of cortisol, thyroid, and estrogen, and other hormones: weight gain, fatigue, issues with mood, digestive issues, and on and on! Oh, Calgon, take me away!
What can I do about hormone imbalance? There is so much you can do! Ultimate-
ly, regaining balance in our bodies is about creating the conditions for the body to relax back into its natural rhythms. This involves looking at how we nourish ourselves, as well as exploring sources of stress, which are myriad and unique for each one of us. As challenging as it may seem, the key is to address and shift fundamentally how we think and live.
Where to start?
• Eat a largely plant-based organic whole foods diet to give your body the key nutrients and information it needs to function optimally;
• Reduce toxin exposure as much as possible from processed foods, hormonally-treated meats and dairy products, unfiltered water, plastics, beauty and personal care products (look up the “Dirty Dozen Endocrine Disrup- tors” from the Environmental Working Group);
• Practice optimal sleep hygiene to get enough quality sleep;
• Explore quieting the mind through establishing a daily meditation practice, practicing yoga, qi-gong, tai-chi;
• Foster connection by taking a break from social media and technology, and spending uninterrupted face-to-face with family and friends;
• Practice kindness toward yourself first, then towards others, and remember that we are all interconnected whether we are aware or not;
• Consider working with a therapist who is highly-experienced with treating those with a history of trauma;
• Consider consulting with a functional medicine practitioner to explore issues with cortisol and sex hormone me- tabolism, GI and detoxification issues. Specialty testing can provide personal- ized and in-depth information about what specifically is causing imbalance for you, and provide an individual road- map to restore the intended balance and rhythm of your body.
Start where you are. Too often we give up before we start because it seems like too much to take on when we’re already over- whelmed with all that we have to do and face every day. Yet, when we take the time to create even the tiniest space of care for ourselves, this alone can energetically shift toward immense change and the realiza- tion of the life we’re meant to live in these amazing bodies we’ve been given.
Jessica Wei, MD, FACOG is a board-certified Ob/Gyn and functional medicine practi- tioner, who left her private practice of thirteen years to create the women’s func-
tional medicine practice, Women’s Holistic Health, LLC in West Hartford, Connecticut. To augment her extensive conventional training, Dr. Wei completed a fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine founded by Dr. Andrew Weil, the interna- tionally recognized expert in integrative medicine. She also completed the Kalish Method Functional Medicine Mentorship, and is obtaining certification with the Insti- tute of Functional Medicine with expertise in the areas of hormonal, GI, immune, energetic, and cardiometabolic health, as well as detoxification. She specializes in the evaluation and treatment of hormonal is- sues such as PMS, PCOS, fibroids, endome- triosis, and menopausal issues, as well as fertility, fatigue, digestive problems, and de- pression/anxiety. Women’s Holistic Health, LLC is located at 18 North Main Street, 3rd floor in West Hartford. For more informa- tion, please visit:
www.jessicaweimd.com; e-mail info @
jessicaweimd.com; or call 860-904-9728. See ad on page 27.
32 Natural Nutmeg -May/June 2017
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