Are you experiencing significant fatigue even though you feel anxious and cannot sleep?
Are you experiencing hair loss or weight gain, no matter what you do to change your nutrition or exercise patterns?
Do you have brain fog, making it difficult to complete tasks at home or work?
Are you missing your menstrual periods, or experiencing heavy menstrual bleeding, difficult acne, excessive hair growth, or loss of libido and sexual function?
These are all symptoms of hormone imbalance and NOT just your sex hormones.
Your endocrine system is responsible for the production of the various hormones necessary for essential functions – from regulating metabolism to maintaining healthy tissues, sex drive, reproduction, sleep cycles, and mood.
The endocrine system pairs specific hormone functions to each organ, to determine which chemicals need to be released, at what time, and for which purpose.
The pituitary gland, a small pea-sized gland, is also called the “master gland” as it controls the other glands in your body. It produces many hormones like growth hormone (GH or somatotropin) while stimulating other glands to release additional hormones like cortisol.
Other important glands of the endocrine system include the pineal gland, a pine cone-shaped gland that regulates melatonin and circadian rhythm, the thyroid gland important for thyroxine (T4) production, the thymus gland responsible for childhood growth and releasing disease-fighting T cells as well as the adrenal glands that regulate cortisol levels.
The pancreas produces insulin to regulate blood sugar and other metabolic functions that contribute to our ability to maintain a healthy weight. The small intestine produces leptin, a hormone that regulates appetite.
Vitamin D is also an important hormone, produced after dietary intake of inactive vitamin D is activated by the sunlight. Vitamin D is essential for health cardiovascular function, bone health, and mood.
A HORMONE is any chemical produced in one part of the body that travels through to the bloodstream to act on the cells of another organ or tissue. Hormones work by binding to receptors on the surface of cells and activating systems within that cell.
The glands that are part of your endocrine system work together, like a complex hormonal symphony to control the level of hormones that circulate throughout your body at any given time.
So when just one of these glands is “out of tune”, creating imbalances, it can lead to widespread health issues ranging from chronic fatigue, blood sugar and appetite changes, weight concerns, cognitive function, mood changes, and reduced libido and sexual function.
When individuals present with symptoms of hormone imbalance, most traditionally trained clinicians typically focus on a few symptoms, incomplete lab testing, and then often a medication protocol to address the symptoms and presumptive diagnosis. Often this involves thyroid medication or medications to treat blood sugar and insulin imbalances. Sometimes, despite significant symptoms, incomplete lab testing can miss diagnoses, for example, Hashimoto's Thyroid Disease, altogether.
What can incomplete testing, or symptom-based treatments lead to?
Balancing hormones with comprehensive laboratory evaluation and an integrative approach will increase our chances of addressing the root cause of the symptomatology and actually healing the system.
Integrative Health is the approach I am striving to provide for individuals who come to see me.
My clinical training and experience in primary care, addiction medicine, and functional medicine have allowed me to look at physical and behavioral health conditions, including hormone imbalance, with a much wider lens.
Medications may be utilized, but do not form the foundation of care.
Exploring the root cause of your symptoms, physical and emotional, and empowering patients to heal themselves forms the foundation of care with Heron Wellness.
What is Integrative Health? I have been working on this definition for a long time, and after finding a definition of Integrative Health from the California Institute for Integral Studies I have been able to develop my approach to care.
The components of the treatment process I have developed are based on my training and clinical experiences with patients over the years.
Patient-centered, coordinated, whole-person care with a focus on healing and wellness of body, mind, and spirit.
Therapeutic Components
Allopathic Medicine – medications as needed for physical and behavioral health conditions. Coordination with specialists as needed.
Evidence-Based Behavioral Health Interventions – referral and coordination of care with therapists, psychologists, treatment programs
Functional Medicine – conventional and specialized laboratory testing and evaluation and education and support for implementing positive behavioral changes related to the 5 MODIFIABLE LIFESTYLE FACTORS - NUTRITION, MOVEMENT, SLEEP, STRESS MANAGEMENT, SOCIAL CONNECTIVITY
Hormone Optimization – focusing on addressing imbalances in cortisol (fight or flight), thyroid and sex hormones
Complementary Modalities – 5- Needle-Protocol (ear acupuncture), mindfulness, nutraceuticals and botanicals. Coordination with physical therapy, acupuncture, massage, therapeutic yoga, energy work
Traditional Healing Practices – referral and coordination of care with healers in the community
Integrative Health care applied to physical and emotional symptoms, including those of hormone imbalance, allows us to develop a treatment plan based on your unique presentation, life circumstances, and priorities for healing.
Integrative Health is a treatment approach that is guided by me as a provider, but executed by the individual who is in need of healing.
This is not a passive approach to care. This is your journey, and you alone have the power to make the change.
We will create a treatment plan guided by your needs, your current ability, and life circumstances, knowing that this will be a dynamic process, changing with time as you improve, have a setback, or see a new vision for yourself.
This is your work, and I am here to provide you with resources and guidance to improve your functionality, your resilience, and ultimately your best self.
If you are interested in approaching Hormonal changes, Behavioral Issues, and Wellness with an Integrative Approach, please reach out to Schedule a Discovery Call.
Signs of Hormonal Imbalances can manifest in many ways, including:
Symptoms of hormonal imbalances can range quite a bit depending on what role that specific hormone plays in balancing your body.
For example, high estrogen levels or storing too much estrogen in the body can contribute to long-term health issues including blood sugar imbalances that may lead to diabetes, unexplained weight gain, changes in appetite, and problems with eyesight.
Some issues associated with hormonal imbalances may include:
Hormonal imbalances are created by a combination of lifestyle factors — nutrition, movement, environment, genetics, stress, and exposure to xenotoxins from plastics, makeup, cleaning supplies, and even residual pesticides in food. Some of the major causes of hormonal imbalances include:
Do You Have Questions About Starting Your Path To Wellness?
Reach out to me using the QR code or the button below to Schedule a Consultative Call.
What's Functional Medicine
Substance Use Disorder
Behavioral Health Conditions
Menstrual Related Mood Conditions
Pospartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders
Preventative Wellness
Hormonal Imbalances
Perimenopause and Menopause
Hormone Optimization For Women
Hormone Optimization For Men
Chronic Fatigue and Pain Syndromes
Heron Wellness is located in Salt Lake City, Utah and serves patients throughout the Greater Salt Lake City Area and Eastern Utah including Provo, Highland, Cedar Hills, Summit, Park City and Ogden. These areas include but are not limited to the counties of Salt Lake City, Davis, Weber, Morgan, Summit, Wasatch, Utah and Tooele.
