Author: Odette Bulaong

A Toronto-based naturopathic doctor helping people optimize their fertility & reproductive health from their first to their last period. Through in-person and virtual one-on-one visits and online programs, I help people understand, trust and love their bodies again so they can take charge of their health & live their best life.

Know Your Hormones! #3 Cortisol

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Do you ever get STRESSED OUT?

 

Don’t worry…I do too!

 

When we get stressed out, cortisol is one of the hormones that can help us make it through the day. If you’re thinking: “But that’s every day for me!”,  then you’ll want to watch this short video where I’ll share my TOP 3 tips for balancing your cortisol levels so you can handle stress more effectively.

 

 

 

 

What is cortisol?

 

Cortisol is a hormone made by our adrenal glands (two little triangular shaped organs that sit on top of each kidney – so we have one right and one left adrenal gland). (1)

 

 
What does cortisol do?

 

Our adrenal glands release cortisol to help us deal with long-term stressors like:

  • High-stress jobs
  • Balancing work, home, relationships and all of your other many responsibilities
  • Coping with a loved one’s illness
  • Coping with our own long-standing health concerns like infertility and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)

 

 

How does cortisol help us deal with long-term stressors?

 

Cortisol raises our blood sugar by converting fats & proteins into glucose (sugar). (1, 2)

 

Glucose is the preferred fuel of our cells because our cells can convert it to energy very efficiently. And when we’re stressed out, we need lots of energy to fuel our brain to help us make the right decisions and of course to fuel our other vital organs like our hearts, lungs and muscles. (1, 2)

 

 

So what’s the problem?

 

If we are consistently stressed out – day in and day out – our adrenal glands need to make lots of cortisol on a repeated basis. Excess cortisol over time (months & years) can lead to:

(2)

 

On the other end of the spectrum, too little cortisol isn’t good either because it can lead to

  • Difficulty getting out of bed in the morning
  • Inability to handle stress
  • Decreased ability of other hormones to function optimally, including thyroid hormone, estrogen & progesterone

(2)

 

 

So what can we do about this?

 

Saying we need to relieve stress is obvious – but I know the million dollar question is how? The answer will be unique to each person, but my top 3 tips for YOU today are:

 

  1. Eat to balance your blood sugars: If your blood sugar levels drop too low, cortisol is released because the body considers blood sugar levels that are too low (hypoglycemia) to be a stress on the body. Watch last week’s video for some basic nutrition tips to stabilize your blood sugar levels.
  2. Practice relaxation techniques daily: Abdominal breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and positive Self-talk can all be used to help turn off your stress response and turn on your relaxation response.
  3. Physical activity: Find something active you LOVE to do. I know – this may take a while, but keep at it. It doesn’t have to be the typical running or hitting the gym, both of which are great of course, but if these don’t excite you, you won’t be motivated to it. So think outside the box. What about yoga, kickboxing,  dance lessons, rowing, dragon boating or dodgeball (yes, it’s a thing!). The bottom line is to find something you LOVE to do, so it doesn’t feel like you’re being forced to “exercise”. I truly believe there’s something out there for everyone…so start looking!

 

 

Final Thoughts

 

You can’t balance cortisol by getting rid of all of the stress in your life – that would be unrealistic and unnecessary because there’s always going to be stress (and some stress can actually be positive motivators). Instead, by introducing the tips above (start one at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed!), you can help cortisol work smarter not harder – and thus keep it, and your other hormones in better balance.

 

Next week, we’ll be learning about a hormone the women are going to be super interested in – here’s a hint – it’s in charge of our metabolism!

 

References:

  1. Marieb, EN. Essentials of human anatomy & physiology. 11th ed. Boston: Pearson Inc.; 2015.
  2. Bellevue, Shannon Ed. Functional and personalized hormone restoration therapy live event workbook. LP3 Network Inc. 2017.

 

Take good care of your Self until then!

 

 

Wanna become a Self-care warrior? 

Click the button below to join Dr. Odette’s FREE Self-care Warrior e-mail list and you’ll receive her Self-care videos, articles, and inspiration right in your inbox! 

 

YES! I’m ready to take care of my Self!

 

Know Your Hormones! #2 Insulin

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Do you ever get hangry?

 

I know I do!

 

If you’re like most people, when you get hangry, you need something and you need it quick! You crave cookies, bagels, chips, donuts – something sugary or high in carbohydrates and something fast. While those may give you instant gratification – we all know it doesn’t last long – so if you want some better food choices when you’re hangry & why it’s important to your hormones – I’ll fill you in today!

 

What you’ll learn in this video (feel free to jump to what you’re interested in!):

0:43 What does insulin have to do with being hangry?

2:20 Insulin resistance & why it’s bad for our health

2:56 What to eat when you get hangry!

 

 

I can definitely get hangry.

 

It always amazes me that when I do, my body just wants that quick carbohydrate fix too! But I know that if I give in (and yes – it does happen!), I may get a quick boost of energy but then my energy drops way down just as quickly. And guess what? I’m hungry 10 minutes later!

 

Before we learn how to fix this, let’s learn about blood sugar balance.

 

Enter insulin.

 

Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas, an organ in our upper abdomen.

 

What does insulin do?

 

After we eat a meal our blood sugar normally rises. Insulin gets released and it tells our cells to absorb sugar. This allows our cells to use that sugar to make the energy we need to function well and complete our day to day activities. Meanwhile, our blood sugar levels return to normal.

 

So what’s the problem?

 

When we eat foods with a very high sugar content our blood sugars spike up really high, really quickly. This causes the pancreas to release a lot of insulin in order to deal with that high blood sugar and sometimes it overshoots the amount needed and too much sugar gets absorbed into the cell, which means our blood sugars actually drop down too low. This is called hypoglycemia. The next thing you know, you’re hungry again! So you’re reaching for another quick fix – another cookie or candy bar perhaps?

 

Setting the stage for insulin resistance

 

If this happens only once in a while, that’s not going to be an issue, but if your pancreas has to do this repeatedly, and you repeatedly eat foods that are too high in sugar (and we do this too often), our cells stop responding to insulin. They don’t absorb sugar as well anymore with the normal amount of insulin, so the pancreas has to make more and more insulin for the cell to respond to the same amount of sugar. This is called insulin resistance. Our cells become resistant to insulin – they no longer respond well to insulin, and this perpetuates unstable blood sugar levels.

 

Insulin resistance can play a role in weight gain, in pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).

 

So what can we do about this?

 

Eat to keep our blood sugars more stable throughout the day – so insulin doesn’t go on a roller coaster ride. When you get hangry – reach for something that has some protein & healthy fat in it – not just sugar!

 

You want an apple? Great! Dip it in some natural almond butter.

 

Or maybe pack a hard-boiled egg for snack!

 

Out and about and a bagel is your best option on the road? Ok – but definitely choose whole wheat, maybe just eat half of it and top it with some peanut butter or cream cheese….and maybe you can sprinkle some extra pumpkin seeds you keep stashed at your desk to help.

 

With all of these options, adding protein & healthy fat to your snack slows down the release of sugar into your blood so insulin can be released in a more balanced way. That way – just enough sugar will be absorbed into your cells, and your blood sugar levels will stay stable throughout the day, so you don’t feel hangry.

 

Next week, we’ll be learning about one of our important stress hormones – and how it is also super important for regulating blood sugar and many other hormones.

 

Take care until then!

 

 

 

 

Know Your Hormones! #1 Estrogen

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Do you feel like your hormones are “out of balance”?

 

You’re not alone!

 

Many women feel like their hormones are out of control – but they don’t know which ones.

 

Over the next 4 weeks I’ll be introducing you to 4 of the main hormones that could be responsible for many common symptoms women experience, so you can start to become more aware of the importance of hormonal balance.

 

Let’s start with estrogen!

 

 

Estrogen is an important hormone for women.

 

Estrogen is made mainly in the ovaries for women who are still having their periods. Estrogen is made during the first half of your menstrual cycle (before ovulation occurs), to really help prepare & thicken the uterine lining for implantation after ovulation and successful fertilization.

 

But sometimes estrogen can be too high (estrogen excess) and sometimes it can be too low (estrogen deficiency) resulting in many symptoms that fluctuate over a woman’s cycle and lifetime.

 

Possible signs of estrogen excess:

Estrogen excess can be seen in women with endometriosis, fibroids, PCOS and fertility issues.

 

Possible signs of estrogen deficiency:

  • Dry hair, skin
  • Fatigue
  • Hot flashes
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Urinary incontinence
  • Vaginal dryness

Estrogen deficiency can be seen in women with fertility issues, menopause, and post-menopause

 

To complicate matters, both estrogen excess and deficiency can lead to similar symptoms, for example:

 

How do we know if estrogen is too high or too low?

 

Sometimes it can help to test your estrogen levels as well as for other factors involved in estrogen level changes. This can be done via blood testing. 

 

What happens after I get my estrogen results?

 

Sometimes, once we know more about what your levels are, then we can help address your hormones more effectively.

 

To balance estrogen excess, options may include cruciferous vegetables, fibre and restoring gut health to eliminate estrogen more effectively, as I’ve discussed here in my Hormone detox series and again here in my Fertility series. If you’re look for more information on other important hormones for fertility click here.

 

To improve estrogen deficiency, options may include nutritional changes, supplements and herbs to help to support the body’s own production of estrogen. If necessary, we also may need to consider whether bio-identical compounded hormones are necessary.

 

Final Thoughts

 

Now remember, even though you may see one or more of your symptoms in either the estrogen excess or deficiency category – that’s not the end of the story. That’s because your hormones don’t function in isolation from one another. They can overlap in function, interact with one another, and can even modify the function of one another. This means that your symptoms may be due a combination of hormonal imbalances and not just estrogen. To achieve whole body hormonal balance we need to understand your other hormones are functioning as well.

 

Next week, we’ll be learning about another important hormone – and here’s a hint – it’s important for blood sugar balance.

 

Take care until then!

 

If you’re ready for one-on-one naturopathic care backed by 15 years of experience helping people start and expand their families, click here or on the button below to get started.

Book Your Appointment – It’s Easy!

You can also use the above button to book a complimentary no-obligation 15-minute Optimal Health Meet & Greet Visit so you can ask me questions about my approach to helping you feel your best through perimenopause & beyond – before committing to an initial naturopathic visit.

Everyday Detox: Detox Your Mind!

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Hey everyone, for our last Everyday Detox for Hormone Balance Tip I’m going to share with you a quick way to Detox your Mind!

 

That’s right – we are going beyond physical detox and today talking mental-emotional detox! In my experience, it’s just as important for hormonal balance.

 

And I’m talking the need to specifically detox from all of the negative chatter we hear – from ourselves.

 

You know what I’m talking about ladies.

 

Women are notoriously hard on themselves. I know you want to stop being so hard on yourself but I also know: it is not easy. I repeat – it is NOT easy. As a recovering perfectionist (who definitely has her moments of relapse from time to time!), I can tell you from experience that this kind of mind detox from decades-long negative Self-talk takes time, practice & patience.

 

So let’s start right now.

 

 

The easiest way to detox our negative Self-talk is to…

 

Talk to your Self like you’re talking to your best friend. Your BFF, your girl who always has your back.

 

It makes perfect sense and is easier to understand than just telling yourself to be gentle with yourself.

 

Don’t believe me?

 

Think about what happens we make a mistake at work. What do we say to ourselves?

 

I suck.

I’m so stupid.

I’m such a dork.

I can’t do anything right.

 

Would we ever say this to our BFFs? Jokingly maybe – but never seriously. Never with the cruelty or brutality that we all too often use to talk to ourselves.

 

We think they’re just words – but these words repeated over years, over a lifetime – make it so challenging for us as women to believe in ourselves, believe we can do anything, believe we are good enough.

 

So what does positive Self-talk have to do with our hormones?

 

Well, let’s talk specifically about a super-important hormone for the stress response: cortisol.

 

When we’re faced with our long-term daily stressors: work, family, relationships – cortisol is the hormone that is released to help us cope. Ideally, we would experience the stressor, let’s say – a deadline at work, and you freak out a bit. That would lead to a release of cortisol. You would handle the stressor, get through everything okay and cortisol would lower back to normal levels.

 

But think about what happens with our negative Self-talk:

 

You face a deadline at work and freak out a bit so that cortisol is released, but you also tell yourself you’re stupid which leads to more cortisol released. Then you tell yourself there’s no way you’ll make the deadline, which makes you freak out even more and leads to more cortisol being released. And finally ,you tell yourself you’re completely incompetent so even MORE CORTISOL IS RELEASED.

 

In spite of your negative Self-talk, you end up handling the stressor (because you’re a rock star!) but cortisol takes much longer to go back to normal, so it stays at higher levels in your bloodstream than it’s supposed to.

 

What’s wrong with too much cortisol for too long?

 

Excess cortisol can lead to

  • Continued high blood sugar levels which lead to weight gain (around your belly of all places!)
  • Insulin resistance: insulin is the hormone that controls blood sugar, so this adds to weight gain and  can disrupt ovulation in women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS)
  • Suppression of female reproductive hormones (estrogen, progesterone) which can lead to irregular periods, heavy periods, fertility issues, perimenopausal hot flashes
  • Thyroid hormone disruption: thyroid is important for metabolism, energy and healthy weight

 

 

Bottom line:

 

Choosing to detox your mind from negative Self-talk and speak to your Self the way you would your BFF, can improve the way you handle stress more efficiently, balancing your cortisol levels and preventing disruptions in other important hormones in your body.

 

So make sure you try it out this week!

 

Thank you!

 

A huge thank you to all of you who have watched the Everyday Detox series videos. I hope it has helped you work in some healthy habits that can help keep your hormones more balanced on a daily basis.

 

I’ll see you next week when I’ll announce my next month’s video health series.

 

Take good care of your Self until then!

 

 

Wanna become a Self-care warrior? 

Click the button below to join Dr. Odette’s FREE Self-care Warrior e-mail list and you’ll receive her Self-care videos, articles, and inspiration right in your inbox! 

 

YES! I’m ready to take care of my Self!

 

 

 

If you’re ready for one-on-one naturopathic care backed by 15 years of experience helping people start and expand their families, click here or on the button below to get started.

Book Your Appointment – It’s Easy!

You can also use the above button to book a complimentary no-obligation 15-minute Optimal Health Meet & Greet Visit so you can ask me questions about my approach to helping you feel your best through perimenopause & beyond – before committing to an initial naturopathic visit.

My Top 7 Liver-Loving Veggies

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For today’s Everyday Detox tip for Hormone Balance, I’m going to share my top 7 veggies to help your liver detoxify from estrogen more efficiently and I’ll explain who really needs to do this the most.

 

And if you’re worried I’m going to tell you to buy some foods you’ve never heard of – I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised because they are all pretty common veggies, and hopefully, with giving you 7 options, you can find one that you enjoy.

 

To help support liver detoxification of estrogen on a daily basis, we want to choose veggies from the Cruciferous (or cabbage) family. This family of vegetables contains lots of healthy nutrients including antioxidants, fibre, vitamins, minerals and a compound called indole-3-carbinol (I3C). I3C has been shown to help the liver detoxify estrogen into its less harmful breakdown product.

 

 

 

My top 7 Cruciferous veggie picks

(in alphabetical order because I don’t want to play favourites – I really love them all!:

  1. Arugula (also known as rocket lettuce)
  2. Bok Choy
  3. Broccoli
  4. Brussels sprouts
  5. Cabbage
  6. Cauliflower
  7. Kale

 

Not sure how to enjoy them?

 

  • Bok choy, broccoli & cauliflower go great in stir-fries.
  • Oven-roasted Brussels sprouts can be super tasty.
  • I love to use arugula, kale & cabbage in salads – they each hold up well in easy-to-pack mason jar salads.

 

How do you know if you might need help detoxifying from estrogen?

 

Many people suffer from symptoms related to estrogen dominance (too much estrogen compared to the amount of progesterone in the body) including:

Estrogen dominance is also related to any conditions for which these can be symptoms of, including:

 

If you want to learn additional & personalized natural ways to help detoxify from estrogen and improve any of the conditions above, then click here.

 

I’ll see you next week for our final Everyday Detox tip!

 

Take care until then!

 

If you’re ready for one-on-one naturopathic care backed by 15 years of experience helping people start and expand their families, click here or on the button below to get started.

Book Your Appointment – It’s Easy!

You can also use the above button to book a complimentary no-obligation 15-minute Optimal Health Meet & Greet Visit so you can ask me questions about my approach to helping you feel your best through perimenopause & beyond – before committing to an initial naturopathic visit.