More Complementary & Integrative Healthcare Articles
Estrogen Dominance and Detoxification
Estrogen dominance is a hormonal condition where your body's level is higher than it should be. There can be several negative health consequences of this, including weight gain, difficult menstruation, irritability, acne, fatigue, low libido, indigestion and increased cancer risk.
Estrogen works with other hormones in the body and so when one hormone's ratio is higher than it should be, the rest of your hormones are negatively impacted, making the side effects of too much estrogen worse. The good news is that it is possible to modulate and balance your estrogen levels with lifestyle modifications and natural therapies and resolve many of your symptoms.
Women's ovaries, liver, adrenal glands and even fat cells can make estrogen, which functions primarily to promote growth and development. In addition to this endogenous production, we are also exposed to environmental, chemical estrogens, called xenoestrogens; these mimic the action of estrogen, alter hormonal activity, increase the estrogen load in the body over time, and are difficult to detoxify through the liver.
Thousands of chemicals we use and are exposed to everyday are classified as xenoestrogens pesticides/herbicides/fertilizers used by industrial, agricultural and chemical companies, many skin and beauty care ingredients, industrial and chemical glues/binders/fillers, food waste containers, almost all plastics and the list goes on.
A significant impact you can make is with reducing your exposure to these xenoestrogens. Some examples would be buy organic food (especially meat and dairy), buy natural beauty and household products, avoid using chemicals on your lawn and garden, avoid use of plastics whenever possible and continue to educate yourself on exposure. These modifications can reduce your overall estrogen load and alleviate some estrogen dominance.
In order to help balance your endogenous estrogen production, the biggest impact you can make is with weight loss, if indicated. Fat cells are metabolically active and contain an enzyme that can make estrogen. Working to achieve and maintain a healthy body fat percentage is a critical estrogen detox.
We can also support the digestive system and liver in clearing estrogens through the use of ground flaxseeds, probiotics, calcium-D-glucarate, DIM, milk thistle, choline, and taurine.
Ask a naturopathic doctor for guidance on implementing an estrogen detoxification program as this can make a significant difference in a host of hormone-related symptoms and lead to better quality of life.
