Facts:
- Hormones control most major bodily functions, from simple basic needs like hunger to complex systems like reproduction, and even emotions and mood.
- Over 22% of Canadian women, aged 45-64, use some form of hormone replacement therapy.
- Women taking hormone replacement therapy are 2x as likely as females not taking hormone replacement therapy to have used other health services and had further medical tests in the last year alone.
- More than one in four Canadians report daily moderate to high stress levels. Stress hormones impact every cell in your body.
- Statistics reveal that almost 80% of women suffer from some kind of hormonal imbalance resulting in a slew of physical and mental health challenges.
Symptoms:
- Excessive hair growth or hair thinning
- Adult acne
- Mood swings, nervous, emotional
- Difficulty losing weight or gaining weight
- Flush easily
- Fast pulse at rest
- Mentally sluggish or reduced initiative
- Easily fatigued or sleepy during the day
- Sensitive to col or poor circulation
- Constant constipation
- Waking to urinate at night
- Decreased sexual function
- Variations in menstrual cycles
Functional Medicine follows the functional model of endocrinology instead of the replacement model. The replacement model essentially means measuring what hormone may be low and then, replacing it. The functional model is different and in it, we’re more concerned with determining the underlying causes of the problem and addressing it at that level. There are basic systems in the body required for proper hormone function and if you can get those systems functioning optimally, then the hormones will usually come into balance at optimal levels.
At the Functional Health Institute, we assess five predominant systems to ensure optimal hormone production and balance:
- Blood sugar
- Gut function
- Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal Axis (HPA Axis)
- Liver and gallbladder function (detoxification)
- Essential fatty acid balance
The main point of interest is that while all these five systems are important to focus on in their own right, they also all interact with each other. Blood sugar issues can lead to adrenal and HPA axis issues, while gut issues can cause adrenal and HPA issues, and having chronic “adrenal fatigue” can lead to gut issues, and vice versa. It goes on and on like an interwoven web that just grows bigger and bigger.
That is why Functional Medicine is important in that we treat the body as a whole rather than focusing on separate issues in isolation. Call us today to schedule a personal health consultation and we will sit down with you to help determine how we can help with your health goals.