Hormone changes – has your sex drive taken a holiday?

OestrogenHave you put on weight recently for no known reason? Your sex drive has taken a holiday, you’ve become very emotional and you feel tired all the time but nothing you do seems to help?

Well, more and more women, and men, are affected this way every day, and according to Dr Al Sears MD it could be due to an oestrogen dominance or overload.

I know this may seem strange because oestrogen is a natural hormone that women are supposed to have. It is what gives a women her curves and makes her a woman. It’s a critical hormone for your health.

However this modern world has taken your oestrogen levels through the roof, and every day you are surrounded by oestrogen mimickers. These synthetic concoctions get into your body and act like oestrogen causing hormone imbalances, mood swings, extreme emotions, fat gains, fatigue and many more symptoms, in women and in men too.

You don’t see it, taste it or feel it but every day oestrogens are getting into your blood. So where are they coming from?

Sometimes the food you eat. For example our animals are fed on hormones to help fatten them up and these will be in the meat you eat. Sometimes the plastic products you use because they leach out oestrogens, the worst ones being bisphenol A and phthalates. There are also the cosmetics you use. Modern industry produces thousands of chemicals that get out into your everyday environment such as deodorants, body washes, shampoos, moisturisers and perfumes, and the majority of these chemicals mimic the female hormone, oestrogen.

The main problem is that these mimickers have a molecular structure that closely resembles that of oestrogen, and when they get into the blood stream they attach to oestrogen receptors giving your cells a new set of feminising instructions. Your receptors are like ‘landing pads’ on the surface of your cells that receive incoming nutrients and information. Your cells don’t realise that these oestrogen mimics are chemicals and not the real thing and in response the body starts to rebuild itself and retain more oestrogen than you need.

One of the first signs of oestrogen dominance is an increase of fat around your abdomen, it starts with a layer just under the skin and then your muscles are replaced by fat and this leads to cellulite and excess fat in your thighs and buttocks. In men it increases the fat on your chest and you develop ‘man-boobs’! Then you start to feel tired or moody.

So how can you prevent this happening?
• You can start by eating organic as much as possible to limit your exposure to harmful chemicals and pesticides. This includes meat as well as vegetables and fruit.
• Avoid processed carbohydrates such as bread, pasta and cereals as they stimulate the production of insulin which builds fat and stimulates oestrogen.
• Eat more cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts and cauliflower as they work to help clear out extra oestrogen.
• Eat more oestrogen inhibiting foods such as onions, green beans, squash, cabbage, berries, citrus, pineapple, pears, grapes, melons, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds.

There are also natural remedies that can help to balance the hormones. Published research over the last 10 years suggests that you can neutralise excess oestrogen with extracts from crucifers, a family of vegetables including broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower and cabbage. Certain compounds such as indole-3-carbinol (I3C) found in these vegetables turn the excess oestrogen into a beneficial version and once I3C gets to the digestive system part of it converts into diindolylmethane (DIM) another ‘oestrogen neutraliser’.

Together I3C and DIM help to clear the body of excess oestrogen, promoting a healthy hormone balance

If you would like to order either of these products pleasae ring the Centre on 01462 893586.

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