A hormone imbalance is often the result of an underlying condition, such as menopause or thyroid disease. At ARA Integrative and Functional Medicine, which serves Main Line Philadelphia in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, Rina Kapoor MD, ABOIM, treats hormone imbalances through whole body care. Rather than masking your symptoms, integrative and functional medicine focus on addressing your underlying condition for lasting relief. Call ARA Integrative and Functional Medicine or schedule an appointment online today to learn more.
Hormones control many of your body’s essential functions, including your metabolism, mood, and temperature. When you have too much or too little of a hormone, your body can’t function the way it should, causing a hormone imbalance and potentially significant symptoms.
Lifestyle, food intolerances, gut health, chronic stress, and environmental toxins may contribute to hormone imbalance. Other causes include:
The thyroid is the butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the front of your neck that controls your digestive function, ability to regulate temperature, metabolize food, and more. Some thyroid disorders include Hashimoto’s (autoimmune thyroiditis), hypothyroidism (low hormone production), and hyperthyroidism.
Your adrenal glands sit atop each kidney and produce many essential hormones, including cortisol, which regulates your stress response. Adrenal dysfunction causes ineffective production of hormones, causing symptoms such as fatigue and other signs of hormonal imbalance. By studying how your cortisol fluctuates throughout the day, Dr. Kapoor identifies the underlying causes of adrenal dysfunction.
As you age, your body naturally reduces the production of many hormones, including insulin and common sex hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. Low hormone production causes symptoms associated with premenopause, perimenopause, and low testosterone.
Dr. Kapoor works closely with you to identify unique underlying factors that contribute to your hormone imbalances.
Hormone imbalance can cause a broad range of symptoms, including:
Symptoms of hormone imbalances relate to what hormones are out of balance. For example, when the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin, your body can’t metabolize glucose, causing insulin resistance, Type 1, or Type 2 diabetes. These conditions cause chronically elevated blood sugars.
Hormone imbalances can cause or contribute to many conditions, including chronic stress and fatigue, obesity, infertility, premature ejaculation, anxiety, depression, and acne.
Other conditions associated with hormone imbalance include:
When you have signs of hormonal imbalance, Dr. Kapoor asks questions, performs physical assessment, considers your health history, and orders specialty lab testing, including nutrigenomic testing. She collects valuable information to diagnose your condition, identify the underlying causes of your symptoms, and create a personalized care plan to relieve your symptoms.
For a customized hormone imbalance treatment plan, call ARA Integrative and Functional Medicine or schedule an appointment online now.
