Hormone Balancing Supplements… Menstrual Health Superfoods… Acupuncture & Massages…

These are all great tools for balancing hormones, however they all cost money.

If you are looking for what you can do, right now, without having to spend a penny, I will share with you a little ancient medicinal knowledge I learned from native friends I recently met in Costa Rica.

I write this while sitting within the lush jungles of Puerto Viejo,  between classes I am teaching at Passion Yoga School’s teacher training program. While I sit here, I can hear the waves roaring and crashing onto the beaches in the distance.

Last evening, I met a man who told me about the women in his town outside of San Jose and how they gather together in Red Tents to honor their menstrual cycles. He asked me how to balance hormones through food and after I answered, I asked him how the women in this culture balance their hormones.

What he told me was...

Many women in today’s culture are experiencing excess estrogen. Why?  Because it is literally everywhere…. in our plastic water bottles, our shampoos, mascara, beauty products, clothing, receipts, food storage containers… the list is long. How is estrogen, a hormone produced by our ovaries and fat cells, in these products? Well, it is not actually estrogen, but Xenoestrogen, a chemical that mimics what our body thinks is estrogen. These Xenoestrogens are absorbed into the body through our skin cells when we use these products or through food and drinks. Because our body is tricked into thinking we have more estrogen, we experience an overflow. And this excess estrogen does not produce pretty symptoms. These Xenoestrogen chemicals are hard to metabolize and break down, and can be stored in our body’s fat cells for years… even decades.

Signs of having an excess of estrogen:

• Breast Tenderness and Swelling. Excess estrogen can stimulate breast...

Just as the Earth moves through her seasonal changes each year, menstruating women experience inner seasonal changes due to fluctuating hormones.

Here is an overview of the monthly Menstrual Cycle:

Follicular Phase: “Internal Spring” (about 7 days)

Hormonal Shifts:  This phase occurs right after menstruation. At this time, 15-20 eggs mature in the ovaries and each egg exists within its own follicle. The follicles produce estrogen, which is a necessary hormone for the occurrence of ovulation. The Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH) causes these follicles with eggs to grow and compete with each other for the dominate follicle to get large enough for the egg to bust through.

Effects on Mood and Energy:  As all hormone levels were low at menstruation, the rising in FSH and estrogen now create an energetic feeling in your body. This new energy masks the energy of spring, where there is a sense of new beginnings with fresh energy and focus. Mentally,...

It’s that time of year again: the nights are longer, the weather has a bite, and the leaves are absent from their trees.

“The best thing about winter is when it’s over,” is what I heard a woman say on the radio today. Many of us have a harder time with this time of year. Thanksgiving is over and instead of resting before the next upcoming holidays, we need to maintain a productive work flow at our careers, shop for presents, plan holiday meals, budget our finances, and plan for travels. Overwhelming right? No wonder we feel this season is challenging. As we juggle our schedules in wintry weather conditions, stress levels can increase and our immune systems may be jeopardized.

This winter, prepare yourself with these three tools to harmonize with the seasonal changes and keep your immune system strong, your body warm and relaxed, and your mood upbeat.

1. Vitamin D.

Current studies show that 42% of Americans have low Vitamin D levels. Majority of us work...

We are entering the holiday season and with it comes family bonding time, delicious foods with seasonal spices, and celebration. But there can also be added stress from traveling, cooking for large parties, as well as intestinal stress from digesting rich holiday foods. I have come up with a simple guide to help you navigate your way through the holiday table. 

5 Tips for Keeping Your Hormones Happy this Holiday Season

1. Fill Your Plate with Vegetables– The mashed potatoes, stuffing, and pumpkin breads may be hard to resist, but if you fill your plate mostly with vegetables, you can still have those foods too, and just eat less of them. This will also help prevent overeating, as when you fill up with foods that are micro-nutrient dense, your body will be nourished at the cellular level, as opposed to eating foods with empty calories. Micronutrients are needed for healthy hormone production. 

2. Support Digestion– know you have a sensitivity to gluten?...