Our hormonal balance is an eco-system

I was asked a question on an Instagram question box recently for advice on mild stress-induced lymphedema and thyroid disorder.

I thought I’d share some of my notes with you here because the topic of hormone balance in women and the systems that this touches and has an influence on is so inextricably interconnected that I firmly believe that spot-checking hormones is not (ever) the path to wellness (and in fact, can leave to severe illness and dis-ease).

The hormone system of the body is interconnected and for the most powerful hormones there tends to be two that require balance with each other.

Lifestyle plays the BIGGEST role in the hormone balance. Today’s standard lifestyle (the one pushed by gov, big food, and prescription pads) will guarantee hormone disruption due to lack of movement, disconnection with the food system, toxic exposure, lack of connection with the natural environment, and unsupported stress.

Hormone disrupters are most commonly found in the ‘standard Aussie home’ in the chemical products we use to clean our houses, wash our clothes (we have sitting on our skin all day long) and sheets (we have resting on our skin all night long), in our beauty and cosmetic products, and in the processed foods we eat. 

A lot of them, we rub directly into areas of our body our lymph glands are.

Lymph stress: There is a large body of evidence suggesting that female hormone could modulate lymphatic drainage, but the effect of oestrogen on lymphatic network has been surprisingly poorly investigated.

With the first response in the allopathic model being ‘prescribe drugs’... this does not surprise me. I/we only need use logic and then implement self-regulatory ‘tests’ (live and behave in a new way and see what happens), to feel the results. 

Stress > thyroid symptoms > one of the key stress hormones, cortisol, is exacerbated by today’s unconscious society. Blue light/phones or laptops in bed, poor sleep, anxiety, ‘fight or flight’ (also all able to be supported by nature-first medicine).

The cortisol abnormality creates a domino effect on feedback loops involving the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis. In this scenario, oestrogen becomes elevated, thyroid hormone becomes bound, and B and T cells become deregulated.

This is what a doctor will ‘drug’ for, without any support to reduce the cortisol in the first place. [this is bananas btw]. Instead of seeking to understand which lifestyle factors will be playing a large role in the down-regulation.

Tragically, horrifyingly, we also see many Doctors who will recommend a woman have a body part removed before even considering the natural eco-system and integrative wellness within it. I have yet to find a scenario where the ‘best’ option where thyroid disorders are at play are removing that organ before extended natural ‘root-cause’ support.

In times of high cortisol we find the body gets flushed, moody and holds excess weight. Inflammation is always present. It’s holding on to energy and fat to protect itself from the threat it perceives. The oestrogen imbalance this can create causes the lymph system to become inflamed and hold fluid. 

Then > 

Hormones produced by NATURE > 

Melatonin is a hormone produced in the pituitary gland from the chemical melanin. (The pituitary gland our master gland! The boss of our hormones and that ‘women’s circle’ of interconnected messages they transmit).

Melanin is produced in the skin through sun exposure. Melatonin helps with inducing sleep.

What are some of the best ways to reduce cortisol? Good, deep sleep. Rest. Relaxation. Stillness. How can we support that in our eco-system? Sunlight, sun, time outdoors, removal of carcinogenic sunscreens.

Now, movement;

Anabolic hormones. Endocrinologists have traditionally classified hormones as anabolic or catabolic, depending on which part of metabolism they stimulate. The classic anabolic hormones are the anabolic steroids, which stimulate protein synthesis and muscle growth, and insulin.

I recommend women strength train and this doesn’t mean you gotta’ lift and get dem’ gains girl’, it means you’re compressing your muscles that produce myokines (happy making proteins/drugs) and increase your anabolic hormones to a level the catabolic hormones (which affect cortisol) are balanced out. Not enough movement will increase stress hormones and also contribute to lymphedema. 

Too much exercise/excessive will just send your catabolic/cortisol through the roof and chew your good muscle mass away, make it harder to sleep and then contribute to…. lymphedema. Eco-system babes. Eco-system.

Strength training can be Pilates, vinyasa, HIIT, or small basic muscle-group movements. 

Can we see the interconnectedness here? 

I’m not a doctor and I’m not prescribing anything for you. But it this was me, my self prescription, BEFORE allopathic ‘help’ would be to give myself two months (look; you’ll feel improvement in a shorter time than that I’m sure), and I’d begin to pay really close attention to the body when I: 

1. Remove environmental chemicals (on and in the body and around our environment)

2. Eat a Palaeolithic style diet (good quality fat is incredibly important. Review info in ‘rituals and reminders for health for badass sober women’). If possible, incorporate high B12 foods like liver.

3. Spend time in nature with the sun on the skin

4. Create a calming, phone-free and electronic free night time routine where you wind down. Use calming herbal teas before bed like Valerian, passionflower and chamomile teas may help induce sleep. I also highly recommend essential oils in a body oil or diffuser than support the nervous system such as DoTERRA lavender, Frankincense, lavender peace, balance, peace, adaptive, chamomile, blue tansy or bergamot.

5. Move the body/compress the muscles regularly.

6. For added lymph support, dry body brush daily, (see info in ‘women and cellulite’ guide) and use essential oils that add flow and detox to the system like cypress and grapefruit (also in ‘women and cellulite’ guide).

7. Supplements can assist. Brands like Eagle, Metagenics, biocueticals, Thorne are good. Mg, B12, DK2, zinc. Lipsomal C. - doterra also do a phenomenal anti-inflammatory called ‘deep blue polyphenol complex’.

One of the frustrations I feel when educating on lifestyle changes is that women have been conditioned to ask and want QUICK FIXES. And so the idea of changing your life to see results can feel ‘too hard’. Which is ironic for a few reasons. 

1. We cannot change our lives without changing our lives.

2. How long have you felt like shit for?

3. Allopathic ‘help’ for hormone disruption is not a quick fix. The side-effects will domino for ever until and more meds will be prescribed until the root dis-ease is buried. Oftentimes you’ll feel worse, or, better in one area, worse in another ‘oh my skin has improved bit now I have chronic fatigue’. Or ‘I’m not having hot flushes anymore but I’m suffering severe anxiety’.

TRUST ME when I tell you that the path to wellbeing is not paved in Pharma meds. It exists within you already. Your body is the boss and it needs freedom and natural support to look after YOU.

Nature will help. 

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk. I hope this helps as I just finished writing this in the bathroom with the door closed so the kids can’t find me. ❤️☀️ 🌊