There are five key hormones that must be balanced, if we are to maintain healthy body weight with ease, once and for all—and consequentially, have deep sleep, steady energy, healthy digestion, immunity, and that natural glow to our skin, eyes, hair, and nails that hormonal balance brings.
Cortisol
Insulin
Testosterone
Estrogen
Individually, these hormones are all unique and have different roles within the body; together they create balance and harmony which allows us to achieve our natural body weight and a healthy, harmonious experience of life.
Stress (cortisol) and undereating or eating the wrong foods can be detrimental to our thyroid and halt the production of thyroid hormone.
Symptoms of low thyroid include:
Weight gainBrain fog
Depression
Fatigue
Constipation
And brittle nails
2. Cortisol
Cortisol is the main stress hormone in the body, produced by the adrenal glands. While cortisol is absolutely necessary for our body, there can be too much of a good thing.
Symptoms of high cortisol include:
Trouble sleeping through the nightNervousness
Anxiousness and anxiety
And not much of an appetite, especially first thing in the morning
Low cortisol conversely can cause:
LethargyDepression
Aches and pains
And complete exhaustion
3. Insulin
Insulin can be the main culprit in weight loss resistance and once an imbalance starts it can be a difficult rollercoaster to get off of. Insulin can be quick to become imbalanced due to stress and poor dietary choices, making your cells essentially numb.
Insulin resistance or even just poor glycemic control can lead to symptoms of both hypoglycemia and elevated glucose levels, both which can make you hold on to weight in spite of what you might have thought were your best efforts.
4. Testosterone
Testosterone is a key sex hormone that is required by both men and women. Testosterone is essential for fertility, muscle mass and growth, fat distribution and bone health. It can be common in women (and men) for testosterone to decline naturally with age; however, it is very important to not take the hormone testosterone without doing a hormone panel.
Taking endogenous testosterone can lead to a build-up of androgenic hormones and unpleasant side effects for women, including facial hair, muscle growth, headaches, mood swings, and weight gain.
Not having or producing enough testosterone can also make you gain weight and not be able to build any muscle.
On the topic of androgens, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) can also be an issue and influence hormone balance and weight. Typically, this includes high fasting glucose, high sex hormones and their precursors such as testosterone and DHEA.
Symptoms of PCOS include:
Acne
Facial hair
Elevated blood sugar
And weight gain
With PCOS your body cannot clear hormones effectively.
5. Estrogen
Estrogen is the fifth hormone which is mainly responsible for giving women their figure. Estrogen is made in the ovaries and needs to be in balance with progesterone. There is a delicate line between having too little and too much estrogen.
High estrogen or estrogen dominance can make weight loss very challenging for both men and women.
Signs of High Estrogen:
An increase in appetiteIncrease in water retention
And fat storage “in weird places”
& cellulite
If you are over 45, be sure to check out our blog about estrogen and to find out if taking bioidentical hormones is a smart choice for you. This hormone should not have been demonized as it has been, especially with regard to our menopausal years.
When I was in private practice, I saw hundreds of women who were so frustrated because they were not eating much and they were exercising but still not losing weight, or worse, steadily gaining it with no known explanation.
They felt like their body was being invaded and they were becoming someone different on the outside than they were on the inside. While this is a horrifying feeling, the good news is that it is possible to balance your hormones at any age and to reclaim your sense of self.
When we are experiencing the above symptoms, it is all too common to add more hormones through bioidentical hormone therapy or other methods. While this can work wonders for some, if we add additional hormones into a stressed body that is already in chaos, the body will often react negatively or will not know what to do with the extra hormones. This results in hormones going through the wrong pathway or not being detoxified correctly, leading to weight gain, anxiety, skin or immune reactions, and added stress.
There are two strategies we have used with wonderful results in private practice and just recently in the Adrenal ReCode program. (right now its 50% off, ask me for the code!)
These 2 pillars include:
Converting food efficiently to fuelAnd reviewing the importance of macronutrient ratios
These two well executed, alone, take care of insulin, cortisol, and thyroid hormone by helping to regulate blood sugar, balance stress hormones, and shuttle active thyroid hormone into the cell, therefore creating balance.
From there, the liver will get healthier and be able to detoxify excess estrogen and you will be able to get the sex hormone balance your body needs because it will be able to pull from healthy stress hormone precursors to create the testosterone it needs.
Converting Food To Fuel
Over 80% of the population is not able to actually utilize the food they consume into appropriate fuel for the body, which is part and parcel of why our society is so darn tired all the time and reaching for quick fixes like coffee or processed sugar.
The foods we eat should benefit us to the fullest, revving our cellular energy centers (mitochondria) and brain, and supporting our microbiome. If we can include foods which are synergistic to our adrenals, thyroid, brain, and nervous system, we can then effectively kick-start the healing process.
Nutrients Necessary For The Adrenals:
ChromiumMagnesium
B-vitamins
Vitamin-C
And sodium
Food sources include:
BananasBroccoli Sprouts
Bison
Bone Broth
Celery
Celtic Sea Salt
Camu Camu
Cauliflower
Cottage Cheese (organic)
High-quality milk
Kiwi
Liver
Orange Juice
Papaya
Pink Salt
Red Bell Peppers
Turkey
Nutrients For The Thyroid:
IodineSmall amounts of copper
Selenium
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
B vitamins, such as B1, B2, and B12
And tyrosine
Food sources include:
AvocadosBeef
Bone Broth
Cashews
Egg Yolks
High-Quality Milk
Liver
Low Fat White Fish
Organ Meat
Pumpkin Seeds
Raw Cacao
Ricotta Cheese
Sea Vegetables
Shellfish
Shiitake Mushrooms
Spinach
Sunflower Seeds
Yogurt
Nutrients For The Brain:
Amino acids are essential to balance neurotransmitters and play a great role in maintaining a balanced, healthy weight, such as:
GABADopamine
Serotonin
Foods and herbs which are great for neurotransmitters include:
BasilBeets
Cayenne
Chamomile
Garlic
Ginger
Green Tea
Oregano
Red cabbage
Rosemary
Sage
Thyme
Turmeric
Nervous System Support:
All the following are all necessary for nervous system function and development:
ElectrolytesEPA
DHA
Zinc
Fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K)
Manganese
Melatonin
And iron
Food sources include:
Avocados
Bananas
Bone Broth
Carrots
Cherries
Coconut Water
Collagen
Leafy Greens
Liver and other organ meats
Orange Juice
Oysters
Sunflowers
Tropical Fruits
Walnuts
Wild-caught salmon
The Importance Of Macronutrient Ratios For Hormonal Health
Macronutrients include:
CarbohydratesFats
And proteins
The issue with diets today: they often cut out one group, such as low-fat, low-carb, high-fat.
When we do that, we cannot expect our body to succeed long term.
There is a reason we have three types of macronutrients; they all have important benefits for our health.
The number one question we get when speaking about macronutrient ratios is, “what percentage do you recommend?”
The answer to this is so unique and is dependent on your own body's feedback
If you are coming from a low or no carbohydrate diet, start slow with adding carbohydrates back in, like â…› cup twice a day. You will need to train your body to metabolize carbs once again, versus storing them as fat.
Alternatively, if you have been consuming a low-fat diet for a long period of time, see how you feel adding a ½ teaspoon of fat into your meals and gradually work up from there.
To go into more depth on what to eat and do in order to achieve hormone balance take THE WHOLE JOURNEYS free mini-course, where sample meal ideas and recommendations are provided along with downloadable recipes.
Essential Rewards is Young Living’s loyalty program, or their “monthly subscription box”. It’s completely customizable, from what products you want to order to what date you want it to process each month. And you get points back on your orders as soon as you enroll. You do not have to buy a kit to get started, and you don’t even have to only order oils through ER. You can order laundry soap, hand soap, toothpaste, anything that Young Living offers. We use it to replace toxic items in our home monthly (laundry soap, hand soap, body wash, multivitamins, make-up), because who doesn’t love free points back for buying things they would have bought anyway?! It is really awesome for people who are going to order products monthly!
Every Essential Rewards order earns you points that you can use toward free products!
The percentage you earn back on your order will grow until you can earn a generous 25% back!
- 1–3 consecutive months: 10% back
- 4–24 consecutive months: 20% back
- 25+ consecutive months: 25% back
The points really add up quite quickly! Let’s say you placed orders for the first 3 consecutive months and they were all worth 100 PV. That means you earned 10 points each month for a total of 30 points. For the next 9 consecutive months (4-12), you placed orders worth 100 PV as well. That means you earned 20 points each month for a total of 180 PV. So, in one year, you earned 210 points!!!
The points you have accumulated are shown in your Virtual Office. Click on Essential Rewards on the right side of your VO.
So, what do I do with these points?
Spend them! Your points act as a gift certificate toward any oil or product whose PV and dollar amount are equivalent (i.e. if an oil is 23.75 PV and costs $23.75). We like to hoard our points for a few months and then spend them on our favorite oils that are a little more expensive!
Why join Essential Rewards?
- Save with reduced flat-rate shipping.
- Change your order monthly to your desired needs.
- Schedule your ship date monthly.
- Cancel at any time via live chat or calling customer service.
- Earn extra monthly promotions through Young Living – like free oils and other products!
- Earn point to redeem for free products:
- Month 1-3 earn 10% back in point, months 4-24 earn 20% back, and months 25+ earn 25% back in points to redeem for free product
- Earn free oils at months 3, 6 9, and 12 month markers as a thank you for your loyalty!
How to join essential rewards?
To get started, login to Virtual Office and click the Essential Rewards tab on the left menu. Then you can add any oils or products that you’d like! Next, you will pick a process date (you can change this every month if you want). Follow the links all the way through, and click save until it says “Congratulations, you have completed your Essential Rewards order!”
Or, you can watch this video, as it walks you through placing your first order!
Think about it though… Maintaining 50 PV is not difficult at all! You are enrolling in ER because you know you are ordering oils every month! You are not spending more money out of your monthly budget. You are simply transferring where you’re spending your money. For example, I’m not spending money at Target on my body wash, laundry detergent, hand soap, etc. I’m buying all of that from Young Living instead! And I’m earning tons of points and free products while I’m at it! No brainer.
Whether you are on the business side or you just want to hook a friend up, you can also order products for people in your ER order and have the products shipped directly to them. You also have the ability use their credit card info! You could use your card as well and have them send you the money. Either way, they are helping your PV! It is a way to maintain your ER without buying oils yourself!
-grabbing your starter kit is simple-
& follow the 5 steps below:
1. check "Wholesale Member" (this is really important!) rather than "Retail Customer", this doesn't mean you have to sell oils!
Being a wholesale member simply gets you your kit + a 24% wholesale discount (just like Costco!)
2. choose the starter kit w/the dewdrop diffuser or desert mist diffuser (unless you want to upgrade to the rainstone or aria!)
3. now, you can choose to set up a monthly wellness box (called Essential Rewards). this is my FAVE part of young living!
Essential Rewards is hands down the best way to begin a nontoxic lifestyle, & receive SO many freebies/rewards points in the process!
(check out the image below to see what you get just for adding 50PV on!)
& when you apply your starter kit to it you automatically get $10 store credit to go towards whatever!
Just make sure to click “make this my first essential rewards order”
-it took me 3 years to find out about this and I am so bummed all the reward points & free product I missed out on to build my wellness cabinet ðŸ˜-
4. enter your name, address & all that jazz! create a username, password, and pin. write these down so you have easy access to the site again!
5. check out, confirm you got all the way to the confirmation page, & wait for the mailman to come a knockin'!
I am so excited for you to get your kit & enter our loving community ♡ you're in good hands.
Maybe the drugstore was the only place to purchase deodorant while you were growing up, so it’s still your go-to. Maybe the popular magazines listed award-winning antiperspirants, so you continue to shop for their top pick. Maybe no one ever told you about the dangerous ingredients you’re applying to your pits, so you keep swiping the same chemical-laden, conventional deodorant day after day.
While deodorant may not seem like a big deal, it’s actually one of the biggest ways you can either contribute to your toxic buildup or bring nourishing, natural ingredients to your body.
When you consider all of the assaults your body experiences in terms of toxins you may be exposed to (pollution, processed food, drinking water, products, etc.), it’s vital to minimize your toxic load by making changes in the areas you do have control over.
You have the power to make decisions every single day that have the potential to lead to sickness + disease or to promote health + happiness. The deodorant you use daily is one of those decisions – which is why we’re sharing the ugly truth behind drugstore deodorant and what you should use instead.
We often don’t take into consideration how the simple swipe of a stick on our underarms can be so detrimental to our health. The truth is, our bodies have been designed to absorb a big part of the products we apply, day in and day out. And when these products are filled with ingredients that are linked to sickness + serious disease, we can’t stress enough how important it is to avoid these chemicals at all costs.
While individual ingredients may seem like a small or insignificant part of the product, each ingredient comes together to impact the entire product and each one serves a specific purpose. But along with this purpose comes potentially harmful side effects.
Let’s take a closer look at these chemicals that could be lurking in your drugstore deodorant.
- Parabens are preservatives that allow the product to last longer by preventing mold or bacteria growth, BUT have been very closely linked to endocrine disruption + breast cancer.
- Fragrance masks body odor + makes you smell slightly floral or shower fresh, BUT is a mixture of 3,000+ chemical ingredients and the cause of countless serious health issues.
- Aluminum blocks your pores to prevent sweat and keep you dry all day long, BUT studies have revealed its connection to detrimental diseases like Alzheimer’s and even death.
Day after day, ingredient after ingredient, it makes an impact. For better or for worse.
We’ve been tricked (whether by our current culture, marketing messages or well-meaning family members) that chemicals + synthetic ingredients are necessary for effectiveness – and any potentially negative side effects are overlooked or even completely disregarded. We’ve believed the lies for too long that ingredients don’t matter, sweating is bad, and strong chemicals are a must stay dry and odor-free.
Times have changed and the truth is out – dangerous ingredients are not necessary for an effective deodorant. Thankfully, some people are becoming more aware of the harmful ingredients in anti-perspirants and drugstores are beginning to offer more “natural” options to replace traditional, toxic deodorants. But just because there’s a green leaf or the word “organic” on the front of the jar or tube, be wary of what’s actually inside.
This is where you have to do some digging and become your own private deodorant detective.
Marketing messages may claim “NO” this and “NO” that… But rather than focusing on what’s NOT in the product, do some digging + look at the ingredient label to see which ingredients are really being used instead. The natural beauty market has become highly saturated and product quality has become consistently compromised. Sadly, green washing is much more common in the skincare industry and is deceiving consumers that the products they’re purchasing are pure, natural, or organic – while in reality the ingredients list reveals otherwise.
Even if some of the “natural” brands lining the drugstore shelves claim to be aluminum-free, several are loaded with the following fillers and other harmful ingredients:
- Propylene Glycol: Fragrance, skin conditioner + absorption enhancer. Linked to organ toxicity and skin irritations. And because it improves product penetration, it helps to carry other harmful ingredients in the product through the skin. Oh, it’s also found in anti-freeze.
- Fragrance: As mentioned above, this is one of the most toxic ingredients you’ll find, even on “natural deodorant” labels.
- Benzyl Salicylate: Fragrance, UV absorber. Linked to endocrine disruption, weakened immune system and skin allergies.
- Phthalates: Makes products pliable + stick to skin. Linked to permanent birth defects and endocrine disruption.
- Triclosan: Antibacterial agent + preservative. Linked to liver toxicity, skin allergies and thyroid dysfunction.
(EWG is our go-to for ingredient insight and ThinkDirty is the perfect app to have by your side when you shop!)
Whether you’ve discovered a “natural” deodorant or are still committed to your conventional antiperspirant, the ugly truth behind drugstore deodorant is that they are more detrimental to your health then you might realize. Ingredients DO matter and with a product you apply every single day (sometimes even multiple times a day) these toxic ingredients can build up in your body and begin to breakdown your overall health.
We can’t stress enough how essential is it to actually read and research and learn your product labels. look for – ingredients that are actually pronounceable, recognizable, and most importantly, real.
These are the kinds of ingredients you should be using instead.
Products made with pure ingredients that aren’t diluted with chemicals or buried under a long list of cheap fillers and stabilizers. Labels that don’t contain anything lab-made and ingredients that come directly from their source – nature. Nourishing ingredients that give you exactly what you need to strengthen your immune system, skin structure and sense of wellness –
without any dangerous side effects.
These deoderants are made with a short list of ingredients including organic coconut oil, organic beeswax, organic arrowroot powder, baking soda, organic tallow from grass-fed cows, and organic essential oils. Ingredients like these allow the skin to breathe and function as it should. Vitamins and essential fatty acids with anti-inflammatory + anti-microbial properties help to improve the health of skin, leaving pits smooth and protected.
You won’t ever have to google the ingredients when the list is short on deodorant labels (except for maybe tallow, if that’s a new term for you!).
it’s possible to do both – provide effective solutions for skincare (and unwanted body odor) & provide powerful health benefits for your body. We hope you’ll trust your pits to the experts and toss out your drugstore deodorant for good.
Have you made the switch from toxic, traditional deodorant? Let me know below!
If not, what’s holding you back?
$16
- Primally Pure natural deodorant contains a small amount of baking soda to combat odor and is fortified with kaolin clay (powerful detoxifier) and non-nano zinc oxide (soothes irritation)
- Made with other good-for-you organic ingredients including grass-fed tallow, fair trade coconut oil, arrowroot powder, beeswax and essential oils
- Blue Tansy Essential Oil powerfully combats inflammation, calms irritation and is potent in skin soothing properties
- Goes on virtually clear and doesn't stain clothes
- Natural Crystal Deodorant – A more natural alternative to powders, roll-on sticks, or sprays, our salt deodorant crystal helps eliminate odors and prevent perspiration.
- Clean & Unscented – The nakd. crystal deodorant stick helps keep you cool and dry while helping to eliminate odor-causing bacteria for all-day freshness you can trust.
- Effective Natural Deodorant For Women and Men – A smarter choice before you head off to work, after a quick shave, or post-workout dryness Thai crystal deodorant is made for busy adults.
- Pure, Hypoallergenic Support – Unlike a traditional antiperspirant that’s filled with harsh chemicals and aluminum, Thai crystal stone is made with all-natural minerals.
- Unbeatable Quality – nakd. products are always made with the highest-quality natural ingredients and come backed by responsive and reliable customer service.
