When we talk about hormonal imbalance, we are referring to a situation where the production and supply of hormones in the body is not what it should be.
There could be a deficiency of some hormones, an excess or even a total absence of certain hormones.
When this occurs in the body, it impairs the smooth workings of the body.
For a better understanding, we would need to take look at what hormones really are.
Hormones are commonly called chemical messengers of the body.
These chemicals are produced by the endocrine glands and deposited straight into the blood stream which then carries the different hormones to the part of the body where they function.
These hormones control vital functions in the body making them very important.
Some examples of the functions they control or affect are: reproduction, growth, digestion, metabolism, respiration, tissue, excretion, lactation, stress, growth and development, sensory perception, sleep, movement etc.
From the above, we can see that these hormones are very important as a result, we would look at some things that bring about this condition and how they can be treated.
We shall be looking at 3 main possible causes - Diet, Exercise and Natural Causes (Aging).
DIET It seems that everywhere we turn these days we hear someone talking about the importance of eating right.
Sadly though, even with the increased awareness, people still eat very wrongly.
Food is the fuel the body runs on.
There is right and wrong fuel.
If the body is fed the right food, it functions well but if it is fed junk, the body begins to look and feel like a junk yard.
Foods high in sugar and processed carbohydrates, red meat, hydrogenated fats, genetically modified foods and others lead to excessive weight gain and obesity.
The body also gets filled with environmental toxins.
All these mess up the body system and one of the things that can result from this is hormonal imbalance.
The solution to this is simply to watch what we eat and eat right.
We eat to live; we do not live to eat.
EXERCISE Exercising regularly is known to be of great benefit to the body.
One of the benefits of exercise is stress relief.
A person who exercises reduces the cortisol levels in their body.
We know that cortisol levels in the body have a direct impact on stress levels.
Another (more common) reason for exercise is weight loss.
Exercise helps the body maintain adequate serum insulin level which in turn helps the body maintain healthy sugar levels.
This reduces the risk of diabetes.
Simple but regular activities like walking can go a long way in helping the body function properly and this reduces the risk of hormonal imbalance occurring.
NATURAL CAUSES (Aging) Aging is a natural occurrence that cannot be stopped.
The best we can do is try to manage it properly.
A good example of this is a woman who around the age of 40 experiences menopause.
This basically means some hormones are no longer available to do the job they used to do.
If the woman does not experience any major discomforts, then there may not be a need for treatment as it is not a disease but a natural phenomenon.
If on the other hand the person experiences a high level of discomfort and other symptoms, then some treatment may be required.
When diet and exercise cannot help, or when the hormonal imbalance is already well set in and a treatment is needed, the best way to go is Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT).
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is a safe and non-invasive hormone replacement therapy that uses supplemental hormones that have the same chemical structure as hormones produced naturally in the body.
This makes these hormones better metabolized by the body.
With BHRT, any case of hormonal imbalance can be managed and corrected.