Balance Your Hormones Naturally With These Effective Solutions

By Contributing Author: Helen Sanders

 

Hormones are the chemical messengers in your body that regulate all aspects of life. Some examples include estrogen, testosterone, adrenaline and insulin. They all have a number of important roles in the body and when even slightly out of balance, they can cause widespread health problems.

Hormones are produced by various glands including your thyroid, adrenals, pituitary, ovaries, testicles and pancreas. Imbalances are common, however, their treatment normally includes the use of synthetic hormone replacement. This leaves people dependent upon prescription drugs and at higher risk of side effects like osteoporosis, stroke, anxiety and reproductive issues.

Finding natural ways to balance your hormones can be a simple yet effective solution without the worry of nasty side effects associated with synthetic treatments. So let us take a look at how to naturally balance your hormones.

Start By Eliminating All Toxic Kitchen, Beauty and Body Products.

Every single day we expose ourselves to harmful chemicals without thinking twice about it. We clean our kitchens, we apply lotions and potions to our skin along with cosmetics in an attempt to enhance our appearance.

However, many of the products we come into contact with on a daily basis are made with potentially harmful chemical ingredients including DEA, parabens, propylene glycol and sodium lauryl sulfate.

The best way to prevent harm is to use natural alternatives like essential oils and coconut oil.

You would be astounded at the sheer amount of uses coconut oil has – from making an excellent moisturizer to an antibacterial cleaner for your home.

Of course, knowing which products are safe and which should be swiftly thrown in the trash can be difficult. This is why the Environmental Working Group evaluated over 72,000 products, ranking them in an easy-to-understand guide. If you check the EWG’s “Skin Deep Cosmetic Database” you can see which products to use and which to steer clear of, making sure you know exactly which product to disregard and keep your family safe.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Exercise is an excellent tool for balancing hormones as well as promoting overall health and wellbeing by reducing inflammation, promoting sleep, lowering stress and helping you to maintain a healthy weight.

Those with hormonal imbalances are at higher risk of adding stress to their system through long periods of exercise which can further increase the imbalance. This is why working out at shorter periods with a high intensity – such as high intensity interval training – is more beneficial.

In fact, a study conducted by the University of Notre Dame Medical School in Sydney, showed that “HIT is associated with increased patient compliance and improved cardiovascular and metabolic outcomes and is suitable for implementation in both healthy and ‘at risk’ populations” (source).

Eat More Healthy Fats

Fatty acids are essential building blocks for the production of hormones. Consuming foods with short, medium and long chain fatty acids is key to keeping your hormone levels consistent (source).

Get More Sleep

Lack of sleep can be detrimental to your body for a number of reasons, one of which being the fact it can significantly affect your hormones.

Lack of sleep is one of the three biggest contributors to excessive levels of cortisol (the stress hormone). A report published in the Indian Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism stated that “Stress can lead to changes in the serum level of many hormones including glucocorticoids, catecholamines, growth hormone and prolactin” (source).

Hormones work on a schedule, therefore a normal sleeping pattern is a big contributor to the regulation of hormones. Cortisol for example, is regulated at midnight, so people who sleep after this time never truly a break from their stress response.

Getting enough sleep (7 to 8 hours per night) is the best way to not only regulate hormones but also improve immunity, reduce anxiety and prevent excessive weight gain.

Final Thoughts

Hormonal imbalances affect millions of people every day. Many present themselves in forms most people don’t associate with an imbalance of hormones such as thyroid dysfunction, diabetes, menstrual irregularities and infertility.

Changes in weight, ongoing feelings of anxiety, insomnia, and changes in appetite are all symptoms of hormonal imbalance which can be addressed with natural solutions.

Controlling stress, getting enough sleep, exercising and removing harmful toxins are just a few ways to naturally balance your hormones. Even if you do not feel your hormones are out of balance, these good habits make healthy additions to your life and promote overall health and wellbeing.

 

 About The Author

Helen Sanders is chief editor at HealthAmbition.com. Established in 2012, Health Ambition has grown rapidly in recent years. Our goal is to provide easy-to-understand health and nutrition advice that makes a real impact. We pride ourselves on making sure our actionable advice can be followed by regular people with busy lives.

The Healing Benefits of Manuka Honey

While honey has been around for a very long time as a healing remedy, it has been only recently that it is making a comeback.

As a woman with herpes and a doctor who supports these women, I am always looking for natural ways to manage herpes symptoms.

I have known about the healing properties of honey, but after reading a Dr. Mercola article about herpes and honey, I now realize that Grade A honey from the grocery store could actually make herpes symptoms worse. You MUST use Manuka honey!

According to one study, when a researcher treated patients with Acylovir for one herpes outbreak and honey for another, the overall healing time with honey was 43% better than Acyclovir for cold sores and 59% better for genital sores. (Nutrition and Healing)

 AND

 There were NO side effects with the honey!

 So, if you are a woman with herpes and you want to:

-speed up your healing
-decrease pain associated with outbreaks
-reduce crusting of sores

Here’s what you need to know.

-DON’T try to use Grade A honey from a grocery story. Why? It has been linked to increased herpes symptoms

-You must use Manuka honey from New Zealand. It is actually considered a medical device.

-Honey works by drawing out liquid from a wound and killing off local microorganisms. It also contains an enzyme that releases hydrogen peroxide when it comes in contact with a wound.

Here’s what you’ll need to DO

-Use Raw Manuka honey- in liquid or semi liquid state

-Apply honey 4 or more times/day (if you are a women treating genital herpes sores, panty liners can helpful)

 (As a side note, eating local honey from your area can help with allergies!)

The Health Benefits of Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar For Your Immune System

By Contributing Author: Helen Sanders

Most people have heard of apple cider vinegar, even if as nothing more than an addition to your favorite salad dressing. However, raw apple cider vinegar (sometimes called ACV for short) has been praised for centuries for its medicinal properties. Drinking a small amount of this yeasty, fermented goodness daily can offer a huge host of health benefits, most notably, boosting and aiding the function of your immune system.

For those infected by the herpes virus, boosting your immunity is one of the best ways to prevent future outbreaks. Therefore, making dietary additions that can benefit your immune system can keep the virus at bay and help prevent any herpes related health complications.

 

What Is Apple Cider Vinegar?

Raw, organic apple cider vinegar is made from (as the name suggests) organic apples. Because it is not pasteurized, the apples maintain many of their nutritional benefits. Plus, due to the two fermentation processes needed to make ACV, a number of enzymes are produced. This makes ACV the magic, life giving, cure-all elixir so many people claim it to be.

 

How Does Apple Cider Vinegar Benefit the Immune System?

There are a number of properties in ACV that can aid the immune system in one way or another. ACV contains potent malic acid. This is a strong antiviral and one reason why many people who drink ACV daily feel their immunity is boosted as they do not experience as many colds or other viral infections.

Furthermore, apple cider vinegar is rich in vitamins, minerals and enzymes all of which are beneficial to the body.

Finally, many varieties of apple cider vinegar contain probiotic microorganisms.  As your gut flora is imperative to maintaining a healthy immune system, using apple cider vinegar to promote the growth of good bacteria could just improve your overall immunity.

 

Does Drinking Apple Cider Vinegar Offer Other Health Benefits?

A daily dose of ACV can provide you with a plethora of health benefits in addition to boosting your immune system. These include:

• Aiding digestion
• Promoting weight loss
• Regulates blood sugar
• Lowers blood pressure
• Aids skin complexion
• Promotes beautiful, shiny hair

 

How Should You Use Apple Cider Vinegar?

As the name suggests, ACV s a vinegar and is incredibly acidic with a sharp, sour taste. It should therefore never be sipped straight from the bottle, it must be diluted.

It should be mixed into an easy to consume detox drink, mixing it with water, some honey and a twist of lemon. This will help to not only dilute the fermented fruit, but also take away some of its sharp sourness. If you are interested in trying your own apple cider vinegar detox drink, you can use this recipe to create your own at home.

 

Which Types of Apple Cider Vinegar Should I Use?

Like most things, not all products are created equal. When looking to purchase a bottle of apple cider vinegar, you obviously want the best quality that is going to offer the most health benefits. Therefore, you need to choose a raw, organic apple cider vinegar.

This should contain remnants of the apples that produced it. You will be able to tell this as it should have a cloudy matter floating in the vinegar. I know that doesn’t sound particularly appealing, but believe me, that’s the gold right there.

That floaty, cloudy goodness is the part that contains all of those beneficial probiotics and enzymes and is exactly what you need to reap all of the major health benefits. Just be sure to give the bottle a good shake each time you use it.

A good recommendation is Bragg Organic Raw and Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar, which you can buy at most grocery stores.

 

Should Anyone Not Try an Apple Cider Vinegar Drink?

Although the health benefits are apparent, there are some people who should avoid trying their own ACV drink at home without consulting their doctor first. For instance, if you manage your blood sugar or are taking anti-diabetic medication, speak with your healthcare provider before trying a ACV remedy at home.

If you suffer from GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)  or IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) you should consider avoiding apple cider vinegar altogether as for any kind of digestive or reflux issue, drinking something so acidic could be incredibly painful.

Also, drinking apple cider vinegar can cause dental issues as it is known to damage the enamel on your teeth. Therefore, ensure it is diluted properly and try drinking it through a straw to prevent any permanent damage to your teeth.

 

So, Should You Try It?

Although it is not conclusive whether apple cider vinegar is quite the magic potion so many people claim it to be, science does back its many health benefits. Therefore, it could be worth trying for anyone looking particularly to boost their immunity!

 

Looking for additional support? Get the help you need with Dr. Kelly’s Amazon Best Seller “Live, Love, & Thrive With Herpes“

 

 

 

 

 

 

About The Author

Helen Sanders is the creator of www.HealthAmbition.com and is passionate about sharing simplified and actionable health and nutrition advice for regular people on the go!