Got PMS?

So if you read my blog post from last week about all things PMS and why PMS can occur, you might be thinking "awesome, but what do I do about it so I stop turning into Cruella De Vil every month?"

Well I'm back again to tell you what! Read on to find out how to take control of your hormones.

Here are my top tips for re-balancing hormones and doing away with PMS symptoms for good!

Take Care Of Your Gut Health.

I seem to bang on about our guts so much, but then again, of course I do! It's so central to our entire wellbeing. The state of our digestive health is absolute key to our hormone health. If we are not absorbing the nutrients from our food, and not breaking down food particles properly, it can cause wide spread inflammation and nutrient depletion in our bodies, which is not good news for the production and maintenance of hormone levels.

A good quality probiotic, as well as probiotic rich foods such as fermented veggies like kimchi and sauerkraut or kombucha (fermented tea) are an important part of maintaining gut health. They help to keep the delicate balance of good and bad bacteria in our gastrointestinal tract in order which in turn helps ensure the best environment for nutrient absorption and clearing of unwanted waste (including excess hormones).

A combination of raw and cooked fruits and veggies are also important to maintain good gut health as they provide the fibre we need to keep digestion working effectively, clearing out the excess and absorbing the nutrients we need to maintain our systems in good working order, including our reproductive system and our hormones of course.

If you have specific gut issues going on these need to be address by a health professional, to help you get to the root cause and fix the issue for good which will allow for optimal hormone health.

Give your liver a boost by giving it a break.

All of the excesses in our life can really weigh down on the functioning of our liver. One of the liver's main functions is to break down and clear away waste products and chemicals like medications, alcohol and caffeine.

By decreasing our consumption of caffein, alcohol, sugar and processed foods our liver can breathe a bit easier and focus on aiding digestion and detoxifying our cells. A happy liver leads to happy hormone balance, and you'll notice a decrease in your symptoms when your liver is functioning at optimal levels.

If you're in need of some deep cleansing (ie, you've been abusing your liver for awhile and it's feeling pretty bogged down) you may need to get some specific herbal and nutrient help to give the liver a kickstart to begin the cleansing process.

Manage your stress.

Another theme that comes up time and time again when we speak about hormone health, and health in general. Increased and continuous stress levels increases the level of cortisol in our body which in turn affects the levels of progesterone and oestrogen at specific times in our cycle when we need them to be at the right level to signal ovulation and menstruation. The balance of these hormones is really important for our fertility, and when the delicate balance is even a little off it can result in PMS symptoms like low mood, bloating and period pain as well as ovulation pain.

If you have high levels of stress or anxiety you need to find a way to manage this. Meditation is a great tool and there are so many cool free apps these days that can guide you if you're a beginner. Exercise is another great way to manage stress. Yoga and pilates are great for hormone health, as is short bursts of high intensity exercise (HIIT) as it increases our levels of serotonin and dopamine which help to reduce cortisol levels, and thats good news for our reproductive hormone balance.

Feeling like your PMS is out of control and in need of some tailored advice? I can help! Head over to the contact page of my site, or over to my Facebook page and shoot me a message to book an appointment today!