Proactive Health: Sports Chiropractic & Functional Medicine

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Uncovering Hormone Imbalances: Why Finding the Root Cause Beats Replacement Therapy

If you’re over 40, chances are you’ve wondered about hormone replacement therapy. 
 
If you’re a woman, chances are you’ve been on hormone replacement therapy since you were a teen. This is what birth control is. 
 
With more testing available than ever, and entire clinics dedicated solely to hormone therapy, it’s only natural to be curious. 
 
Here’s the deal. 
 
If you’re struggling with any of these common symptoms: fatigue, low libido, sexual dysfunction of any sort, skin changes, hair loss, unwanted hair growth, weight gain without changing anything, digestive trouble, emotional issues, period problems, fertility issues...
 
...then you’ve probably got hormonal imbalances. 
 
Hormones are messengers that control the growth, development, and metabolism of your body. 
 
When they are imbalanced, you will inevitably experience symptoms and feel “off.”
 
You might believe the solution is as simple as getting tested and then taking more hormones in the form of injections, pills, or creams. 
 
This rarely solves anything, and often makes matters worse. 
 
It’s like being in sinking boat and thinking you can just grab a bucket and scoop the water out. 
 
You might stay afloat a while longer, but sinking is inevitable until you find the leak and repair it. 

You need to understand that as messengers, hormones are downstream effects of some other cause further upstream.
 
If there's a problem with your hormones, the challenge then is to find the cause. 
 
Did you know that hormone production begins in the brain?
 
Your brain sends signals to the various organs and glands that make hormones, like your ovaries, testes, thyroid, adrenal glands, pancreas, etc. 
 
Your brain then relies on communication back from those organs to know when there is enough, or if more is needed. 
 
This is called a feedback loop. 
 
For your body to function properly, your brain and body must have clear, consistent communication. (Coincidentally, this is exactly what chiropractic adjustments do).
 
You must find where communication is breaking down if you want to balance your hormones.

Is it the brain?
 
Is it the organ itself?
 
Is something not being converted as it should?
 
Your hormones are not randomly going haywire. 
 
There is a reason. 
 
Proceeding with hormone replacement therapy without knowing the reason for imbalance is risky – and irresponsible of providers who don’t look deeper. 
 
Our advice?
 
Start with a good blood panel. 
 
Assess your overall health. 
 
Identify sources that could contribute to hormone imbalances.
 
Address those problems first. 
 
See how you feel.

Work with your body, not against it. 
 
Then, and only then, proceed to hormone testing and exploring further options. 
 
We do all of this with the Proactive Health Audit

It's time to go deeper than surface level and get the root issue so you can heal and thrive. 

Be Proactive, 
Drs. Mike & Natalie