Four Ways to Naturally Balance Hormones

Many tools and techniques can help with hormones, but here are 4 of my favorites.

1. Acupuncture/Acupressure
2. Castor Oil Packs
3. Seed Cycling
4. Supplements

Acupuncture/Acupressue

Acupuncture is based on energy flow, called qi, in the body. The energetic highways in the body are called meridians and allow for energy flow. Three meridians are powerful in balancing hormones: Spleen, Kidney, and Liver.  

Four major points that are useful for fertility, hormone balance, and decreasing menstrual cycle symptoms, such as heavy bleeding and PMS, are:

1. Spleen 6
2. Spleen 8
3. Liver 3
4. Kidney 3

Here is a video of these points showing where they are located.

Castor Oil Packs

Castor oil has many benefits that are beneficial for reproductive health.  Three main ones are:

1.  Increases Circulation

Castor Oil Therapy stimulates circulation, allowing fresh oxygenated blood to flow through the abdomen/pelvis and nourishing the reproductive organs- ovaries, fallopian tubes, and uterus – helping them function properly. 

2. Promotes Detoxification

Liver health is vital to the proper function of the lymphatic system. A liver that is overwhelmed due to poor diet, poor lifestyle and dietary choices, being sedentary, or exposure to foreign hormones cannot adequately produce lymph or detoxify. Castor oil therapy increases liver circulation, stimulating liver detoxification and improving liver function. In Chinese medicine, the Liver meridian is paramount in women's reproductive health, primarily through its relationship with the uterus and blood.

3. Reduces Inflammation & Pain

Lack of circulation, poor immune system function resulting in sluggish lymph flow or congested lymph glands, and an overburdened liver can all contribute to inflammation and pain. It is prevalent with some fertility issues because inflammation is present such as ovarian cysts, blocked fallopian tubes, uterine fibroids, PID, PCOS, and Asherman's syndrome. Castor oil helps to counter these concerns.

Massaging warm castor oil over your abdomen can be an excellent way to relieve the symptoms of menstrual cramps and period pain. Castor oil packs are perfect for relieving menstrual cramps, or the packs can be used over the area of the liver. The ricinoleic acid in castor oil works as an anti-inflammatory and is an analgesic agent which helps relieve pain.  

Simple Instructions for Applying a Castor Oil Pack

1. Saturate a wool cloth in cold-pressed, pure castor oil
2. Place it directly on the skin over the lower abdomen
3. Cover it with plastic wrap
4. Add a gentle heat source. Recommend a hot water bottle or heating pad
5. Lie down and rest for 20-60 minutes

Seed Cycling

All hormones are synthesized from cholesterol and fats. Taking in good fats is necessary for proper hormone function. By cycling different types of fats, it is possible to help to balance hormones and promote more progesterone production in the second half of the cycle.

Seed cycling is a holistic method to help balance female hormones like estrogen and progesterone during a menstrual cycle. It involves eating specific seeds during two main phases of your menstrual cycle to help promote a healthy balance of estrogen and progesterone.

1st half of the cycle (Day 1-Day 14)- Increase your consumption of the following seeds to promote more estrogen to help develop the egg:
Flaxseed and pumpkin seeds

2nd half of the cycle (Day 15-28)- Increase your consumption of sesame and sunflower seeds.
The high contents of zinc in sesame seeds and vitamin E in sunflower seeds have been shown to stimulate progesterone production.

Supplements

There are some heavy hitters when it comes to helping to balance out your hormones. My favorites are the following:

1. DIM/Indole-3-Carbinol
2. Calcium d-glucarate
3. Maca
4. Orthomolecular Balance

All of these work to support detoxification pathways to help get out extra hormones in the body. The balance of hormones is very dependent on the regulation between the brain and ovaries, and the supplement from Orthomolecular called Balance works to support that communication.  

The regulation of hormones is also very dependent on blood sugar control. Therefore, the following recommendations are beneficial. Eat a diet low in sugar, and processed carbs increase fiber, and maca root is excellent for both hormones and blood sugar. Inositol is another great supplement for hormone support and blood sugar regulation.

Want access to the products that I recommend? Here is a link to purchase them online:

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Another important part of hormone balancing is to ensure that you take out the toxins and ingredients in your everyday products that interfere with your estrogens. 

Drastically limiting my exposure to products that interfere with hormones has been something I have worked on for years. It is hard to do because you often need to figure out what ingredients to look for, and this information is not readily available. Therefore, I put together a comprehensive guide on what to look for and why to take out certain ingredients.  

You can find out more about the Eguide and purchase it by clicking here.

If you have any questions about hormone and hormone balance, don't hesitate to get in touch with me at [email protected].

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