List of Endocrine System Problems:

We have all heard that hormonal imbalance is responsible for a myriad of diseases and conditions ranging from thyroid problems, bone diseases, heart diseases , diabetes and even pancreas problems. What are hormones and how come they play such an important role in our health?

Hormones are chemical compounds produced by our bodies naturally. A person’s endocrine system is in charge of balancing various types of hormones necessary for fulfillment of multiple bodily functions. Hormones are produced by a series of glands such as thyroid, adrenal glands, testicles, ovaries and pituitary gland. If a body is functioning properly, a fine hormonal balance is kept. However, due to an endless list of conditions this fine balance could be thrown off leading to a hormonal imbalance. Hormonal imbalance in America is most commonly manifested by an estrogen dominance caused by bad diets, lack of exercise, uncontrolled chronic stress and high levels of external estrogen-like compounds called xenoestrogens.

Let’s take a look what you can do personally to stop hormonal imbalance from ruining your health.

Look for alternatives to hormonal based birth control methods. Birth control pills and injectable birth control drugs are considered one of the most convenient and commonly used forms for family planning that are taken by 16 million American women. Hormonal based birth control methods work by interfering into a female’s hormonal system and preventing pregnancy in several different ways, namely, stopping ovulation from occurring, hindering fertilization or preventing a fertilized egg from embedding into a female’s uterus. Other females might be recommended to start using birth control pills to regulate their monthly cycles, control endometriosis or mid-cycle bleeding. Birth control pills are nothing more than synthetic hormones introduced to American public in the 1960’s. However, despite the convenience of these “magic” pills there comes a huge list of side effects you might not be aware of, including increased risk of certain cancers, hormonal imbalance, difficulty conceiving after going off the pill, osteoporosis, elevated blood pressure and the list goes on. Is your health worth risking by this seeming convenience? There are other fantastic methods of birth control that could be chosen individually by every woman with the help of her gynecologist that will not interfere so forcefully into a fine mechanism of female hormones. Some of the most effective barrier methods that are recommended as a natural alternative to synthetic hormonal pills are male and female condoms, diaphragms and cervical caps. These might not be as convenient but are absolutely safe and very effective once you take the time to learn how to use them. In addition, a lot of women successfully use temperature and mucus methods for family planning.

Rethink hormonal replacement therapy. When a female stops ovulating and having monthly menstrual cycles for a number of consecutive months, she has reached her menopausal mark. Some women go on living symptoms free after reaching menopause, however, some women develop a series of unpleasant symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and others specific to every woman. A conventional approach is to prescribe a synthetic estrogen that is supposed to replace a loss of natural estrogen source. According to holistic approach, this conventional hormonal replacement therapy is responsible for an increased risk of female cancers, heart disease, blood clots and others. Holistic professionals view menopause as a natural transitional time in the life of every female that needs no synthetic medication to manage. There are much safer alternative ways to gently address hot flashes and other bothering symptoms of menopause by ingesting a clean preservative-free diet, exercising and taking some of the best herbal remedies for menopause. Among such phytoestrogens that work great to help menopausal women are black cohosh, licorice root and ginseng. In addition, to help manage lost estrogen some women might find helpful applying natural progesterone cream that is ideally absorbed by the walls of your vagina. The special dosage must be tailored to every woman’s needs and chosen by your health care provider.

Eliminate common household toxins. Modern households are miniature chemical factories full of potentially dangerous chemical substances that gradually lead to a number of diseases and conditions, including hormonal imbalance. It has been estimated that an average woman uses up 15 different kinds of skincare and cosmetics products every morning. Most of these cosmetics contain toxic ingredients that interfere into normal endocrine function of our bodies leading to hormonal imbalance. If you add chemicals found in laundry detergents, cleaning products and various household items, the level of exposure to toxins is astounding. One should seriously consider replacing most of the household and self care products with safe and natural alternatives. Did you know that plastic bottles that most Americans use daily have estrogen-like effect on our bodies by supplying them with dangerous bisphenol A substances especially once the bottles are left in hot car, for example, or worse being re-used. Consider switching to glass or stainless steel bottles that are safe for you and the environment to avoid dangerous metabolic disorders down the road.

Control stress. Chronic stress contributes to adrenal glands exhaustion when a person’s body is no longer able to function properly triggering a myriad of conditions, including high blood pressure, nervous system disorders, high blood sugar levels and many more. Adrenal gland disorders cause serious emotional problems when patients can not react normally to everyday life events and blow these events out of proportion by reacting unusually to even the slightest problems. Becoming aware of how serious a stress can be for your health and how to control it is an important part of de-stressing your life. It’s highly unlikely you can eliminate stress altogether from your life, however you can take steps to make it controllable by trying various techniques of promoting well-being.