A LITTLE BACKSTORY
My hormonal imbalance symptoms were out of control but at the time I had no idea that's what it was. I personally, had never even heard of hormonal imbalance and initially, my doctor didn’t tell me. All I knew was I had an irregular cycle that was completely taking over my life and I needed to find some relief.
Maybe you’re also searching for relief, I’m hoping I can share with you some ideas to help you manage your hormone imbalance naturally and get those symptoms and your life back in control. This article is definitely not a replacement for research and it is not medical advice, I encourage you to speak to your doctor.
MY FIRST SIGNS OF HORMONAL IMBALANCE
My first sign of hormonal imbalance was my irregular cycle, it literally wouldn’t stop. Once realizing it wasn’t going to stop on its own, I went to see my doctor, and I did exactly what they told me to do, which was, to take birth control pills to try to regulate it. But when I wasn't getting the results I wanted, I put my health into my own hands by looking for natural alternatives that I could try and that is when I discovered a clean-living lifestyle.
WHAT IS CLEAN LIVING?
Have you ever heard the term clean living? Some people may call it going natural, low toxic living, green living, plant-based living, and others describe it as, chemical-free living. But what does it mean? Clean living means you're trying to cut back on the chemicals you use in your products and in your home.
Clean living is becoming conscious of what you use, people who have chosen this lifestyle do our best to avoid synthetic fragrances and other chemical ingredients. Sometimes we make our own products so we can control the ingredients and other times we look for natural swaps to purchase. Most of us use a ton of plant-based ingredients, essential oils, herbs, etc. Some of us have even gone a step further, to make a conscious effort to decrease waste, eat more plant-based foods, and make and grow a lot of our own products and foods.
This journey is your choice, and you get to decide how far you want to go with it. Personally, I do what I want. I avoid as many chemical products as I can, but if it’s something I really like I still may use it.
WHY CLEAN LIVING?
The reason I decided to start this journey to clean living, is because through my research I realized that it was a ton of ingredients in my daily products that could be causing my hormones to be disrupted.
For instance, synthetic fragrances, and harsh preservatives, have been known as EDCs. EDCs stand for, endocrine-disrupting chemicals. In case you’re asking what they are, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, are chemicals that could mimic hormones, which can cause a disruption in your hormone levels and your health. At least that’s my understanding.
Hormones are the body’s chemical messengers. They travel in your bloodstream to different organs, and over time, if the wrong thing travels through, and it’s sending the wrong message it could be the root of hormonal imbalance as well as other health problems.
WHAT IS A HORMONE IMBALANCE?
Hormonal imbalance can sometimes happen when we have too much or too little of one or more hormones. Sometimes having too much estrogen and not enough progesterone for instance can be a reason, this is known as estrogen dominance.
Isn’t that facinating? I’ve been researching this a lot because it’s so interesting to me. Learning and understanding how your body works and what your body is trying to communicate at different times is a game changer. But I have no intention, of trying to come off as an expert in this subject. If you want to learn more about it from the pros I suggest checking out the Endocrine Society website www.endocrine.org they have videos and graphics explaining this more in-depth.
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF HORMONAL IMBALANCE?
What I found interesting when studying this is, some of the symptoms of hormonal imbalance could actually be something else. That’s why I definitely needed to speak to my doctor first and why I encourage you to do the same. Because you want to be sure. But here are some signs of hormonal imbalance you might want to look out for, especially if you’re in your 30s.
Fatigue, stress, irregular cycles, infertility, irritability, mood swings, bloating, weight gain, weight loss struggles, blood sugar issues, trouble concentrating, night sweats, low libido, acne, anxiety, painful periods, hair loss, chin hairs, constipation, exhaustion, and brain fog.
Although, hormonal imbalance symptoms can look different for each individual, these are some of the signs.
HOW CAN CLEAN LIVING HELP BALANCE HORMONES NATURALLY
If you are suffering from any of these symptoms, I promise you are not alone. I 100% believe that if you decide to try a clean living lifestyle you will start to feel some relief. The way I see it is, it is power in nature, and even if you don’t get all the results you’re looking for, it’s no way to choose healthier alternatives and not feel some type of positive change or relief, right?
The reason I so strongly believe clean living can help balance hormones naturally is that some hormonal imbalances can come from using endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Understanding those chemicals mimic hormones which can cause the imbalance, it makes sense to limit your exposure to them.
HOW TO START A CLEAN LIVING LIFESTYLE?
So where do you start? I encourage you to take your time. You will not be able to make a bunch of changes and do a ton of research all at once, or you’ll become overwhelmed fast. I know I did in the beginning, I thought to myself many times when looking at different ingredients and the side effects “I can’t use anything”.
So to make this simple I will break this down into steps
5 Easy Steps To Start Clean Living
Step 1
Download the app Think Dirty, EWG, YUKA, or even the app
Bobby Approved
Step 2
Begin scanning your items around your home, take one room at a time. The items you scan that end up in the color red are the ones you want to find natural swaps for first.
Step 3
Start choosing healthier alternatives, most things you can make yourself but it is companies out there that have chosen to make natural products for us so find the ones you like.
Step 4
Don’t break the budget. Trust me you can do this on a budget. Create a budget and stick to it.
Step 5
I strongly suggest investing in essential oils. A good, quality brand of essential oils.
Why
In the beginning, trying to research every single ingredient is very time-consuming.
Why
Because the items that scan red, are usually the most toxic and the ones that could be linked to health problems.
Why
I personally make some things but other products I buy because it’s cheaper.
Why
Natural products can get expensive, and companies know that. They will try to get you to buy everything because it’s their job. Don’t fall for it!
Why
Essential oils are powerful, natural, and versatile. You can use them for health benefits, cleaning properties, or just to replace your synthetic fragrances. It’s a great investment.
Making these simple steps to a clean living lifestyle will help you start limiting your exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals. Which will also help you avoid using products that disrupt the balance of your hormones. I don’t know if it will fix the problem for you completely but it is a start to give your body time to try to get balanced again.
For me, the results were so amazing I never looked back. I got my cycle regular again, the cramps weren’t half as bad, I no longer coughed when I cleaned, also, the dizziness went away.
In conclusion, I started to see less and less of those hormonal imbalance symptoms. It’s been wonderful, but I still have a long way to go. Every day I am learning about a new thing to swap out, and sometimes it’s hard for me to make the switch because I just love certain brands. But that’s when I remind myself every single one of our clean living journeys is our own. So do you boo!
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