Hormonal imbalances can present themselves through many symptoms. They include fertility problems, weight gain, fatigue, depression, insomnia, irregular periods, and mood swings. If these are left untreated, they may lead to diseases like diabetes and cancer.
Some women may mistake their hormonal imbalance for menopause or early menopause because symptoms also include hot flashes and night sweats. Unfortunately, self-diagnosing these symptoms may only lead you away from getting the right treatment and recognizing what is causing it.
Your endocrine system is extremely sensitive to stress. You could be experiencing dietary stress that occurs when you eat the wrong foods for your food or have too many processed foods. There’s also emotional stress from working too hard, not getting enough sleep. The pain and inflammation may be adding to your stress.
When you are chronically stressed, your estrogen and progesterone levels drop because your cortisol levels rise. These lead to weight gain, irregularities in your menstrual cycle, and even infertility.
Balancing Your Hormones with Essential Oils
To begin balancing your hormones, you need to start with dealing with the source of your stress. Change your diet and make some changes to your lifestyle. To support you in taking those positive steps towards achieving healthy hormonal balance are essential oils that many women have great success with alleviating cramping, PMS, and other symptoms.
The holistic approach of using essential oils is one of the safest ways to correct hormonal imbalances. Taking pharmaceuticals may only correct one imbalance and create other complications in other parts of your endocrine system.
Essential oils may be diffused, inhaled, or applied directly to the skin. They can also be taken internally but do take extra precaution when consuming oils. The essential oils themselves do not contain any hormones, but they do promote hormone production and balance.
The following essential oils have exhibited therapeutic effects and have aided in the balance of estrogen levels.
- Anise
- Basil
- Clary sage
- Cypress
- Fennel
- Geranium
- Lavender
- Lemon
- Lemongrass
- Licorice
- Myrtle
How To Use Essential Oils
For the practical uses of essential oils, you can mix them with carrier oils such as coconut oil or avocado oil.
Basil essential oil soothes anxiety, feeling overwhelmed and exhaustion. Rub a few of drops of high-quality organic basil oil diluted in a carrier oil into your forearms. This will bring balance to your adrenals.
Myrtle oil can stimulate thyroid activity and has the natural ability to balance and normalize hormonal imbalances of both the thyroid and ovaries. Rub a couple of drops of organic myrtle oil in a carrier oil onto your big toe which is the reflexology point for the thyroid. It is found at the base of the foot in the fleshy area just below the big toe.
Clary sage is quite helpful in not only balancing hormones but for also relieving pain. Dilute a few drops of clary sage in almond oil and rub the dilution into the ankles regularly. Rub the mixture on your stomach and ovary area for pain relief if your menstrual cramps are painful.
To alleviate PMS and other feminine pains, add a few drops of clary sage and geranium diluted in a carrier oil. Also try adding it emulsified in a warm milk bath to enjoy a nice, relaxing soak.
For abdominal cramp pain relief, Lavender helps balance hormones and decreases feelings of stress and depression. It calms the stomach and relieves headaches.
When it comes to using essential oils, you can create your own blends. Remember that essential oils are very concentrated and you’ll only need a drop or 2.
What to do next?
Step 1. Revise your expectations and expect resistance
If you’re familiar with The Optimised Health Formula, then you know that Step 1 of successfully pulling out a strategy to optimise your health is to shift your mindset. We’ve looked at a few things you can do to improve your health. The ball is in your court. Yes, we all know that it takes more than just knowing what to do to actually do it.
That’s why I want to invite you to revise your expectations. Know that there will be resistance along the way. You might say to yourself “I’ll have a look tomorrow again”, “that’s not so urgent”, “I’m not sure that’s for me”, “I don’t think this will work for me”, or many other things. Often when we’re stepping out of our comfort zone (a.k.a. what we’ve been doing until now) we’re finding excuses to keep on doing what we’ve always done. The first step in success is acknowledging that. So… acknowledge where you’re at. Then…
Revise your expectations bearing in mind your goals AND your life. Not everything that I’ve shared in this blog post will resonate with you. Not everything will be applicable to you either. And that’s alright! But you’ve got to start somewhere.
So, as long as you’re clear on your goals and on your vision (Step 2 of The Optimised Health Formula), take a conscious decision of what you want to apply starting from today.
Step 2. Carve out time, and make a plan
That’s where carving out time, and making a plan comes in. You know yourself at that stage better than I do. Use that knowledge to implement a plan of action that will help you start making positive changes into your life, that will soon bring positive changes in your health.
If you're stuck wondering what to do next, I invite you to join the FREE Optimised Health Membership.
Step 3. Just start
There’s no tomorrow in success. Any successful path starts today, with a small change that you keep on building onto. Commit to starting today with ONE small thing, and share with me in the comments what it is. This commitment will help you start – and keep – taking action!
Step 4. Get support
We tend to want to do things on our own. I’m not stranger to that either. But I’ve learnt over time, and I’ve seen both with my personal coaching clients and professional mentoring clients, as well as with myself, that getting support helps to really create the change we’re after. So, if you’re stuck wondering what’s next, and you know you need help, I invite you to check out the many online resources I have created to help you reach your best of health: free articles, memberships, The Optimised Health Academy. If you’d like private personal coaching guidance, you can also book a call with me to discuss the personal coaching options that are available for your special needs.