Hormones & Chronic Illness: An Intro

Part One in the Hormones & Chronic Illness Series

Complex chronic illness impacts just about every part of our lives, from our relationships and careers to our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. This is because many chronic illnesses impact our hormones — the chemical messengers in our bodies that play a huge role in mood, weight, menstrual cycle, fertility, temperature, blood sugar, and other bodily processes.

Some examples of the different hormones in our bodies include insulin, estrogen, dopamine, thyroxine (T4), triiodothyronine (T3), cortisol, and testosterone. These hormones are produced by the body’s endocrine glands: the thyroid, ovaries, adrenals, parathyroid, testes, pancreas, parathyroid, pineal, and hypothalamus. Several non-endocrine organs (such as the kidneys, liver, GI tract, and placenta) also produce hormones like renin, ghrelin, and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).

When our bodies produce too much or too little of the hormones we need for bodily functions like energy production, growth, reproduction, and blood sugar control, hormonal imbalances can occur. Hormonal imbalances are often a cause or consequence of complex chronic illness, which is why hormone testing is an integral part of the Vital Basics Method™ — our eight-week functional medicine coaching program. In many cases, correcting hormonal imbalances can be a game changer for those of us with complex chronic conditions like Hashimoto’s, Lyme disease, mold illness, EBV, or long COVID.

As the first installment in our Hormones & Chronic Illness Blog Series, we’re taking a closer look at the connection between hormone imbalances and complex chronic health conditions. Stay tuned over the next few months as the series continues!

The Link Between Hormones & Complex Chronic Illness

Though hormonal imbalances can (and do) occur without complex chronic illness, having a chronic health condition greatly increases our risk of developing a hormonal imbalance — just as how hormone imbalances increase our risk of developing one or more complex chronic conditions. For instance, autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis increase one’s risk of developing hypothyroidism — a thyroid hormone deficiency. In fact, Hashimoto’s disease is the leading cause of an underactive thyroid (known as hypothyroidism).

Other hormone-related conditions include hyperthyroidism, diabetes, obesity, amenorrhea, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and Cushing’s syndrome. These types of conditions occur as a result of hormonal imbalances in the body (e.g. high or low levels of testosterone, estrogen, cortisol, androgens, insulin, prolactin, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone).

Furthermore, complex chronic illnesses such as mold toxicity (or biotoxin illness) affect our hormones as well. Many mold mycotoxins are endocrine disruptors that mimic or interfere with sex hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone — as well as the adrenal and thyroid hormones. Exposure to zearalenone (ZEA) — a mycotoxin and mycoestrogen — has even been linked to early-onset puberty in young girls!

Along with mycotoxins, there are plenty of other environmental toxins that disrupt the endocrine system and increase one’s risk of hormonal imbalances and chronic disease. A few of them include mercury, perchlorate, fluoride, and bisphenol A (BPA). For instance, exposure to BPA has been associated with everything from insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes to allergies, altered cardiac function, cancer, and decreased semen quality.

Balancing Hormones Supports Overall Health

Whether the hormonal imbalances we’re experiencing are a cause or consequence of complex chronic illness, balancing our hormones can hugely improve our sleep quality, mood, memory, weight, libido, and energy levels. However, checking our hormone levels is the first step toward balancing our hormones (which may include a combination of dietary and lifestyle changes, detoxification strategies, physical activity, stress management, supplementation, and hormone therapy).

To check your hormones so you can take steps to correct any imbalances that may be contributing to symptoms such as fatigue or low mood, we recommend talking to your medical practitioner about hormone testing or booking a free Discovery Call with me to learn about the testing Dr. Fox and I offer in our practice. The DUTCH Test® is our preferred panel and we’re offering $100 off as part of the Vital Basics Method™.

I know firsthand how challenging it is to deal with not only hormone imbalances and the long list of symptoms that go along with them, but also complex chronic conditions like reactivated EBV, Lyme, and Hashimoto’s. I know what it’s like to be told I’m fine but to feel so far from it. But thanks to integrative healthcare, I was able to restore my health and reclaim my life. Now, Dr. Fox and I are here to help you do the same.

Are you ready to balance your hormones and take steps to heal from complex chronic illness? Schedule your Vital You Consult, book a call for the Vital Basics Method™, or visit our website to learn how we can help you reclaim your life and restore your health.

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In Part One of our Hormones & Chronic Illness Series, Vashti and Dr. Fox discuss the connection between hormone imbalances and complex chronic illness. You’ll learn about how hormonal imbalances are often a cause or consequence of chronic illness, and how hormone testing can help to correct these imbalances so you can reclaim your life.