance
thyroid imbalance
liver dysfunction
prescription meds
blood sugar issues
lack of rest
on the go lifestyle
unprocessed trauma
environmental toxins
BPA and plastics
The Role of the Doshas: Vata, Pitta & Kapha
Want in on a little secret? There’s no reference to ‘hormones’ specifically in the texts of Ayurveda. Instead, the ancient physicians understood how our organs and body systems - thyroid, pancreas, testes, ovaries, etc., worked together to maintain balance. They provided solutions to hormonal issues - reproductive and metabolic disorders such as PMS, diabetes and thyroid disease by balancing the doshas.
Just as your hormones are an interplay of organs and systems, the doshas, Vata, Pitta and Kapha all play an integral role in your hormonal health.
Vata, the nervous system and stress
Vata is perhaps the most important dosha to attend to because as you’ve learned, stress runs the show. Vata and the nervous system play an intimate role with the adrenals and your hormones. Everyday stressors such as technology and on-the-go lifestyle aggravate vata, which in turn, moves the other doshas out of place. Fight-or-flight is a vata response to imbalance.
Pitta, chemical processes, liver and blood
From a chemical standpoint, hormones fall under the domain of Pitta. Just as fire transforms, pitta is involved in any chemical processes in the body - digestive enzymes, molecular catalysts and hormones. Pitta also rules the liver and blood, where many of these transformations take place. Anything that aggravates pitta - sour, acidic and heating substances like fermented or spicy foods, caffeine, alcohol and tobacco will affect your hormones via the liver.
Kapha, mucus and heaviness
Kapha, the elements of earth & water is building by nature. It’s domain includes mucus, muscle, skin and fat. Sendentary lifestyle and heavy diet lead to an accumulation of kapha - slowing down digestion and eventually blocking the flow of nutrients and wastes. This heaviness, often pushed by vata, can lead to slow thyroid, uterine fibroids and bloating, etc.
The Ayurvedic Approach to Hormone Healing
Balance of course! We start with an understanding of the individual’s mind-body constitution or prakriti and the state of imbalance, vikriti. From there, we begin to reconnect with the earth’s natural rhythm - sleeping, waking, moving and eating mindfully. We strengthen digestion or agni and promote the removal of toxic buildup and wastes. We nourish the body with a balanced diet appropriate to constitution and season. And very importantly, we incorporate pleasure and joy through routines, rituals and connection.
Ready to Heal your Hormones with Ayurveda?
Do you dream of more energy, better sleep and happy periods?
I work with clients one on one to support hormonal health, strong digestion and balanced habits.
This September, I’ll be guiding an intimate group through my 8-week hormone healing program. You’ll get clear on your imbalances, complete a simple at home cleanse to jumpstart digestion and incorporate nourishing lifestyle and diet to heal.
Book a free call to learn more.
