Reason Behind your Hormonal Imbalance and How to Combat them with Natural Tricks

Abstract

By hearing the word “Hormonal Imbalance” we all got Panic!!! But, there is no need to worry when we have Ayurveda with us. Ayurveda is an ancient healing system which is originated in India over thousands of years ago that focuses on balanced body and mind by considering the “tridosha’s theory” (3 most important energies in the body- vaat, pitts and kapha) or “panchmahabhuta theory” (5 essential component for life — Aakash, Vaayu, Agni, Jal, Prithvi i.e., the free space, air, fire, water and earth).

Before studying the reason for hormonal imbalance we need to understand what ‘hormonal imbalance’ is and how it ultimately affects the wellbeing of our body?

Introduction

Hormones are the chemical messengers present in our body to carry out various functions like controlling body temperature, regulating metabolism of the body, etc.

An imbalance occurs when there is too much or too little amount of one or more hormones in the body. They are important for regulating different processes in the body including appetite, metabolism, sleep cycle, reproductive cycle, body temperature and mood.

Below listed are some hormones present inside human body

• Growth Hormone – Important in cell reproduction, human development, cell regeneration.
• Estrogen – It is released from the ovaries, responsible for menstruation, reproduction and menopause. Excess of this hormone increases the risk of Breast Cancer, Acne, Skin Lesion and Hair loss, etc.
• Progesterone – Gets produced while a woman gets pregnant and helps in maintaining pregnancy, regulation of menstrual cycle and when pregnancy doesn’t occur, its level reduces in the body.
• Testosterone – Male Sex Hormone helps in the development of male reproductive parts like Testes. Its imbalance of can lead to abnormality including impotency and there is mass bone loss inside the body.
• Insulin– Gets secreted from Pancreas, its function is to control the blood sugar level inside the body.
• Adrenaline – Also known as ‘emergency hormones’/ flight and fright hormone, which make the individual to think and respond quickly to the stress. It increases the metabolic rate, quickly releases bloodstream and sends impulse to organs in order to create specific responses.

Causes

Hormonal imbalance can be caused due to any or more of the following reasons:

• Any kind of tumor present in your body.
• Medication like steroidal drugs.
• Not eating properly, if one has a gap of more than 7-8 hours in between meals or eats frequently without maintaining a proper gap of at least 3-4 hours.
• Injury / trauma to the body.
• Food rich in saturated and hydrogenated fats like red meat or processed meat.
• Lack of exercise or physical activities.
• Eating unhealthy fat present in junk food.
• Due to any mental pressure.
• One who is over anxious and gets irritated very easily.
• Having a sedentary lifestyle.
• Due to increased adulteration in food articles, we eat in today’s world containing preservatives or other harmful substances that can deteriorate our health.

What Ayurveda has in its Treasure Related to Hormonal Balance?

According to Ayurveda, we need to follow the “ Pathya-Apathya & Hit-Ahit Aahara Vihaar” (do’s & don’ts to be adopted in diet and lifestyle) as mentioned by Acharya Charaka in sutrasthana chapter 25 Yajjah Purusha adhyaya.

It states that the food items which are not harmful for body channels (srotas) and suitable for the heart, body and mind are known as ‘Pathya’. Opposite to that, harmful food is called ‘Apathya’. But, these pathya–apathya (Do’s and Don’ts) vary from person to person according to their prakriti.

Examples

1. Moong dal is considered to be Pathyatam Shambi Dhaanya (pulse) i.e. best among all kinds of pulses as it possesses light potency (Laghu Gun) means it can be easily digested without causing any kind of gastric problem.
2. Udad dal is Apathyam Shambi Dhaanya i.e., unhealthiest among all pulses as it is heavy, hot and pungent. All these qualities make this pulse toughest to digest leading to various digestive problems.
3. Mridvika (Grapes & Raisins) are Pathyam Fal (fruit), as they are great stress relievers and energies the body.

To keep hormonal balance in our body, we need to follow the proper protocol for diet and lifestyle depending upon the constitution of our body. As anything which we eat ultimately affects the body functions, thus, may lead to various diseases like hyper / hypothyroidism, etc.

Symptoms of Hormonal Imbalance

The most common symptoms that are seen in the persons with imbalance hormonal levels are:

• Irritability
• Increased hunger
• Mood swings
• Fatigue
• Muscle weakness
• Increased or decreased heart rate.

Other than these, some symptoms occur specifically in females and males as enlisted below:

Symptoms in Female:

• Heavy, irregular, missed or frequent periods.
• Excessive hair on the face, chin or other parts of the body.
• Acne on face, chest and upper back.
• Night sweats.

Symptoms in Males:

• Development of breast tissue.
• Erectile dysfunction
• Decrease in beard and body hair growth
• Loss of muscle mass
• Decreased bone mass and density.
• Hot flushes

How Physicians Diagnose Hormonal Imbalance?

Hormonal Imbalance can be confirmed by the physicians with the help of some tests.

• Complete blood count test
• Thyroid function test
• Estrogen, testosterone and cortisol level
• Through evaluating the signs and symptoms of the patient.

Natural Prevention & Treatment Tricks for Hormonal Imbalance

Let’s start with the dietary recommendations. Try to eat healthy homemade food and restrict the intake of Junk food. Avoid overeating or undereating.

Tips for Balanced Diet

1. Healthy Fats: Add healthy fats in your diet for optimal hormonal Our body needs the right amount of good fats as hormones thrive on fat production.
2. Essential Oil: It is extremely beneficial for hormonal production and promotes weight loss. It also provides a quick source of energy and speeds up the metabolism. They are considered as building blocks for hormonal imbalance.
3. Egg: These are rich in numerous vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron & selenium. Also, helps in maintaining a healthy skin.
4. Nuts: Nuts like Walnut, Almond, and Cashew nuts are rich in omega 3 fatty acids that have anti-inflammatory effects and prevent rise in inflammation in any part of the body.
5. Probiotics: An improper digestive system & inflammation lead to hormonal imbalance. Probiotic food helps in preventing gut It includes curd, buttermilk, fermented foods that can be easily made at home and considered as the perfect solutions for optimal gut health.
6. Homemade Butter / Ghee: They provide a rich source of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E & K, or one can also use avocado oil, olive oil as substitution.
7. Healthy Drinks: Drink green tea or any kind of herbal tea. Avoid coffee, and tea as they contain a rich amount of Caffeine that can have a suppressive effect on our brain cells.

Things to be Added in Lifestyle

1. Exercise – It is a must and has a positive effect on hormones. Restorative exercises like Yoga helps reduce stress hormones & resistance training like Pilates & weight training help to release hormones in optimum levels. Some asanas are particularly effective in certain hormonal imbalances like: In Polycystic Ovarian Disease (PCOD): dhanurasana, baddhakonn asana, naukasana. For weight loss: Sarvang asana, trikon asana, kati chakrasana, surya namaskar, etc.
2. Jogging- Go for a jog early in the morning it keeps the body stimulated in a better way and increases the efficiency of the respiratory and cardiovascular system in the body.
3. Pranayam (Breathing exercises) has a positive impact on lungs & heart and can be easily practiced by everybody irrespective of their age. Pranayama consists of 3 phases: purak (inhalation), 2. kumbhak (retention), and 3. rechak (exhalation). These can be practiced either alone or with combination.
4. Brahmari Pranayama- It helps in calming down the body, stimulates thyroid gland & promotes its functioning, and has a beneficial role in sore throat, respiratory & voice related disorders. How to do this? Sit in any comfortable position then inhale & exhale slowly through the nostrils, while exhaling we have to produce a humming sound by keeping lips shut and keeping both index fingers on each ear to cover them.
5. Meditation: It is a concentration enhancing practice / exercise that improves the thinking power, relaxes the mind & body and makes you feel connected to your conscience and at more peace.

Ayurvedic Treatment Protocol

In general, Ayurveda stated that every vikruti (imbalance) in our body is based upon a person’s Aahar (diet choice) along with Vihar (lifestyle). Panchkarma (detoxification procedure) is an oldest treatment modality which was used in ancient times by our Acharya as a deep cleansing procedure. In this, the medicated oils are used to take out the harmful toxins from the body.

It includes:

1. Deepan- pachan: digestion of food inside your body.
2. Snehan- using oil (sneh) to soften your body either by oral route or local application.
3. Svedan- (steaming procedure) herbal steam is applied to the body.
4. Vaman karma- In this, Doshas are excreted from the body through oral route, very useful in removing ‘vitiated kapha dosha’ from the body.
5. Virechan karma- In this, Doshas are taken out from the body by means of therapeutic purgation and this procedure is most effective for treating pitta dosha related disorders.
6. Basti karma- effective for removing out ‘vitiated vata dosha’ from the body.

Conclusion

We can conclude that treatment for hormonal imbalance in modern medicine is not much effective as they mostly are focused on providing symptomatic treatment such as using steroidal and hormonal replacement therapy to combat the imbalance, but the disease cannot be treated at the root level. In Ayurveda, we focus on eliminating the disease from the roots with respect to the base level of each dosha’s abnormality.

To have the best personalized details and information about the same or other health concern, contact “Planet Ayurveda”, a leading manufacturing unit serving mankind with a goal of ‘’Health with Herbs & Holistic Approach”. A team of Ayurveda experts from the house is giving their best to help people through traditional medicines with a mix of latest technology. The services are available through website, email, online video consultations and the Ayurvedic clinic, based at Mohali. Feel free to reach.