subject: The Balancing Act Of Hormones [print this page] The fact that hormones govern our lives, wellness quotient and general health is a basic fact of bio-chemistry. Hormones are the bodys chemical messengers and they affect every human biological system. Hormonal systems govern every aspect of health ranging from metabolism, proper immune function, physical and emotional responses to stress, ageing of cells and also reproduction. Hormonal or endocrine systems though are vastly different for men and women, they are equally complex for both.
Lifestyle Choices Cause Hormonal Imbalance:
Although women experience hormonal changes throughout their lives, research shows the onset of menopausal symptoms is often linked to modern Western lifestyle. This is marked by nutrient-deficient diets, alcohol consumption, smoking, chronic stress, depression, lack of exercise and exposure to endocrine-disrupting toxins found in common household products.
In Vancouver, most urban families suffer from hormonal imbalance and this is primarily due to lifestyle choices. There is an increasing awareness about the impact of hormones amongst urban Vancouver population and families are resorting to natural remedies in an already naturopathic Vancouver.
Hormonal imbalance can occur in men and women with age or due to stress. Traditional hormone replacement treatment involves synthetic hormones that can cause side effects like stroke, breast cancer etc. Testosterone supplements in men can also cause problems like acne, hair loss and water retention if taken in excess and it can even turn into estrogen. Hormone imbalance can be treated naturally through proper nutrition, drinking lots of water and reduction of stress. Hence a lot of people now believe that medical treatment is not the primary approach to treating illness and optimizing health. Hormones can act abnormally if a person lives unhealthily and is under constant stress. Naturopathy for hormone imbalance seems to provide a safer, less painful and more holistic approach and is reported by many to have very positive results.
Naturopathy as a Natural Remedial Treatment:
Naturopathy is a form of treatment that relies exclusively on natural remedies, such as sunlight, air, water, supplemented with diet and therapies such as massage. It operates under the principle that the body is a self-healing, self-regulating organism, and that the job of the naturopath is to identify the underlying causes that have contributed to health imbalances and work to remove those causes while at the same time supporting the self-healing mechanism.
Naturopathy provides for non-invasive techniques of treatment and natural therapies. Some may only focus on stress relief and nutrition while other more complex treatment focus on alternative medicine and treatment of diseases in the advanced stages. It is a natural approach to health care and is widely adopted by people of all ages in Vancouver.
Naturopathy for Treating Hormonal Imbalance:
The main goal of naturopathy for hormone imbalance is to support and trigger the body to heal itself optimally. Naturopathy believes that every person's body is capable of healing itself naturally regardless of the type of disease as long as it is in equilibrium. The process implies the need to treat several factors simultaneously for a well-rounded treatment. The mental, physical, environmental and spiritual aspects have to be treated equally for both physical and mental symptoms to improve.
Hormonal imbalance treatment involves identifying the main cause or source in order to stop and relieve symptoms. Treatments for underlying causes are gentle, non-invasive and aim at reducing stress levels. Naturopath doctors will take into account a patients medical history, lifestyle, nutrition and other environmental factors besides physical examination and laboratory tests. Then a variety of natural treatment will be provided to help the body regain balance such as herbal medicine, homeopathic medicine, acupuncture, acupressure, nutritional counseling, detoxification which involves removing toxins in the body through fasting or drinking lots of water and hydrotherapy or water therapy that boost the immune system.
Spirituality is also given importance since naturopaths believe that there should be good association between the mind and body. Physical medicine involves different natural techniques like hot and cold compresses, touch therapy, electric currents and sound waves. Lifestyle and psychological counseling will help patients determine effective techniques and patterns to deal with stress.
Thus the urban population of a naturopathic Vancouver is embracing naturopathy as a long-term treatment for hormonal imbalances.
