Always running away from a tiger?
Our family’s natural health history
I have no formal training in Body Systems, Nutrition, Human Anatomy, or Physiology. I have a degree in Legal Studies and studied Theology & the Bible formally for 2 1/2 years. Everything I have learned about health has been primarily through my GAPS training and my own personal life experience and research.
But I’m also a mom of 7 kids, we rarely (if ever) use any form of medication for LOTS of illnesses and minor symptoms, and I have had 2 natural childbirths. The exception to our “rule” of not relying on medications would be with our daughter Olivia. Because she is non verbal and her health has led us to needing several surgeries - 2 renal surgeries to repair dual collecting ureters, teeth extractions, tubes in her ears, and a double hip surgery about 18 months ago, she has had long doses of antibiotics and pain medications in lieu of these surgeries. Once she has fully recovered, we return to the “no medications” especially for things like fever, colds, headaches, and other minor body symptoms.
Over the years we have seen a LONG list of specialists for her since birth. Neurologists, Cardiologists, Gastroenterologists, Spine specialists, ENT, Endocronologists, Orthopedics, Opthomologists, as well as many dental and physical therapists. We have done a long list of tests and labs for her health.
My husband also works professionally in the medical world. I regularly read books written by doctors on the cutting edge of medicine & science. I love podcasts by well known professionals. This is my personal background and habit of growing my medical knowledge.
As I begin to incorporate nutrition into our lifestyle, I have been increasing my knowledge in the area of hormones. I had never considered supporting hormonal health through nutrition, so I would love to share a very basic understanding of hormones, why hormones are so foundational to emotions, and how we can eat for hormonal & emotional health.
Basic Anatomy isn’t basic!
We normally like to separate the body into its major “systems”.
Respiratory
Cardiovascular
Digestive
Endocrine
Urinary
Reproductive
Nervous
Integumentary
Muscular
Lymphatic
But the fact is, none of our body systems is unaffected by another. Our medical system is designed to have specialists that are fully knowledgeable about one part of the body and its functions. But if you have any other body needs, they will refer you to another specialist. They will not even speak to any sliver of information. This has been my personal experience when talking to specialists. I have learned to ask lots of questions about the connectedness of the body, especially with a daughter with multiple anomalies.
However, I also believe that in our human-ness, we are so much more than just physical. We are emotional and spiritual. The Bible teaches we are body, soul, spirit. Our emotions impact our physical. Our spiritual impacts our physical. They are all connected.
Holistic Health embraces this philosophy.
Psalms 139 is a chapter in the Bible written by the song writer, David. He speaks about the amazing creation of the body. He acknowledges that the Creator knew us in our mother’s womb. He speaks to the wonders of the “inward parts”. “You created my inmost being. You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Can we consider our health in light of our faith? God made our bodies and with that comes certain limitations. Just as God has made the earth with certain laws like gravity, we so best when we live within those limitations.
Hormones
“Hormones are the lens through which you see the world”.
Emotions are made up of many different things. Your physical body does influence your emotions. If you are constantly in hyper-cortisol, is it because your situation is stressful, or because this hormone is circulating and causes you to see the world more stressful?
Hormones are made in the Endocrine system, which involves several organs. Hormones are like messengers - chemicals made that tell organs to do a job.
Different organs make different hormones.
Our endocrine system works as a team - we have different organs that produce hormones and they all communicate to each other and balance each other. Pituitary gland, pineal gland, hypothalamus, thyroid, pancreas, adrenal, sex glands, parathyroid glands, thymus and other endocrine organs work together as a magnificent orchestra.
Our gut flora plays an important part. Microbes in the gut produce their own hormones, enzymes, neurotransmitters, and molecules, releasing them into circulation.
Hormones are the rulers of our metabolism and affect every organ and cell. Hormonal balance is a finely tuned system, very delicate and sensitive, constantly adjusting itself.
We have about 50 hormones that we know of.
We have oodles of hormones running our bodies and telling us what to do. Subtle shifts in hormone levels create an avalanche of physical and emotional responses that regulate everything from how our hearts beat, to our metabolism, temperature control, growth, cell recovery, how much we pee, how we handle stress, our moods, sleep patterns…everything.
We can't live without hormones. Here is a list of some of the most studied and understood hormones:
Adrenaline (epinephrine) “fight or flight” Adrenaline (epinephrine) is a hormone your adrenal glands make to help you prepare for stressful or dangerous situations. Adrenaline rush is the name for the quick release of adrenaline into your bloodstream. This gets your body ready for a “fight or flight” response.
Insulin - Insulin is an essential hormone. It helps your body turn food into energy and manages your blood sugar levels. If you have diabetes, your body can't make enough insulin or can't use it properly.
Growth hormone - The roles of growth hormone include influencing our height, and helping build our bones and muscles. Natural levels of growth hormone fluctuate during the day, seemingly influenced by physical activity. For example, levels rise when we exercise. Growth hormone levels increase during childhood and peak during puberty.
Seratonin - Serotonin, also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a monoamine neurotransmitter. It also acts as a hormone. As a neurotransmitter, serotonin carries messages between nerve cells in your brain (your central nervous system) and throughout your body (your peripheral nervous system). 95% of seratonin is made in the gut!
Dopamine -acts on areas of the brain to give you feelings of pleasure, satisfaction and motivation. Dopamine also has a role to play in controlling memory, mood, sleep, learning, concentration, movement and other body functions.
Sex hormones - estrogen, testosterone, progesterone (instrumental in sexuality and fertility)
Ghrelin - produced in the gut and tells the brain that you are hungry.
Leptin - also produced in the gut and tells the brain that you are not hungry.
Oxytocin - responsible for labor contractions (pitocin is the synthetic form).
Prolactin - increases 10-20x during pregnancy & produces milk. Also responsible for low libido, hot flashes, breast tenderness.
hCG - the pregnancy hormone and is only in your body if you are pregnant.
Relaxin - increases during first trimester and loosens ligaments to prepare for pregnancy.
Melatonin - sleepy hormone made in the pineal gland.
Testosterone is a hormone that we normally associate with males, but females produce this in reduced levels. Testosterone is most often associated with sex drive and plays a vital role in sperm production. It also affects bone and muscle mass, the way men store fat in the body, and even red blood cell production. It acts on the brain to stimulate sexual interest and also affect sensitivity to sexual stimulation and orgasmic ability. Menopause, and monthly cycles can be responsible for a decrease in testosterone. For men, Testosterone increases in the morning and lower at night. T- can increase by interaction with attraction. T seems to increase when partner is ovulating.
Estrogen is a hormone that plays a role in both the male and female reproductive systems. In females, it contributes to reproductive and breast health, among other functions. Estrogen contributes to cognitive health , bone health, the function of the cardiovascular system, and other essential bodily processes.
Many hormones are made in the gut so if there are digestive problems, like leaky gut or overgrowth of pathogenic microbes in the gut, there can be hormonal problems. There is much study with the enteric nervous system and hormones are part of this messaging system.
Certain toxins in our environment inhibit healthy hormones.
The last few decades the environment has changed dramatically and this has affected our gut flora. Unhealthy hormonal balance brings a multitude of health problems.
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/endocrine
Endocrine disrupting chemicals are found in thousands of everyday produces.
Plastics
Fire retardants in furniture and clothes
Contraceptive pill
Hormone replacement therapy
Pharmaceutical drugs
Dental materials
Packaging
Personal care products
Hair dyes
Make up
Processed food
Our bodies get contaminated with these chemicals and they accumulate in our tissues.
I was able to attend Dr. Anthony Jay’s session at this year’s Wise Traditions Conference in Kansas City. He shared his research on estrogen mimicking chemicals in our environment and what they are doing to our health. You can find his website here. His book is titled Estrogeneration.
https://www.ajconsultingcompany.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html
Chemicals classified as xenoestrogens mimic natural female hormones and disrupt sex hormone balance causing abnormal sexual development in children, endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, obesity, neurological and mental problems, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and other cancers of reproductive organs.
Good food & healthy environment = hormonal health
Circadian Rhythm - our biological clock that all of our organs are functioning by. Eat, sleep, metabolism and hormonal production. Our bodies run on a 24 hour cycle. The organs that make hormones need times of rest along with times of work.
Menstrual Cycles
During period: estrogen and progesterone are at their lowest
After period until ovulation: estrogen rises
Ovarian phase: FSH is produced to make an egg
After ovulation: estrogen drops and progesterone rises
Sleep and the value to our health
Sleep is not inactivity for the body. The brain works very hard while we are sleeping. Allowing enough sleep will support the brain’s ability to detox emotions. The input from the previous day must be sorted through emotionally, and sleep also allows other organs to detox. The body likes to empty and rest and begin a new day afresh.
Foods that support hormonal health:
Fat - particularly saturated fat - is the building blocks of hormones. The body cannot make hormones without it.
Cholesterol. In order to be able to produce children we need sex hormones, and these hormones are manufactured by the body from cholesterol. Cholesterol comes only from animal foods. Your body can manufacture cholesterol, but many other nutrients we get from animal foods are needed to produce cholesterol and sex hormones (animal protein, fats, zinc, fat-soluble vitamins, B-vitamins and other). Sex hormones are produced not only in our sex glands but in some other tissues in the body. Veganism can cause loss of menstrual function and ability to conceive. Veganism is technically a form of fasting. It deprives all the sex hormone-producing cells in the body of building materials to produce these hormones. Not only fertility, but often even an interest in the opposite sex disappears.
Egg yolks are great sources of cholesterol. They will provide you with most essential amino acids, many vitamins (B1, B2, B6, B12, A, D, biotin) essential fatty acids, zinc, magnesium and many other nutrients.
Once you have the basic building blocks of hormones - saturated fat & cholesterol - you can consider other supporting foods:
Zinc is critical to the production of testosterone. Foods rich in zinc are oysters and pumpkin seeds.
Nettles are full of nourishment - high in iron, magnesium, copper, zinc, vitamin C, carotenoids and other useful substances.
To make EPA & DHA (vital for many functions of the body) the body needs a good supply of vitamin C, B3 & B6, magnesium, zinc, and some enzymes. Environmental toxins can block conversion.
Some people cannot convert omega-3’s so supplementing is not enough. They need to eat plenty of oily fish supplements or the actual fish. Seawater and freshwater algae and phytoplankton are rich in these oils as well. Cod liver oil is a good source of EPA & DHA
Nuts and seeds can be highly nourishing when we are able to digest them. They are rich sources of minerals, amino acids and fats: magnesium, selenium, zinc, omega-6 and omega-3 oils. But all nuts and seeds must be prepared properly to make them digestible for humans and to neutralize antinutrients. They have a high fiber content and should not be eaten if you have diarrhea or abdominal pain.
Foods to avoid:
Foods that deplete Zinc (and other nutrients) include plant foods, grains, and soy.
Soy beans have a very high concentration of phytates. These are antinutrients, found in all grains as well, particularly in their bran. Phytates have a strong ability to bind to minerals, preventing them from being absorbed, particularly calcium, magnesium, iron and zinc.
Phytic acid: an antinutrient in seeds that binds to minerals and makes them unavailable for the body to use, particularly calcium, magnesium, iron, copper and zinc.
Are you stuck in “Fight or Flight”? Are you always running away from a tiger??
Adrenal glands govern your fight or flight response. The are 2 triangular organs that sit on top of your kidneys.
This can be upregulated or downregulated and can be bypassed if in “fight or flight”.
If this is constantly turned on, then hormonal dysregulation can happen.
Chronic stress - work, trauma, etc? It is so much more common for people these days to be in dysregulation.
This is called the “Sympathetic state” = and is when your body is in the state of producing stress hormones. This also means that you will not be properly digesting our food if you are always “running away from a tiger”.
Other symptoms of chronic stress hormonal production is hair loss, gut issues, exhaustion, overwhelm, vision issues, wearing sunglasses or sensitive to bright light, dizziness from sitting to standing , alignment, plantar fasciitis, salt craving, constant sickness, sexual infertility.
A few practical things we can do:
Look in the mirror. Are you chronically stressed? Do you have signals that your body is giving you that can be pointed to stress? Stress can be external (environment) or internal (physical symptoms).
Recognize your limitations. We are human. NOT superhuman. We have bodies with certain nutritional needs and the body cannot do certain jobs without nutrients.
Nutrition. What nutrition can you add into your meals today that can support your body’s ability to feed the organs that make hormones? GAPS is all about hormonal health! ALL GAPS foods support your hormones! Check out my recipes.
Lifestyle change. What change can you make today that will help your nervous system be in the “parasympathetic” = rest and digest. Slow down. Go for a relaxing walk. Pray. Journal your worries. Ask for help. Call a friend. Find a source of encouragement and hope.
Remember we are body, soul and spirit. Our hormones were created by God. When we honor our bodies we can experience better hormonal health!
