1. 1. Give your diet a makeover: What you eat can contribute to unbalanced hormones. In fact, some research has suggested that the Western diet is linked to excessive amounts of estrogen in the body, especially due to the high amounts of red meat, dairy, and processed food items. However, when a regular diet embraces fresh, nutrient-rich fruits and cruciferous vegetables, they may contribute to reducing estrogen levels. According to a study on 115 women, it was shown that consuming the Mediterranean Diet for half a year led to a decrease in estrogen by 40%. This could be because the diet emphasizes plant-based proteins and healthy  fats rather than animal constituents. 
   2. Manage chronic stress: High cortisol levels can play a role in estrogen dominance. When you’re regularly stressed, cortisol levels keep increasing. Because of this, your body uses progesterone to promote cortisol balance. But when progesterone acts as a “substitute” for cortisol’s roles, it abandons the management of estrogen. This can result in estrogen dominance. Try paying attention to the stress you can or cannot manage. Is there any way to delegate tasks? How do you currently manage your stress levels? Consider trying new relaxing avenues, such as yoga, meditation, or acupuncture. Or you can consult a functional medicine practitioner for advice on stress-boosting supplements, such as B vitamins, herbal medicine, magnesium or licorice root. 
   3. Reduce alcohol consumption: According to an article from Alcohol Research and Health, excessive alcohol consumption has been shown to heighten estrogen levels.  If you already suffer from estrogen dominance, drinking alcohol can exacerbate symptoms, too. Try being mindful when it comes to consuming these types of beverages –notice when and how often you consume them. This also ties in with finding new stress management techniques, especially when you need to unwind after a hard day’s work. 
   4. Exercise – but don’t overdo it: Estrogen dominance has been linked to weight gain. Thus, regular exercise can help foster healthy weight, while supporting hormones and mood. Keep in mind though that excessive amounts of physical activity can cause a contrasting effect by heightening cortisol and estrogen. We strongly recommend talking to a personal trainer at your local gym to guide you on suitable workouts. 
   5. Minimize your use of products that contain endocrine-disrupting chemicals: Did you know that exposures to certain chemicals can cause estrogen dominance? Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are found in plastic food containers and personal care products, and may also be inhaled as air pollutants. See what you can do at home to refrain from using chemical-ladened items. For example, store food in glass jars instead of plastic containers, or refrain from using creams or cleansers with a chemical called triclosan. A functional medicine practitioner can offer you additional tips to help you make daily healthy lifestyle decisions around the home. 

Suggested reading: Discover 5 Key Herbs and Functional Medicine Toronto Strategies to Boost Testosterone

Indeed, adjustments to your daily living can affect your hormonal balance. If you’re interested in our hormone optimization programs, or you’d like to discuss functional medicine testing, please reach out to the TFMC today. 

How we tailor your clinical experience

It can be a struggle to have chronic symptoms, yet conventional medicine practices continue to tell you that “you’re fine.” 

This is why some patients opt for custom health strategies to help address their current health issues, including irregular periods, digestive issues, autoimmune disease management, abdominal pain, weak immune function, and nutritional deficiencies. 

At the TFMC, we offer a personalized approach to wellness that tailors your treatment plan according to unique health goals. Our clinicians embrace the integrative functional medicine model to pinpoint the root cause of your health concerns. These personalized strategies may also be applied to help delay or prevent future chronic conditions. 

Integrative medicine bears significance in our practice. This is because when you have access to a wide variety of treatment modalities, you can improve your confidence in addressing your current symptoms. When treatments are modified at the TFMC, you have the option of adding multiple modalities to your plan, such as Western medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, naturopathic medicine, holistic nutrition, acupuncture, hormone replacement therapies (i.e. bioidentical hormones), booster shots, and intravenous therapy. 

IV therapy and booster shots are administered in our in-house IV Lounge, a calming setting where our patients can sit back and relax with nourishing nutrients. When these nutritional treatments are combined with other functional medicine therapies and healthy lifestyle decisions, they can help promote optimal health. 

Estrogen dominance can be addressed compassionately by our healthcare providers.  You may feel a connection to this article, and if you do, that’s okay – let’s talk about this! Simply click here to request a DISCOVERY SESSION with our Toronto Functional Medicine Centre practitioners. 

Disclaimer: The information in this article is designed for educational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. This information should not be used to diagnose or treat any health problems or illnesses without consulting a doctor. You should always consult with a health care practitioner before relying on any information in this article or on this website. Never delay or disregard seeking professional medical advice from your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider because of information you have read from the Toronto Functional Medicine Centre website or other affiliate media. 

References

Carruba G, Granata OM, Pala V, Campisi I, Agostara B, Cusimano R, Ravazzolo B, Traina A. A traditional Mediterranean diet decreases endogenous estrogens in healthy postmenopausal women. Nutr Cancer. 2006;56(2):253-9. doi: 10.1207/s15327914nc5602_18. PMID: 17474873.

Domínguez-López I, Yago-Aragón M, Salas-Huetos A, Tresserra-Rimbau A, Hurtado-Barroso S. Effects of Dietary Phytoestrogens on Hormones throughout a Human Lifespan: A Review. Nutrients. 2020 Aug 15;12(8):2456. doi: 10.3390/nu12082456. PMID: 32824177; PMCID: PMC7468963.

Emanuele MA, Wezeman F, Emanuele NV. Alcohol’s effects on female reproductive function. Alcohol Res Health. 2002;26(4):274-81. PMID: 12875037; PMCID: PMC6676690.

Endogenous Hormones and Breast Cancer Collaborative Group; Key TJ, Appleby PN, Reeves GK, Roddam AW, Helzlsouer KJ, Alberg AJ, Rollison DE, Dorgan JF, Brinton LA, Overvad K, Kaaks R, Trichopoulou A, Clavel-Chapelon F, Panico S, Duell EJ, Peeters PH, Rinaldi S, Fentiman IS, Dowsett M, Manjer J, Lenner P, Hallmans G, Baglietto L, English DR, Giles GG, Hopper JL, Severi G, Morris HA, Hankinson SE, Tworoger SS, Koenig K, Zeleniuch-Jacquotte A, Arslan AA, Toniolo P, Shore RE, Krogh V, Micheli A, Berrino F, Barrett-Connor E, Laughlin GA, Kabuto M, Akiba S, Stevens RG, Neriishi K, Land CE, Cauley JA, Lui LY, Cummings SR, Gunter MJ, Rohan TE, Strickler HD. Circulating sex hormones and breast cancer risk factors in postmenopausal women: reanalysis of 13 studies.

Gavaler JS. Alcoholic beverages as a source of estrogens. Alcohol Health Res World. 1998;22(3):220-7. PMID: 15706799; PMCID: PMC6761902.

Sánchez-Zamorano LM, Flores-Luna L, Angeles-Llerenas A, Ortega-Olvera C, Lazcano-Ponce E, Romieu I, Mainero-Ratchelous F, Torres-Mejía G. The Western dietary pattern is associated with increased serum concentrations of free estradiol in postmenopausal women: implications for breast cancer prevention. Nutr Res. 2016 Aug;36(8):845-54. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2016.04.008. Epub 2016 Apr 26. PMID: 27440539.

Wiggs, A. G., Chandler, J. K., Aktas, A., Sumner, S. J., & Stewart, D. A. (2021). The Effects of Diet and Exercise on Endogenous Estrogens and Subsequent Breast Cancer Risk in Postmenopausal Women. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2021.732255

Woods NF, Mitchell ES, Smith-Dijulio K. Cortisol levels during the menopausal transition and early postmenopause: observations from the Seattle Midlife Women’s Health Study. Menopause. 2009 Jul-Aug;16(4):708-18. doi: 10.1097/gme.0b013e318198d6b2. PMID: 19322116; PMCID: PMC2749064.