How to Balance Your Hormones: Advice from Claudia Welch (Part 1)
Yep, we’re talking hormones again.
Has anyone here ever stopped getting their period for seemingly no reason? Suffered from chronic cystic acne, or had the kind of PMS where you just want to cry all the time and can’t get out of bed? Have you been told to go on the pill by a doctor for something other than contraception?
In western medicine, hormone imbalances are often said to be unexplainable—or at least that’s been my personal experience. You shift this perception by bucketing hormones into two categories: yin and yang. Can you briefly expand on this for readers?
Eastern medicine is not reductionist medicine. We don’t usually look for the individual substances or things going on or going wrong. We tend to look more at patterns. Even though the ancient Eastern medical classics never name or discuss hormones per se, they do give us—both in the Chinese and Ayurvedic systems—fundamental ways of looking at phenomena and explaining them. One of these fundamental views is that of duality: how opposite forces tend to relate to each other. In TCM, they call these forces “yin” and “yang.” In Ayurveda the names are more complicated, but they are there and describe these forces in the same way.
Once we understand the principle of duality, it lends itself very easily to the discussion of women’s hormones.
Basically it goes like this: pure yin is substance, nourishment, yumminess, gooey, stabilizing, grounding, building and cooling. Pure yang is motivating, stimulating, drying, heating and lightening. However, nothing that exists is either pure yin or pure yang. There’s just stuff that is more yin or yang in relationship to other stuff.
A woman’s sex hormones are very yin in nature and stress hormones are very yang in nature. Sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone build and nourish a woman, her fetus, her tissues—including her breasts and uterus—while her stress hormones simulate her, motivate her to get out of the way of danger, and can be both a cause and a result of ambition and drive.
When yin and yang, and the hormones that represent them, are out of balance, our organisms suffer, in the same way that adding or subtracting even a few degrees to our normal body temperature causes problems.
How did you come to this theory? Was it a sudden epiphany, or did it grow slowly out of your practice?
It was a bit of both. It was an understanding that was won very slowly, but was so clear when it dawned. I’d been through some pretty hefty education in both the fields of TCM and Ayurveda and learned my way around Western medicine well enough for jazz, and I never became clear on the whole hormonal picture.
Not surprising, really, since our collective conversation about hormones is relatively new, no matter what medical paradigm we’re talking about. The first hormone wasn’t “discovered” until 1902 and, as I mentioned before, they really aren’t talked about in the ancient Eastern medical texts. Nor, for that matter, in the modern ones—not very much anyway. Physicians in any of these traditions are often about as confused as their patients when it comes to understanding the “why?” behind the “what” of hormones. In other words, they might be able to say, “your progesterone level is low,” but not explain why.
I was in private practice and was teaching women’s health at an acupuncture college. I was trying to make sense of hormones so that I could explain them to a classroom and so I could better understand what I was seeing in my patients. I read everything I could find. At the time, the internet was just becoming a valuable tool, so I searched there as well. For a long time, the more I studied, and the more I tried to categorize information, the more confused I got.
I don’t recall the moment it all came together, but there must have been one. I do remember the broad strokes though. You know those paintings that consist of repeated patterns, like fish or something, that you can stare at for a long time, softening your gaze, and then, all of a sudden, you see another image that the pattern creates? Like a unicorn or something? Until you see it you can’t even imagine it and then, once you do, it is clear as day and you can’t not see it. It was something like that.
I remember thinking, “Really? Is it really this simple?” I think the reason I don’t remember a particular moment where that happened is that, once I saw that these categories are easily described using the yin/yang system, I felt I needed to go back and check my research to see that it fit and, at least as importantly, to see how it played out clinically. I was in private practice at the time and, at least in the field of complementary medicine, most patients are women. So I got to see, over and over again, how this view applied to women’s daily lives, concerns and issues, and to the hormones that served them—or not. The view held up so well that I started thinking of it as very simplistic and I began to write. And it is simplistic. But it is a way of understanding them that has worked quite well for me.
What’s the most common health complaint you’ve heard from women over the years?
There are so many complaints. I know that sounds funny…but it is true. And the dominant ones depend on a woman’s stage of life. Think about it, from puberty to death, we have issues. From late menarche, to painful periods, absent periods, scanty or irregular ones, infertility, breast health, hot flashes, mood swings, menopausal symptoms, osteoporosis, heart disease, etc. etc. etc.
But most problems—I’ll make up a statistic here—I would guess 70% of them, if not more, arise from women outspending their emotional, physical, financial, and spiritual resources. I know that sounds rather vague, but I think it is true.
We drive ourselves so hard that we sacrifice the yin—the grounding, nourishing aspects of our lives. This leaves yang to be the dominant force for many of us and we wind up panicked, sleepless and generally anxiety-ridden. These chronically high levels of stress hormones results in imbalance and, subsequently, disease.
Sound like anyone you know? In part 2, Dr. Welch will tell us some of her favorite easy prescriptions, talk about exercise (and how there is such a thing as too much), hormone disruptors, and her own beauty regimen. Stay tuned!
You can find more Dr. Welch on her website.
I bought the ebook and I could barely contain my excitement. I went off the pill in January and my hormones are still out of whack. I went on the pill 10 years ago (at the age of 16) to combat acne. Since going off of it, my acne has flared up worse than ever, but I am working with a Naturopathic doctor to help figure it out. My mother has had a difficult time accepting that Western medicine does not have much to offer me to help with this. I never thought it would take this long to re-balance my hormones, but it feels so good to not need a prescription to get my skin to clear up (it’s getting there, but mid-cycle breakouts still happen…argh). I very much needed a resource (I love reading about health) to read to more fully understand my current issues – I am so looking forward to digging more into the book!!
I had a very scary encounter with hormonal imbalances about a year and a half ago as a result of a combination of gluten sensitivity (leading to intestinal damage), stress and finally an antibiotic. It has taken me this long to even come close to getting my hormones close to being balanced again, so it is a long journey if you are completely out of whack. One of the things I did learn along the way (which fits with the explanation above) was that having one hormone out of balance, destroys the balance of all of them as they all work closely together and feed on each other (much like a symphony). In my case it was very high cortisol which led to progesterone and insulin issues. But, if we think of it, who does not have chronic cortisol issues in this society? Chronic stress, long bout of aerobic exercise, blood sugar ups and downs… they all lead to cortisol issues. Definitely anyone who has hormonal issues should look at their diet and lifestyle very carefully and bring more “yin” into it. I, for one, have not had a single hormonal breakout ever since I changed my diet around (I’ve gone mostly “paleo”).
Thank you for the recommendation!! Just like Fern, after getting off the pill I have only had one period in the last 11 months! I love Ayurveda so I am stoked to be able to finally get the Ayurvedic perspective on our hormones. Thanks!
Love the timing of this blog. I look forward to part 2. I decided last night that I’m going to go paleo to hopefully balance out my body and hormones. I’ve been struggling with acne and eczema for over a year and at the age of 25 I’m rather tired of it. Finding balance is something I have strived for for years and I actually wondered if it’s even possible since I don’t think I’ve found it yet.
Jeanine, what resources did you use when you started going paleo? I plan on taking a trip to the library today to see if they have any books on the topic.
I don’t wanna wait for part 2, I wanna read it NOW! lol
Seriously, though, I just bought her book after one of you mentioned it (last week?) and I’m excited to read it!
I am 100% all for bringing hormones to the forefront. I’ve had all manner of problems with mine being out of whack. I think, though, when we cloak these problems in oversimplified, borderline pseudo-scientific systems, it lessens their validity and reinforces the idea that it’s something that western medicine shouldn’t bother with. (Which is fucked up, because they really SHOULD.) There is a lot I like about Eastern medicine, particularly their holistic approach, but reducing our body chemistry to two simple opposing forces doesn’t quite do it justice.
I can’t tell you how many doctors I’ve encountered who are more clueless about my hormones than I am. And this isn’t because my hormones are some kind of mystical energies that needs to be rearranged….it’s an actual, objective chemical imbalance. It can be measured, though it rarely is. It really should be. I pretty much solved the majority of my hormonal issues by keeping careful logs and introducing missing nutritional elements until my body could right itself (and by taking away artificial hormones and as many hormone disrupters as possible.) I’m still not sure why a doctor couldn’t figure out that that’s what I needed to do.
There’s a book named “It’s my Ovaries, Stupid” by Elizabeth Lee Vliet that I really can’t recommend enough to anyone interested in how hormones affect the body from a more empirical perspective.
Thanks so much for posting about this. I find it fascinating and comforting how many other women struggle with this issue. I too have severe issues with hormonal imbalance that have really plagued me since I’ve been off and on the pill since about age 16 and chronic cortisol burner since the age of 20 . I really don’t think I’ve had a “natural” period since then. The most ironic thing about my situation is that my mother is an OBGYN, but I’ve found the more I take the advice of western medicine, the less “in balance” I feel and that ultimately leads to the crutch of western medicines.
A bout of severe hormonal acne last year is what ultimately motivated me to seek help from a holistic nutritionist, she but me on a paleo diet (I was vegan before and also had a lot of eating disorder tendencies which I now know is a huge symptom of my hormone imbalance), suggested some amazing Thorne supplements and my acne was completely clear in two months (I might add months prior, I was seeing an “acne expert” esthetician, spending 60% of my pay check on getting chemical peels and light therapy, essentially raping my skin). I’ve found such relief through natural techniques and practices but still haven’t gotten my periods back or hormones in balance.
I just started (like 2 days ago) taking a natural supplement called “Pregnitude” which is supposed to help regulate hormones by supplementing is Myo-Insotol and folic acid. Nothing notable yet but the supplement is all natural and has great test studies (and I’ve been pretty desperate for such a long while, because at this point all the advice my nutritionist can offer is to “wait it out”)
I will definitely be picking up this book and exploring Dr. Claudia Welch’s reserach and Theorys. For all of you out there going through the same problems, I’d suggest checking out Stefani Ruper’s beautiful blog “Paleo for Women” (http://www.paleoforwomen.com/) she has created a huge, beautiful and inspiring resource for women struggling with these issues. Can’t wait for part 2!!
Courtney, there are lots of great paleo blogs around and I’d recommend starting with these.
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/#axzz24IyNhE1M
http://www.paleoforwomen.com/blog/
Eliminating gluten and sugar has done a world of good for my hormones and virtually every other aspect of my being.
Susan
yessss. just ordered the book and can’t wait to read it! such perfect timing, I think this is exactly what I needed right now.
Thanks Susan. The library had everything paleo checked out! I will definitely read those blogs while waiting for the books I put on hold!
This is a great topic to discuss on this blog. It is nice to hear from other women that hormones are something they struggle with as well. While I like my Western medicine doctors, I have found that it is very difficult to talk to a doctor about hormonal issues and get a response other than “well we could put you on the pill”. Hormones seem to be a topic most of them aren’t comfortable discussing.
I have dealt with acne, excessive chin hair, nonexistant sex drive, blood sugar swings, fatigue, longer cycles, and the final straw recently for me was that my breasts have shrunk in size despite the fact that I have actually gained, not lost, weight. When I looked up my symptoms online, they matched those of pre-menopause, but I’m in my early 20’s. It’s depressing and I don’t want it to be this way. Much of this started around the time I made a few stressful life changes. This explanation- that my lifestyle could be causing an imbalance in my system that is showing up as hormonal issues, seems plausible. I’d love to hear your advice for balancing things out.
@Panda Definitely check out Dr Welch’s book—I’m sure it will offer some insight!
@Jen Hey Jen, totally agree with you on many fronts. I should point out though, that while the book uses this yin/yan lens it’s much more subtle than the way I may have presented it through my questions (also just too long and complex for an interview). Dr Welch has a huge knowledge of western medicine as well and definitely believes the two should work in tandem.
Hi All,
Really super to see this intelligent, thoughtful, heartfelt & supportive group of people committed to living the Good Life, ethical choices & personal and planetary health to boot. And to know that there is a network of people around the world of people moving in this direction. Whether or not we all know each other personally, I think it has a strong effect. Sometimes I sense that there is a Tipping Point on the horizon, where the momentum of the behavior and priorities of humanity could begin to move in a direction beneficial to all.
Thanks to you all and to Alexandra & Siobhan, for being there.
in Love,
cw
Alas, I’m not sure I’m willing to give up the reliability of the pill – especially since I don’t have acne or the other problems listed. I guess I need to list that as my dirty product I won’t give up.
This is a very timely post for me. After ten years on the pill (all of my 20s!) I quit taking it last winter. I never felt quite right on the pill. Hard to explain, but intuitively I just knew I was not myself. I tried different pills over the years. When I quit taking them I experienced some relief. For example, I feel more balanced emotionally. Physically, however, I have experienced a lot of fatigue and problems with acne, among other issues. I am so good to my skin and my diet is insanely healthy. I couldn’t figure out why, with my healthy lifestyle, I was struggling with fatigue and break-outs. I had an ah-ha moment not long ago that this could be hormonal. It hadn’t occurred to me that my body might freak out after ditching the pill. I started reading Dr. Northrup’s book (thanks to NMDL) and doing additional research. This is complex stuff, but I feel more empowered. An important turning point for me was learning about the signs of a hormonal imbalance. I was not familiar with the symptoms, so it wasn’t obvious what was going on with my body. Since fatigue and acne seem so ubiquitous, I chalked it up to “life”. Speaking of a lack of information, it really bothers me that not one single doctor ever talked to me about how the pill affects hormones and the various risks and factors to consider. At most I was told not to smoke and take the pill… duh. I look forward to learning more from Dr. Welch, too. Thanks for a great post!
I can’t wait to get Claudia’s book. This is the 3rd time I have heard it referenced. I have been going thru major hormone imbalances due to parimenopause and am finally coming out on the plus side.
@panda see if you can find a naturopathic doctor to work with. Mine is part of a full medical group so I get the best of western with natural. It might even be worth traveling for. My doctor completed overhauled my system and I was already leaning toward the clean. I also love Dr. Schwarzbein’ books. She has a lot on hormones and blanced eating. Most libraries will have her books. Also loved Dr. Susan Love’s on hormones. She takes explains the different functions of hormones.
Great topic as usual. I can’t wait for the 2nd part.
I’ve found Dr. Elizabeth Vilet’s book “It’s My Ovaries, Stupid!” to be incredibly helpful in actually understanding my hormones. It really arms you to talk to your doc and goes into great detail about HOW and WHEN to measure levels and why most tests are practically useless – I didn’t know you’d have to test the same hormones several times in the same cycle to get a useful result for example!
A couple of years ago I was pretty wrecked from the pill ( mood swings, weight loss, acne, fatigue..) then my doc prescribed estrogen patches for my migraines and I spent a weekend howling into a towel in my bathroom with my poor husband pounding on the door, fearing his wife had gone insane. Which I kinda did. I ditched the pill, patches. Diet soda and went as clean as possible and my migraines disappeared. Now I’m 3 months post-partum with perfect skin ( although w epic hair loss) and totally blissed out and no period – I hope, hope, hope that this lovely post-pregnancy state of hormonal happiness will last a loong time. I can’t wait to read the second installment on how to do that.
@Courtney
The first book I read was The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf, which is a great book (initially looked through it at my doctor’s office) and then I stumbled upon The Perfect Health Diet by Paul Jaminet. I highly recommend both of these. At the time I was also reading The Hormone Diet by Natasha Turner, Deep Nutrition by Catherine Shanahan, and The Hormone Solution by Thierry Hertogue. Some of these books are not paleo per se but they all recommend the same type of diet. I had also read Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes before that, which also drills on the topic of carbs and insulin resistance. Since then I have found that a lot of the information on those books is easily available either on the author’s blogs or YouTube. Jaminet has a great blog (perfecthealthdiet.com), there are many presentations by Gary Taubes on YouTube and Robb Wolfe is also very active in social media. Other good sources are marksdailyapple.com and dietdoctor.com, which is a blog run by a Swedish doctor.
Hi everyone, I know I’m a bit late on replying to this post but I desperately need some advice.
Most of the time when people complain about their “acne” they actually mean a few little spots around their face that develop into whiteheads (I’ve even had a friend complain about her “acne” to me, and all I could see on her otherwise flawless face was a couple of small whiteheads around her chin). When I say that I have acne, it is not just the type that Alexandra or Siobhan might have (sorry I’m very very touchy on this subject), but the type of acne that is rather alright some days in a month (apart from the tiny bumps I have all over my face which is basically there 24/7) but 2 weeks before my menses, I get the most horrific ugly dark red cysts ALL over my face. Like 10 in a day. Really really painful cysts that form a big red patch around the skin. And that lasts for over 2 weeks. Then I have to deal with the terribly deep scarring on my face. Most of the time the scars don’t heal in time before the next 2 weeks of cysts come before my next period. So my face essentially is terribly scarred. My self esteem is ruined beyond repair and I’m at my wits end.
I would super appreciate if anyone could reply to my post and possibly suggest any herbs or natural vitamins capsules which would help my PMS acne and balance my hormones out. I eat extremely healthily, no dairy, rarely sugar or meat and lots of fruits and veg and hardly stress (except the stress I get when I see acne on my face, so I guess I do stress quite alot), exercise everyday and my skincare/haircare/cosmetics are all organic/natural (the certified kind). Please help me find supplements which I can use to regulate my teenage hormones. Please.
Thank you all so much for reading my long parenthesis-filled woes.
Kind regards,
Cara
I look forward to checking out her book! I’ve also really enjoyed and benefited from Marcelle Pick’s two books, Are You Tired and Wired? and The Core Balance Diet. She is a co-founder of the Women to Women clinic in Yarmouth, Maine where Christiane Northrup got her start (www.womentowomen.com) i highly recommend both.
I struggle with my estrogen levels. My estrogen is low and I am on replacement therapy. I live day to day. One day having bloating and look like I am three months pregnant and the next day vaginal low grade burning. I am also on Progesterone and Testosterone these levels are fine. It is taking so long to get my estrogen levels up. I am post menopause and I exercise daily. I wondered how long does it take to raise estrogen levels?