Hormones and neurotransmitters are the link between the mind and body.
Because I do a lot of hormone balancing and restoration in my practice I follow up with people every 6 months and measure their various hormones including thyroid, stress and sex hormones. I can often tell when something significant or stressful is going on in their lives because their labs will be all out of whack since their last visit. Stress hormones go up; sex hormones go down or become unbalanced. Sometimes people get so burnt out that they no longer make enough stress hormones in proper amounts to get through normal everyday stresses, leaving them exhausted and depressed. It also isn’t uncommon to see blood pressure changes along with a variety of other concerns like changes in sleep patterns, weight gain or loss, skin issues and digestive complaints, to name just a few things.
I had been doing bio-identical hormone therapy with a lovely lady for the last couple of years since her hysterectomy. We’ll call her Sally. Sally was on a moderate dose of hormones that supplemented her own hormone production and kept her levels in a healthy range. When I saw her again, I noticed she had lost a considerable amount of weight and her hair looked much thinner. When her most recent lab results came back I had her repeat the lab because her levels had fallen so drastically below reference range that I thought there must be a lab error. No error. The second set of labs was just as low. There was nothing wrong with the lab. But there was a lot wrong with her marriage. It turned out Sally was having serious marital issues.
Our hormones affect every organ in our bodies including our brains, bones, hearts, skin, digestion and immune systems. Stress and hormone balance are intimately related. This stress could be due to everything from bad relationships, too many responsibilities, unhappiness in our jobs, financial pressures, as well as our own inner stressors like self criticism, negative thinking and feelings of anger or resentment. If our hormones become compromised or unbalanced, the rest of our physical, mental and emotional health becomes affected.
There was only so much that I could do for Sally other than listen and hold space for her. Sure, I could put her on a higher dose of hormones in order to restore some function, help get her out of her funk and increase her energy, but that wouldn’t be sustainable unless other life changes were made. Her diet and exercise routine were already stellar. I needed to write a prescription for her personal life. Her treatment plan included her new hormone prescription, an herbal formula and homeopathic remedy to help her body adapt to the stress, as well as referrals for counselors and support groups to help her deal with everything going on and make some big decisions.
Sally’s story is not unique in many ways. I see different variations of this story played out every day in my practice and have the job of showing people how the way they are living their lives is affecting their mental and physical health. Our bodies are reflections of our inner lives, relationships, careers and overall life satisfaction. Although diet and exercise are cornerstones of good health, they are only half of the equation.
If we want to take care of our physical bodies we have to take also take care of our minds, hearts and souls.
We need to move away from toxic relationships and towards loving healthy ones.
We need to speak our truth and live authentically.
We need to do more things that bring us joy and less of those that drain us.
We need to pursue our passions.
We need to live in harmony with ourselves and the people around us.
We need to forgive.
We need to let go.
We need to face our fears and find the strength that already exists inside of us to overcome them.
We need to mind our thoughts and be kind to ourselves.
We need to live a life of Love.
We are whole beings and this is holistic health.
In love and in health,
Sandra Olic, NMD
Check out Sandra’s website here.
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