In a perfect world where all environmental factors are kept in check and your body faces little to no resistance, all our systems would work in perfect harmony with each other and all hormones would be balanced. Unfortunately, the environment we live in presents many problems to our bodies that cause our systems to work in overdrive to mitigate the problem at hand. This is effective for the short-term, however, after extended time in overdrive, these body systems start to shut down and rob Peter to pay Paul. It is at this point that hormones start to shift out of balance and you start to notice changes in your body.
Hormone levels can be knocked off balance by a number of different factors including:
When imbalance occurs, this affects downstream processes as well.
With your body producing over 50 different types of hormones, the variety of symptoms and downstream processes that are affected are quite broad and often non-specific which can include:
Women naturally experience strong hormonal changes throughout their life, many caused by their body preparing them for children and post-child life. With hormone levels fluctuating more heavily during these times, women may experience any of the following symptoms as a result of estrogen imbalance:
At Active Edge, we provide functional medicine services to help you identify your hormone imbalance and help restore normalcy. We believe that in the same way your hormones get out of balance, they can be rebalanced– naturally without the use of medication or additional hormones.
While there is no single test to check if all 50 hormones are in balance, our physicians have years of experience to help you determine if an imbalance is present. We may recommend various changes to help your body flush out excess hormones and support the organs necessary for balancing hormone deficiencies. Remedies may include:
As Doctors of Chiropractic, our education is based on the foundation that our bodies are intelligent and interconnected. Our curriculum includes more nutrition education than medical doctors and some of the most in-depth training in anatomy, microbiology, diagnosis, and vertebral subluxations. We recognize the importance of all systems functioning well together, focus on prevention, and continue to refine our knowledge to heal problems from the inside out.
With studies under some of the Functional Medicine greats including Bob Rakowski, Jeffery Bland, Mark Hyman, and Jeff Bryst, our doctors have spent countless hours enhancing their coaching techniques, studying bioavailable diagnostic tests (blood, hair, skin, nails ), and gaining in depth knowledge of supplements, tinctures, essential oils.
Our wide range of knowledge helps us see the whole body picture and provide the most comprehensive care to balance hormones, find the root of dysfunctions and help you activate your body’s potential. Patient’s often feel positive improvements in pain reduction, increased range of motion, enhanced energy, and more, as they implement the tools they need for healing naturally and holistically.
Hormone imbalance testing works best for women when they are between day 19 and 22 of their 28-day cycle. Progesterone levels and PMS symptoms peak at this time so this will indicate your highest levels. If you have a shorter or longer ovulating cycle, this date range would shift.
Hormone testing for men can happen on any day but testosterone levels are naturally the highest in the morning so testing is preferred to happen at this time.
Hormones have many different roles within your body and nutritional intake affects how much of a hormone is produced.
Insulin is the most common hormone that people are familiar with,in regards to food intake, as it plays a role in your blood sugar levels andand energy conversion. Insulin stores fat so a lower intake of carbohydrates means less fat storage thus less insulin needs to be produced.
Another hormone is Ghrelin which is responsible for hunger. Protein helps balance this hormone so eating more proteinactually makes you feel full.
Foods high in fiber like certain fruits, vegetables, and grains help regulate estrogen. Starchy foods like sweet potatoes help produce serotonin which makes you feel calm while also decreasing cortisol levels that are responsible for stress.
Anything you put into your body – food, supplements, alcohol – affects hormones and thus your hormone balance.
Generally speaking, losing weight has to do with how many calories you eat versus how many you burn each day. Burning more calories than you intake will require your body to break down fat to produce energy which, in turn, will make you lose weight. However its is becoming increasingly important to look at what is in/on those calories (pesticides/herbicides, GMO’s, preservatives and additives This can be performed a few different ways:
The basics like eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep, and reducing stress all affect varying hormones. If you are not doing one or more of these, changing your lifestyle to accommodate can bring your hormones back in balance.
At this point, you are feeling better than you ever thought you could as you are feeling energized and thriving. You have learned a lot about your body, you are moving more efficiently, you understand your body’s cues, and you have a good idea of what to do with these cues. This means you get to try new things, achieve new goals, and conquer new challenges! As you do, we will be here as your resource, as needed, to help you nourish, boost, and refresh your health.
Pain is generally the last symptom to show up and the first to go away. This means that by the time you realize there is a problem, there has been a problem for a long time. Especially for chronic or recurring issues, understanding how you got to where you are is so important for getting to where you want to go. In this stage of your journey, you will resolve underlying dysfunction, remove cheats, and retrain habits. As we aid you in activating your body’s natural healing potential, we will help you regain movement, energy, and body function both inside and outside. Throughout this process, you will start to feel greater ease and inspiration as you restore communication and efficiency in your body. Together, we will constantly assess, observe, and reassess your body’s responses to boost your results.
You are your own person, with your own collection of life events which brought you to where you are today. You deserve to be heard, seen, and treated as the individual you are. Your journey begins with your Discovery Evaluation. This first visit includes your exam which works to uncover the root of your issue(s), new patient diagnostics, and, of course, your first treatment. This is how we will help you begin connecting the dots and feeling better. After your first treatment, we will ask you to observe your body’s responses– good, bad, or indifferent. There is no wrong answer as this is just starting point information and direction for moving forward. In your second visit, we will review this feedback and your diagnostics to further identify potential underlying causes and compensations. We will combine everything we have learned about you, consider your goals, and together create a plan to resolve your concerns from the roots up.
