The Dr. Hyman Show

The Underlying Causes And Solutions For Women’s Hormonal Imbalances with Dr. Elizabeth Boham

Apr 10, 2020

In this enlightening discussion, Dr. Elizabeth Boham, a physician and nutritionist specializing in women's health, sheds light on the widespread issue of hormonal imbalances. She challenges the notion that women must suffer through menstrual-related symptoms and presents a functional medicine approach to healing. Key topics include the pitfalls of birth control, the effects of alcohol on hormones and breast cancer risk, and the importance of self-care for maintaining hormonal balance. Elizabeth emphasizes personalized lifestyle changes for optimal health.

33:22

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Elizabeth Boham

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Quick takeaways

Hormone imbalances in women are prevalent and can manifest as PMS, menopause, estrogen dominance, and fertility problems, but they are not considered normal or optimal by functional medicine.

Stress plays a significant role in hormone imbalances for women in perimenopause, as chronic stress can lead to decreased progesterone production, resulting in irregular sleep patterns, irritability, and mood swings.

Deep dives

Hormone Imbalances in Women

Hormone imbalances are incredibly prevalent in women, manifesting in various issues such as PMS, menopause, estrogen dominance, and fertility problems. However, these imbalances are not considered normal or optimal despite their common occurrence. Understanding the root causes of hormonal imbalances involves examining factors like hormone metabolism, the microbiome, and stress. Traditional medical approaches often involve prescribing birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy, which can have significant side effects. However, functional medicine offers a different model of care that focuses on addressing the underlying imbalances. By introducing personalized lifestyle changes, dietary modifications, stress management techniques, and targeted supplements, it is possible to rebalance hormones and alleviate symptoms without the negative side effects associated with conventional approaches.

Intro

2min

Understanding Hormonal Imbalances in Women

10min

Understanding Alcohol's Impact on Hormones and Breast Cancer Risk

4min

Balancing Hormones: Lifestyle Choices and Women's Health

12min

Prioritizing Women's Health: The Importance of Self-Care for Hormonal Balance

2min

Introducing New Resources for Health Enthusiasts

2min

Hormone imbalances are epidemic these days. For example, symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), like mood swings, irritability, depression, anxiety, fluid retention, bloating, breast tenderness, sugar cravings, headaches, and sleep disturbances, affect 75 percent of women. But just because you’re a woman doesn’t mean you have to live with these symptoms.

The real fact is that suffering related to menstrual cycles is unnecessary. You might never know this from conventional medicine, which seems to subscribe to the idea that women are destined to suffer throughout their reproductive life and beyond. However, there are actually many things you can do to fix hormonal imbalances.

In this mini-episode, Dr. Hyman is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Boham to discuss the Functional Medicine approach to treating hormonal imbalances in women.

Elizabeth Boham is a physician and nutritionist who practices functional medicine at The UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Through her practice and lecturing she has helped thousands of people achieve their goals of optimum health and wellness. She witnesses the power of nutrition every day in her practice and is committed to training other physicians to utilize nutrition in healing. Dr. Boham has contributed to many articles and wrote the latest chapter on Obesity for the Rankel Textbook of Family Medicine. She is part of the faculty of the Institute for Functional Medicine and has been featured on the Dr. Oz show and in a variety of publications and media including Huffington Post, The Chalkboard Magazine, and Experience Life. Her DVD Breast Wellness: Tools to Prevent and Heal from Breast Cancer explores the functional medicine approach to keeping your breasts and whole body well.

This episode is sponsored by AirDoctor. We need clean air not only to live but to create vibrant health and protect ourselves and loved ones from toxin exposure and disease. Learn more about the AirDoctor Professional Air Purifier system at a special price at www.drhyman.com/filter

In this episode, Dr. Hyman and Dr. Boham discuss: