Hormonal imbalances are the cause of many health problems. Symptoms of hormonal imbalances can include sleep problems and anxiety, as well as unexplained weight gain, chronic fatigue, skin problems, or even cancer.

Hormonal disorders: Small discrepancies with major consequences

Even the smallest disturbances in the finely tuned hormonal system can be the cause of a wide variety of complaints and illnesses. However, when symptoms like headaches, allergies, depression, and loss of performance occur, not everyone immediately suspects hormonal problems, even though these can also lead to the aforementioned symptoms.

Irregular menstrual cycles, hair loss, loss of libido, and sudden skin blemishes are also among the consequences of a hormonal imbalance. Even problems like carpal tunnel syndrome are more likely to develop when hormone levels are out of balance.

Hormonal disorders are often the trigger for far more serious illnesses. Who knows that diseases such as Alzheimer’s, asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and many types of cancer can also be linked to pathological hormonal fluctuations?

The four enemies of the hormone balance

To avoid all of this, it’s a good idea to know the four most important enemies of the human hormone balance. Because only when you know the enemy can you counter it appropriately.

Hormone Enemy No. 1: Vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin D is the famous sunshine vitamin, but it is actually a neuroregulatory hormone. In this function, it regulates important processes within the nervous system. Its deficiency prevents the other hormones in the body from sending their signals unhindered.

This may explain why people tend to experience mood swings, depression, and irritability when their vitamin D levels are too low. Such mood swings are particularly common during the winter months and in all areas where people have to cope with little sunlight, as vitamin D is primarily produced in the skin through exposure to sunlight. Read more about how you can optimize your vitamin D levels here.

Hormone Enemy No. 2: Stimulants and Stress

During periods of stress and after taking stimulants (caffeine, nicotine, etc.), the adrenal glands, which are responsible for producing stress hormones, must work at peak performance. They release massive amounts of stress hormones.

In the short term, this isn’t a problem for the body. Things get different when stress becomes chronic, when sleep deprivation occurs, and when copious amounts of coffee and cigarettes are consumed daily. The adrenal glands become overloaded. They suffer cellular damage that the body has difficulty repairing.

Due to the damage process, fewer and fewer hormones are produced. These, however, are important for our ability to concentrate. At best, fatigue is the result. But our entire emotional world can also descend into chaos. To optimally support the restoration of adrenal function, you should – in addition to effective stress management – ​​eat a healthy, nutrient-rich and alkaline diet, and avoid stimulants like coffee and cigarettes.

Support the recovery of adrenal function with a vitamin B complex supplement, vitamin C, magnesium, probiotics, and enzymes. Strengthening adrenal function usually also has a strengthening effect on all other glands in the body, thus improving overall hormonal balance.

*Get your 7-Day Alkaline Diet here

Hormone Enemy No. 3: Environmental pollutants, radiation exposure and medications

Pollutants from the environment, but also the ubiquitous radiation exposure from Wi-Fi/mobile communications, radiological examinations, and medications (including the contraceptive pill) can have a massively disruptive effect on the hormonal balance.

The thyroid gland is particularly easily thrown out of balance by such stress.

However, a poorly functioning thyroid gland has a weakening effect on the entire metabolism and irritates the functions of all other hormone glands, which are of course already affected by the disruptive factors mentioned.

The first thing to do here is to look at which medications can be stopped or tapered off in order to relieve the strain on the organism and the hormone glands.

Many chronic illnesses can also be alleviated or even cured with holistic or naturopathic measures, so these should be implemented first before resorting to medication.

In addition, measures are taken to eliminate any harmful substances that may be present, e.g. through intestinal cleansing, a detoxification treatment, a deacidification program or metal elimination (mercury, aluminum).

*Try our Heavy Metal & Toxin Cleanse

Hormone Enemy No. 4: Substances with Hormonal Effects

Our environment, and especially everyday objects as well as food and its packaging, are full of endocrine disruptors that can affect our hormone balance.

Since they usually do this in a disruptive way, they are also called endocrine disruptors (endocrine = relating to the hormone system, disruptors = troublemakers).

They can delay or accelerate hormone breakdown, inhibit or activate hormone production, or even change the effect of the body’s own hormones.

Endocrine disruptors include various groups of substances from very different sources, e.g.:

1. Pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
2. Pesticides
3. Heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury
4. Plasticizers (phthalates)
5. Drugs
6. Some UV protection filters in sunscreen cosmetics
7. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical found in plastics. It mimics the sex hormone estrogen in our bodies, which has been linked to cancer, obesity, and heart disease, among other things. To avoid BPA, avoid the following products: Plastics marked “PC” (polycarbonate) or bearing the recycling code “number 7” (the triangle made up of three arrows with a number in the middle).
8. Triclosan, an antibacterial substance found in some toothpastes, mouthwashes, deodorants, etc.
9. Canned food
10. Drinks from plastic bottles (use glass bottles instead)

How do endocrine disruptors enter the body?

Endocrine disruptors can enter the body through the digestive tract, lungs or skin.

Such stresses are serious for all people, but they are far more harmful for children than for adults.

After a long time, legislators have finally recognized this, which is why a number of different plasticizers (phthalates and bisphenol a) have been banned in the production of children’s toys, pacifiers and baby bottles.

However, babies and young children also come into contact with all other sources of poison, especially because they like to explore everything and put it in their mouths.

These can include PVC-containing vinyl wallpapers, carpets, artificial leather furniture, gloves, kitchen and bathroom items, cables and much more.

The fumes from PVC-containing floor coverings enter the air, collect in house dust, and are absorbed through the respiratory tract – by young and old.

We also absorb endocrine disruptors through our skin, namely in the form of cosmetic products such as shampoos or body lotions. These often contain hormone-disrupting preservatives such as methylparaben.

The hormonal effect of endocrine disruptors

The hormonal effects of these substances can be particularly worrying for children.

They appear to alter the sex hormone system in such a way that the development of children in the womb or during certain developmental phases such as puberty may be impaired. Physical and mental development would be harmed in this way.

In boys and men, hormonal imbalances are associated with, among other things, malformations of the genital organs, testicular cancer and a reduced number and quality of sperm.

A change in hormonal status could be the reason for early onset of puberty in girls and the reason for an increased risk of breast cancer in women.

It is generally assumed that hormonally regulated organs such as the breast and prostate are more likely to develop tumors when there is constant contact with endocrine disruptors.

In addition, the hormone-active substances appear to be a possible cause of a tendency toward allergies, diabetes, obesity, disorders of brain development, behavioral problems, and cardiovascular diseases.

Even so the government sets limit values ​​that ensure that only small quantities of the dangerous substances released that are supposed to be not harmful. However, there are two problems that are overlooked here.
First, the above-described higher sensitivity of children, for whom many threshold values ​​are set far too high.
And secondly, the so-called cocktail effect is ignored.

The cocktail effect does not care about limits

The cocktail effect occurs when one comes into contact with several toxins at the same time, which is nothing unusual these days. The combined effect of the toxins can be much more toxic than the effects of the individual substances.

The cocktail effect can occur if you first use shower gel, apply skin cream with sunscreen and then style your hair with hair gel.

In addition, people often use plastic containers, eat fruits and vegetables from conventional farming, and receive a printed receipt contaminated with BPA.

The hormone-influencing substances quickly add up and dangerous amounts enter the body.

In order to protect our health, the daily exposure to hormonal pollutants in our living environment should be drastically reduced.

How can hormonal disorders be avoided?

It is not difficult to avoid or at least reduce the intake of hormone-active substances in order to prevent or improve existing hormone disorders:

1. Organically farmed foods are healthier and contain fewer harmful toxins. Their richness in vital nutrients also strengthens the body’s ability to regulate itself, thus making hormonal imbalances less likely.
2. Only buy fruits and vegetables that have a natural fragrance and are free of sticky surfaces. Wash food thoroughly before preparing.
3. Eat convenience foods as little as possible and change product brands more often (depending on the manufacturer, the same products can contain different amounts of endocrine disruptors in the packaging and therefore lead to different levels of hormone disruption).
4. Try a special hormone diet or seed cycling.
5. Clean floors and carpets regularly with organic cleaners, dust frequently, and air out repeatedly to reduce the chemicals in household dust.
6. New textiles such as bed linen, clothing and towels as well as soft toys and plastic toys should be washed before first use.
7. Buy high-quality toys, which in most cases are more free from harmful substances and offer better protection against hormone disorders than cheap products.
8. Parents can protect their children by ensuring that toddlers only put things in their mouths that are designed and intended for that purpose.
9. Trust your nose! Strong-smelling products often contain off-gassing substances that can be harmful to your health and promote hormonal imbalances.
10. Children’s products and food packaging made of polycarbonate plastic should be avoided if possible. Glass food containers and bottles are a good alternative.
11. In case of doubt, consumers have the right to inquire directly with the manufacturer whether hazardous chemicals have been used in a product.

Seed cycling: Can oilseeds regulate the hormone system?

Hormone diets, which claim to be able to regulate hormone levels, appear repeatedly in the media. While hormone levels – just like any other area of ​​the body – can of course be positively influenced by a healthy diet and lifestyle, the question is whether – as is common with seed cycling – simply consuming a few specific foods is sufficient to achieve this effect.
Details on seed cycling, including instructions.