When we hear the word hormones we often think of our sex hormones – estrogen and testosterone.
But there are actually so many other hormones in the body, affecting every aspect of our daily lives, and they all communicate with one another! We need to remember we are a ‘whole’ person, therefore everything affects everything else. Its like a cascade effect.
Hormones are chemical messengers produced, secreted, transported and eliminated by our endocrine system (we have 11 body systems in total). They are secreted by different glands, into our blood, which then travel to their specific organs or tissues that they are programmed to have an effect on. Our endocrine system is responsible for hormones needed for all our daily activities including sleep, digestion, movement, reproduction, growth, sexual function, our mood, our skin and many other things, and for females, this system helps determine how balanced our menstrual cycle is.
There are now so many things part of our modern day to day life that interfere with our bodys “communication of information”. The altering of this communication affects our whole body but especially our hormones. Basically the endocrine system is one of our most important systems in our body as the way it is functioning will affect how ALL other body systems function.
Here I have listed a few of the main things which have a huge effect on our hormones. There are plenty more which I will discuss soon but for now we will stick to these. Taking some simple steps which I’ve mentioned below can have so many positive benefits for you, and your health (plus your family ofcourse and even pets) and they are so easy to do. Keep in mind our children are even more vulnerable as their systems are immature and still growing and adapting, so this is really important for them too.
1. E L E C T R O M A G N E T I C F I E L D S (EMF)
The ‘smart watches’ and ‘smart wireless headphones’ may seem cool and convenient but they are not good for your health. Although Bluetooth is very handy, these two products sit directly on or in our body! Therefore they have an even stronger effect than other Bluetooth and EMF radiation. I see a lot of clients in my clinic who are suffering from issues with energy levels, pain or hormonal imbalances and are using these sorts of devices. I ask each client to stop using them so we can really move forward with treatment as they are a hindrance to their wellness and they are slowing us down in terms of their healing. EMF – electro magnetic fields are everywhere, all around us and in our modern world there are few places where we are not affected by them. So we must do our best to be aware of the detrimental effects of these invisible energy circuits emitted from electrical devices especially from our smart phones, Ipads and laptops, and take extra steps to minimize their effects. Just because we cannot see them does not mean they are not there!
With laptops try to avoid having them on your lap (over our most sensitive communicative areas : our sex organs including womb, kidneys and lower digestive system) or on your body.
If you are using a smart watch to track your steps try tracking certain circuits you may take often to know roughly the amount of steps that is and then using it as a guide. A much better option is to move how you feel. Do what feels good. Tune in to You. A 20 minute brisk walk is so powerful and you don’t need a watch to tell you that. When it comes to headphones opt for corded ones (there are also air tubes which are best) as the cordless version can emit stronger Bluetooth waves.
2. P H O N E S
When you are not using them turn them onto aeroplanemode, and especially at night while sleeping. Don’t worry, your alarm will still work.
Also move your phone a good distance away from your body during the night. We are very vulnerable and just like falling asleep at the beach, our protection is diminished when we are resting as we are moving more inwards.
We are now moving to 5G as well which will have an even stronger influence on us and our health, including our environment. You can opt to switch your phone to 3G in your settings of your phone under mobile which still allows it to work really well, I have not noticed any issues of loading pages etc.
Also avoid using your phone when it is plugged in and charging.
We have become so reliant on our phones and often we are using them more than we may realize. I was shocked to see mine and am making a conscious effort to really minimize this time as best possible. You can see your mobile usage under your settings as ‘screen time’, and if you’re not already checking this then I’m sure you’ll be surprised.
If speaking on the phone, use the speaker where possible and hold it away from your head.
When you are using your phone avoid holding it directly in front of your heart or abdomen. In Ayurvedic medicine (Indian based – where yoga was founded) they speak of our Chakras, our main energy centres. Interstingly we have hormone glands directly behind each of these – and two of our main ones being our heart space and solar plexus – around the navel. (much more on the importance of this soon !).
MALES:
Having your phone in your pants pockets is frizzling your genitals and your sperm – basically the sperm can start having a different shape and swimming capabilities diminish too. Ladies talk to your men about this, its really important, especially if you are hoping to conceive. Also for business men (or anyone else) having your phones in your shirt (breast pockets) which is resting against the chest is interfering with your cardiovascular system ie: your heart.
LADIES:
Phones are not for our sports bras. Wedging them into our tops is directly sending very strong EMF radiation straight to our delicate breast tissue. The same goes for our hips or groins or other body regions.
Having our phones in our handbags of other types of bags directly near food or especially our water bottles is energetically disrupting the water molecules. There are many studies including some amazing books documenting this and showing how water – which the human body and the earth is majority of !, reacts to different information and is altered, especially from electrical currents.
3. C H L O R I N E
Chlorine has been shown to be able to negatively influence our hormone system. It doesn't taste or smell great either! If you own a pool you can opt to change it to a salt version (it makes its own version of chlorine but with a different effect on the body). The biggest culprit when it comes to chlorine though is in our showers and drinking water. Although some spring water is amazing ofcourse, for me the issue was also our shower water and the water I was brushing my teeth with and washing my face with. I was pretty shocked when I tested our waters pH levels before and after the filter installation. I have invested countless hours of my time over a few years to find a whole house water system (and no it is not part of any MLM groups - it's an Australian owned company) that does the job and isn't overpriced or uses fancy words. There are countless house water systems out there but I was after a specific one to filter well and fine enough, not strip the good stuff and create a balanced alkaline water. The undersink alkalysing tap we use is a game changer and I am definately drinking more water now than before. After building lots of rapport after many discussions, the team of this company has kindly offered an extra 10% off these products using code Nourished.
4. B L U E L I G H T
Although blue light is part of nature from sunlight and being outdoors, our modern times have found us exposed to blue light in a different form, through our electronic devices. It is not just the light itself but the time we are being exposed to it and the negative effects it is having on our bodies. Our eyes are not very good at blocking blue light and the effects can be noticed quite easily through eye strain, head aches or just feeling zapped.
Exposure to blue light has been found to suppress the production of melatonin – our sleep hormone. When we are using devices emitting this blue light, especially at night, it can affect our sleep, mood, hormones, brain and our body in general. Turning your phone onto a ‘night time mode’ sets the screen to a red pigment and will be easier on the eyes too. There are also glasses that can be used to block the blue light.
For laptops or computers you can download a free app called ‘Flux’ which will also allow you to alter the screen colour to a red tinge. Regardless if you are using your electronic devices for 1 hour or 8 hours this will make a huge difference to how you feel and how your body is functioning.
5. P L A S T I C S
Plastics in your home. This is a big topic and I will talk more in depth about this in a separate post. Although they brought convenience in many ways we are now paying the price for plastics. Not just detrimental to our environment and marine animals but to human health.
BPA’s (bisphenol A) (and now BPS’s (the sister of BPA)) are a chemical used in many hard plastics, food containers, hygiene products and resins, and they can leach into our foods, drinks and our water supplies. They are commonly found in water bottles, baby bottles, tin and can lining, dental fillings, DVDs and CD’s, electronic items, some sports equipment and even shopping receipts.
The problem with chemicals like BPA’s is that they are endocrine disruptors, meaning they influence our hormone system. BPA can imitate the bodys hormones and therefore change the production, movement, secretion and elimination of them.
As mentioned I will talk much more about this as there is a lot to cover.
If you haven’t already I invite you to take a look around your home and office and see where you can minimize plastic use. Great options for substituting is glass, steel or ceramic wear. Also avoid using damaged plastic ware, heating hard plastics or storing hot food in them. Even drinking water from plastic bottles, especially when it has been in a hot car in the sun for example isn’t great. Ideally removing plastics from your food and drink storage routine and substituting is best.
6. S N O O Z I N G
Snoozing seems like a great idea but actually it can have a huge effect on our energy levels all day. As soon as we wake we have a strong rise in cortisol, one of our stress hormones. This hormone plays a number of important roles in our body including reactions to stress and danger in our fight or flight mode, metabolism, reducing inflammation and controlling our blood pressure. Going back to sleep after waking, or snoozing can affect the levels of this hormone and not utilize it efficiently. Just try it out and you’ll see what a difference this can make to your whole day!
Ofcourse there are many more things that influence our hormones so I’ve just touched on a few here for you to start implementing and moving towards feeling better and taking charge of your health.
Keeping our hormones happy is key to a happy fulfilled life !
with so much love,
Miriam x