Hormone symptoms can feel overwhelming. Hot flashes, weight changes, anxiety, fatigue, sleep disruption, low libido — many women are told these are simply “part of aging” or that hormone replacement is the only answer.
From a nutritional therapy perspective, hormones are never the whole story. They are messengers, not magicians. Whether you choose Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT) or not, the body’s terrain matters deeply.
Let’s talk about hormone health the Nutritional Therapy Association (NTA) way: foundational, individualized, and food-first.
Hormones Don’t Act Alone
Hormones interact with nearly every system in the body, including:
- Blood sugar regulation
- Gut health & detox pathways
- Liver function
- Adrenal resilience
- Thyroid signaling
- Nutrient status
When these systems are under-supported, hormone symptoms often worsen — even with BHRT.
NTA principle: Support the body’s foundations first so hormones can do their job effectively.
Foundational Nutrition Principles
https://farmorpharma.com/work-on-your-foundations-of-health-and-feel-better-than-ever/
What Nutritional Therapy Brings to Hormone Balance
Rather than focusing solely on lab numbers, nutritional therapy asks:
- Is the body nourished enough to respond to hormones?
- Are hormones being properly metabolized and cleared?
- Is inflammation driving symptoms?
- Is stress chemistry overwhelming the system?
Hormones don’t function well in a body that is under-fueled, inflamed, or constantly in fight-or-flight.
Blood Sugar: The Hormone Gatekeeper
Unstable blood sugar is one of the most common — and overlooked — drivers of hormone symptoms.
Blood sugar dysregulation can:
- Increase cortisol
- Suppress progesterone
- Worsen estrogen dominance symptoms
- Trigger hot flashes and night sweats
- Disrupt sleep and mood
NTA foundational strategy:
- Eat protein at every meal
- Avoid skipping meals
- Pair carbohydrates with fats and protein
- Prioritize nutrient-dense whole foods
Balanced blood sugar supports every hormone downstream.
Blood Sugar Balance for Women
https://farmorpharma.com/hormones-and-blood-sugar-how-you-can-prevent-a-hormonal-disaster/
The Liver: Where Hormones Are Processed
Whether hormones are produced naturally or introduced via BHRT, they must be metabolized by the liver.
A sluggish or overburdened liver can contribute to:
- Estrogen dominance
- Headaches
- Bloating
- Breast tenderness
- Mood swings
Key liver-supportive nutrients include:
- B vitamins
- Choline
- Glycine
- Sulfur-rich foods (eggs, garlic, cruciferous vegetables)
From an NTA lens, hormone therapy without liver support is like adding more traffic to a congested highway.
Liver health
https://farmorpharma.com/from-hormones-to-liver-health-understanding-hypothyroidisms-role-in-fatty-liver-disease/
Gut Health & Estrogen Recycling
The gut plays a major role in hormone balance, especially estrogen.
When gut health is compromised:
- Estrogen may be reabsorbed instead of eliminated
- Inflammation increases
- Detox pathways slow down
Supporting digestion, stomach acid, and microbial balance helps ensure hormones exit the body appropriately — which is just as important as having enough of them.
Post-Menopause Nutrition
https://farmorpharma.com/post-menopausal-nutrition-a-holistic-guide-to-feeling-your-best-naturally/
Where BHRT Fits In — and Where It Doesn’t
BHRT can be incredibly supportive for some women. From an NTA-informed view:
✔️ BHRT can help relieve symptoms
✔️ BHRT may improve quality of life
❌ BHRT does not replace foundational nourishment
❌ BHRT does not correct blood sugar imbalance
❌ BHRT does not resolve nutrient deficiencies
Hormones work best when the body is properly fed, rested, and supported.
Nutritional therapy does not oppose BHRT — it supports it.
Stress, Cortisol & the Hormone Cascade
Chronic stress diverts resources away from reproductive and thyroid hormones toward survival chemistry.
This can lead to:
- Low progesterone
- Thyroid suppression
- Sleep disruption
- Weight gain
- Emotional volatility
NTA emphasizes:
- Adequate caloric intake
- Consistent meals
- Mineral repletion (especially magnesium, sodium and potassium)
- Nervous system regulation
Without addressing stress physiology, hormone therapies often feel inconsistent or ineffective.
Stress, Cortisol & Women’s Health
A Root-Cause Model of Hormone Health
True hormone balance is not about chasing perfect labs — it’s about creating an internal environment where hormones can communicate clearly.
From an NTA perspective, this means:
- Nourish first
- Stabilize blood sugar
- Support digestion and detoxification
- Address stress physiology
- Then layer in targeted therapies — including BHRT if appropriate
Final Thoughts
Hormones don’t fail in isolation. They respond to nourishment, safety, and support.
Whether you are considering BHRT, currently using it, or navigating hormone changes naturally, nutritional therapy provides the foundation that makes any approach more effective.
Hormone health isn’t about replacement alone — it’s about resilience.
This months recipe I have posted before, but pea soup is my favorite thing to make with the bone from our Christmas ham!
We had it with grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches for dinner. My grilled cheese has raw sheep’s milk cheese.
Pea Soup
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
Day one:
Ham bone with some meat still on it
16-ounce package of dried split peas (soaked as shown below)
Day two:
4 organic carrots, quartered and sliced
2 stalks of organic celery, quartered and sliced
1 small organic onion, quartered and sliced
2 organic potatoes, cubed
Non-processed sea salt and pepper to taste
Directions for day one:
Place bone with leftover meat still attached to it, in a large pot and cover with water.
Boil for 3 hours
Let cool and put into a glass storage container in the refrigerator overnight.
Soaking the split peas to remove the phytic acid:
Phytic acid binds the vitamins and minerals and prevents your body from being able to absorb them!
Add split peas to a glass or ceramic bowl and cover with water filtered to remove chlorine and fluoride.
Cover and soak the peas for 7 hours at room temperature without changing the water.
Drain the peas once you are ready to use them.
Directions for day two:
The next day, remove the layer of fat from the top of the broth (you can save this to cook with, I just throw it into my bacon fat container!)
Put the broth back into large pot and add in ¾ of the dried split peas. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to keep at a simmer for about a half hour (until peas are cooked). Watch carefully that the peas do not burn at the bottom of the pot!
Let cool slightly
Place small amounts of the soup into the blender or a food processer until you have it all blended smoothly and then place back into the pot with all of the chopped vegetables you have chopped and the rest of the 1/4 of dried split peas and bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about a half hour until vegetables are cooked. You can also chop up into small pieces, the leftover ham and you may have too and place it into the soup for this final stretch
The soup can be frozen, I freeze it in glass containers (NOT filled to the top, it needs room to expand, and it must be cold before placing in the freezer!)
Enjoy!
YOU are the expert on YOU! If your body is whispering, and your doctor is not listening,
find another one who will! We live in a day and age of social media and internet searches,
ask people who listened to them, read reviews, then make an appointment!
Follow me on social media for informative posts
several times a week!
You DESERVE to live a life you love
with endless energy!
I help those with thyroid disease to repair
damage to gut, blood sugar balance,
adrenals and hormones,
so that they too, can have endless energy
and truly love and live life again.
Schedule a FREE discovery call below to see if Nutritional Therapy is right for you!
https://farmorpharma.com/nutritonal-therapy-services