Do you have feelings of anxiety, depression, insomnia, irritability, fatigue?
Suffer from weight gain, bloating, irregular periods, headaches, fluid retention?
Put up with cravings, constipation, skin problems, low libido or mood swings?

IT COULD SIMPLY BE YOUR HORMONES ARE OUT OF WACK!
How many of you have experienced the symptoms above and felt like a hypochondriac,silently wondering am I falling apart or going mad? I am here to tell you, you’re not falling apart and you’re definitely NOT mad! What all of these symptoms have in common is that they are signs of hormonal imbalance. You are not alone. Many women and men struggle to deal with these symptoms on a daily basis. Some have tried to get help but haven’t found the answers they needed, this is usually because the symptom alone is treated or dismissed as nothing serious. How would you feel if I said practically ALL of these joy robbing symptoms could disappear if we simply balanced your hormones? Pretty good I’d imagine. The trouble isn’t in your head it’s in your hormones! And better yet there ARE steps you can take to regain hormonal balance therefore claiming back your health, happiness and natural vitality!

UNDERSTANDING DIFFERENT HORMONAL IMBALANCES
Hormones are only present in tiny amounts in our bodies yet as you’re aware produce dramatic effects on your everyday health and well-being this is due to the fact hormones act on EVERY cell in your body. They not only have individual affects, hormones interact with each other enabling them to trigger multiple body systems, meaning you have more than one symptom in a different area of your body e.g. headache and bloating. Does flying affect my hormones? Recent international research has come to a clear consensus that “yes” it does. “I knew it!” I hear you say. Experts agree that long haul and red eye flights have a more detrimental effect on the body, with the stress hormones (cortisol) elevating and the sleep hormone (melatonin) decreasing. How does this relate to me? If your body is in a stress response it works to produce hormones for survival, this means our sex hormones (oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone) get put on hold, therefore resulting in a deficiency state and leading to some of the symptoms outlined below. To find out what hormonal imbalance you may have read the different groups and their symptoms and then choose the group with the most symptoms you experience.

WOMEN

GROUP 1
Symptoms PMS, Insomnia, Early miscarriage, painful or lumpy breasts, cyclical headaches, unexplained weight gain, anxiety, infertility
Cause; Progesterone deficiency: This is the most common hormone imbalance among women of all ages. You may need to change your diet, stop ingesting synthetic hormones and start taking some herbal medicine and supplements to increase your progesterone levels naturally.

GROUP 2 Symptoms Vaginal dryness, night sweats, memory problems lethargic depression, painful intercourse, bladder infections, hot flashes
Cause; Estrogen deficiency: This hormone imbalance is most common in menopausal women; especially if you are petite and/or slim. You may need to make some special changes to your diet and start taking some women's herbs to rectify this deficiency.

GROUP 3
Symptoms Cervical dysplasia (abnormal pap smear reading), puffiness, breast tenderness, heavy bleeding, bloating, rapid weight gain, anxious depression, mood swings, insomnia, red face on flush, weepiness, gallbladder problems, foggy thinking, migraines.
Cause; Excess estrogen: In women, this is most often solved by getting off of the conventional synthetic hormones most often prescribed by doctors and clearing the liver with specific herbs and vegetables to flush out any excess estrogen.

GROUP 4
Symptoms A combination of group 1 and 3
Cause; Estrogen dominance: This is caused when you don't have enough progesterone to balance the effects of estrogen. Thus, you can have low estrogen but if you have even lower progesterone, you can have symptoms of estrogen dominance. Raising progesterone and if need be estrogen to normal levels is done through the use of herbal medicine and nutrients.

GROUP 5
Symptoms Acne, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), excessive facial or arm hair, hair thinning on head, unstable blood sugar, infertility, mid cycle pain, ovarian cysts
Cause; Excess androgens (male hormones): This is most often seen in women who have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). It is often caused by too much simple carbohydrates and sugar in the diet and a lack of exercise. These two things need to be altered along with supporting the liver to clear any excess androgens and taking herbs to balance female hormones.

GROUP 6
Symptoms;Debilitating fatigue, unstable blood sugar, low blood pressure, thin/dry skin, foggy thinking, intolerance to exercise, brown spots on face
Cause; Cortisol deficiency: Chronic stress and stimulants put pressure on our adrenal glands making them overworked and tired, this in turn leads to a cortisol deficiency. If you're trying to juggle a job, friends and a family, chances are good you have tired adrenals. It is important to get adequate rest (7-9 hr) and avoid all stimulants (caffeine, sugar, nicotine). You may benefit greatly from taking a herbal formula or certain vitamins to restore the adrenal glands therefore increasing cortisol levels which will in turn provide you with natural energy again.

MEN
GROUP 1
Symptoms Weight loss, loss of muscle, lowered stamina, gallbladder problems, enlarged breasts, lowered sex drive, fatigue, softer erection
Cause; Testosterone deficiency: This is most common in men over the age of fifty and can be remedied with special nutritional supplements, herbal remedies, increased muscle-building exercise and homeopathic natural hormones.

GROUP 2
SymptomsHair loss, prostate enlargement, breast enlargement, weight gain, headaches, irritability, puffiness, bloating.
Cause; Excess estrogen: In men, excess estrogen can be balanced with increasing one of the male hormones through the use of herbs and or amino acids. A change in diet and lifestyle is important as is clearing the liver to process the excess estrogen.

REGAINING BALANCE IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK. You’d be surprised how quickly you can restore your body to its natural hormonal balance, with the right support. Considering a menstrual cycle is 28 days, be prepared it may take two or three months to rebalance your hormones properly. It is possible that even after one month you will start to feel and look better - free of the symptoms that used to drag you down. The best part is you can say goodbye to those nasty symptoms by choosing to regain your hormonal balance naturally and holistically. This way you are treating the cause not just putting a band-aid on the symptoms. To confirm what hormonal imbalance you may have I recommend you see a qualified health care professional who supports zinc and saliva testing. Hormonal saliva testing is a lot more accurate than testing blood for hormones as it measures the “free bio-available” steroid hormones (the stuff that can absorb). No matter which group you may belong to you can start to reclaim your life today. Simply follow the ten steps to hormonal balance and take back the reigns to control YOUR health and happiness. You deserve balance & bliss.

THE TEN SECRETS TO HORMONAL BALANCE
1. Firstly get an accurate saliva diagnosis to see which hormones are playing up
2. Take the zinc taste test; loads of hormones rely on zinc to function optimally
3. Avoid chemicals that mimic estrogens; e.g. plastics, pesticides, the pill, pollutants (so avoid drinking out of all plastic bottles and make sure to wash your fruit and veges or better yet buy organic!, choose hormone free meats and eggs)
4. Old fashion Sleep; make sure you get at least 7 hours & no more than 9
5. Counteract stress with regular exercise, meditation and yoga
6. Support your liver; do a professional detox if need be as it’s the organ that processes your hormones so it needs to be functioning in peak performance
7. Make love; sober sex actually helps regulate your bodies hormones, intoxicated sex doesn’t as your liver is too busy processing the booze!
8. Avoid all refined carbohydrates and sugar; so say NO to white bread, cakes, lollies, soft-drinks etc. Especially if you suffer from PCOS.
9. Laugh, be joyful, open up to love; feeling happy actually balances hormones
10. If you need to lose weight see a nutritionist and start moving baby!