What are the signs and symptoms of female hormone imbalance? Irregular periods; menstrual cramps; infertility; mood swings; crying; moodiness; hot flushes; PMS; painful periods; heavy periods; bad skin; muscle pains, tenderness and stiffness; muscle weakness and fatigue, weight gain and much more…
The three main female hormones are Estrone, Estrodial and Estriol. They are all oestrogen’s, which regulate the menstrual cycle. Men also produce these in a much lower amount. The main male hormone is testosterone which females also produce in a much lower amount. The other important female hormone is progesterone which is mainly needed during the last 14 days of the menstrual cycle and on into pregnancy if fertilisation occurs.
The three main oestrogen’s need to be in the right ratios with each other to be balanced. That being Estrone - 10%, Estradiol - 10% and Estriol - 80%. Estrone and Estradiol needs to be converted into Estriol. This is done by nutrients such as iodine, chromium, saw palmetto and magnesium. Iodine is the most effective and is found in supplements such as Black Walnut; Kelp and Hops; Energ-V and Licorice Root. Nearly everyone is deficient in iodine. There are reflex points on the body that help kinesiologists to determine whether you are deficient in nutrients such as iodine, chromium, magnesium & many others. You can test yourself for iodine deficiency using the Lugol’s solution patch test, (put a splash of Lugols iodine solution on your skin and see how quickly it absorbs - blink and you might miss it!)
Female sex hormones work on feedback loops in the endocrine system, involving the hypothalamus, the pituitary and the ovaries (all covered on previous blog posts, kinesiologists can find and fix imbalances in these glands too).
The process starts when the hypothalamus notices a small amount of oestrogen in the blood and so releases Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH) which tells the pituitary gland to make and release Leutinising Hormone (LH) and Folicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). LH and FSH tell the ovaries to secrete oestrogen during the follicular phase which stimulates the growth of egg-producing ovarian follicle. LH then stimulates the ovulation phase, where the egg is released from the ovaries. After ovulation comes the luteal stage whereby a structure called the Corpus Luteum is formed in the ovaries. LH tells the corpus luteum to secrete progesterone, which prepares the uterus for pregnancy. Oestrogen is also secreted but in a lesser amount. These processes are positive feedback loops.
In contrast, a negative feedback loop occurs at the end of the luteul phase when the oestrogen and progesterone are both at high levels. They signal to the hypothalamus and pituitary to stop secreting GnRH, LH and FSH hormones. This causes the ovaries to stop releasing oestrogen and progesterone to maintain the correct balance and prevents the ovulation of a second egg. This is the end of the cycle, where the corpus luteum is degraded, oestrogen and progesterone is no longer secreted and the uterine lining is shed causing menstruation. This would be different if the egg is fertilised and pregnancy begins.
The amount of oestrogen and progesterone needed for each of the four parts of the menstrual cycle are different and so the feedback loops act according to which phase the female is in. As a rough guide (everyone is unique); from day 1 to 7 (Follicular Phase) oestrogen levels begin increasing. Oestrogen levels then begin spiking and peak at day 13 (Ovulation Phase). They drop downwards until about day 17, at the end of ovulation. They start to rise again and peak at day 21 (Luteul Phase) and then decrease during the menstruation phase until day 28 when the cycle starts again. Progesterone does not make much of an appearance until day 8 on entering the ovulation stage in preparation for fertilisation and pregnancy. It takes a small dip after ovulation but then spikes up until day 21 before heading back down in preparation for the next cycle.
Female hormones in the body are regulated throughout each month depending on the signals from the hypothalamus and as the body goes through the menstrual cycle. Oestrogen is primarily made in the ovaries, but also the placenta during pregnancy. A little bit is made by the adrenal glands and the breasts. Oestrogen is generally made from cholesterol. Cholesterol has been given a bad reputation as it is a lipid molecule. Lipid has become a word synonymous with fat, but that is not always the case. Cholesterol is actually vital as a precursor to hormones. There are two types; high density lipoprotein (HDL) and low density lipoprotein (LDL). The density refers to the ratio of protein to cholesterol. LDL is the bad kind as it will increase risk of clogging blood vessels, but in contrast HDL will reduce these risks. Bad cholesterol levels are reduced with normal body weight when the body produces oestrogen, it also increases the good cholesterol. Heavy training athletes have such a low amount of fat and cholesterol and so they stop producing female hormones and stop menstruating. They will not recommence menstruating until they get body fat back through not training so hard.
Kinesiologists can test for female hormone imbalances and correct them using special techniques which address the structural, emotional and energetic realms of the body. In addition, kinesiologists can test nutrition on these imbalances so as to find the right supplements that will put the hormones back into balance to reduce symptoms and/or boost fertility. These may include, Dong Quai, Licorice Root, Evening Primrose Oil, Wild Yam, Chromium, Iodine, Kelp, Omega Oils, Agnus Cactus and many more.
The Academy of Systematic Kinesiology suggests a recipe developed by the pioneer of Systematic Kinesiology in the UK, Brian Butler. (I will make a separate post with the ingredients).
Some people are alarmed when they see that it includes an ingredient called Soya Protein which contains soya protein. Soya, like cholesterol, has received a bad reputation for the wrong reasons. It has been suggested that soya will increase your oestrogen levels. This is somewhat true in that it can, but it can also act as an anti-estrogenic and decreases oestrogen levels in the body, depending on what your oestrogen levels are initially. This is why there are many studies with conflicting results. Furthermore, studies are done on animals (not humans), use different forms of soya and/or use genetically modified (GMO) soy (95% of soy is genetically modified and a good idea to stay away from as anything genetically modified will interfere with hormones.) The SynerProtein we recommend is non-GMO, as is Alpro Soya yogurt and Sojade soya yogurt is also organic (also in the Hormone Shake).
Soya is part of the legume family. It contains phyto-estrogens in the form of isoflavonoids, most notably Genistein. These are natural plant compounds whose make up is similar, but not the same as human oestrogen’s as they are much weaker - more than 1000 times weaker.
For someone who has too much oestrogen, the phyto-oestrogen’s from soya competes with human oestrogen for the oestrogen receptor site. Oestrogens or phyto-oestrogens can only exert their actions when they bind to a oestrogen receptor. When the phyto-oestrogen's binds with the receptors it causes overall active oestrogen levels to decrease. This is because a weaker version of oestrogen has blocked the stronger human oestrogen from performing its function. When this occurs only the weak phyto-estrogen has any impact on the body. It does not mean there is more oestrogen acting in the body, but less. The weak photo-oestrogen will still satisfy the receptor and signal to the hypothalamus to stop producing hormones which lead to the stimulation of oestrogen. Therefore, phyto-oestrogen’s are better categorised as anti-estrogens. Another factor is that there are two types of oestrogen receptors - alpha and beta. Beta receptors are more recently discovered. Phyto-oestrogen’s tend to bind to beta oestrogen receptors which have an anti-oestrogen effect as it blocks the effect of human oestrogen.
For women with low oestrogen levels the photo-oestrogen binds to the oestrogen receptor site which increases the level of oestrogen in the body but not as much as it would if it were human oestrogen. This is how soya has pro-estrogen properties.
Oestrogen is excreted via the liver. If the liver is not working optimally then oestrogen may not be removed from the body or metabolised properly which can lead to a hormone imbalance, (kinesiologists can also balance your liver.) Hormone replacement therapy and oestrogen drugs have been known to cause fatal blood clots as they cause the liver to release extra clotting factors. There are no beta oestrogen receptors in the liver so it is unlikely that phyto-oestrogen’s will do the same as pharmaceutical drugs but people will take those with no questions asked.
Furthermore, the effects on the uterus are mediated solely by alpha receptors and so soya will not have a negative effect on this area or cause endometrial cancer, unlike oestrogen-containing drugs. It is noted that women in Asia, where much soya is consumed, have a reduced risk of breast, endometrial and ovarian cancer, but this is difficult to compare to the West due to other differences such as farming practices in the East (primarily non GMO soya) and its population generally have better gut flora diversity. In the West our gut flora has been destroyed by antibiotics and our food by pesticides and genetic modification. In recent years the promotion of fake meat products containing GM soya or soya extract and packaged foods are continuing to debilitate us from digesting other healthy food, let alone unhealthy food.
Phyto-estrogen’s are not unique to soya and are in seeds, fruits, legumes, sprouts, wine and many more things. Furthermore, dairy naturally contains oestrogen and progesterone and inorganic meat contains synthetic hormones. Another source of oestrogen disruptors are BPAs which are found in receipts and cling film. Tap water is also a source of traces of hormones. But people do not get so cautious about these things.
Another alarm point for some people regarding the hormone shake, is that it might contain ingredients which they are sensitive to. This can be reaffirmed using muscle testing to see if individual ingredients weaken the body. However when ingredients are blended together in a formula they have a synergistic effect whereby the sum is greater than its parts. For example, you may be sensitive to carrots but Synerprotein (which contains carrots) can be consumed with no issues or you may be sensitive to bananas (which are in the recipe,) but blended into the hormone shake it is perfectly fine. This can be demonstrated through muscle testing.
Asking the body is more effective than reading out of a book, searching the internet filled with misinformation and biased studies or asking your friends because we are all unique and your body has an inner wisdom and knows what it needs. Systematic Kinesiology is the science of testing muscles - it enables us to evaluate and correct the motor responses of the central nervous system to create balance within the body. Systematic Kinesiology tells us where YOUR body is imbalanced and what YOUR body needs to balance it - emotionally, structurally, nutritionally and energetically.
The hormone shake has had spectacular results over the many years, it can also be muscle tested as it is not for everyone.
So book now and find out where the source of your symptoms are and what is needed to return back to balanced health rather than guessing, not improving and wasting money. Listen to your body.
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