Natural Hormonal Balance

What exactly is a Natural Hormonal Balance? Our bodies create and use different substances needed for each of our systems to work properly. Hormones are chemicals found naturally in animals’ as well as in human’s bodies.  These chemicals control processes like growth, metabolism, and fertility. Nowadays we have the so called synthetic hormones, which have been created for a number of purposes, like the treatment of hormonal disorders in people, and also for promotion of unnaturally fast growth in farm animals

The use of these synthetic hormones is highly controversial, so much for animals as it is for humans.

For instance, many women are now undergoing HRT (hormone replacement therapy). HRT is a mix of synthetic estrogen and progestin, designed to “replace” a woman’s decreasing hormone levels in order to relief their bothersome menopausal symptoms. Unfortunately recent researches prove HRT effects to be more dangerous than previously studied.
In July of 2002, a study undertaken by the National Institute of Health and the Women’s Health institute was stopped due to an increased risk for an invasive form of breast cancer, as well as increased odds for heart attack, stroke, and blood clots, in women taking HRT as a treatment for menopause.

Therefore, doctors will now advise women who have had breast cancer not to take hormone replacement therapy. This is because HRT also contains estrogen, and this hormone is associated with the growth of certain types of cancer cells.

Our bodies should naturally create and balance its own hormones. Synthetic additions should not be necessary. However, our diet and exercise habits, needed for most of our body’s systems to work properly, are often very poor. Even during natural hormonal changes, like menstrual periods, and menopause, our bodies should have a natural way to bringing its hormones levels back to normal after the monthly changes. However, our unhealthy habits do interfere with the regulation of a woman’s hormones, making the processes sometimes painful and uncomfortable.

There are many consequences to a hormonal unbalanced body. For women, pain during her menstrual cycle, severe menopausal symptoms, lack of energy, change in skin and quality, are some of the common consequences. In men, a decrease of sexual libido as he ages (same for women), decrease in energy, decrease in sperm production and quality (giving him a smaller chance to fertilize) are common factors.

The good news is that there are ways to naturally balance our hormones, without taking synthetic ones. For instance, modifying our lifestyles is the first natural step.  Start with the intake of a healthy and balanced diet; add regular and moderate exercise, and stop bad habits like drinking alcohol and smoking.

There are also many natural supplements available in the market which can help us achieve a hormonal balance. Peruvian-Maca,  Beta-carotene, Selenium, Vitamin E, Vitamin C, Zinc, Fatty Acids, Pycnogenol, Goldenseal, Calcium, royal jelly, and ginkgo biloba are among the recommended ones.

There is no doubt nature offers us many resources to alleviate different symptoms and to fulfill different needs. Perhaps we underestimate the importance of our life’s attitude towards healthier diets and exercise, fortunately for those millions of people who suffer from the effects of hormonal unbalances, there is always the hope of the safer relief that only nature provides.