Fed up With Feeling Irritable all the Time? Hormone Balancing May be the Answer

I’ve gone through it. I know others who have gone through it. Many of my patients complain about it. That feeling of inexplicable irritability and anger. Snapping at your husband, kids or parents. Complaining about everything. Feeling jealous, stubborn and like you just want to argue against every idea or plan being sent your way. Life sure would be easier if you could get along with everyone…but you just don’t feel like it.

But then the guilt comes. You wish you could be a more pleasant mom, wife, daughter, friend, co-worker. You might feel like you’re “failing” in these roles. You wish you had more patience and that your home or work environment could be happier. It just feels so out of your control.

First, don’t beat yourself up. You’re only human and you have every right to experience all the emotions that come with being human. Second, some of your irritability may be totally justified. Some of it may be a sign that you need to work some things out with yourself emotionally. But some of it could also be a sign that something is off with your health. Often, hormonal imbalances can contribute to grumpiness. Common culprits are estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, cortisol and thyroid hormones. When these hormones are too high or too low you could end up feeling anxious, depressed or irritable.

I went through a period of extra irritability myself. It was not like me at all to feel so grumpy for no reason. Sure, I would get irritable from time to time like anyone else - but this was a whole different level. I hated feeling like this so I decided it was time to test my hormones and sure enough there were imbalances. When I put myself on a protocol to re-balance my hormones I felt amazing. I felt like myself again and my energy, mood and motivation skyrocketed (a crazy acne breakout also cleared up as an added bonus). I’ve seen this type of transformation in my patients as well when we committed to testing and treating their hormone imbalances. Sometimes the change is quick (like in my case) and sometimes it’s a gradual transition to brighter, happier days. Either way it’s worth it.

So if you feel like you’ve tried everything to calm your irritability and it’s not working, consider investing in your hormonal health. Get back to feeling like yourself and shining your light on everyone around you.

Hormone Testing with a Naturopathic Doctor

Hormone testing can be helpful in guiding treatment plans in some cases. It can tell you which hormones are higher than ideal, which ones are lower than ideal and which ones are normal. This can tell me which herbs, nutrients, dietary and lifestyle changes to recommend. Sometimes it’s obvious what needs to be worked on and we can skip testing. Sometimes it’s not as clear and testing provides guidance.

Cases that I may use hormone testing for are:

- Periods that are irregular and difficult

- Menopause that isn’t responding well to my usual treatments

- Challenging PMS cases

- Difficulty losing weight when there is a suspicion that hormones are involved

- Major fatigue, brain fog and other symptoms when there is a suspicion that hormones are involved

There are different ways that I test hormones. One way is the usual blood test that most family doctors do as well. Another other option is to test saliva. There are pros and cons to both.

Blood Tests

Blood hormone tests have been accepted by the medical community for longer than saliva tests. There is a good amount of research supporting them.

Some MDs and NDs have raised concerns about only relying on blood tests for hormones. Sometimes blood test levels and saliva levels line up with each other. Other times I find that patients with normal blood test levels have saliva levels that are not ideal. These saliva levels often match with the symptoms the patient is experiencing.

Saliva Tests

In order for hormones to enter saliva, they may need to travel into cells/ tissue first. This may not be the case for hormones in the blood stream. Some think this means saliva better reflects the levels of hormones that are actually acting on your cells/ tissues. I won’t be able to explain all the biochemistry here. You should know that research on saliva testing is still ongoing. Opinions on it may change in the future.

Insurance Coverage

It used to be that tests run by naturopathic doctors were not covered by insurance companies. Lately, more insurance companies have been covering testing. The only way to know for sure is to contact your insurance company and ask.

If you need some help managing your hormones book an appointment or free 15-minute consult today.