How to Balance Your Hormones Using Physical Therapy Treatments
If you are transitioning into menopause or struggling with infertility, one of the first things you should look at is your hormone balance via a dutch test or full blood panel near the time of ovulation. If an imbalance is found, medication may be the first recommendation offered as a solution. However, there are some holistic strategies to improve your hormone balance without needing to run to your nearest pharmacy. Read the blog below to learn how to balance your hormones using physical therapy treatments and other lifestyle strategies!
1.Stop Sweating The Small Stuff… How Stress Impacts Hormones
We are exposed to a lot of stressors throughout our lives and it’s no secret that stress causes a myriad of problems within the body. However, what people may not realize is the impact that stress can have on their hormones, thus affecting fertility and menopause related symptoms. One such hormone change is that a chronic exposure of stress initially increases cortisol levels and then decreases overtime to insufficient levels. This is called the HPA Axis Dysfunction and can be remedied by doing things like having a good night's sleep, modifying lifestyle factors, and incorporating relaxation techniques throughout the day.
2.Marie Kondo Your Body’s Waste… Don’t Hold Onto What Isn’t Serving You
Another way to regulate your hormones is by detoxifying your liver. No, this doesn’t mean doing a juice cleanse. Instead, you want to appropriately hydrate, consume plenty of leafy greens and whole foods, and make sure that you are exercising. It’s important to reset our liver to get rid of environmental toxins that get stored in our fat tissues. Otherwise, these environmental toxins can create an imbalance of your hormones.
3.A Leaky Gut Is Like a Leaky Faucet… It Can Cost You A Lot
The gut can, also, be a source of a hormone imbalance by having what is known as a “Leaky Gut”. This is when you have a breakdown in the lining of your stomach and intestines, which allows food/digestive particles to get into the bloodstream. You can help heal a leaky gut by eating inflammatory reducing foods such as bone broth and fermented foods, seed cycling, and consuming your foods at a slower pace. It’s also important to limit the intake of foods that are inflammatory to you! You could find this out through an elimination diet, but if that choice feels overwhelming you can improve inflammation by eating whole and high quality foods. Some of the top inflammatory foods to avoid are wheat, sugar, dairy, vegetable oil, and alcohol.
4.Know Your Cycle Like The Back of Your Hand
One of the best ways to know if you may have a hormone imbalance is by taking a look at your menstrual cycle. Some of the things that should be observed each cycle is the length of your period, the length of your total cycle, and noticing when you are ovulating. If you are having a cycle that is outside of the 21-35 day window, clotting while you are having a period, in extreme pain during your period, or not having a positive LH surge ovulation test during your cycle, these factors may all indicate hormone dysfunction.
In recent years there has been a new form of naturally balancing your hormones, through a technique called seed cycling. Seed cycling is a term used to describe the incorporation of different seeds during the two main phases of the menstrual cycle, the follicular and luteal phases. If you are interested in learning more about this, check out our blog dedicated to this topic!
5.Make a New Friend By Finding a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist
Knowing how to implement each of these tips on your own may feel overwhelming. One way to receive individualized hormone balance guidance is by working with a pelvic floor physical therapist! At pelvic floor physical therapy, therapists combine the strategies listed above along with manual techniques and exercise to optimize fertility. One such manual technique is a vascular release, which helps reduce fluid build up in the pelvic floor and allows more optimal blood flow throughout the reproductive organs.
Conclusion:
Let’s face it. Being a woman isn’t easy. A lot of the symptoms that we deal with on a day to day basis have little explanation and even fewer solutions. However, there are holistic ways to manage these symptoms. One of the best ways that you can do this is under the guidance of a pelvic floor physical therapist! If getting your hormone balance in check is something that you are interested in, then call Revitalize Physical Therapy to schedule an initial consultation and talk with one of our women’s health experts!
