Dr. Joan Delyse Waters

Northern Colorado's naturopathic gastro doctor Serving Fort Collins, Windsor, Greeley, Loveland and surrounding areasCall 970-482-2010 to reserve your space. 

We are located upstairs at 3950 JFK Parkway (#2) Fort Collins, CO  80525

Natural hormone balancing

Balancing hormones naturally involves both the avoidance of substances that alter the level of naturally-occurring hormones and providing adequate amounts of the nutrients needed to make hormones.

Xenoestrogens are a class a chemicals called endocrine disrupters.  They bind to estrogen receptors in the body, displacing estrogen.  When they bind they may cause an increase or decrease in the effect on that given organ or no response at all.  For this reason, their effect on our hormone levels is quite unpredictable.  Some common sources of xenoestrogen exposure include insecticides, BPA in plastic containers, parabens found in personal care products, and flame retardants sprayed on furniture and found in clothing.  I give my patients the tools to avoid these substances.

Besides avoiding endocrine disrupters, we need to ensure that the body has adequate amounts of all the 'building blocks' to make hormones.  Ensuring that the patient is ingesting adequate amounts of healthy oils, that they are not taking in trans-fats, and that they are not deficient in any nutrient is a common strategy for optimizing hormone levels in the body.  I also optimize liver function since many hormones are processed in the liver.

Sleep is essential for producing adequate amounts of hormones as well as for removing toxins from the body that may interfere with hormone production.  I assess the quantity and quality of sleep in each of my patients.  I make recommendations to increase the hours of deep, restorative sleep, since it is crucial to obtaining and maintaining optimal health.