Oh ya…and blame on all of our weight problems and everything else. If you spend any amount of time on social media, odds are, you have heard the babble about hormones. There are some wild claims that if your hormones are out of whack, it will be impossible to lose weight, be in a good mood, stop crying and yelling and more than a handful of other issues. It’s hard to know what is truth, and sort it all out.
Regardless of what you have heard, you can’t diagnose a hormone problem yourself. You can’t walk your way out of it or do the right kind of exercise. These things might be helpful but first you have to know and understand what you are dealing with. Of course, like anything, there are symptoms to watch for but without some concrete evidence through the work of your medical provider and some specific blood tests, you can really only guess at the issues you may be facing and a guess, just isn’t good enough.
The main hormones that are trending right now, for women to be aware of are, testosterone, progesterone, estrogen and thyroid. The system of our hormones is a complicated machine and any number of environmental, emotional and physical changes can affect them. Even something as simple as a stressful day can disrupt more than one hormone. This makes the whole notion of balancing them, a serious feat of attention and science.
Hormones are chemical messengers that are produced in the endocrine system of our body as well as other areas like the gut mucosa, kidneys and even fat, to name a few. All of these hormones work together with one another to create a balanced state of health. So, it’s not enough to focus on one hormone and hope for better days ahead. This is why, you really need the expertise of your doctor.
If you have an imbalance in one or more of your hormones, for some time, your body will compensate with a series of intricacies to fill in the shortages and gaps. As this process continues, and the stress on these back up systems continue, we will begin to feel and see problems. Be careful with the accounts you follow on social media and the way they simplify the issues and even provide a false narrative of what it is and how to fix it.
For example, just about every post on PCOS claims it is a hormonal imbalance but in reality, it’s a nutritional imbalance that affects our hormones. It’s a common problem and you don’t have to look far to find a woman affected by this health issue. It can’t be fixed in a day as you may be lead to believe, but it can truly be addressed, and a resolve achieved, over time, as better quality nutrition is replaces a high sugar, over processed diet we choose in our hurried state of life.
If you find yourself with new sleep problems, unexplained weight gain, hair loss, extra amounts of fatigue or moodiness, it’s time to check in with us at Madison Women’s Clinic. We can do a full work up and discover what has gone awry and set you on a course to better health. When you know more, you can do more to help yourself and restore the good health you once enjoyed.
