Your endocrine system produces a host of hormones that regulate so much in your body and mind, influencing everything from weight and growth to libido levels, mood, and how well you sleep.
Since your hormones impact so much, when things go awry and they become dysregulated, your well-being is greatly affected. Fortunately, you can take steps that can help your hormones get in sync again, so you can feel like your old self.
Every patient who visits Gain Wellness Center is assessed for not only the symptoms they discuss with us, but we also perform an in-depth analysis of how the many aspects of one’s physical and emotional health are interacting with one another.
Only with this type of investigative approach can Dr. Mandeep Walia-Bhatia arrives at an accurate diagnosis and, most importantly, a treatment plan that restores your health!
Some common signs of hormonal imbalance
As we noted before, hormones that aren’t in equilibrium cause a plethora of diverse symptoms, but five particularly impactful hallmarks point to hormonal problems, and we want you to know about them.
1. Unexplained weight fluctuations
Whether you’re male or female, hormones can cause you to either lose or gain weight, seemingly for no reason — hyperthyroidism and hyperthyroidism, respectively.
If you aren’t eating any differently, but your weight is yo-yoing in either direction, your hormonal levels may be the culprit.
2. Sleep that’s anything but restful
A shift in your hormones can cause you to suffer from insomnia and lie awake most of the night, leading to fatigue and mental fogginess during the day. You might even feel as if you can’t stay awake long enough to get anything done.
No matter which hormone-related problem you experience that messes with your rest, it tends to impede your alertness, focus, high energy, and ability to meet your home and work responsibilities.
3. Problems getting “in the mood”
Imbalanced hormones can mean you don’t feel like romance much anymore, and that can really put a damper on your relationship with your partner.
Hormone issues are actually also the leading cause of fertility problems for women as well and contribute to conditions like polycystic ovary disorder (PCOD) and anovulation, or the failure of an egg to be released during ovulation.
Low testosterone levels in men also impact a couple’s ability to have a child through suppressed sperm levels and erectile dysfunction.
4. Insulin production woes
When your pancreas has problems making enough insulin — or any at all, you develop the most frequently diagnosed hormone-related condition in the country: diabetes.
Just some of the signs of diabetes and blood sugar instability that hormonal irregularity fuels include excessive sweating, dizziness, concentration problems, and irritability.
5. Digestive problems
Hormonal issues can lead to digestive problems, and they have also been associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a disorder marked by abdominal cramps, bloating, constipation, and diarrhea.
In addition to all these symptoms, a hormone imbalance may cause you to feel, well, not quite like yourself. They can rule your moods, and in women, fluctuating estrogen levels that accompany pregnancy, childbirth, and menopause can exacerbate anxiety during pregnancy, contribute to postpartum depression, and fuel menopausal mood swings.
Low testosterone is also linked to depression in men, as well as motivational and concentration problems.
It’s easy to see then, just how much havoc dysregulated hormones can wreak on your wellness.
How we address hormone imbalance
As we always do when treating any patient, we consider all the possible root causes of your imbalance, including your stage of life whether you’re female or male, period problems if you’re a woman, your weight, daily activity, stress levels, and more.
We also look at the environments in which you spend the bulk of your time — for most people these are home and work — and the chance that toxins may be lurking within them, as well as whether a patient has ever received drug treatment that affects their immune system, such as chemotherapy.
Next, we advise that you receive our complete wellness evaluation, which involves checking your cellular health, nutrition, movement patterns, stress levels, and more.
After we have the clearest picture possible of your hormonal situation, we may prescribe a combination of dietary and exercise changes, alterations you can make to your environment, and proven stress management techniques,
Another option is hormone replacement therapy, which is the administration via injection, pill, or topically of synthetic hormones that safely mimic your body’s.
If you suspect your hormones are not regulated, request a complimentary consultation by calling our office at (858) 524-3821 or reaching out online.
Author Dr. Mandeep Walia-Bhatia, DC, AFMCP Dr. Mandeep Walia-Bhatia, DC, AFMCP, is the founder of Gain Wellness Center in San Diego, California. At the wellness center, one of Dr. Walia’s, greatest goals, as a health care provider, is to provide her practice members with alternative, but healthy and safe choices that will enhance their health and well-being. She likes to motivate and educate her practice members to take charge of their health by providing them with evidence-based information so that they can make informed decisions regarding their own personal health and take control of their health. Dr. Walia was born in India and raised in Canada before moving to San Diego. She attended McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada for her Master of Science degree with specialties in Biology and Physiology. She had various publications in research articles during her time at McMaster University funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. She has three kids and enjoys cooking, hiking and going to the beach with her family.