I know talk about hormone health is everywhere nowadays, and if you haven’t studied human physiology, you might be wondering, what’s the hype all about anyway?🤔

I get it, I live with an engineer whose formal biology knowledge plateau’d past grade 9, so I’m used to explaining all the bodily things and as you might guess based on my career choice, I love it! Plus he gets to teach me about physics and math here & there too (lol).

I started being interested in hormone health five years ago when going through my own health journey. I had anxiety, mood swings, acne and rampant inflamed “eczema”, and it wasn’t until I learned the connection between stress, food, and hormones that things finally began turning for me. I came out of the situation years later feeling frustrated that my symptoms were being dismissed by some of my practitioners😖 and that it took going back to school for Nutrition and a lot of self-advocacy for my health to improve. That’s why this information is so important to share with you, because you deserve answers too.♡

So let me break it down for you: Hormones are chemical messengers and without them, proper functioning in our body doesn’t happen. They control everything from reproduction, digestion, metabolism, emotions and even hunger and satiety (the feeling of being full and satisfied). When our hormones function properly, we feel great and when they do not, we can have health issues that make us miserable.

Let’s look at a few key hormones systems and you will get the picture as to how important they are.

Hypothalamus: It signals the production of other hormones and in doing so, helps regulate things like hunger, moods, sleep, body temperature and sex drive.

Thymus: It produces the hormone thymosin, which help regulate the immune system. As we get older, the thymus shrinks, but it’s not clear whether this is supposed to happen, or if good nutrition and lifestyle could help the thymus maintain immune function even as we age.

Pancreas: Here’s one you might be most familiar with, especially if you or a loved one has diabetes. Insulin produced in the pancreas is a key hormone and its sole function is to help blood sugar get into the cells so we have the energy we need for our cells to function. But, too much insulin can contribute to many health issues. The key here is truly a balance and avoiding the body from becoming insulin resistant.

Thyroid: Hormones produced by our thyroid are associated with metabolism, mood, and heart rate. If you have weight issues, it could be that your thyroid isn’t functioning optimally.

Adrenals: My personal favourite, mostly because they are ones I’ve had to give extra love and care to over the years. There are many hormones produced by the adrenal glands, but their main function is to help us cope with stress, both physical and mental. This makes them possibly the most important of all, since protecting us from danger is considered to be one of the most significant systems in the body. When we’re stressed, the adrenals can create all kinds of havoc with other systems in the body.

Pituitary: This endocrine gland is a bit bossy - it produces hormones that tell other glands and organs to produce more hormones. However, hormones from the adrenals like cortisol or insulin from the pancreas can exert pressure on the pituitary and interfere with other hormones relationships where the pituitary is involved.

Of course, the hormones that often concern most people are the reproductive hormones. In women, the ovaries produce estrogen, progesterone and small amounts of testosterone before menopause. After menopause, it is the adrenals that produce these hormones to keep women healthy. For men, the testes produce testosterone and small amounts of estrogen and progesterone.

These are just a few hormonal relationships – it really is complex and often hormone problems are a result of several different hormones being off, leading to more than one issue. Food and lifestyle can help immensely to nourish the various body parts so they work in a more balanced way. A holistic nutrition professional (like me!🙋🏻‍♀️) can help you do this.

Balanced hormones are the key to having overall health & truly thrive. Even small imbalances can lead to issues. Getting professional advice is the first step and from there, decisions can be made to help correct the issues.

Thinking you might be dealing with a hormone imbalance or two? I’m launching a brand new nutritional counselling program this month all about balancing your hormones!🤗

Subscribe to my waitlist to get first dibs on the program details, early enrolment access, and a special discount!👀

You can get on the waitlist here: https://evergreennourishco.com/enhprogramwaitlist

Comment any questions you have below or send me an email at contact@evergreennourishco.com or a DM on instagram at https://www.instagram.com/chanellelagasse/.

More details coming soon!

Did you learn anything from this blog post? I’d love to hear what your biggest takeaway was by leaving me a comment below.🥰

With gratitude,

Chanelle ♡