Top 3 Tips to Keep Estrogen in Check!
Estrogen gets a bad rep, but “she” does amazing things for you! Estrogen makes you feel sexy, frisky, strong, vital, and alive! Estrogen is what tells your brain to then tell your ovaries to ovulate. Estrogen builds bone, makes your brain sharp, and your uterine lining juicy thick for implantation to occur as well as making slippery fertile cervical mucus for you. Estrogen plumps up your skin cells and clears up acne. “She” even keeps your cardiovascular system healthy! Estrogen is known as the most classic “female” hormone. This hormone is made by your ovaries.
So, why the bad rep?
Too much estrogen or “estrogen dominance” is a relative term in relationship to other hormones in the body like progesterone. It is easy to become “estrogen dominant” over the age of 35 as anovulatory cycles become more common. The only way your body makes progesterone is when you ovulate and progesterone helps to balance out some of the effects estrogen does have on the body. For example, estrogen in her wild yang character grows things like the uterine lining. If left uncheck, the uterine lining may grow too thick and lead to heavy periods as all that thick lining needs to be shed, hence heavy flow. Too much estrogen relative to other hormones in your body has been linked to worsened endometriosis symptoms, fibroids, breast cancer, endometrial cancer, even bloating, breast tenderness, weight gain, headaches, insomnia and other non-disease symptoms that are not particularly fun. Another reason estrogen easily becomes out of balance in relation to other hormones in the body is that a lot of chemicals such as plastics mimic estrogen in the body. These chemicals can actually weakly bind to estrogen receptors and cause problems.
Here are 3 tips to help keep estrogen (and other hormones) happy and healthy
1) Eat a balanced diet -one rich in veggies like broccoli, broccoli sprouts, dark leafy greens, kale, and cauliflower. These veggies are known as cruciferous vegetables and contain functional nutrients known as indole-3-carbinol (I3C), sulforaphane, and di-indole-methan (DIM) that assist in proper estrogen detoxification, which is key.
2) Support optimal digestion -ie) poop regularly. Estrogen is excreted through your stool. If you are not going #2 regularly, that stool that sits in your intestines allows estrogen to be reabsorbed back into your bloodstream for another round of action when really what you need to do is to clear it out as more is being made.
3) Avoid outside estrogens (known as xenoestrogens). You can’t avoid all toxins, but whenever possible, avoid your exposure to environmental estrogens. Avoid plastics, receipt paper (which contains BPA, a potent xenoestrogen), and phthalates (which are in most fragrances and many other products). Consider what you put ON your body, not just what you put IN your body. Choose glass over plastic, swap out *fragrance for essential oils or unscented products, and check your beauty, hair, and skincare products.
If you need more help with any hormonal symptoms you are experiencing or you are not sure what your symptoms are hormonal or not, book an appointment today!