Hormonal imbalances occur when there is too much or too little of a hormone in the bloodstream. Because of their essential role in the body, even small hormonal imbalances can cause side effects throughout the body.

Hormones are chemicals that are produced by glands in the endocrine system. They then travel through the bloodstream to the tissues and organs, delivering messages that tell the organs what to do and when to do it. Hormones are important for regulating most major bodily processes, so hormonal imbalance can affect a wide range of bodily functions.

The symptoms of a hormonal imbalance depend on which glands and hormones are affected Symptoms associated with the more common causes of hormonal imbalances include:

• unexplained weight gain or weight loss
• unexplained or excessive sweating
• difficulty sleeping
• changes in sensitivity to cold and heat
• very dry skin or skin rashes
• changes in blood pressure
• changes in heart rate
• brittle or weak bones
• changes in blood sugar concentration

Benefit of using flaxseeds for hormonal imbalance.

Milled flaxseed has been a long-standing staple in a healthy diet thanks to the fact that it is packed with a number of nutrients and essential fatty acids.

Lignans are antioxidant-rich plant compound that behave as a phytoestrogen. A phytoestrogen is a compound that can behave similar to estrogen and modulate its effects in the body. Flaxseed lignans are able to increase or decrease the effects of estrogen in the body based on the particular need of the individual.

In menstruating women, studies have found that women who consume just one tablespoon of ground flaxseed per day reduced the number of anovulatory cycles. They also attained more favorable progesterone to estrogen ratio.

In postmenopausal women, supplementing a diet with flaxseed produces a shift to the less biologically active form of estrogen. This could potentially provide protection against estrogen-induced cancers and health issues without negatively impacting bone health.

The liver has the ability to pack up excess estrogen and pass it off to the digestive tract for removal in a bowel movement. If there isn’t regular bowel movements, this estrogen cannot be excreted from the body. If this happens, the estrogen may actually be reabsorbed through the intestinal tract, exacerbating hormone imbalance symptoms.

Fiber contained in whole milled flaxseed is both soluble and insoluble which adds bulk to stools and help with regularity and digestion.

Consuming flaxseed is a great way to give the body the raw materials it needs for proper hormone production. In addition, flaxseed may help to reduce inflammation by providing the anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acid alpha-linoleic acid. Reducing inflammation has profound benefits to our digestive tract, nutrient absorption and assimilation, and reducing chronic stress on the body.

Flaxseeds is therefore an important supplement to a diet because it an easy way to control hormonal imbalance and boost general health.