Do you struggle with heavy, painful periods, PCOS, endometriosis, weight gain, low libido, low thyroid, PMS, mood swings, infertility or PMS? If you said ‘yes,’ it may be time to fix your estrogen dominance naturally!
Estrogen dominance means that your body has too much estrogen and/or too much estrogen in ratio to progesterone.
A HARSH TRUTH
Estrogen dominance is on the rise. Between nutritional lifestyle choices, too much exposure to estrogen mimicking toxins and terrible digestive imbalance, it’s a real challenge for the average woman and man to maintain balanced estrogen.
ESTROGEN DOMINANCE IN WOMEN
This single hormone offers the female body so much goodness when in balance! Clear skin, healthy vaginal fluids, healthy brain, healthy breasts, healthy bone density. However, too much estrogen is a bad thing. Excess estrogen can lead to fatigue, irritability, anxiety, thyroid issues, exacerbate autoimmune issues, trigger unhealthy breast tissue and lead to other health challenges down the road.
ESTROGEN DOMINANCE IN MEN
Additionally, estrogen excess has become a real challenge for men as well. It’s one of the reasons why low testosterone is a real issue for the modern male. The male body can get stuck over-converting testosterone into estrogen. This can happen due to all the same reasons that women develop estrogen dominance, except in men the symptoms can look like impotence, infertility, poor heart health, poor brain health, chronic fatigue and weight around the midsection.
WHAT CAUSES ESTROGEN DOMINANCE
There are several contributing factors that can cause estrogen dominance and most develop this imbalance due to a combination of factors.
- Estrogen mimicking toxins like heavy metals or chemical from beauty products, body care products and hair care products
- Too much systemic inflammation
- Mold build up in the body
- Fungal build up in the body
- Imbalance of good/bad bacteria in the digestive system
- Liver overwhelm secondary to chronic toxin exposure
- Stagnant lymph system that leads to excess inflammation
WAYS TO BALANCE ESTROGEN DOMINANCE NATURALLY
While the “What Causes Estrogen Dominance” list above can appear overwhelming, the approach to tackle all of the possible factors can be simple. Here we outline for you a simple step-by-step approach that addresses each of the factors without overwhelming your body.
STEP 1: NOURISH WITH ESTROGEN BALANCING FOODS
In an effort to keep the food portion simple, I want to share just TWO foods that will help your body balance estrogen naturally.
1. Eat more cruciferous vegetables
- Arugula
- Bok choy
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cabbage
- Cauliflower
- Chard
- Collard greens
- Kale
- Spinach
Cruciferous vegetables are loaded with Vitamin B, Vitamin C and Sulfur, all of which are key in the phase 1 and phase 2 detoxification process. These detoxification processes take place in the liver and are the same steps the body takes to break down estrogen and eliminate its excess.
With estrogen dominance, sometimes this detoxification process can need a little extra boost. Simply implement more cruciferous vegetables to give your liver the tools it needs to properly eliminated excess estrogen.
2. Eat more apiaceae vegetables
- Carrots
- Parsley
- Parsnips
- Dill
These types of veggies contain a lot of caffeic acid, which enhances detoxification of estrogen.
If you’re wondering how to implement these vegetables into your day, it can be so simple.
Throw a handful of spinach or kale in a morning smoothie. Toss some chopped chard into your morning scramble. Be sure to ask for a side of grilled broccoli with your lunchtime or dinner meal.
Small and consistent additions to your regular meals will add up and help your body properly eliminate excess estrogen and fix estrogen dominance naturally over time.
FREE ESTROGEN DETOX SMOOTHIE + JUICE RECIPE CARD
We went ahead and made an Estrogen Detox Smoothie + Juices recipe card for you. Just click to print and have on hand. We want to make implementing this powerful habit super simple.
3. Take It A Step Further: Fix Estrogen Dominance With Essential Oils
You can also NOURISH healthy estrogen with some simple and supportive essential oils. Oils like ClaryCalm contain a combination of oils that help to fix estrogen dominance naturally.
Clary Sage and Ylang Ylang help to harmonize estrogen production levels. Chaste tree works to help balance progesterone levels. Lavender, Chamomile and Cedarwood all work to tame stress hormones, which will drive estrogen dominance even further out of balance.
To use ClaryCalm, simply roll onto inside of wrists and over ovaries 2-5 times per day. It smells delicious, which is an added bonus!
We also recommend using Grapefruit essential oil in water (1 drop per 16oz of water). Grapefruit essential oil helps to lower stress hormone, which makes it easier for the body to optimize progesterone levels and the estrogen:progesterone ratio.
STEP 2: LOWER ESTROGEN MIMICKING TOXINS
Believe it or not, SO MANY things in our “beauty” regimen are LOADED with estrogen-mimicking toxins. Perfumes, makeup, synthetically scented shampoo, lotions and even deodorants.
The average woman literally applies estrogen-disrupting toxins onto her skin every single day. 70% of what we put on our skin ends up in our bloodstream. Think about your morning routine for a minute: shampoo, conditioner, skin care lotion, facial cream, perfumes, make up. This all adds up over time and can be one of the reasons why you may be exhibiting estrogen dominance.
Doing a thorough evaluation of you personal care regimen may be very eye opening. You can investigate your own personal products by evaluating your favorite products on the ewg.org database. You can type in your products and it will show you how they measure up in terms of toxicity.
When you’re ready to start making small swaps, we recommend starting with just one or two items each month in an effort to avoid overwhelm.
You can see our favorite natural living swaps and DIY recipes in our free eBook, The Wellness Abode’s Naturing Living ebook.
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE WELLNESS ABODE’S NATURAL LIVING EBOOK.
STEP 3: LYMPH + DRAINAGE OPTIMIZATION
Here in Step 3 we really start to build momentum toward fixing estrogen dominance naturally by accelerating toxin DRAINAGE + LYMPH decongestion.
The accumulation of heavy metals, chemicals and biotoxins act as major contributors to the development of estrogen dominance.
Before we go in and “detox” the body, it’s best to first prime and flush the body by optimizing the drainage pathways.
WHAT IS THE LYMPH AND DRAINAGE SYSTEM ANYWAY?
Our bodies were designed with a drainage system. That drainage system begins in the cells, since your cells produce waste that has to DRAIN. The waste then moves out to the organs, which then dumps its waste into the sewages system of the body, the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system then dumps itself into the Trash Processing Center of the body, the liver. The liver then dumps out to the kidneys or out to the colon via the bile duct.
IF your body is a little sluggish at any of these drainage touch points, the ability to balance estrogen naturally is diminished. This is because your system will struggle to properly remove those estrogen-mimicking toxins.
Additionally, the build up of estrogen-mimicking toxins perpetuates excess inflammation and cortisol, both of which further drive the estrogen dominance pattern.
TIPS TO OPEN UP DRAINAGE PATHWAYS
There are lots of products that help to open up these drainage pathways. However here a some of my favorites:
- Option 1: Zendocrine Complex by doTERRA is an herbal blend that sprinkles a little bit of support for each drainage organ in a single capsule. We recommend doubling the recommended dose and taking 2 capsules in the morning and 2 in the evening.
The downside of Zendocrine Complex is that the supplement isn’t as potent as our Drainage and Lymph Kit.
- Option 2: Our Drainage + Lymph Kit
- Lymph Activ: Activates efficient drainage of the lymphatic system and ensures that as unwanted elements are removed from the system, they find their way out of the body.
- TUDCA: A vital bile acid, and when combined with NAC and melatonin, its benefits are amplified to help reduce oxidative stress and inflammation throughout the body.
- Designed to help strengthen and restore your body’s natural ability to drain, filter, and detoxify, KL Support can help flush your body’s systems and promote proper kidney and liver function.
- Bowel Mover: This is the perfect blend of ingredients in the proper ratio designed to provide non-habit-forming, safe and effective digestive support.
This kit was curated with the intention to put the power of a practitioner type wellness program into YOUR hands.
TIPS TO MOVE YOUR LYMPH
Now that the drainage pathways and lymph are getting herbal support, it makes sense to also actively stimulate lymphatic movement. The lymph system requires your physical activity because it doesn’t have a pump (the heart) like the cardiovascular system.
Here are some great (and fun) ways to get your lymph system moving naturally:
- Dry brushing
- Walking or running
- Workouts
- Sauna sessions (we LOVE our infrared sauna)
- Detox baths
- Breathe work sessions
STEP 4: GUT DETOXIFICATION
Did you know that your gut contains a family of bacteria that plays a critical role in balancing estrogen in the body? The gut bacteria family is called the Estro-bolome. Cute right?
Most estrogen dominant people are walking around with an imbalanced estro-bolome. This often happens because parasites in the gut. This might sound a little weird at first, however it’s INCREDIBLY common!
That’s why here in Step 4 we work to detox the digestive system.
There are LOTS of gut detox protocols and products available on the market. However we wanted to make our “go to” protocol available for you right here on the blog.
I have worked with hundreds of cases where balancing the gut with protocols like this one have led to fixing estrogen dominance naturally.
Para Phase 1 Kit:
- Para 1: Made from the Mimosa Pudica Seed, this fat-soluble supplement has the ability to deliver tangible, visible results. In the digestive tract, Mimosa Pudica seed becomes jelly-like and sticky as it scrubs the gut and grabs unwanted elements in the digestive tract.
- Para 2: This multi-herb formula maximizes the body’s ability to boost immune system function and detoxify the digestive system and harmonize the microbiome of the body.
- Biotoxin Binder: This binder works to bind and chelate biotoxins from the body, ensuring their exit from the body. Additionally, Biotoxin Binder supports healthy tissue repair in the midst of the detoxification process.
- Bowel Mover: Bowel Mover is specifically designed to help promote digestive and detox support while executing its primary function of supporting proper bowel function.
This kit is focused on removing parasites from the gut. By starting here, your immune system will be able to more efficiently remove Candida and other bacteria that may be taking up real estate in the gut and bullying out the Estrobolome family.
Estrogen dominance and all hormone cases are just a symptom of a larger imbalance in the body. In steps 1-4 shared here, we tackle some of the biggest contributing factors, freeing up your body’s ability to restore estrogen balance naturally.
IF YOU WANT TO TAKE IT A STEP FURTHER …
There are additional microbes and toxins like heavy metals and chemicals that can also contribute to estrogen dominance. However we’ve found that simply sticking to Steps 1-4 will often yield HUGE improvements in healthy estrogen levels and finally fixing estrogen dominance once and for all.
Nonetheless, if you want to take your detox further we have a full guide to help you address ALL the estrogen disrupting toxins. You can check out our step-by-step guide, free protocols and tips right here in our Whole Body Reset plan.
