HONING IN ON YOUR HORMONES

A SINETT STORY

Sometimes I hesitate to share my patients’ stories because they can sound a bit off the wall and can create more skepticism about my work. However, since I’m introducing you to my theory of balance in the body and the idea that the entire body is connected, these stories really are essential in showing how the problem often isn’t where it seems to be. I want to share one very personal story. Please realize fertility issues are not always this simple, but I promise every part of this account is true. Here’s our story and its miraculous result:

• • •

MY WIFE AND I had been trying, unsuccessfully, to get pregnant for approximately eight months, and we were extremely frustrated because her menstrual cycle was so irregular, occurring about once every three months. She saw numerous gynecologists and took multiple prescription medications but saw no change. As time passed and our treatment options dwindled, our emotional stress spiked, not to mention the financial stress of spending hundreds of dollars a month on ovulation predictor kits, medications, and pregnancy tests! We finally turned to my father for help with our very private problem.

When my father examined my wife, he saw that her hormonal system was completely out of balance. He determined that the pituitary gland was not sending the proper messages to the rest of the hormonal organs. The pituitary gland is the conductor of the orchestra, he said, while the rest of the organs are the individual instruments. My dad’s feeling was that no one was leading the orchestra. Something (or someone) needed to tell the conductor to raise the baton and get the instruments playing together.

My father started my wife’s treatment by recommending an herbal and vitamin complex called Ovex, to support female androgen production and ovarian health and function. He then stimulated bones in my wife’s head that impact the pituitary gland and treated numerous acupuncture points and specific drainage points that relate to the hormonal and digestive systems. Lastly, my father changed my wife’s diet, taking away all of the simple sugars and simple carbohydrates in her diet. Within a week, my wife got her period and her cycle has been regular ever since. We got pregnant the next month and now have two beautiful children.

My father heard many similar stories, the results of which are simply too predictable to be described as coincidence. The simple act of achieving balance structurally, digestively, emotionally, and even hormonally, does wondrous and miraculous things to the body. It is what I strive to achieve each day by paying attention to the bigger picture in each and every one of my patients.

If you answered yes to these questions, your back pain could be hormonally induced:

• Did you just begin your menstrual period or have you recently started menopause?
• Has your hormonal system undergone any recent changes (menopause, change in birth control, missed menstrual period, pregnancy, etc.)?

While men are susceptible to hormonal imbalance, women suffer from the majority of hormonal back pain. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to most women who know that some level of back pain usually comes from PMS and the onset of menstruation.

A Swedish study even showed that women on birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are more likely to suffer from back pain, and as a result, European doctors have stopped prescribing the birth control pill if a woman is suffering from back pain to allow time for her hormones to even out.

Pregnancy is also a huge cause of back pain but it isn’t just the extra weight that leaves the pregnant woman groaning. As many as half of all women experience back pain in the first trimester, before much weight has been gained at all! Hormones released during pregnancy allow the ligaments in the pelvic area to soften and the joints to become looser in preparation for giving birth, which directly affects the mother’s back. Your Ob/gyn or internist may also be able to help you focus on your chemical imbalance and identify the right way to treat it.

Nutrition and vitamin imbalance can also throw off your hormones, resulting in back pain. While it’s best to visit a nutritionist to identify where you are over- or under-producing hormones, general nutrition recommendations for getting hormones back into balance include:

1. Choose the least refined versions of carbohydrates (whole grains instead of bread, a bowl of steel cut oats instead of cereal; corn, peas, or winter squash in a soup instead of pasta).
2. Balance your carbs with protein at each meal. So if you want a baked potato, include a piece of chicken, fish, or beef with it.
3. Opt for healthful fats with each meal, such as nuts, seeds, nut butters, cold-pressed oils, avocado, and olives.
4. Limit your sugar intake, preferably to one small dessert a day at most! Reduce caffeine and alcohol as well. Anything that raises cortisol levels in the body can elevate the hormonal response. Thankfully the converse is true. I have patients who avoid alcohol for the two weeks prior to their menstrual cycle to help keep their hormones in check.

Acupuncture has also been helpful to rebalance the body’s chi. Find a practitioner who is versed in both traditional and holistic approaches in hormonal balances.

If hormones are to blame for your back pain, visiting your gynecologist, obstetrician, endocrinologist, or internist can help. Any one of these doctors should be able to find out whether you have a chemical imbalance and the right way to treat it. Sometimes a trip to the nutritionist who can prescribe vitamins to balance your body and initiate proper function is all it takes!