The Most Common Conditions Associated with Hormone Imbalance - Part 1_Final

>> Well, hello. Welcome back. Today, we're going to get started on a journey to discover the most common conditions associated with hormonal imbalance. First, noticed that I didn't say "caused" by hormonal imbalance. The endocrine system, and the many hormones, and neurotransmitters produced by it weave a delicate tapestry of hormonal messages and cellular responses. With many of these conditions, it's difficult to say just what came first, the hormonal imbalance or the condition itself. It's like the chicken and the egg. It's true that hormonal dysfunction is at the root of many conditions that plague women and men across the globe. Yet many have no idea what's going on or that something is even seriously off at all. These people may not even realize that what they consider fairly normal is actually pretty bad. And there is a possibility for a much more vibrant life out there for them. As a Health Coach, you can show these people what's possible. That's pretty amazing. There are so many people out there who need your help. By familiarizing yourself with the conditions present in this module, there are signs, symptoms, potential root causes, and the specific hormones involved, you'll be more likely to spot these conditions in your clients. Please understand though that as a Health Coach you cannot diagnose or treat any medical conditions. Even if a client presents with a glaringly obvious condition and you feel 99% sure that you know what it is. Diagnosing is always outside the scope of your practice. Instead, refer your client to a trained medical professional for proper testing and diagnosis. If the diagnosis is formally confirmed, you can then offer support to improve their health through lifestyle and dietary recommendations. Here's what this looks like in practice. You can't tell your client something like, it's pretty clear that you have estrogen dominance and I can help you treat this, but you can say some people who describe symptoms like yours have a condition called estrogen dominance. I recommend visiting a doctor who can test you for this to either confirm or rule it out. I have a great referral if you need one. From there, I can support you with dietary and lifestyle shifts that will improve your overall health and can lessen or alleviate some of the symptoms you're experiencing. Now that we're squared away on the scope of practice, I want you to start thinking like a detective when it comes to your clients' health. Our bodies are constantly communicating with us in their own language of signs and symptoms. It's up to us as practitioners to learn this language so that we can decode the meaning of the signs and the symptoms and effectively help our clients get better. All right, let's put our detective hats on and jump right in, shall we? There are 11 surprisingly common conditions that correlate with hormone imbalance. In this lecture, we'll discuss two of them. The first is HPA axis dysfunction. HPA stands for hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal, three intricately connected endocrine glands. These glands work together to regulate your stress response, mood, digestion, immune system, sex drive, energy levels, and metabolism, that's some really important work. When this delicate feedback loop become strained, these glands weaken and aren't able to do their jobs effectively. This condition is most intimately connected to the overproduction of cortisol and norepinephrine, your two main stress hormones. You may have heard about this condition already. It's much more commonly referred to as adrenal fatigue. Does that sound familiar? Over the last couple of years, practitioners have started calling out the shortcomings of this term. Honestly, it's just not all that accurate for two reasons. First, adrenal fatigue affects much more than the adrenals. It can affect the entire HPA axis and all of the hormones and neurochemicals involved. Second, HPA axis dysfunction doesn't always look like fatigue. The initial phases of HPA dysfunction may actually look like the opposite of fatigue, like insomnia, that wired and tired feeling, or just constantly feeling like you've had a few cups of strong coffee. This is the effect of high cortisol. It's only after a prolonged period of time that the constant stress response taxes the HPA axis to a point where the adrenal glands can no longer respond optimally. Essentially, they are like, "All right, I've had enough. I'm tired and I quit." Now you have what's known as low cortisol. The brain keeps sending signals to make more cortisol in response to stress, but the adrenals simply don't respond in the way they used to. This is why the term adrenal fatigue became so popular. Common symptoms of HPA axis dysfunction are depression, anxiety, food sensitivities, food cravings, fatigue, decreased ability to handle stress, dry skin, low body temperature, unexplained hair loss, diarrhea constipation, difficulty waking even after a full night's sleep, sleeping, but not feeling rested, insomnia, dizziness when standing up quickly, unwanted weight gain, especially around the midsection, weakened immunity, lower libido, brain fog, PMS and other hormonal issues, and thyroid problems. HPA axis dysfunction affects every hormone and neural hormone in the body. But the main hormones affected and those that would be tested to diagnose this condition are cortisol, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and DHEA. There are several things that can tax the adrenals and lead to this dysfunction. The short list of causes of HPA axis dysfunction include stress, including mental, emotional, and physical stress. This can include everything from food allergies and sensitivities to over-exercising or long hours at work. Nutrient deficiencies, either due to a poor diet or because the body isn't breaking down the food and absorbing nutrients correctly. Environmental toxins, hormonal birth control and other prescribed medications, pregnancy, postpartum and autoimmunity, most commonly thyroid disease. This is an extremely common condition that is rampant in our modern culture. Since so many clients are stressed out by our modern lifestyles, supporting the adrenals is often a good place to start whenever hormones appear to be an issue. The other category of conditions that we'll talk about in this lecture are conditions related to the thyroid gland. This powerhouse of the gland produces hormones that regulate the body's metabolism. This is the process of creating and using energy. There are two main disorders that arise when the thyroid produces too much or too little thyroid hormone. The first is hypothyroidism. This is the condition of an under active thyroid that produces too little thyroid hormone. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is an autoimmune condition in which the body produces antibodies against its own thyroid. This is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States. A client can be hypothyroid and not have Hashimoto's. But someone diagnosed with Hashimoto's is always hypothyroid in addition to producing the antibodies against the thyroid. This means the immune system doesn't recognize thyroid tissue as friendly tissue and attacks it as though it were a foreign body, hence the reason, it's called an autoimmune condition. Does that make sense? You may encounter clients with Hashimoto's who will have mild cases and won't show many symptoms at all, if any. The disease can remain stable or even dormant for years. Those with active Hashimoto's however will often show symptoms that include fatigue, depression, constipation, weight gain, that's often rapid and unexplained, dry skin and hair, thinning hair, irregular menstruation or heavy periods, intolerance to cold, and an enlarged thyroid or goiter. The second thyroid condition to be aware of is hyperthyroidism or overactive thyroid. This is a lot less common than hypothyroidism, but it's important to discuss because thyroid disorders, in general, have become so prevalent. Hyperthyroidism is most commonly seen in those with Graves' disease, which is also an autoimmune disorder that occurs when the body's immune system attacks the thyroid gland. When the thyroid is overactive, that means there's too much thyroid hormone being produced. When too much thyroid hormone is circulating in the bloodstream, metabolism speeds up. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include weight loss, despite a steady diet, anxiety, irritability, feeling wired and tired, fatigue, increased or irregular heartbeat, difficulty sleeping, diarrhea or frequent bowel movements, an enlarged thyroid or goiter, eye problems, most commonly protrusion of the eyes, and menstruation, that's irregular or short and light. Thyroid problems can arise because of a number of factors, including stress, environmental toxins, genetics, nutritional deficiencies, lifestyle factors, pregnancy, smoking or other chemical stress, or autoimmune conditions or other disease states. Changes in thyroid hormone production can affect the entire body from digestion to sleep, to energy levels and weight gain. It's important to develop a good understanding of these symptoms associated with thyroid disorders, because more and more people are being diagnosed worldwide. At the same time, we want you to note that many of these disorders have symptoms that can also be associated with a lot of other conditions, hormonal or otherwise. This is why it's so important to encourage your clients to see a trained medical professional for proper testing and diagnosis. This is serious stuff, it's not something to play guess work with. So to recap, we talked about two conditions associated with hormone imbalance in this lecture. The first is HPA axis dysfunction or what's commonly referred to as adrenal fatigue. The second is thyroid disorder, which includes hypothyroidism, frequently occurring as Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hyperthyroidism, which is often seen as Graves' disease. One does not necessarily have Hashimoto's if diagnosed with hypothyroidism or Graves' disease if they have hyperthyroidism. But people who have these autoimmune conditions always have the associated thyroid imbalance. When dealing with conditions related to hormone imbalance, it's important for Health Coaches to understand what's going on, but it's never appropriate to diagnose or claim to treat or cure a condition. This is an area where you're expected to collaborate with a trained medical professional for testing, diagnosis, and formal treatment of any condition. Doctors are becoming more aware of the role and the need for Health Coaches. And so many are starting to use them in their practices or work in collaboration. This is a very exciting time for you to be doing this work. Do you now feel more equipped to recognize these conditions as they may occur for your clients? What kinds of questions would you ask to explore a potential hormone imbalance? Let us know in the Facebook group. Thank you so much for watching, and I'll see you in the next lecture.