Tracking your symptoms

This article is for the ladies.

Do you track your cycle on an app on your phone? or maybe your fitness watch has the feature? have you seen the options but never really delved into tracking, or maybe just thought its just not a priority for you.

Should it be a priority? If you’re female – then YES !

We live in a time where we all seek out quick fixes, take the pill for hormonal imbalance, take a pill to lose weight, take a pill to feel relaxed. This is not sustainable and eventually will backfire. Medication can be used as support, but understanding your body and signs and symptoms can help you understand the root cause of them and thus you become your own healer.

As a woman this is something you should take responsibility for, no two humans are the same and you cannot compare your cycle to your friend or your mothers. You need to understand your body better, so that you know how to treat it better. Perhaps you need to learn how to rest more at certain times of the month to avoid anxiety, maybe your prescribed anti depression meds can be avoided by understanding your body? sound crazy – I think its EMPOWERING

Using your menstrual cycle as a guideline to pinpoint when our symptoms occur can tell us many things. But it’s very important as a woman, to understand the cycle.

I am sure you know that is consists of phases (check my previous post), if you diligently track how your feeling, what your moods are, when you experience symptoms we can pin point if your symptoms are related to your hormonal health, and its highly likely that it is.

Okay, so your keen to level up, so whats next?

Download a tracker, make space in your journal to write down how your feeling or if any weird symptoms arise. This way we can compare month to month changes or similarities. Without tracking it can all seem like a blur, seem like your symptoms are forever ongoing.

So if your unsure of what you should be tracking, start by understanding the different phases(I have a post in this) . Then write down symptoms that occur during the different phases, for example:

1. Menstruation – heavy, tired, lots of cramps, painful
2. Follicular – low energy, fatigue
3. Ovulation – painful pelvic region, but energy improved
4. Luteal – tired, sore & lumpy breast, anxiety, acne flare.

Easy, right? at first it may not be, but the more in tune you become with your body the easier it will be come.

Here are some quick correctional tips for some very common symptoms I often see,
-If our luteal phase or ovulation is symptomatic, efficient detoxification of estrogen and optimizing progesterone is the goal.
-If our period is rough, focus on nourishment and balancing blood sugar.
-If we cramp during our cycle, we need to focus on magnesium and lowering prostaglandins (natural vitamin E and/or ginger).
-If our breasts get lumpy or tender, we need to focus on estrogen elimination- eat a raw carrot every day, natural vitamin E, 80-100 grams protein a day, check iodine levels.

There we go? keen to give it a try, please let me know how you go.

X M