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The Thing About Hormones: Part III

Jul 14, 2021 | Blog, Hormone Health

I began my hormone journey by teaching you about the 3 main sex hormones: Progesterone, Estrogen and Testosterone. Afterward, I touched on other key hormones like Insulin, Melatonin and Vitamin D that play an integral part in health.

 

To complete this series, I’d like to talk about 3 more hormones that are often referred to as “happy hormones”. Not only do they promote and contribute to a healthy mind and happy mood, but they are critical for other physiological processes that happen within us daily. Hope you’re not sick of hormones yet! Let’s dive in.

 

Oxytocin

 

Oxytocin is a hormone that acts on organs in the body (including the breast and uterus). It’s a chemical messenger in the brain, controlling key aspects of the reproductive system, including childbirth and lactation, and aspects of human behavior.

 

It has an important role in many human behaviours including sexual arousal, recognition, trust, romantic attachment and mother–infant bonding. As a result, oxytocin has been called the ‘love hormone’ or ‘cuddle hormone.’

 

Give someone you love a hug–it’ll boost oxytocin for both of you.

 

Dopamine

 

These last two are neurotransmitters more specifically than hormones. What’s the difference? Both hormones and neurotransmitters are chemical signals.

 

Hormones are made by the endocrine glands and released into the blood to convey messages in the body. Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that relay info through the brain and body. So that is just a disclaimer. For our purposes let’s just consider them all the same, hormones.

 

Also known as the “feel-good” hormone, dopamine is a hormone and neurotransmitter that’s an important part of your brain’s reward system. Dopamine is associated with pleasurable sensations, along with learning, memory, motor system function, and more.

 

Eat cake -> dopamine
Do drugs -> dopamine
Have sex -> dopamine

Receive likes on Facebook -> dopamine.

 

We like it and we keep coming back for more. Unfortunately a lot of these things lead us down a destructive path and prevent what we are wanting long term in our lives. It leads to hyper rewards and many people can destroy their lives looking for more and more dopamine.

 

Therefore it’s important to find ways to regulate our dopamine in ways that are in line with our bigger plan for our lives!

 

Serotonin

 

Serotonin is the key hormone that stabilizes our mood, feelings of well-being, and happiness. This is the hormone that is impacted by antidepressants and they work. This hormone impacts your entire body. It enables brain cells and other nervous system cells to communicate with each other. Serotonin also helps with sleeping, eating, and digestion.

 

However, if the brain has too little serotonin, it may lead to depression. If the brain has too much serotonin, it can lead to excessive nerve cell activity.

 

We feel the best when serotonin, and frankly all of the other hormones, are not too high or not too low, but JUST right.

 

The Thing About Hormones

 

So, as you can see hormones are complicated. And they vary–day by day, hour by hour. This is why it’s hard to get a complete hormone panel from your doctor. And there is no quick fix. What are the solutions? For starters, regulating your cortisol with stress reduction and adrenal restoration and regulating your insulin with diet will go a long way to getting the others to fall into place.

 

As a functional medicine practitioner, many of my patients come to me with hormonal imbalances that wreak havoc on their overall well being. If you can relate to this or you are somebody that generally wants to know more how hormones are affecting you, then you’ve landed in the right place. I’d love to help you start finding answers and feeling better again.

 

In my approach, I search for the root cause that is contributing to your overall issue. Together, we’ll work on enhancing your health so you can start feeling like YOU again. We’ve got this, my friend!

 


In my Energy Accelerator program, I dive deep into how one can up-level their health and live their lives to their fullest potential.

Whether the condition relates to stress, hormonal imbalances, sleep deprivation, inflammation, blood sugar stabilization, or the thyroid, the first step is looking at and resetting the adrenal glands. I also discuss 5 modifiable lifestyle factors in detail and share step-by-step instructions on how to get all 5 back on track.

If you’re tired of living on a merry-go-round with your health, then this course is for you. Join me today and take the very first step in resetting your adrenals and regaining control over your life!

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