Guest Blog by Dr. Anna Cabeca
“I don’t feel like myself.”
I hear this often in my practice among women struggling with hormone imbalance. They’re suffering wild mood swings: Irritable and snappy in the morning, depressed when the workday ends, and then anxious as bedtime approaches.
Happiness rarely comes, and they can’t recall the last time they felt exuberant joy or bliss.
Many are type-A, take-control females who juggle busy jobs with families. Some of them also serve as caregivers for their aging mothers.
“If my boss told me that I needed to pull it together with work, I could step up my game,” one patient recently told me. “Dr. Anna, why can’t I manage my emotions in a similar way?”
Listen, I know you’re probably a take-charge person. You’re used to managing your own behavior, juggling numerous responsibilities, and pulling things together when they feel out of control.
But when it comes to your mood, willpower and determination don’t cut it. Your hormones run the show. They’ll take your emotions wherever they see fit, often at the expense of your health and happiness.
I discuss this complex hormonal interplay and how physiology drives your behavior in The Hormone Fix. Even the tiniest hormonal swing can dramatically impact your mood.
More importantly, my new book shows you exactly how to fix those imbalances so you feel better fast.From our 40’s onward, hormones like progesterone and estrogen naturally decline, making you cranky (okay, bitchy!). Add in stress and your body might not make enough oxytocin (your bonding hormone), so you feel depressed and disconnected.
Your stress hormone cortisol also contributes to these mood swings. Cortisol keeps you stressed, whereas oxytocin keeps you calm. If cortisol dominates, oxytocin takes a backseat and you’re likely to feel – you guessed it – irritable, fatigued, unfocused, and frustrated. Get my ebook “What’s Happening to My Hormones” and learn more about these hormones and the cause and effect of the imbalances.
Simply put: Life feels chaotic when these and other hormones get out of whack.Many of my patients came to me frustrated because their former doctor didn’t take them seriously. Some were told, they were too young to have hormone issues. Some were suggested antidepressants or other mood drugs to manage emotional discontent. One physician told one of my patients “it’s just normal for women your age to feel this way.” Well, while it may be “normal” it’s not ok and can be fixed!I’ve got a far better solution that doesn’t require prescription drugs, powering through negative emotions, or any sort of emotional struggle. It starts at the end of your fork.
In The Hormone Fix, I reveal simple but powerful ways you can use to conquer mood swings, anxiety, depression, and other uncomfortable emotional symptoms.
The short answer: Food, supplements, herbs, natural hormones, and other lifestyle changes. I’ve perfected this formula working with thousands of patients over 20 years. I’ve seen it work in my own life and with the women who work with me.
Take Deborah, who was struggling when she came to me. She felt sad all the time, and her moods swung all over the place. “Dr. Anna, I’ll be somewhere and suddenly burst into tears or anger for no reason,” she told me during our initial consultation.Deborah really wanted to change: For her family, her friends, and most of all, for herself. Because when her emotions felt out of whack, she couldn’t be her best for others.
I helped her get her mood and life back with my Keto-Green™ Diet along with some lifestyle modifications, all of which I discuss in The Hormone Fix.
Within weeks, her troublesome, life-limiting symptoms had vanished. She lost ten pounds and her measurements improved: Two inches from her waist and three inches from her hips disappeared.
I want to help you hit that same reset button so weight loss, vibrant health, and a renewed mood and spirit can be yours.
And I want to help you right now. You can use these five strategies from The Hormone Fix to balance your mood and finally get off that emotional roller coaster.
Eat more feel-good foods.
My Keto-Green™ Diet comes loaded with foods that improve your mood and restore hormonal balance. Among them include:
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- Serotonin. This is your feel-good or happy neurotransmitter. You want plenty of serotonin hanging around. Lots of foods can optimize levels:
- Probiotic-rich foods such as pickles, sauerkraut, and yogurt with active cultures. These foods optimize good gut bacteria support. (After all, your gut makes about 95 percent of serotonin!)
- Turmeric, a popular anti-inflammatory spice, also keeps serotonin hanging out in your brain.
- Tryptophan (an amino acid in turkey, dates, and sunflower seeds) is a precursor for serotonin.
- Foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids including cold-water fish, flaxseed oil, and walnuts boost serotonin levels.
- Serotonin. This is your feel-good or happy neurotransmitter. You want plenty of serotonin hanging around. Lots of foods can optimize levels:
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- Dopamine. Dopamine is your brain’s reward chemical. Falling levels can contribute to feelings of emptiness, sadness, irritation, and boredom. To ensure steady dopamine levels, provide your brain the nutrient-building blocks in foods like beets, edamame, nuts, eggs, and meat.
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- Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA). This neurotransmitter gives your brain the ahh! it needs to feel peaceful and calm. My Keto-Green™ Diet includes GABA-boosting foods including cherry tomatoes, shrimp, green tea, and any food high in omega-3 fats such as salmon.
Treat yourself to dark chocolate.
Pleasure is its own nutrient, and chocolate provides that. But dark chocolate also contains tryptophan, which stimulates serotonin to dial up your mood. Anandamide in dark chocolate promotes well-being because it binds to your brain’s dopamine receptors. Theobromine, an alkaloid in cacao, also supports a positive, steady mood. Those are among the reasons my Keto-Green™ Diet includes a few ounces of dark chocolate for dessert a few times every week.
Rub your way to calm.
Bioidentical progesterone, applied as a cream or taken orally by prescription, helps produce metabolites that support a positive mood. Talk with your doctor about this option. My Purabalance PPR Cream, is a unique formulation of essential oils and ingredients that I combined to support sleep so you feel more rested and relaxed, and create more vibrant skin.
Take these natural mood supporters
- 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), which your body converts into feel-good serotonin, also helps relax and calm you. Try 50 to 200 milligrams (mg) on an empty stomach prior to bedtime. (Look for a formula with vitamin B6, which helps convert 5-HTP to serotonin.)
- I’m also a huge fan of the herb maca (the prime ingredient in my Mighty Maca Plus). I experienced the healing power of maca years ago in Peru when I drank it to regain my own emotional footing after a personal tragedy. I felt its benefits almost immediately: More energy, a better mood, and just feeling more like my old self. Two scoops a day of Mighty Maca Plus in water, or a smoothie should improve equilibrium.
Feel happier fast with yoga.
Research supports what I see in my practice and personally discovered: Yoga can help post-menopausal women balance their mood and feel better. I’ve found a regular yoga practice makes great complementary therapy for women undergoing age-related hormonal changes. Yoga and other forms of exercise increase oxytocin, balance stress hormones like cortisol, and flood your body with feel-good endorphins.
As women, we live about one third or more of our lives after menopause. We want to feel emotionally and physically vibrant during this transitional period.
You have significant control over how you feel during menopause. With the right nutrition, an optimized lifestyle, and simple, loving actions I discuss in The Hormone Fix, you can dramatically alter your emotional health to minimize mood swings and other obstacles that impair your health and happiness.
In my book, I empower you with all the strategies I’ve learned after decades of working with thousands of patients to feel better, balance your mood, and create the big, beautiful, vibrant life you deserve! Plus when you pre-order today you will also receive over $200 in bonuses, including:
- Staying Keto-Green on the Go – tools and tricks to stay Keto-Green while you’re on the go – be it across town or across the country.
- Keto-Green Recipe Cards – there’s no such thing as too many recipes…
- It’s Not Your Husband… It’s Your Hormones! – Watch this video to learn about how your monthly cycle affects your mood and libido
- PLUS 6 more bonuses, include free lab panel, fantastic olive oil and more…
<<<<<<< Click here to pre-order The Hormone Fix today. >>>>>>>
Dr. Anna Cabeca, a triple board certified, Emory University trained physician and hormone expert was diagnosed with early menopause at age 38. Devastated, she set out on a personal wellness journey to reverse her menopause side effects, which resulted in her delivery of a healthy baby girl at the age of 41.
After experiencing her own health successes, Dr. Cabeca began counseling others, ultimately changing the lives of thousands of women across the globe. Her new book “The Hormone Fix” and other empowering transformation programs have helped women of all ages become their best selves again. Her successful line of all-natural products features the alkaline superfoods drink Mighty Maca® PLUSand the rejuvenating vulvar cream Julva®.
Recently, Dr. Cabeca was named “2018 Innovator of the Year” by Mindshare Collaborative, the premier community for health and wellness influencers and entrepreneurs. In 2017, the Age Management Medicine Group presented her the prestigious Alan P. Mintz Award for Clinical Excellence.
You can discover more about Dr. Cabeca at DrAnnaCabeca.com and connect with her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The product mentioned in this article are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information in this article is not intended to replace any recommendations or relationship with your physician. Please review references sited at end of article for scientific support of any claims made.
5 Comments
I saw Dr Carnahan at the A4m meetings im December and per her instructions , texted healthyme for the news letter but never received them please help .
thanks Dr Michele Helfgott
got you! 😊
Does the PPR cream contain any soy? I am allergic to soy and cannot use it.
I am not sure but you may try contacting Dr. Cabeca through her website
Your information is of great quality, thanks for sharing.
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