What balancing hormones actually means (and what it doesn't).
When I started specializing in fertility and reproductive health, there was a trend on the internet encouraging everyone to “balance your hormones.” I saw that phrase everywhere.
I am acupuncturist. But, what I don’t think is obvious about being an acupuncturist is that I am also a business owner. My business and practice facilitates my ability to offer acupuncture sessions. And when you own a business, it is also your job to market that business.
So, as I was growing my business and becoming more specialized, I did a lot of research into terms, keywords, and things that would attract my ideal patient to me. I remember talking and learning from lots of mentors and teachers that keywords of your ideal patient should be everywhere: your website, Instagram, blog, reviews - all for SEO (search engine optimization). And the phrase “balancing hormones” was one of the biggest recommendations at the time. I saw it everywhere- on Instagram, on Facebook, and blogs. I think I once caught it on a billboard. Basically, it was THE keyword for marketing a few years ago if you were in any sort of alternative health care practice and wanted to work with women who wanted to conceive, wanted support with their periods, PMS, PCOS, etc. You get the idea.
So, I used the phrase. It was all over my website. It’s in old blog posts, I bet you could still find it. It’s probably even in a review or two. When I used to hear the word “balance”, my immediate reaction was to associate it with the word “stable.” But now, when I hear the word, I cringe. Why? Because it feels like the words mean nothing. And I am ashamed to say that I played a part in that.
That shame is pretty deep. Especially because I practice an East Asian Medicine which is foundationally rooted in the idea of balance. Yin and Yang (pronounced with a hard “a” sound like gong). They feed each other. They balance each other. That’s the eternal dance. That is the Dao. And reducing it to something marketable feels really icky. In the worst way.
But, I saw this immense pivot and rejection of the phrase when doctors started appearing on Instagram and telling people that you can never “balance your hormones.” What does that feel like to be told by a doctor (not your doctor by the way- which they always note in their disclaimers), this is a farce and you can never achieve it? It feels defeating to me and also confusing. It leaves many of us feeling gaslit that issues we were experiencing in our bodies was in our heads and made up. I know I am not alone.
In response to me feeling like I both need to hear my patients and also represent this medicine with integrity- I have spent a lot of time now truly trying to understand what “balancing my hormones” actually means in practice and what even is feasible biologically. And, thankfully, I can use Chinese Medicine as my framework and Yin/Yang theory.
Here is the key that I missed myself. Balance does not mean stable or inert. You cannot solve this imbalance with a singular morning drink, a supplement, or a weekly journaling/meditation practice. I had a wonderful teacher who once said if we achieve absolute perfection, the only place left to go is imperfection. So, instead of perfect balance we should be striving for a relative win, some improvement and getting closer to the center of true balance, which is actually dynamic. Less tension, more ease.
Completely equal balance does not exist in Chinese Medicine. And, it does not exist in hormones. We need our hormones to shift and change with time, i.e. the two phases of the menstrual cycle and two pivot points, the period itself and ovulation. Many of my patients come in and say my hormones are out of balance. But, what I really see is that the moments of transition can be the moments of tension. I have seen the “period flu” which is when hormones quickly transition and leave the person with a heavy inflammatory load to manage. I have seen spotting at ovulation when estrogen drops and progesterone needs a day to catch up. Lots of PMS and PMDD shows up in my clinic every month. And I have seen anxiety rear its head when ovulation is fast approaching. These moments of transition and pivot are where balance is the most necessary. Balance helps us through the change.
So, how do we achieve relative balance?
By looking at the whole human, not just a snapshot. Anxiety comes up around ovulation- okay, let’s look to supporting both estrogen and progesterone in relation to each other. Should you be eating more calories in the luteal phase, prioritizing more sleep in the follicular phase? Eating more fiber to help process estrogen through the colon? None of these fixes is quick or one answer. And I hope I am communicating something deeper here which is there is no identical fix for everyone. Nothing about this screams if I just do this one thing, this will bring my hormones into balance.
Balance is relative. How do we respond in the moments of change?
Acupuncture offers a holistic and natural solution to supporting your fertility & reproductive health as well as pregnancy & postpartum support.
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Raku Acupuncture
(720) 230-3225 | micaela@rakuacu.com
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Disclaimer: This article is not intended for the purpose of providing medical advice. All information, content and material is for informational purposes only and is not intended to serve as a substitute for consultation, diagnosis, and/or medical treatment.
