Hormones – What Is Normal?
Hormonal Control System
Your hormone (endocrine) and nervous systems are networked together to create your perfect internal hormone environment. In any given moment, your body is telling your brain exactly how much of every hormone you need – based on what you’re doing, time of day, what you’re eating, and especially how much stress you’re under.
Your brain then directs your glands (hormone-producing organs such as your thyroid, pancreas, adrenal and ovaries) to work together to time-release precisely the right hormones into circulation.
As long as you have sufficient nutrients from real foods to provide hormone precursors, and not too much interference from anti-nutrients and other toxins, your glands have all they need for hormone balance – and you feel wonderful.
This is how your hormonal control system works normally – to help you feel and look your best.
When your hormone system is healthy, you can expect:
- Sufficient and steady energy
- Deep and restful sleep
- Healthy metabolism, easy to maintain healthy weight
- Comfortable body temperature
- Healthy sex drive
- Balanced blood sugar, few sugar cravings/binges
- Soft, smooth and clear skin
- Calm and focused mind, stress-resilient
- Regular menses and minimal PMS
- Normal bowel movements and digestion
When Imbalance Occurs
If you are depleted from prolonged stress, or have been operating in “overdrive” for too long, or have decades of poor dietary choices and too much sugar, your elegant hormonal control system can become out of sync. All hormone-producing glands work together in a network, so when one hormone is out of sync, all others must adapt, and imbalances occur. These imbalances can underlie many secondary effects including:
- Adrenal insufficiency (feeling “tired and wired” or depleted)
- Low-functioning thyroid/Hypothyroidism
- Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
- Cold sensitivity, especially hands and feet
- Irregular periods, intense PMS
- Cystic ovaries (PCOS)
- Inability to conceive, first-trimester miscarriages
- Intense hot flashes
- Night sweats that prevent sleep
- Constipation
- Interrupted sleep
- Daytime fatigue, carb. cravings
- Second wind at night preventing sleep
- Waning libido
- Increasing belly fat despite exercise
- Thinning hair/hair loss
- Painful, cystic acne
- Loss of fullness of breast tissue
- Dry, thin skin, accelerated skin aging
- Itchy, restless legs, especially at night
- Sugar cravings following a meal
- Menstrual headaches or migraines
How Does This Happen?
There are many contributors to hormone system imbalance. At Cardea, Dr. Higney focuses on underlying causes to help rebuild hormone health and metabolism. To learn more, contact us to schedule an appointment.
UNDERLYING CAUSES »