Three things

If you tuned into my Live on Instagram this week with Herbalist, Jessie Martlehof, you will have heard us talking about the gut, liver and adrenals and the integral part they all play in regulating our hormones and managing our menopause symptoms.

If your hormones and your symptoms are wreaking havoc, it’s a sign that these three areas need care and attention. To achieve optimal hormonal balance, you must heal your gut, cleanse your liver, and de-stress your adrenal glands.⠀
 
Our adrenals are linked to mental and physical stress, if we are under too much stress our adrenals produce too much of the stress hormone cortisol and too much cortisol in our system impacts our digestion and causes an increase in body fat, especially around the middle. It also causes mood swings, depression, anxiety, brain fog, disturbed sleep and skin issues.
 
Our gut is where digestion, absorption, and elimination take place and all of these processes require a healthy environment. Stress and excess cortisol lead to poor gut health and hormonal imbalances, and these show up as bloating, poor digestion, an increase in belly fat, low mood and energy, anxiety, depression, brain fog disturbed sleep and skin issues. 
 
Our liver naturally detoxes our system of excess hormones and by doing that it regulates the balance of; the sex hormones – oestrogen and progesterone, thyroxin the hormone produced by the thyroid, and the stress hormones, adrenalin and cortisol which are secreted by the adrenals.
 
All of these hormones are vital to our wellbeing, and they need to be balanced. When our liver isn’t functioning at an optimal level we can experience rage, irritability, disturbed sleep, mood swings, skin issues, brain fog, anxiety, depression and hot flushes
 
Can you see how so many of the symptoms of the perimenopause cross over into these areas? Balancing all three is not easy, but they can be managed if you listen to your body, your symptoms are talking to you loud and clear. This is the time to look at the stressors in your life and your lifestyle choices. Are you looking out for yourself? Are you looking after yourself? Are you being supported by those around you? If you are struggling with your menopause symptoms, you need to make your health and wellbeing a priority.
 
Your menopause wants to connect with you, it wants you to be happy and healthy and not sink into a dark emotional and physical hole for a few years. It wants to empower you to make the changes you need to make, but you have to take the time to listen and do the work to make yourself feel better. 🙏🏻