On the surface, it seems like your weight, digestion, fertility, energy level, and even libido are all pretty disparate — and likely to be influenced by distinct factors.
Believe it or not, your body’s ultra-sophisticated chemical messaging system — your hormones — is what impacts all these diverse systems. This may come as a surprise to you as well: Your hormones also affect your moods.
Once you stop and think about it though, it makes sense. We often hear how the “feel good” hormone serotonin lifts our mood when we exercise, and the hormone oxytocin is released when nursing mothers breastfeed their infants, causing them to feel calm.
When your hormones aren’t balanced, your moods can suffer. Fortunately, Dr. Mandeep Walia-Bhatia helps patients experiencing hormone dysregulation, so they can feel better emotionally, and more balanced when it comes to mood. Her approach to health takes into account the whole person, and you’re in the best hands at Gain Wellness Center — no matter with what condition you may yourself struggling.
Your hormones are drivers of your moods
As we noted, your hormones profoundly influence your moods and emotional state. For example:
- Your thyroid (part of your endocrine system) can become either underactive or overactive if things are not well-balanced. An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) can cause you to feel sluggish and depressed, while an overactive (hyperthyroidism) one can make you anxious and irritable.
- Estrogen and progestin levels drop right before your period, and it’s thought that these changes contribute to premenstrual syndrome (PMS), which is marked by mood swings. You may experience irritability, impatience, and sadness at this time.
- There is drastic hormonal fluctuation after a woman has a baby as well, and this can cause mild and temporary postpartum depression, also known as the “baby blues.
However, it can also lead to a serious disorder that requires treatment — postpartum depression — symptoms of which include sustained depression and feeling shame, guilt, and exhaustion. Thoughts of suicide can also emerge. These feelings can lead to trouble bonding with your baby.
- During perimenopause (a period that can be years-long, prior to menopause) and menopause, women also experience a great drop in estrogen, which can cause marked mood swings, anxiety, and depression.
Men’s moods aren’t unaffected by hormonal imbalances either. A drop in testosterone can make a man irritable, depressed, and experience a loss of interest in sex. Hormone imbalance can also cause sleep disturbances, leading to fatigue.
Dr. Walia-Bhatia has centered her practice on the interconnectedness of every person’s physical and emotional health, so if you’re experiencing mood issues, she approaches your treatment by deeply analyzing your whole health picture, from lifestyle habits like diet and exercise to your cellular health, stress levels, and more.
In addition to naturally occurring hormonal changes that are spurred by aging and milestones like childbirth and menopause, your hormones can become imbalanced if you’re exposed to toxins, an injury to one of your endocrine glands, or living with a chronic condition, like diabetes or obesity. Gynecological conditions can also affect your hormones, like ovarian cysts and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
What to expect when we treat your for hormonal imbalances
Gain Wellness Center offers an assessment called a complete wellness evaluation that examines these important health benchmarks. From there, Dr. Walia-Bhatia is able to craft a personalized treatment plan for regulating your hormones — and your moods — once again.
Treatment may include:
- Nutritional counseling
- Advice about your level of physical activity
- Recommendations about stress management
- Cellular detoxification
- Assistance with weight loss
- Recommendations on detoxifying your home or office environment
- Hormone replacement therapy
With hormone replacement therapy, Dr. Walia-Bhatia prescribes artificial hormones that can complement those that your body is making, and you can take them topically, orally, or via injection.
If you’re distressed by mood swings or persistent depression or anxiety, seek help from Gain Wellness Center. We can help your life come into balance again by getting your hormones in sync.
Call our San Diego office at (858) 524-3821 to arrange for a complimentary consultation, or book one online.