I was listening to a podcast today from Guru Jagat (founder of RA MA inst.) and she was interviewing Dr. Sarah Gottfried a hormone specialist, who is a doctor at the forefront of putting the power back into women’s hands when it comes to their health.

In this episode, they talked about women's health and empowerment and raised a very important question: How are you going to be in your power and live your purpose in the world if you have brain fog, fatigue, and your hormones and health are out of balance?

"A woman who is in hormonal balance, is unstoppable"

Dr. Sarah Gottfried 

This got me thinking back to my own experience. In my own journey searching for answers to why I felt the way I did. And mostly I knew I didn’t “feel like myself” at all.

At one point after receiving test results a naturopathic doctor told me that my Estrogen levels were at the same levels as found as women who were locked away in mental institutions so many years ago and ya know what, I DID feel crazy!!! Like WTF!!! I had terrible mood swings, anxiety, and then bouts of deep depression. This is called estrogen dominance, when you have too much estrogen and not enough progesterone to balance it out and this has a major effect on your brain function, emotions, and mood.

But the sad part was until I learned this I just thought something was wrong with who I was - I was defected (probably just as so many of the misunderstood women who came before me). I had the experience of doctors not believing me, wanting to prescribe me anti-depressants and birth control to ease my symptoms, none of which helped.  

BUT it was something I had to take into my own hands because the bigger picture here is that I was STRESSSSSED out (and eventually completely burned out). It's an important piece of the puzzle to look at all possible stressors around you and figure out really what's having the most draining effects in your life and of course, further medical testing may be required. (see common causes below)

So, which came first the chicken or the egg? I have seen for myself and with clients, that it's usually a combination of both environmental effects and unresolved traumas, beliefs about being a woman in this body, and how you live your daily life. For me it was the oh so tight grip I had on life -- full-on white-knuckling it! I needed to control everything! People, myself, my surroundings, you name it! And I wasn't about to let go until I was forced to. 

No matter where your stress might be coming from the ultimate bottom line here is that you do something about it - whatever "it" is.

INFLAMMATION AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE BODY 

I want to explain what inflammation is and how it works. Inflammation is our friend, we need it! Our special little army goes in to mend our bodies when we get injured. But it can also be happening on a chronic, low-grade cellular level. This is known as the "silent killer" it develops without pain and can reek all kinds of havoc and lead to things like autoimmune, obesity, cancer, heart disease, hormonal imbalance (thyroid), and anxiety/depression.

We often ignore the messages and just pop a pain reliever (Midol anyone?) and push through. 

STRESS in the body is THE CAUSE of inflammation. Cortisol is the main stress hormone (this is the fight or flight response and is released from our adrenals when it receives the message from the hypothalamus in the brain that we need help).  

And just like inflammation we need cortisol - we need it for healthy energy levels and to be able to handle stress and we need it to be able to act when something major happens (i.e. the tiger is chasing us in the jungle ;). The real problem comes in when we have chronic stress and are consistently producing cortisol - this function called the HPA AXIS (hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal) breaks down and can not relay information to the adrenals to stop the production of cortisol. Eventually, the adrenals burnout from exhaustion, and cortisol essentially runs out. 

It's important to remember inflammation is not the enemy, it is doing its job! Inflammation is actually an indicator that something else is going on (it's fighting something off for us!) and it's time to do something about it! 

common underlying causes of inflammation:

• Stress; career, money, relationships, unfulfilled life, unresolved issues, poor boundaries, lack of self-care/love

• Diet; too many processed foods, sugar, and unhealthy fats

• Food allergies

• Gut and Digestive Issues (stress also contributes as cortisol damages the gut lining)  

• Chronic underlying infections and toxins; viruses, parasites, candida, metals, mold

Let’s get to what can you do about it…

 5 ways to decrease inflammation

1) By looking at the energy centers in the body we can begin to de-code where our possible unresolved emotions (emotional inflammation) might be.

2) Intentional Self-Care Including

• Yin Yoga

• Meditative walking

• Spending Time in Nature

• Sensual Touch

• Journaling

• Deep Belly Breathing

• Vagus Nerve Toning

• Napping

• Healing your relationship with your body

3) Broccoli Sprouts are packed with something called Sulforaphane, it has been shown to support the heart, bones and respiratory system, and it might help your body fight off a common infection, detoxify environmental chemicals, combat autoimmune disease and even protect your brain after serious injury. * Not to mention high amount of vitamin C, A, Calcium and Iron. Can't find them in your local store...grow your own at home!  Check youtube for tutorials on how! 

4)Sweet Potatoes are high in vitamin C and E, manganese as well as beta carotene all fight off free radicals, support healthy liver function for detoxification, reduce inflammation, balance hormones and promote healthy skin. 

 5)Lemon, Ginger, and Turmeric tea detoxifies the liver and improves digestion! It is highly anti-inflammatory and this tea can instantly help relieve bloating and balance hormones.  While Lemon flushes toxins out, the ginger promotes stimulation of the valve stimulating digestion and Turmeric contains Curcumin, a yellow pigment from Curcuma longa, commonly used as a spice and food-coloring agent. The anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin it's compounds that contain important enzymes that mediate inflammatory processes. Making this one powerhouse of a team! 

6)Bring in Omega 3 fatty acids: 

• Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

• Avocado Oil

• Chia Seeds

• Extra-virgin Olive Oil

• Salmon

• Sardines

* Guru Jagat Podcast https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/reality-riffing-with-guru-jagat/id1020962075?mt=2#

* Dr Axe.com https://draxe.com/broccoli-sprouts/

* Pubmed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17569207