Hormone Secrets: What Your Body is Telling You

I have been so, so sleepy lately. The rainy, gloomy weather we've been having in Southern California doesn't help (nor does the unexplained insomnia at 4:00 a.m.), but it feels like there's another reason too.

I was actually just having a conversation with a friend about an adrenal support supplement we both take and which we both have been out of for some time. Could that be playing a role?

Absolutely, says Alisa Vitti, functional nutritionist and women's hormone expert. Alisa recently joined Dr. Taz to explain why our hormones are more messed up than ever and what we can do about it.

A big culprit? The constant exposure to endocrine disruptive chemicals and lifestyle factors is messing with our hormones in a big, bad way. Combine this with the fact that many women are in the dark about their own hormones, and you're faced with a real problem.

Alisa says it's crucial to learn the language of your body so you can respond in real-time to the physical cues presented to you when things go awry.

For example, if your energy and mood are all over the place during the day, it may mean that your blood sugar levels are erratic. To combat this, you need to eat the right carbs throughout the day to stabilize those levels. Also, avoid that early morning cup of coffee on an empty stomach; wait until after breakfast.

Another issue Alisa commonly treats is the presence of painful symptoms of estrogen dominance: bloating, mood swings, acne, breast tenderness, heavier periods. Complex carbs can help mitigate that dominance. Leafy greens can also help metabolize estrogen in a healthy way.

Not every woman is in tune with her own cycle (and what the unique phases might indicate), so to make it super simple, Alisa created the MyFlo app, which helps you determine the following at different times in your cycle:

Going out vs. staying in
Eating raw food vs. cooked food
Bootcamp vs. yoga
Giving a presentation vs. brainstorming and researching
Mommy time vs. playing with the kids
Making out vs. a quickie
Socializing with friends vs. a romantic date night

Pretty cool, right? Knowing those factors will not only make a difference in how you feel physically, but it might help your relationships as well.

This was a really helpful episode, and I encourage you to take a listen for all the details.

Click here to listen to or download the episode.