Hey readers, guess what? As you’re sitting there right now, the hormones in your body are making everything awesome–or not. These signaling molecules tell your body what work to do, when to do it and for how long. They’re like a bunch of tiny bosses, and how well they run the office has a pretty strong impact on your health and how you feel in general.
Naturally, when your hormones aren’t balanced, it can wreck havoc on your body. For women, for example, it can mean hot flashes, skin breakouts, stomach trouble and more. For men, it can bring weight gain, tiredness, trouble sleeping and other negative effects. To get yourself started on the way to a more level you, here’s what you can try.
Find out what’s lacking
You can have your hormone levels tested by a medical professional to see where you are lacking. Like many other facets of life, too much isn’t good; hormone levels that are too high aren’t any better than those that are too low. When you know what your baseline is, you’ll be able to target the hormones that are out of whack instead of messing up in areas where your body is doing just fine. As you make adjustments, you may want to get more testing done to see what’s working and what isn’t.
Eat more real food
Processed food in general just isn’t good news for your hormones. Dangerous types of fats and refined carbs can cause hormone levels to rise, and this may even be behind menopausal symptom severity for women. Sugar, unhealthy oils, processed salt and other chemical additives can alter critical hormone levels and are to be avoided as much as possible, too.
Try Ashwagandha for your thyroid
Your thyroid hormones are responsible for the all-important speed of your metabolism, and some studies have found that the herb may help normalize thyroid levels. In a study in the The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, researchers found that Ashwagandha boosted thyroid levels when compared to a placebo they used (https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/acm.2017.0183). The study used 600 mg daily doses of the root extract, but there is not yet a consensus on the ideal dose. Keep in mind that if taken in very large quantities, Ashwagandha can cause stomach upset.
Your hormones, though they’re never seen, have a profound impact on how you feel and your health every single day. Remember the tips above so you can get your hormones back on a level playing field.
