What Can I Do to Balance My Hormones?

6 Oct

Written By Mary Lally

A Practical Guide to Reset, Restore and Reconnect

After exploring the hormone disruptors that surround us in everyday life, the natural next question is: what can I actually do about it? The answer is not found in restriction, fear, or quick-fix detoxes — but in reconnection. Hormones are not enemies to control; they are messengers, responding moment by moment to your lifestyle, emotions, sleep, environment, and inner rhythm. Balancing hormones is about creating harmony, both inside and out.

1. Start With the Basics: What You Eat and Drink

Your hormones are built from the nutrients you consume, and the stability of your blood sugar shapes every other hormonal message in your body.

Focus on:

Protein first: each meal should include 20–30g high-quality protein (eggs, fish, lean meat, tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils). Protein provides amino acids to build hormones and enzymes.
Healthy fats: olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, oily fish — essential for sex hormone production.
Complex carbohydrates: root vegetables, oats, quinoa, buckwheat — supporting serotonin and thyroid balance.
Hydration: filtered water, herbal teas; avoid excess caffeine or sugary drinks.
Fibre: to bind and excrete used hormones via digestion.

Remember: every time your blood sugar crashes, your adrenals release cortisol — throwing off the balance of oestrogen, progesterone, thyroid, and insulin.

2. Reduce Ongoing Hormone Disruptors

Even small lifestyle swaps can dramatically reduce your total toxic load within weeks.

Simple swaps:

Use glass or stainless containers instead of plastic.
Choose clean beauty and body care (look for “paraben-free,” “phthalate-free,” “fragrance-free”).
Switch to natural detergents and vinegar-based cleaners.
Stop microwaving in plastic.
Limit alcohol and processed foods.

Within weeks, measurable reductions in endocrine-disrupting metabolites have been seen in urine when switching to low-toxin products and organic diets.

3. Move Daily — Build Muscle, Don’t Chase Thinness

Movement is medicine.

Strength training supports insulin sensitivity, metabolism, thyroid function, and bone density.
Walking reduces cortisol and boosts lymphatic flow.
Stretching, yoga, and qigong help regulate the nervous system and balance the Five Elements energetically.

Muscle is your metabolic currency for longevity — it stabilises blood sugar, buffers stress, and anchors you in your body.

4. Sleep and Stress: The Hormone Reset Keys

Sleep and stress management are non-negotiable.

When cortisol stays high, it steals from progesterone, suppresses thyroid function, and drives cravings and fatigue.

Try:

A regular bedtime before 11 pm.
Breath awareness before sleep: inhale 4 s, exhale 6 s.
Reduce screens and blue light after sunset.
Acupressure on Yintang (between the eyebrows) or Pericardium 6 (inner wrist) to calm the heart-mind.

Deep sleep is when your body detoxifies and repairs — hormones recalibrate overnight, not during the day.

5. Support Natural Detox Pathways

Your liver, gut, skin, and lymphatic system all work together to process hormones and environmental chemicals.

Support them gently:

Eat cruciferous veg (broccoli, cabbage, kale) to assist oestrogen metabolism.
Include garlic, onions, turmeric, and bitters (rocket, dandelion).
Hydrate and sweat through sauna or movement.
Consider acupuncture, dry brushing, or gua sha to move stagnation.
Keep bowels regular — a daily bowel movement clears excess oestrogen.

In Five Element terms, the Wood Element (Liver & Gallbladder) governs smooth hormonal flow. When Wood is stagnant, we see PMS, mood swings, frustration, and irregular cycles. Acupuncture here restores flow and helps the Liver “breathe” again.

6. Honour the Emotional Side of Hormone Health

Each Element influences the emotional landscape that shapes your hormones:

Element - Organ - Emotion -When Imbalanced

Wood - Liver / Gallbladder - Anger → Flow - Irritability, PMS, tension

Fire - Heart / Small Intestine - Joy → Connection - Anxiety, insomnia

Earth - Spleen / Stomach - Worry → Nourishment - Fatigue, sugar cravings

Metal - Lungs / Large Intestine - Grief → Inspiration - Sadness, stuckness

Water - Kidneys / Bladder - Fear → Wisdom - Burnout, low libido, exhaustion

Tuning into these patterns brings a deeper view of hormone imbalance beyond lab numbers.

7. Acupressure Points for Hormone Balance

Spleen 6 (Sanyinjiao) – Balances hormones, supports reproductive and digestive systems.
Liver 3 (Taichong) – Moves stagnation, relieves PMS and irritability.
Kidney 3 (Taixi) – Nourishes adrenal energy and hormone reserves.
Ren 4 (Guanyuan) – Strengthens reproductive vitality and restores yin.

Massage or hold each point for 60–90 seconds daily with calm breathing.

8. Consider Testing & Personalisation

Sometimes, testing provides clarity:

Functional hormone panels (saliva or urine) for cortisol and sex hormone metabolism.
Thyroid function and nutrient panels.
Genetic testing (e.g. oestrogen metabolism genes such as COMT, CYP1B1, GSTT1).

Results can guide personalised nutrition and detox support, particularly if you have a family history of hormone-sensitive cancers.

9. Acupuncture and the Five Elements

Acupuncture restores hormonal balance by regulating the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, improving blood flow to reproductive organs, calming stress responses, and aligning elemental imbalances.

Wood imbalance: PMS, frustration, headaches.
Earth imbalance: bloating, fatigue, sugar cravings.
Water imbalance: burnout, menopause symptoms.

Seasonal acupuncture treatments help your body transition smoothly through hormonal shifts — menstruation, postpartum, perimenopause, or stress recovery.

Book a consultation at Element Acupuncture to explore your unique hormonal landscape.

10. Remember: Balance Is a Process, Not a Quick Fix

Hormone balance is cyclical — like nature itself. You don’t force harmony; you create the conditions for it.

Eat real food.
Move every day.
Sleep deeply.
Breathe consciously.
Honour your emotions.
Choose clean living.
Let your body do what it was designed to do: heal and recalibrate.

Closing Thought

Your hormones are not broken. They are listening. Every small step — a breath, a meal, a walk, a boundary — is a message to your body that you are safe, supported, and ready to come back into rhythm.

how to balance hormones naturally • hormone reset • five elements and hormones • acupuncture Galway for hormones • women’s hormone health Ireland • hormone disruptors and detox • natural hormone balance

Mary Lally

What Can I Do to Balance My Hormones?

A Practical Guide to Reset, Restore and Reconnect

1. Start With the Basics: What You Eat and Drink

Your hormones are built from the nutrients you consume, and the stability of your blood sugar shapes every other hormonal message in your body.

Focus on:

Protein first: each meal should include 20–30g high-quality protein (eggs, fish, lean meat, tofu, tempeh, beans, lentils). Protein provides amino acids to build hormones and enzymes.

Healthy fats: olive oil, avocado, nuts, seeds, oily fish — essential for sex hormone production.

Complex carbohydrates: root vegetables, oats, quinoa, buckwheat — supporting serotonin and thyroid balance.

Hydration: filtered water, herbal teas; avoid excess caffeine or sugary drinks.

Fibre: to bind and excrete used hormones via digestion.

Remember: every time your blood sugar crashes, your adrenals release cortisol — throwing off the balance of oestrogen, progesterone, thyroid, and insulin.

2. Reduce Ongoing Hormone Disruptors

Even small lifestyle swaps can dramatically reduce your total toxic load within weeks.

Simple swaps:

Use glass or stainless containers instead of plastic.

Choose clean beauty and body care (look for “paraben-free,” “phthalate-free,” “fragrance-free”).

Switch to natural detergents and vinegar-based cleaners.

Stop microwaving in plastic.

Limit alcohol and processed foods.

Within weeks, measurable reductions in endocrine-disrupting metabolites have been seen in urine when switching to low-toxin products and organic diets.

3. Move Daily — Build Muscle, Don’t Chase Thinness

Movement is medicine.

Strength training supports insulin sensitivity, metabolism, thyroid function, and bone density.

Walking reduces cortisol and boosts lymphatic flow.

Stretching, yoga, and qigong help regulate the nervous system and balance the Five Elements energetically.

Muscle is your metabolic currency for longevity — it stabilises blood sugar, buffers stress, and anchors you in your body.

4. Sleep and Stress: The Hormone Reset Keys

Sleep and stress management are non-negotiable.

When cortisol stays high, it steals from progesterone, suppresses thyroid function, and drives cravings and fatigue.

Try:

A regular bedtime before 11 pm.

Breath awareness before sleep: inhale 4 s, exhale 6 s.

Reduce screens and blue light after sunset.

Acupressure on Yintang (between the eyebrows) or Pericardium 6 (inner wrist) to calm the heart-mind.

Deep sleep is when your body detoxifies and repairs — hormones recalibrate overnight, not during the day.

5. Support Natural Detox Pathways

Your liver, gut, skin, and lymphatic system all work together to process hormones and environmental chemicals.

Support them gently:

Eat cruciferous veg (broccoli, cabbage, kale) to assist oestrogen metabolism.

Include garlic, onions, turmeric, and bitters (rocket, dandelion).

Hydrate and sweat through sauna or movement.

Consider acupuncture, dry brushing, or gua sha to move stagnation.

Keep bowels regular — a daily bowel movement clears excess oestrogen.

In Five Element terms, the Wood Element (Liver & Gallbladder) governs smooth hormonal flow. When Wood is stagnant, we see PMS, mood swings, frustration, and irregular cycles. Acupuncture here restores flow and helps the Liver “breathe” again.

6. Honour the Emotional Side of Hormone Health

Each Element influences the emotional landscape that shapes your hormones:

Element - Organ - Emotion -When Imbalanced

Wood - Liver / Gallbladder - Anger → Flow - Irritability, PMS, tension

Fire - Heart / Small Intestine - Joy → Connection - Anxiety, insomnia

Earth - Spleen / Stomach - Worry → Nourishment - Fatigue, sugar cravings

Metal - Lungs / Large Intestine - Grief → Inspiration - Sadness, stuckness

Water - Kidneys / Bladder - Fear → Wisdom - Burnout, low libido, exhaustion

Tuning into these patterns brings a deeper view of hormone imbalance beyond lab numbers.

7. Acupressure Points for Hormone Balance

Massage or hold each point for 60–90 seconds daily with calm breathing.

8. Consider Testing & Personalisation

Sometimes, testing provides clarity:

Functional hormone panels (saliva or urine) for cortisol and sex hormone metabolism.

Thyroid function and nutrient panels.

Genetic testing (e.g. oestrogen metabolism genes such as COMT, CYP1B1, GSTT1).

Results can guide personalised nutrition and detox support, particularly if you have a family history of hormone-sensitive cancers.

9. Acupuncture and the Five Elements

Acupuncture restores hormonal balance by regulating the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, improving blood flow to reproductive organs, calming stress responses, and aligning elemental imbalances.

Wood imbalance: PMS, frustration, headaches.

Earth imbalance: bloating, fatigue, sugar cravings.

Water imbalance: burnout, menopause symptoms.

Seasonal acupuncture treatments help your body transition smoothly through hormonal shifts — menstruation, postpartum, perimenopause, or stress recovery.

Book a consultation at Element Acupuncture to explore your unique hormonal landscape.

10. Remember: Balance Is a Process, Not a Quick Fix

Hormone balance is cyclical — like nature itself. You don’t force harmony; you create the conditions for it.

Eat real food.

Move every day.

Sleep deeply.

Breathe consciously.

Honour your emotions.

Choose clean living.

Let your body do what it was designed to do: heal and recalibrate.

Closing Thought

Your hormones are not broken. They are listening. Every small step — a breath, a meal, a walk, a boundary — is a message to your body that you are safe, supported, and ready to come back into rhythm.

how to balance hormones naturally • hormone reset • five elements and hormones • acupuncture Galway for hormones • women’s hormone health Ireland • hormone disruptors and detox • natural hormone balance