Hormones

Millions of people suffer from these types of problems, but why? Hormonal imbalance! Many people mistakenly think they can be healthy simply by going to their routine doctors visits, eating less and moving more. If it was only that simple! Instead, your body is a complex network of organs and glands that communicate with one another using hormones.

These hormones are intended to influence specific functions such as digestion, metabolism, appetite, sleep, activation of the immune system, and reproduction and tissue repair. For various reasons your organs and glands may become weak or damaged and overtime, and as that specific organ and hormone system spiral out of balance, your symptoms can worsen. This is why some people, regardless of their diet and exercise habits, feel lousy, while others do nothing at all and feel great.

The symptoms of hormonal imbalance are often treated with medications. Unfortunately, these medications don’t get to the root cause of these problems. Without addressing the root cause of these problems and merely treating the symptoms, your overall health will continue to decline and can lead to more and more medications. Our clinic specializes in ending this general decline by detecting which organs and glands are not functioning properly and “why”the organs and glands may not be functioning correctly, leading to your symptoms.

Damage to the organs and glands occur for a number of different reasons. Here's just a small sampling:

• Medication side effects
• High cortisol levels from stress
• Food sensitivities
• Deficiencies and lack of antioxidants
• Toxins and hormone disrupting chemicals
• Parasites/Yeast/Bacterial Overgrowth

With Functional Medicine, we seek to identify the root cause of your imbalance and loss of normal system function. In other words, we discover the "why" of your suffering.  We help end the out of control spiral of your health condition.

When we address your unique reason of "why" your glands or organs are not working properly, your hormones become balanced and your body starts to heal itself!

How could hormones be affecting my body?

The Adrenal Glands  (The glands responsible for coping with stress)

The adrenal glands are little glands that sit on top of your kidneys that are responsible for the “fight or flight” response. When the adrenal glands are over stimulated they tend to get out of balance and affect your sleep-wake cycle. It often feels as if it is hard to ‘turn off’ your thoughts. You may find it difficult to fall asleep and stay asleep despite the fact during the day you feel exhausted and want to sleep.

The adrenal glands are responsible for the release of the stress hormone cortisol. Research has shown that when the levels of this hormone are elevated it can cause weight gain in the midsection, leading to the dreaded “belly roll” of fat.

Swelling and rounding of the face, puffy eyes, and a double chin can develop because of adrenal dysfunction. An orange hue (almost appearing tan) of the face and very dark circles may also develop. The Adrenal Body type can also result in facial hair and swelling of the ankles.

It is common if you suffer from adrenal fatigue you will have anxiety and feelings of severe exhaustion. You may also be the type to rely on caffeine and sweets to get through the day, especially in the afternoon. Once the adrenals become exhausted, you will have difficulty waking up, concentrating, or even remembering simple tasks. To learn more about Adrenal Fatigue click here.

The Thyroid Gland

The thyroid gland makes hormones that regulate your rate of metabolism. If you have troubles with your thyroid, you may notice that you mysteriously gain weight... even though nothing has changed in your life. When the thyroid begins to dysfunction you may experience hair loss, especially the outer third of the eyebrows.

When the thyroid is at fault, your energy levels drop and your legs and arms can start to feel heavy. Many times, if you suffer from thyroid problems, you are more prone to suffer from depression.  In an effort to improve your mood and increase your energy you will crave carbohydrates like breads, pastas, crackers, juice, and so on.  Unfortunately, eating these foods can make the problem worse.

When the thyroid isn’t functioning well, your body starts to feel cold, especially the hands and feet.  In an effort to stay warm you are always wearing extra clothes and even socks to bed. To learn more about thyroid dysfunction click here.

Estrogen/Progesterone Imbalance

For various reasons the hormones estrogen and progesterone will become imbalanced and you may notice the following symptoms: PMS (premenstrual syndrome), irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, early menopause, and excessive or absent menstrual cycles. People who suffer from estrogen/progesterone imbalance crave chocolate or dairy products.   If you are menopausal this can lead to hot flashes and night sweats.

The Liver

The liver is responsible for several functions of the body and when it malfunctions you end up with an array of symptoms.  When the liver becomes damaged, it may lead to high blood sugar issues (like diabetes or insulin resistance), high blood pressure, and elevated cholesterol levels.  You may also begin to suffer from the accumulation of toxins.  These toxins can seep into your joint capsules causing painful joints (arthritis).  These toxins can also cause you to suffer from allergies, skin problems, hives and bad body odor.

Toxic accumulation can also lead to poor memory, headaches or migraines, and you will often wake up an hour or two before your alarm clock goes off.

When your liver is affected, you crave fatty foods, fried foods, and alcohol, but feel worse after actually having them. You may suffer from hemorrhoids, feel the sensation of fullness after eating, and burp after meals.

As you can see, no two hormonal imbalances are alike. Most people report they suffer from a few different types of hormonal imbalance. So, regardless if you fit into one specific category or fit into all of them, we are here to help.

There are thousands of things you could do to try and improve your health but wouldn’t it be great to discover exactly what your body needs?  There is more to getting well than eating less, exercising more and following the standard medical modus operandi. We have a clinically proven step by step process for helping our patients achieve health. For a detailed explanation click here.

If you have questions or want to schedule a free consultation, contact us at (734) 779-1650 or click HERE to schedule an appointment.

You can also take the FREE Online Health Evaluation right now. This analysis is your first step to discovering what systems of your body may be keeping you from obtaining the health you deserve.

‍Suffered From Hidden Thyroid Disorder and Other Imbalances of Hormones

Christine has now lost a total of 80 pounds