26/03/2012

Hormones and Your Job

Do your hormones affect your working life?

Do you want to yell at the boss and not know why?

Are you tired and moody all the time and wonder why?

Maybe your hormones are out of balance and they are affecting these areas of your life.

In this brief article I will touch on these areas so I can help make your working life better. I will cover…

• What  bodily functions your hormones control.
• What hormones made from?
• How to  eat better to help balance my hormones?

Hormones are very small chemical messengers for your body. They govern fat metabolism, weight gain, body temperature, mood, endurance, libido, happiness and stress.Hormones are made from plant sterols (or  plant hormones) and cholesterol.

If you are lacking in the foods that are the raw materials for making hormones your body cannot make enough to carry out all the correct functions.

Hormones are made during sleep, there are only enough made during the night for the next day, so if you sleep badly or not at all one night you will not have many hormones to get you through the next day.

Many foods contain phytoestrogens and isoflavones-these are components of plants that are similar to women’s hormone estrogen. They contain 1% potency of our bodily hormones.

So you do need to eat a lot of the following foods but it will help. They can raise or lower the levels of estrogen in our bodies, especially when we have lower levels of hormones in our bodies after menopause. They also help to protect us from heart disease and Osteoporosis.

Foods that contain plant sterols

• Fruit- apple , banana,cherries, apricots, citrus, cranberries, dates, figs, plums, papaya, pomegranate, rhubarb.
• Grains- barley, oats, rice, rye, wheat.
• Herbs and Spices- fennel, parsley, sage, cinnamon, red clover.
• Pulses and Legumes- chickpeas, aduki beans , lentils. Peas, kidney beans.
• Seeds- sunflower, poppy, linseed, pumpkin, caraway.
• Soya- beans, tofu, soya milk, soya flour, miso.
• Seaweed- wakame, kelp, kombu, nori.
• Vegetables-  carrots, green beans, broccoli, beetroot, celery, potatoes, garlic, yams, fennel.

Stress Busting
Adrenaline is made in the adrenal glands which sit just above your kidneys. They make 28 different hormones which do various jobs- digest food, regulate thyroid gland, top up your energy levels and help the body deal with stress. They produce small amounts of estrogen, this is more important as you approach menopause when the production of estrogen in the ovaries stops.

Stress causes the body to use up its stores of vitamins and minerals rapidly. When you are in a stressful situation, such as making a deadline at work, the body releases adrenaline and noradrenaline  (the stress hormones) from the adrenal glands. They prepare the body for the fight or flight response.

When the danger or the stress has passed the adrenals return to normal but if it is not resolved or you stay in a prolonged stressful situation, the body continues to produce the stress hormones.

In the long term , raised levels  of stress hormones may interfere with the effective functioning of the immune system and leave you feeling tired , weak and sometimes completely exhausted.

If you have poor nutrition this problem will be exasperated. A good intake of vitamins and minerals will help your body to stay well. Prolonged stress may deplete your body of magnesium, zinc, sodium, potassium, copper  and calcium. Which will have other effects on your wellness over time.

To help your body recover from stress eat lots of dark green leafy vegetables, the yellow and orange coloured fruits, legumes and pulses, wholegrains, eggs and meat.

Rowena Kempton, Wellness Tsunami    www.facebook.com/wellnesstsunami for more wellness information.
 

She has travelled to the U.S regularly over the last 5 years to keep abreast of wellness breakthroughs and attend regular training seminars in preventative health. Her area of expertise is in Hormonal Health.
 

Important Note: These articles have been prepared for general circulation and are circulated for general informational purposes only; these articles should not be regarded as business or investment advice. The articles represent the views of the writers and are subject to change without notice. Additionally, while every care has been taken in the preparation of the articles no representation or warranty as to accuracy or completeness of any statement is given. An individual or organisation should, before any business or investment decision is made, consider the appropriateness of the information in this document, and seek professional advice, having regard to objectives, situation and needs. This document is solely for the use of the party to whom it is provided
 

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