You can think of hormones as a type of messenger in the body. They take information from one gland and they ‘deliver’ that message to another area of the body. E.g. the pituitary gland in your brain delivers messages to your ovaries and the uterus every month and they tell the ovaries what to do and when to do it. So often in my practice I see women where these messages are not sent correctly – e.g. sometimes too much of a hormone is sent e.g. oestrogen which can be responsible for swollen and sore breasts throughout the menstrual cycle and is well known to be responsible for some cancers. However, too little of the same hormone is not great either and can be responsible for hot flushes, dry, wrinkled skin. Two conditions in particular I see too often in clinical practice are poly cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis. PCOS is a condition that generally leaves women having very irregular, or completely non-existent menstrual cycles, mostly due to insulin resistance and elevated androgen’s, i.e. male hormones. As you can imagine, this condition can impact fertility tremendously. Whilst Endometriosis, is incredibly impacted by hormones, more and more research on this particular condition suggests it is better defined as an inflammatory disease that causes tissue growth similar to your uterine lining to grow throughout the pelvis on structures including the ovaries. It can cause terrible pain, scarring of the uterine cavity and infertility. Whilst there is no one size fits all approach when it comes to naturopathic healthcare, there is so much that can be offered safely to my clients to not only support the symptoms of these conditions but to restore hormonal health and harmony back to the body quickly. Here are my most therapeutic picks;

Zinc

Zinc improves ovarian function and encourages healthy menstrual cycle by decreasing male hormones/androgens and increasing progesterone.

Licorice

Licorice has been shown in clinical studies to reduce testosterone in women and normalizes the pituitary gland.

Fibre

Pure and simple. It is through our stool that we clear unwanted hormones, particularly oestrogen so healthy digestion and elimination is a must.

NAC

N-acetyl cysteine is a potent anti-inflammatory nutrient for the body so a perfect addition to women suffering from endometriosis. It also lays down the foundations by providing all the necessary pre-cursors for the body to make the most potent detoxifier substance in the body, i.e. glutathione.

Turmeric

This incredible herb works to block the stimulating effect of oestrogen on the body and has been shown to reduce the size and activity of endometrial lesions in the body. Most importantly, turmeric is very safe to take long term.

Protein

Protein and the amino acids it breaks down to provides the building blocks to detoxify and rebuild healthy tissue in the body.

Broccoli sprout powder

This super food is great for detoxification – particularly the process of making toxins ‘not harmful in the body and ensure their safe removal through the bowel, kidneys, lungs and/or skin.