#... get some food and try to forget about the genetic heart issue i guess

[immortalsins]

oughhhhhhhhhhh

[adoringhaikyuu]

hello!! i have a bit of a request! could i get oikawa bokuto and kuroo w a s/o who absolutely loves to cook and bake and does so a lot, but always always always shares the food they make? n they kinda slowed down in making food bc ppl arent accepting or wanting the food they make and its making them really down :(

ive been having this issue w my roommates bc i always cook for them w lots of love and they never eat what i make and its,, draining on me,,,,

but yea!! i just want oikawa bokuto n kuroo to make me feel a lil better :( thank u so so so much!!!! i love ur blog n ur writing so much 🖤

THEY AREN'T EATING YOUR FOOD SO YOU STOP COOKING FOR THEM

CHARACTERS: bokuto + kuroo + oikawa + (gn!reader)

WARNINGS: none

NOTES: i hope everything is ok and if not i hope it gets better!! <3 + i tried to make these a little happier ! they all take place over a week + i tried a new format with this we'll see if i stick w it sfkjhg

bokuto:

bokuto honestly didn't not want to eat your food

it's just that he had to go on a new diet for the upcoming season, his trainer and nutritionist told him to try it out to see how it works with him

and the things you cooked and baked were on the no eating list

he just loved when you made food for him, it tasted amazing and he could feel the love you put into it

he was planning on waiting the diet out and stockpiling all the food you made for afterwards as a treat

but he may or may not have failed to tell you that

so when you noticed he wasn't eating the food you left for him when he came home late after practice, you were disheartened and not to be dramatic, but heartbroken as well

deciding not to waste anymore, you simply stopped

turns out, the diet wasn't really working with bokuto, his nutritionist decided it was unecessary since he was getting the same results when he wasn't on it––thanks to his genetics, metabolism and workout routine. if anything he was glad, he was beyond excited to come home and finally eat your cooking again.

he practically ran home with a skip in his step, shouting out cheerfully as soon as he stepped past the front door. "baby i'm home!" he put his things down and took his shoes off, before gliding in front of the fridge to open it. "what's for dinner?––" he trailed off when he noticed there was nothing cooking, maybe you were starting later? he looked through the shelves in the fridge, looking for something to snack on in the mean time and gasped abruptly when he couldn't find the containers of food he'd been saving over the past week.

he closed the doors and frantically looked around the kitchen, opening random cupboards that couldn't possibly keep any refrigerated food fresh.

you walked in to find him searching around like a madman and you paused. "kou? what's wrong?"

he looked up at the sound of your voice and ran over to you, placing his hands on your waist. he kissed your forehead to say hello, despite the pout on his face and the clearly pressing matter on his mind. "hi baby doll. i was looking for all the food that was in the fridge, did you move them?"

you paused, "well i––i threw them out?"

his eyes almost bulged out of his head, "what?! why??"

you were confused by his sudden outburst, it's not like he was eating any of it. "i mean you weren't eating, kou...it's been a week since you've stopped eating my food, i just didn't see the point in keeping it all in there...that's also why i'm not making dinner right now."

he stared at you, shocked and disappointed in himself, he had no idea you were feeling this upset. "oh my god...did i forget to tell you?" your brows furrowed curiously but he simply pulled you into his arms for a tight hug. "i'm so sorry bub––they wanted me to try out this new diet, that's why i wasn't eating! i didn't mean to make you upset! i was even planning on eating all of the dinners i missed afterwards...but the diet wasn't for me so i can go back to eating normally now!"

you pulled back slightly to look at him, not knowing what to say. "oh..."

he gave you a sad smile, "yeah," he brought a hand up to hold your cheek, "you know i love your food––it honestly hurt my heart when they told me i couldn't eat it!"

you cracked a smile and he gave you one right back, "i'm serious!"

you sighed happily, "okay...so i guess i should start making dinner then?––"

he was pulling you over to the fridge before you could finish your sentence, "absolutely! and i'm helping!"

you laughed and started getting the ingredients together, "how about i make your favorite tonight?"

he nodded like a child excited for ice cream and kissed you on the cheek. he wasn't really a chef himself, that's why he left it to you––he didn't want to burn down the kitchen. so he'd mostly be staying by your side, maybe handing you things or mixing things, but you enjoyed his company nonetheless.

you had started seasoning the food when he slid his arms around you from behind, leaning down to rest his head on your shoulder. "hey baby?" you hummed in response and his hold on you tightened a bit. "would you...mind making my favorite dessert tonight too? i've been craving it for a while now..."

you smiled to yourself and nodded, "i'd love to."

he squeezed you and kissed your cheek loudly, "yes! thank you i love you so much!–"

kuroo:

almost every day you sent kuroo off to work with a baked good you made him

he loved them and you loved making them so it was a win-win

you'd put them in a little container with a cute note

and though he knew what to expect each time, they never failed to brighten his day

but earlier this week you stopped by kuroo's office to drop off the treat he'd forgotten to take with him today in his rush out the door

he was in a meeting so his assistant let you into his office

and you felt an ache in your chest when you noticed four of the treats you'd given him this past week all on his desk, unopened

that day, you went back home with all the uneaten sweets and unshed tears aching to fall from your eyes

did he just take them to please you? did he not really want them this whole time? was he just trying to be a good husband?

all these questions flooded your mind, only confusing and hurting you further

but one thing was for certain, you'd stop baking them for him

it didn't make sense for you to if you knew it'd be going to waste

kuroo was beyond done with his day and it wasn't even halfway over. he sighed, loosening his tie as he shut the door to his office, drained from the two hour meeting he'd been in.

thankfully, he had no more meetings today so he could sit and relax while he worked in his office. he sat down at his desk and shut his eyes for a moment, needing to calm down and regenerate himself. he reached over to his left blindly, knowing he'd left the treats you baked him there––things had been getting so hectic lately, he barely had time to eat them, but he was saving them for when he did have the time.

his hand smacked down on the desk three times as he tried to reach for the containers before he finally opened his eyes. his brows furrowed slightly, "what the..." he looked around the desk, opening the drawers and everything before giving up and calling his assistant in.

she knocked on the door and he signaled for her to come in.

"yes sir?"

"hi, do you know where the sweets i had on my desk are? i thought i left them here."

his assistant thought for a moment before perking up, "oh i believe your partner came and collected them while you were in your meeting, sir."

he frowned, "y/n was here? why didn't you tell me?"

"they asked me not to disturb you."

kuroo nodded, "oh alright...well, thank you, that'll be all."

he immediately pulled his personal phone out and called your number, you must have been back home by now.

you saw his name pop up on your screen as you were about to throw out the baked goods and hesitated for a good while before sighing and picking up. "yes?"

you could practically hear the smirk on his face as he spoke through the phone.

kuroo leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling as he spoke. "you stole my sweets from me? where'd you hide them? or did you eat them?"

he didn't even feel bad that he'd just left them there?––"well you clearly weren't eating them kuroo," the smirk dropped from his face and he sat up, alert. woah––kuroo? why did you sound upset? "they were just sitting on your desk––anyway, i was about to throw them out."

"woah, what?? why would you do that?!"

he was speaking to you but you honestly weren't listening, too annoyed and too hurt to pay attention. "look if you didn't like them, you could have just told me so i wouldn't have to waste hours every day busting my ass to make them for you––were you just throwing them out this whole time, is that it?––"

he shook his head with each word you uttered before realizing you couldn't see him, he was just in complete shock. "what? no no, kitten listen to me, hey listen, okay?" you paused, mostly to catch your breath, but he took that opportunity to speak up. "i love when you bake for me, everything you make tastes amazing. i love eating the sweets you make when i'm at work because they remind me of you and of how much you love me––this week's just been a complete pain in my ass and i haven't had the time to sit down, eat and enjoy your treats, i love them and you too much to just scarf them down in a minute. i need to savor them, you know?" despite the adrenaline running in your body, you cracked a smile. "i finally had some time to myself and i was gonna eat them just now when i realized they were missing so i called you..."

he trailed off and you took that as your cue to speak up. "oh..."

you could hear his smirk again, "yeah, oh."

"so i...maybe...overreacted a bit."

he chuckled, the sound warm even through the phone. "no kitten you didn't, i get why you were upset––but, you should have asked me about it first."

you sighed, "yeah, yeah..." you looked at the open containers in front of you, only now noticing the notes you put in them were gone––he must have taken them out to read them even though he didn't have time to eat––"wait a minute, if you haven't had time to eat..." you could hear him clear his throat awkwardly, "kuroo you haven't been eating lunch?!"

he laughed awkwardly, "um, i mean, i eat after work––"

"that's not the same!" you rolled your eyes, "i'm coming back over there and i'm bringing you lunch and you're going to eat it, understand?"

he poked his tongue to the side of his cheek. "okay, kitten."

you sighed, "you're lucky i love you."

he leaned back in his chair again, "oh could you bring one of the––"

you cut him off, putting one of the already closed containers back in your bag. "already on it."

he grinned, "god, i love you."

oikawa:

oikawa loves your cooking

and normally he scrambles home after practice to eat it

but this past week training was grueling and tiring, so by the time he came out every day, he was drained mentally and physically

and he was starving

he couldn't wait any longer as soon as he stepped foot out of the gym

so he went to the nearest takeout place, bodega, whatever to get something to eat quickly,, for the whole week

he thought nothing of it

but when he came home every night for a week straight saying he'd already eaten when you tried to offer him the food you spent hours making?

it hurt, a lot

so you decided you'd stop cooking

oikawa was aching to go home––he was exhausted and all he thought about to get him through the day was you, your cooking and your cuddles. he needed all three immediately. when his coach said they were all free to go home, he could almost feel a weight lifting off his shoulders.

he sighed loudly as he stepped into your home, peeling his sneakers off and setting his things aside. he padded into the house, going straight to the kitchen and frowned when you were nowhere in sight. he'd come home a bit early today, around the time you were usually making dinner.

he looked around and walked to the living room, smiling to himself when he found you sitting on the couch, looking for something to watch on tv.

you smiled up at him and greeted him, the sound of your voice making him feel warm inside. "hi baby, how was your day?"

he huffed and slid onto the couch, lying down so his head was in your lap. "don't even talk to me about the day i've had––i was thinking about you the whole time." he took your hand in his and brought it up to his lips to give it a soft kiss. "you got me through it."

he placed one of your hands on his cheek and the other in his hair, mumbling a thank you when you started playing with the slightly damp mess on his head. "mm that feels good baby." he closed his eyes and sighed contently, settling in comfortably to your touch.

after a few moments, he spoke up softly, trying his best not to fall asleep. "what's for dinner?"

"um i'm not sure," your eyes were focused back on the tv as you thought for a moment. "what do you wanna order?"

he paused and cracked one eye open, opening the other when he realized you weren't joking. "wha––order?"

you looked down at him and nodded hesitantly, "yeah? like takeout?"

he sat up abruptly and turned to face you, "what? why?"

you paused this time, unsure of how to respond. "well...every night for the past week you haven't been eating my food. i think it's fair for me to assume you don't want my food anymore."

he felt a piece of himself break on the inside, "oh angel..." he grabbed your hands, "no no––i love your food, you know that––i've just been so tired this week, i couldn't even wait to get home to eat, so i stopped by the nearest places with the boys." he scooted closer to you. "i'm so sorry i made you feel like i didn't appreciate what you do for me––i promise from now on i'll drag myself on my hands and knees if i have to to come home to you and eat––"

you laughed and shook your head, "tooru there's no need for that––"

he cut you off, almost offended. "of course there is! i hurt your feelings baby, i never want to do that again!"

you smiled and pulled him in for a sweet kiss that he quickly melted into. you pulled away to look at him earnestly. "it's okay babe. just...maybe tell me next time? i was just worried you were tired of my food, that's all."

he pulled you into his lap and held you tight. "i could never and will never be tired of anything you do for me, i promise." he kissed your cheek. "though it is my fault, i did miss your cooking this week––but if you're not in the mood to make anything i understand and we can still order––"

you shook your head, "i'll make your favorite, okay?"

he pulled you in for another kiss, "i really don't deserve you."

[softboywriting]

Haven Port | Chapter Seven| Shawn Mendes

Summary: Shawn and his pack have moved to your tiny town of Haven Port. You’ve never met werewolves other than your dad before and you’re infinitely curious. You may be only half werewolf but you and Shawn have a connection that will send you on a wild romantic journey in this small town you call home. [hybrid reader] [werewolf shawn]

Word Count: 1.8k

|Masterlist In Bio|

Since the founding festival things have been going smoothly. The weather has eased up, the snow is starting to melt. Haven Port is beginning to see the first signs of spring, and with spring comes the ships. Triple the number of ships that you see in the winter months to be more accurate. More boats means more business for the shop.

Tia suggests making the shop a cafe a few weeks after the festival. She knows how to get permits and she is willing to help you run it. The only issue is money. You've got a little bit in savings but you're not too keen on taking out a loan from one of the banks in the city. Tia has savings too and she is willing to go in with you but ultimately it's your call. Making the shop a cafe will be a big undertaking and a huge change from just using and buying dry goods. You're going to think about it and sort out everything that will need to be planned.

It's a Monday morning and you head down to the docks to take Shawn some lunch. He's been working overtime since the weather has gotten nicer. You know he's been putting everything extra into savings but you don't know why. You hope he isn't doing it to help you make the shop into a cafe, you told him you wouldn't accept his help on it and the only reason you'd take Tia's help is because she will be a partner.

The water is choppy, loudly slapping up against the undersides of the old wooden docks as you make your way down the hill and across the port. Shawn works in hangar two, on the far side. You can see dark skies on the horizon, a storm that's churning up the water. Hopefully it stays out there.

You wave to a few of the guys you know as you pass, men your father worked with when you were a kid. Just as you pass dock six you see a group of guys getting off of a boat. Usually this wouldn't catch your eye, people come and go every day, but one guy in particular has your attention. At first glance you thought it was Shawn, but you're not close enough and why would Shawn be on a freshly docked boat? You speed up, trying to catch up with the group before they disperse into the crowds of fisherman and workers near the hangar entrances.  No luck. The guy is lost in the sea of people. Maybe Shawn was just helping them fix something. You turn down the walk way and head for hangar two, if Shawn isn't there one of the guys will know where he went.

Hangar two is packed when you arrive. There is a ship up on risers being worked on and it looks terrible. If this thing sailed into port like this you're shocked they weren't towing it off the bottom of the harbor right now. You look around at the crew, defined by their blue work shirts that say dock crew on the back. There isn't a ton of actual crew but more fisherman than you can count.

"Hey! Cat girl!"

You whip around and glare at the direction the insult came from. You knew forgetting your headwrap was a mistake, especially when the docks are teaming with unfamiliar people. "Get fucked!" You shout and head for the office door at the back.

In the office there are a few of the upper management guys taking a break and you spot Bruce the manager of hangar two.

"Bruce, have you seen Shawn?"

The older man turns and smiles brightly. "Of course! He's on the port side welding a patch on the hull."

"Thanks!"

Bruce motions to the lunch bag you have in hand for Shawn. "No treats for me?"

"No, just for Shawn. Maybe next time? I'll make some cookies."

He laughs boisterously. "I'll hold you to it!"

You shake your head and smile before turning out onto the work floor and heading for the ship. If Shawn is welding that means he was not the guy out on the docks, so whoever you saw earlier was a strange look alike.

Sure enough Shawn is up on the scaffolding welding. You grab a pair of the tinted safety glasses and put them on before looking up to get his attention. "Hey!"

Shawn shuts down his torch and lifts his face guard. "Hey sweetheart. What's up?"

"Lunch." You lift the bag of food up for him. "Come down."

He puts his stuff aside and descends the scaffold carefully. "I was gonna go home for lunch. Bruce is giving me a half day since I've been working so much. He wants me to have some time away."

"Oh, I won't argue. We'd have the house to ourselves for a while."

Shawn wipes his hands on his jeans and tosses his welding gloves aside. "Sign me up." He wraps his arms around you and noses your ears. "It's about time we got some down time together."

"Check out with Bruce and we'll head home."

"Yes ma'am."

___________________

Nearly an hour later and you and Shawn are laid together on the couch at the pack house. You decided to change things up, to give him attention. So you have him laying between your legs and you put your hands in his hair. It's so thick and it feels longer since you first met but maybe it's just because you don't do this often.

"This is nice." Shawn purrs, rubbing his head back against your chest.

You scratch gently with your short nails and he groans, body becoming heavier as he melts into your body. "You like this? You like when I scratch your head?" You flex your fingers and he moans softly.

"I've never had this."

"What? No one has ever played with your hair?"

He shakes his head. "I always do the playing. I guess an alpha is expected to provide."

You snort. "That's some shit." You tug his hair gently and he growls soft and lovingly. "Alphas deserve to get as much as they give.”

Shawn turns over, rolling between your legs to lay with his face on your chest. "You're making me weak."

You giggle softly. "An alpha weak for a hybrid? Wow you must really like me."

"Iloveyou." He mumbles, rubbing his face against your boobs.

"Hmm?"

Shawn pulls back and looks up at you, face red from his groaning and rubbing. "I love you."

You cup his face and he crawls up so he is over you, face close to yours. "Y-you love me?"

He nods. "I've been trying to say it since we met but I've been worried about how you would take it. I know we've discussed the mate situation but saying it out loud is something entirely different."

"I love you too."

He leans in and presses his lips to yours. You giggle and he presses in harder, hands going to your hair. You wrap your arms around his back and grip, making him press down into you. Things get very heated after that, hips rolling desperately into each other and kisses traveling across your jaw to your neck.

Just as you're about to suggest going up to his room there is a knock on the front door. The sudden interruption makes your heart stop and everything feel cold. Shawn pushes up and looks to the door.

"Who is that?" He mumbles, crawling off of you. "Usually the others let me know if they're expecting a package."

You sit up and fix your shirt he had messed up with his hand under it. "Maybe it's someone who's lost."

Shawn pulls open the front door and you peer over the back of the couch. "Shit."

"Who-"

A man steps in and he looks just like Shawn, the spitting image of him like a clone just waltzed out of a lab. You have no doubt this is Shawn and Peter's other brother, Raul. He's got on a beanie and suddenly you realize that he is the guy you saw at the Port. He's the one you thought was Shawn getting off a boat.

"You're hard to find Shawn." Raul says and shrugs his coat off. "I just happened to come across Ryan and Lindsay and they told me where you were."

"What do you need?"

"My family." Raul pulls his beanie off and you let out a soft gasp that gets his attention immediately. He has ears just like yours but they're dark like his hair and much smaller and closer to his head than yours.

"Shawn, you didn't tell me he was like me."

Raul crosses the room and you both stare at each other intently, eyes raking over one another curiously. "She's your mate?"

"Yes, and Raul just didn't come up, I didn't think anything of it." Shawn walks over and stands very close, almost wary of his brother's gaze upon you.

"How?" You ask, looking between the two of them. "You and Peter aren't..." You reach up and run a hand over Shawn's head as if you could have missed them. "How?"

Raul reaches out and touches your ear, fingers gliding up the side delicately and you shiver, not hating the touch but also not entirely comfortable.  

Shawn stiffens up beside you.

"Our parents are an alpha and a hybrid. I got the hybrid and human genetics and the other two didn't. Luck of the draw I guess, it could have been much worse considering we're triplets. You're stunning by the way, I haven't seen many hybrids look as gorgeous as you."

"Thanks?" You step closer to Shawn as he wraps his arm around you and Raul pulls his hand away from your ear.

"Why are you here again?" Shawn asks, changing the subject.

"This." Raul lifts his sweater and reveals a large bandage around his middle. "Hunters tried to kill me in my apartment and I got away but a bullet got me in the side." He drops his shirt. "I figured being with my brother would be safer than being alone."

"Brothers. Peter is here too." Shawn says and Raul's face lights up. "He brought a wolf with him, but the rest of his pack was taken down by hunters as well."

"Everyone?"

"All but Tia, but she found Peter after the fact."

"Shit."

Shawn presses a kiss to your head. "You're welcome to stay, but keep the flirting to a minimum."

Raul grins and winks at you. "Of course I will. I'm just curious, it's been a long time since I saw another hybrid."

"Keep your curiosity to a minimum then." Shawn growls and wraps both arms around you. "Now excuse us, we're having some alone time."

Raul raises his hands and wanders off toward the kitchen. No doubt you and Shawn will just cuddle a while longer and then take a nap. You know Shawn won't take things further with anyone in the house, but that's fine, your mind is elsewhere where now.

____________________

Please send feedback in asks, replies or reblogs. Let me know if you’d like to read more of this story. Thank you so much -A

*****Note: none of my works should be posted anywhere outside of my linked accounts. I do not give permission to repost with or without credit to my accounts. Please notify me of any reposted fics.*****

[kinghoranshit]

Middle of the Night (1D) Ch 1

Word Count: 1,665

I couldn’t fathom why I decided to go along with the boys on their latest tour. When Niall asked if I’d join the North American leg, I should’ve said no. Simple as that. As one of their best friends, and freelance graphic designers, I wasn’t obligated to go. It was easier to hide who I truly was when I wasn’t surrounded by them 24/7, or in the limelight. I could back out still, but then that’d also look suspicious to everyone involved, and that included the fans who viewed the tour from an outside perspective. 

There were some of our kind who managed to have successful “famous” careers and then dip out on a mysterious misfortune with no public eye on them. I never wanted that for myself. I’d been careful about it. Then I met this boy band through my latest work at Modest! Management, and it turned out, they became grossly huge and they wanted me to be their best friend. 

I took a deep breath to try to calm myself down as I packed. I knew that getting all worked up wouldn’t help, especially since I needed to get on the road soon. I had to meet them at the show in Chicago. It was only a four hour drive from where I lived, so my father said he would take me there. From there, the tour bus would be how I traveled with the boys. 

I stuffed various pairs of jeans, pixie pants, blouses, shirts, and cardigans into my duffel. I also chucked my Gucci mules into it; I wore a pair of all white Nikes with black straight jeans, a white tank I cropped myself, and a pistachio green cardigan. It was the end of summer, going to fall in a couple weeks, but with who I was, having the least amount of sun hit my skin was for the better. I grabbed my backpack next to put my laptop into it, along with chargers, airpods, and sketch pad.

I strapped my duffel and computer bag on my shoulder and walked out to the kitchen and living room area. My dad sat at the table, working away on his laptop; he came in last night so we could leave by ten this morning.  

I reached out for an apple from the wooden bowl in the middle of the island and took a bite out of it. Being who I was, I didn’t have taste buds for human food. I’ve never understood when the boys got excited about food. I haven’t had real taste buds for centuries, so I’ve forgotten. It was like those memories were instantly erased after I was turned. 

“Hey Izzie, when was the last time you fed?” my dad asked suddenly.

He wasn’t my actual biological dad. Our kind couldn’t reproduce- well the human way anyways. My biological parents were long dead and I was a Lady on her own deathbed when my father bit me. He did it to save me. I had been a miracle and wedded to a duke, then shunned when I could not bear a child; that was more than right with me. Now I literally lived forever, and it would take nearly so much for me to be on a deathbed again. I hoped that would never happen. As long we kept ourselves underground, there would never be an uprising of hell. 

I thought for a second. “Uhm… A month ago. Why?”

We had to feed every month or so, or our bodies would weaken, our eyes would turn fiery red, our fangs would automatically lengthen, and we could end up lashing out on an innocent person. But when we were fully fed, we stayed strong and could control ourselves a lot easier. 

My father cleared his throat and circled his face. “Your eyes.”

I raised my eyebrows and hurried into the bathroom. I looked in the mirror to see my eyes were dark red, almost to the point of being black. This wasn’t great. Not by a long shot. I did not need this right now. It was the last issue I needed to have. I knew I should’ve made my trip to feed last weekend. 

“Shit,” I muttered under my breath. 

I grabbed a pack of grey contacts out of the cabinet and put in a set. When they weren’t fiery red, they were grey. They used to be a kelly green, I knew that much. When the venom took over my genetics, they matched my dad’s. The only sort of resemblance we had. 

I went back to the kitchen and tossed my contacts into my backpack. I ran a hand through my bleach blonde hair, letting out a deep breath. “I guess I’ll have to go out tonight.”

We could maybe stop somewhere on the way. That would be risky since it would still be daylight and the passerbyers would be high. My dad and I, we didn’t feed on humans; we fed on animals. In the utmost rare cases, and the person was willing, we’d feed on a human. 

“Do you have any contacts for the meantime?”

I rolled my eyes with a nod. “Yes, they’re already in. This isn’t my first, you know that.”

He chuckled. “I can’t help it. You’re still my little girl.”

Yes, his little girl that was over 200 years old. I wasn’t so little anymore time wise. Age wise I was still considered a young adult for life. It wasn’t the worst possible situation to be in. I could hold steady jobs without the question of education, and I could drink legally anywhere in the world. I also had the face where I could pass from the ages of 22-34 without any burning questions. Any age after that was risking it, so I’d have to make my next move and identity change.

I smirked. “Right. Well, we should get on the road. The guys are expecting me around lunch time.”

“Right then, let’s go,” he slipped into a british accent, then cleared his throat. “Sorry, I didn't mean to do that.” 

We were both of british heritage, which I guess gave us another talking point to how we were supposedly related. With having to change our identities every century or so, we had to adapt new accents sometimes. This time we were American. It was something to be more or less proud of.

Thankfully the boys were all from the UK and Ireland, so if I slipped I could blame it on as an impression. Despite forgetting particular senses, I could remember my original accent like it was yesterday. It wouldn’t be hard to fall back if I ever wanted to be the old me in that aspect. 

I knew I should’ve said no to this.  

***

As predicted, there was nowhere safe to stop and feed. It was all wide open plains until the suburbs. I wasn’t feeling antsy or any less of my sane self. Not yet. I hadn’t reached this point in over two centuries, so it was going to be hard to gauge how long it would be. It was only mere days for sure though. 

We did not want to reach that point. 

“Remember to feed tonight or tomorrow. We know how hard the repercussions were last time.” 

I licked my lips, feeling my leg shake at my anticipation of being around the guys 24/7 for two months now. It was going to be… difficult. The gamble was up for sure. And if that wasn’t enough, there were those who hunted us for a living to look out for. If I happened to lash out, it would be all over the news and it would be like lighting up my destination. 

I cleared my throat. “I know dad. And you’ll know if I’ve gone. It won’t go unnoticed this time.”

“That it won’t,” he remarked, reaching over to encase my hand. “It will be okay.”

“Sure.” I nodded. “I better go. I’ll call you every week, as always.” 

He leaned over to give me a peck on the cheek. “Of course, darling. I will speak to you soon.” 

I took one last deep breath before I stepped out of the vehicle, then grabbed my bags and headed inside. It was a fairly large stadium, and I had to hold up my backstage pass in order to get in one of the back doors. I used scents to track down where the guys were; dress rehearsal. 

As Liam went in for a chest voice note, I noticed a delectable vein pop on his neck. I forced myself to look away; I hadn’t said that about a human in centuries. I must need not to. I mustn’t let myself get wrapped in those hellish ways. I… really needed to feed. I had thoughts in my old tongue. 

“Izzie!” Niall cheered, handing his gear off to two different people, and ran down to embrace me in a hug. 

“It me.” I laughed, returning his hug. “Are you guys done for today?” 

“We are, love,” Harry answered with a smile. 

The rest came down the ramps and dogpiled on us. I was surrounded by a bunch of flesh and felt the opposite of thrilled; I was suffocating. Without making it seem like too much of a harsh rush, I squeezed myself out of the middle. Now my brain couldn’t stop the racing thoughts of how I could easily tear their hearts out and have a magnificent feast. 

“How about we go eat?” I suggested. “Pizza?” 

As long as they ate and reeked of that greezy trash, I would be less appealed. It would shut me down for now. 

“That sounds like a grand idea!” Louis agreed and picked up my duffel.

Niall tried to take my hand in his to pull me forward, but I played it off as running ahead of him. “Beat you to the bus!” 

His laugh was boisterous, as all were the rest. “Yeah, right!”

Next: Ch 2

[Masterlist]

[ramblinganthropologist]

Theme Cage

Summary: Garrus meets the Corporal and learns that Shepard knows... a lot... about hamsters. Turns out he’s passionate about something that isn’t Reaper related.

(Pre relationship, ME1.)

---

“Hey, Garrus. Could you hand me that bag?”

It was supposed to be a simple request. Garrus kept thinking that to himself as he looked around the room that was assigned to the Spectre, feeling his mandibles twitch in outright confusion. All he was supposed to be doing was handing off some datapads to the Normandy's commanding officer from the medbay. Now...

Well, he didn't know what the hell Shepard wanted him to do.

The man was currently seated in front of a large tank, a small container off to the side. A few bags surrounded him, full of shredded material in various colors. Others held wooden structures of various sizes, some of them bearing chew marks. All of the had a weird, woody smell that Garrus wouldn't necessarily have called bad, just odd.

Odd; that's what the situation was.

“Garrus?”

The turian snapped back to reality as he glanced around. “Yes, Shepard?”

One blue eye glanced over a shoulder to check on him. “You ok, Garrus? Turians don't get low blood sugar too, do they?”

No, they didn't. That was a human thing that the turian was still trying to forget, thank you very much. It wasn't every day you walked in on your commanding officer slumped over his desk, only to be saved moments later by a children's candy. Bizarre didn't even begin to cover it, but how the room looked got close.

“No just...” He cocked his head to the side. “What are you doing?”

The tips of Shepard's ears flushed to match the short shock of red hair that stuck up in the front. He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling nervously. Then he gestured to the smaller container that was sitting off to the side, tucked safely away.

“Oh, uh... Corporal Fluffytail needed a cage change.”

Corporal... Fluffytail.

Garrus realized now that there was something in the small cage, watching him with beady little eyes. It was a space hamster, he realized – like the ones he saw in the Citadel gift shop, only much rounder and much calmer. The ones exhausted parents bought for screaming children tended to practically be chewing on the bars of their cages as they got carted off. Instead, he was pretty sure the Corporal was sizing him up.

How did a hamster become a corporal anyway?

“A cage change.”

Shepard nodded as he gestured to the large glass tank in front of him. “I like to do a deep clean monthly, and he needed a change of scenery. It keeps him from getting bored and engaging in destructive behavior.”

He gestured to the bags by the door. “Can you grab me the red and pink bedding? I'm almost out over here.”

Garrus responded by stiffly making a grab for the bag and depositing it by the Spectre. This put him in closer contact with what Shepard was working on. He already had a good amount of white material at the bottom of the tank, all of it much cleaner than the stuff he saw other space hamsters living in. There was also... more space, he supposed.

Really, did space hamsters need that much space? Especially on a warship?

“Does the corporal need such a large tank? Looks like he takes up the whole table.”

Garrus regretted his words almost immediately as a switch flipped in the mild mannered Spectre. A real fire glowed behind those mismatched eyes as Shepard started to tap in something into his omni-tool. All the while, Corporal Fluffytail watched. The little bastard almost looked smug.

Shepard's voice was a quarter pitch higher than it usually was as he turned to face the turian. “Space hamsters and Syrian-space hybrids like Fluffytail need at least 600 square inches of unbroken horizontal floor space for adequate living area. Any smaller, and you start to see cage biting and other stress symbols.”

He tapped down with firm resolve. “So no. He can't have a smaller space. Not if I want to raise him right.”

The turian winced as he held up his talons. “I meant no disrespect... I can't say I know all that much about space hamsters. You never see them in cages that big on the -”

“The Citadel gift shop needs my damn foot up their ass! Those assholes keep trying to sell genetic cedar as bedding!” He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Really, did they do any research on hamsters before they decided to sell them... and don't get me started on how small the wheels are, do they-”

He stopped, and his cheeks turned blood red. Garrus was left blinking, processing the conversation. It was... well, those were certainly words. His translator was doing the best it could to keep up, but specialized knowledge was often beyond its reach sometimes. Usually he just had to download packs for that...

But for hamsters?

“Right. They've got it all wrong for proper care.”

Shepard's face was still red as he dug into the new bag to start laying material down. “Sorry. I keep trying them to adopt better husbandry practices but they practically laugh me out of the shop when I try.”

“Maybe being a Spectre will get them to listen next time.” At least it got the man's shoulders to lift as he continued to spread material. “So... why red? Did they run out of white or is it easier to find the corporal that way?”

It could have been possible, given the corporal was a little on the beige side with some darker brown spots on his face and the top of his head. Honestly, he was kind of cute – in a beady-eyed small rodent kind of way. He still would never understand why humans kept rodents as pets, but at least this was one of the less obnoxious ones.

Leave it to Shepard to pick a good one.

“Oh, I was going for a theme this time.” The Spectre's tone was much lighter now as he tucked a tube under some bedding, then placed more pink material around its entrance. It kind of reminded Garrus of flower petals on the Presidium. “Something nice for Valentine's Day, you know? It'll give him something to explore while we're in FTL.”

Garrus' translator supplied the information – human holiday, romance, lots of hearts. The Citadel had been participating in growing strength ever since humans had come into the galactic stage, but it really wasn't his thing. Not much time for romance and dates when you were chasing down bad guys or drowning in paperwork.

Not much time for the Corporal either, given Garrus didn't see a friend in there with him.

“I'm pretty sure hamsters don't celebrate Valentine's Day.” He paused, before adding, “They don't, do they?”

Luckily, no lecture followed. Instead, Shepard chuckled softly as he finished spreading out the pink and red bedding. Now he was working on arranging the wooden toys he had picked out, sometimes holding them out to the cage for Fluffytail to inspect. Judging on the pile that was slowly growing with each rejection, he had discerning tastes.

Great – a spoiled hamster. At least it only affected his owner.

“No, they don't. That's mostly for me. Themed cages help me have a little fun, you know?”

Never before had Garrus been convinced humans translated that word completely differently than he did.

“Ah.” The turian knew when to let an issue die. “So... does the corporal enjoy it?”

Shepard nodded as he stood to grab a small pan of what looked like sand. “I think so, he loves exploring when I come up with something new for him. You should come by to watch in a few days when he's awake, he'll probably have moved it all around by then.”

And then the human laughed again as he placed the pan inside the cage. It was the second time Garrus had heard it, and he had to admit it wasn't a bad sound. Honestly, it was pleasant – in a human sort of way. With all the shit they were being put through, it was no surprise he didn't hear it often.

Something like that should be more frequent...

“Hey, do you want to meet him?”

The turian blinked. “Meet... him?”

“Yeah, Corporal Fluffytail. He's awake right now and I need someone to keep an eye on him while I put the wheel in and get his food.” Shepard sounded oh so casual as he reached down to the small cage. “I promise he won't bite.”

At that moment, Garrus very much doubted the corporal could bite through his carapace. Still, his heart skipped a beat as he watched the Spectre carefully cup his hands around the furry body. Slowly, man and hamster rose up, bright eyes focused straight on the turian. They were coming over.

A few seconds later, Garrus was having his talons manipulated in order to hold a hamster right. Turians, as it turned out, needed a different grip that he wasn't altogether used to as the Spectre moved his hand around in order to make sure the corporal would be safe in his care.

Was it hot in there, or was it just him?

“He's... warm.” Garrus kept his arms close to his carapace. Fluffytail was sniffing at his talons, but no nibbling was going on. He seemed curious, if those bright eyes were anything to go by. So... this was a space hamster.

“He's a soft little guy, comes from his Syrian side.” Shepard was smiling as he watched the two. “I'll be right back. Just stay calm and he will be too.”

And then the Spectre was gone, leaving Garrus alone with the corporal. The hamster kept sniffing at him, shuffling around in his talons. Once, he got close to the sharp edge. Garrus could feel his heat jump in his  throat. Then the instincts took over.

“You better not pee on me, Corporal.” Garrus gently deposited the hamster in his cowl. After all, if it was safe for baby turians it should be fine for anyone. Or in this case – anything. The hamster shuffled around a bit, but at least he didn't try to climb down his back. “Good... just hang out there until Shepard gets back.”

A furry body brushed against his mandible and settled in. Corporal Fluffytail, it seemed, was a rather calm fellow. That, or he was terrified of turians and this was a hamster terror display. If that was true, he was about to be in deep water with the Spectre.

“I guess I can see why he likes you. You're not loud, you don't smell... I guess the biting might be a problem, he doesn't have a carapace.” Garrus didn't really reflect on the fact he was talking to a hamster as he carefully reached up a talon to pet the small, furry head nestled close to his mandible. “Not a bad pet for a Spectre, though I think I would go for something a little more intimidating.”

If the corporal was bothered by this commentary, he didn't let it slip. Instead, he accepted the rub and didn't try to bite his talon. That, in Garrus' book, was a good sign. Add in the fact he really was damn soft, and it was all green for him, or at least until he found droppings in his carapace.

“So, do you alert for low blood sugar? I read up on that. “Garrus' mandible twitched. “Or... guess not. You're not a dog. Or at least I don't think you're a dog. Damn dogs come in so many sizes it's easier to guess what isn't one.”

Fluffytail never answered, just kept hanging out somewhere between his mandible and cowl. His furry little heart was quick, and something about it put the turian at ease as he waited for Shepard. A hamster might not have been his pick, but... they weren't bad. Not bad at all.

Maybe the Spectre was onto something.

“Well, looks like you two are getting along.”

Garrus picked up his head to see Shepard had returned and placed food in the corporal's enclosure. His cowl felt a little colder as he carefully scooped the hamster up and handed him over. Once his paws touched the bedding, off he went digging. He was fast.

“He makes a decent enough pet.” the turian nodded. “I'd say we were civil.”

Shepard chuckled again as he brushed some bedding from Garrus' cowl, fingers almost dangerously close to his mandible. “Looked like you were more than civil to me. I knew nobody could resist a cute hamster.”

He went to toss the bedding and empty bag away. “By the way, what did you come up for earlier?”

…

The datapads were still by the door, waiting for Shepard to read them over. They had both walked by them multiple times in the process of getting the hamster situated. Just the sight of them made Garrus want to make like Fluffytail and dig a hole. Instead, he cleared his throat and made a grab for them.

“Dr. Chakwas wanted me to give these to you.”

Thoughts of hamsters were abandoned as the pair slipped back into duty. Still, there was something about the faint scratching of a corporal exploring his new surroundings that put Garrus at ease as he watched Shepard pour over the contents. He could get used to that kind of sound, undying embarrassment notwithstanding.

Maybe if he was lucky, he could come see him again. Though... that would mean hanging out with Shepard more.

…

Well... there were worse things to do with his free time he supposed.

[illyrianwingspans]

Do Not Go Gentle: Don’t Know Who I Am

Link to song 

Synopsis: An intro to Feyre’s life in the city of Prythian. Check it out on Ao3 here. 

Chapter One: Don’t Know Who I Am

One Year Later

I wiped my hands against my apron as the orders kept tumbling through. Though it was still early in the morning, the coffee shop was packed, and would stay packed until morning rush hour subsided and everyone got their caffeine fix. Then the lunch rush would come right back around and I’ll want to curl into a ball behind the counter and yell at people to leave. This is how most shifts went, usually. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love my job.

Nobody wants to make coffee for a living. It’s not some life-long dream that a kid would aspire to. At least, I haven’t encountered anybody in a kindergarten class vehemently wishing to master the art of barista-ism when they grow up. Because making coffee for people is a shitty, shitty job. In some ways, I’m just a glorified drug dealer dispensing everyone’s morning fix.

But it makes the time go by. And it keeps me near Tamlin.

Not long after we moved in together, I wanted to get a job. Though Tamlin had profusely refused anytime I mentioned working, I kept pushing because I couldn’t stay in the house all day. Though I may have given up on schooling, I refused to become a stay at home trophy wife making crockpot dinners and resorting to ‘wine nights with the girls’ as a weekly ritual (because really, that’s just a fancy term for alcoholism to drown out the mind numbing loneliness that would indefinitely plague me). I couldn’t. I needed to stay busy and I needed to stay working, not only to make money, but to feel like I’d earned my place here.

Defining ‘here’ was always the issue. I didn’t know what ‘here’ was.

Here was in our spacious three bedroom apartment in downtown Prythian. Here was designer clothes and weekend galas and two hundred dollar steak dinners. Here was dating Spring Corporation’s newly adorned CEO, Tamlin Ivy, and living the upper 10% life.

Here was…comfortable. Easy. But also completely, awfully wrong.

I’d made no effort to be here, and everyone knew it. Hell, I knew, and nearly saw it written in the mirror’s condensation every morning after my shower. What I’d done, what’d happened… that shouldn’t have lead me to where I was today. No, that should have lead me down, down to the place I really deserved.

Nonetheless, I liked it here. I loved Tamlin and I wanted a future with him, ‘here’ being good or not.

“That’ll be six fifty,” I said hours later as the pale skin man pulled out his credit card in the empty shop. He’d said his order so quietly I had him repeat it twice, and tried to keep my face as neutral as I could when he’d said only a few decibels louder, “Large caramel frappucino, extra pump of hazelnut and double whip.”

He even brought his own cup to hide the monstrosity of an order from his colleagues. I never minded the complicated orders, though. They spiced up the routine.

As the blender sounded off in the shop, and pale frappucino dude moved off to the pickup side of the counter, I turned towards the order station armed with my usual garb. “Good morning, what can I get you today?”

Only instead of blearily listening to another business exec’s daily dose, I paused where I stood as my eyes settled upon the customer behind the counter.

I blinked, as before me stood the most beautiful man I’d ever seen.

I hated saying that—mostly due to my current relationship status—but it was undeniable that the man before me was science’s only known example of perfect genetic combination. With his jet black hair, terra-cotta colouring, strong jawline and eyes so blue they hovered on—on amethyst—I was trying to hide the creeping blush crawling up my neck. Every ounce of him oozed grace and swagger and confidence, from his immaculately fitting suit to his subtle but enticing cologne, and though those things were incredibly sexy—they could also be vile.

And he must’ve seen it, too, because he shot me an easy smirk that’s definitely gotten him laid before. “Good morning, darling. How are you?”

The endearment, the smirk and the swagger, though, are what made me stop short. There were two kinds of beautiful people in this world: the ones who knew they were beautiful, and the ones who didn’t. This guy so obviously fell in the former category, and lucky for him, it was the type of person I tended to not get along with.

Instead of pushing it, though, I merely asked again, “What can I get you?”

Again, that feline smirk. He knew I was avoiding him. “You can get me an answer to my question.”

“I’m fine,” I ground out. “Would you like a coffee or would you like to piss me off?”

The words came out before I could stop them, and for a second I held my breath. I never, ever was rude to customers. Well, at least, I tried not to be, because there was one thing about the placement of Hum’s Coffee: it was on the ground floor of Spring Corp and nearby all of Prythian’s other biggest industries. This meant that the clientele was nearly exclusively office people, high ranking business execs and other prestigious titles—people I really shouldn’t piss off. But there was something about this guy that seemed to set me off today.

Thankfully, the only other person in the shop was frappucino dude, and he was far enough away that the blender faded out the conversation between us.

Except the man before me did not balk. He did not scowl. No, he wasn’t offended at all by my rather aggressive comment. In fact, he… he smiled. A fuller, genuine smile that showed off his white, straight teeth.

“Why not both?” Was what he said, and I fought against the grin that crept to my lips. Instead of answering him, I turned away to get frappucino dude’s frappucino, who was seeming more impatient by the second. Not forgetting his double whip, I handed over the man’s metal mug and he quickly screwed the top on, mumbled a thank you and sped away. Which left me turn begrudgingly to Mc Dreamy who waited patiently behind the counter, a look of feigned innocence on his face.

For the third, and what I decided was my last time, I asked, “What can I get you?”

“Large Americano with almond milk,” he said without thought, as though it rolled off his tongue every day. “And a smile, darling. Dazzling eyes and all.”

My fist clenched at my side while the other punched the order into the computer. Though I didn’t usually asked, my curiosity bit at me and urged the question from my lips. “Name?”

This guy must’ve been a Brad or Chad or Brent. He had that Frat-Boy-Daddy’s-Money look to him.

His perfectly tweezed brow arched in surprise. “Rhysand.”

My head angled to the side, mirroring his shock. Though I guess I shouldn’t really be, because Prythian was full of odd, unique names. Including my own.

“Four ten,” I growled, and he handed over a ten dollar bill. I quickly handed his change back to him and he merely put it in the tip bucket. Though I would’ve normally said thank you and showed my genuine appreciation—nobody tipped baristas anymore—I only turned and dispensed the espresso beans into the group head, thankful that my back was to him and he couldn’t read the seething hateful expression on my face.

Once I put the almond milk away and secured the lid, I grabbed the sharpie out of my apron and scribbled across the top. I usually didn’t take names because of this step, but I figured my shaky block letters didn’t look too embarrassing. And, with the fakest, widest smile I could muster, I slid the coffee across the counter to Rhysand, who merely grinned at me.

Until he looked down to his coffee and read the name I’d spelled out with a shaky hand: PRICK.

Rhysand’s eyes met mine and they blazed with a challenge, shock and… something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Lust? Attraction?

“Have a wonderful day, darling,” he said, and began to walk away, until he stop mid-stride and turned on his heel. “I didn’t quite catch your name, though. No tag.”

I crossed my arms. I didn’t wear my name tag because I didn’t want people knowing who I was or searching me up online when they had no business to, like Tamlin mentioned. And it served me well today, because I replied, “Be more polite, next time, and maybe I’ll tell you.”

“Next time? Is that a date?”

That blush came back once more. How could he? “What? No—”

“I just wanted coffee, but I’m open to anything you suggest, darling,” he smirked once more as he pushed the door open.

I glared at him and said, “In your dreams, prick.”

“Yes, you will be there tonight, darling.” With one last wink, he was gone.

I released a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Then, I laughed.

A chest-opening, heart-lightening laugh, something I hadn’t done in a long, long while. Thank God the shop was closed, because people definitely would’ve thought I was hysterical as I clutched the counter and laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

+

“Medium hot chocolate please, extra whip and chocolate sprinkles.”

“Sir, we’re closed—” I said over my shoulder, but turned when I saw the blonde hair and easy smile. My face, ready to be stern and scowling at whoever saw our closing hours and decided to walk in anyway, melted into a smile as Tamlin leaned onto the counter with a lazy grin on his face.

“Hi,” I said, and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I’m almost done. Just have to lock up.”

“Take your time,” he said “I ordered us Chinese for supper.”

I resisted the urge to wrinkle my nose. American Chinese food was his favourite, and I tolerated it because I knew he liked it. I didn’t say anything though as I fished the key from the back room and locked the cash box and the front door, the bell sounding out its final ring as night swept across the city leaving streetlights and headlights to illuminate the dark. Tamlin’s elbow hooked into mine as we made our way down the sidewalk to the parking garage where his Beemer stood in the reserved parking spot.

The echo of the doors closing bounced off the wall of the parking garage and I settled back into the leather seat, sighing as the muscles in my neck finally unclenched after standing all day.

“Long day?” Tamlin murmured. He reached over the console and grabbed my hand. I hummed when his thumb brushed along the skin of my palm.

“Yeah,” I said, “asshole customers.” It was my usual excuse, but today it was pointed at one person in particular. Someone whose smirk was burned onto the inside of my eyelids by sheer arrogance.

“Mh,” he grunted in agreement. “Had a few assholes today as well. Seems as though I’ll be dealing with some miscreants for the next little while until the deal finally blows over.”

The thing about Tamlin’s business is that he kept things very vague. I knew he managed real estate and invested in other startup companies, but he always seemed to keep what he did private. Not that I wanted to hear about all the legal jargon and property wars, but it would’ve been nice to be involved in some of it. Only when I’d initially asked him about it, he’d just smiled and said, “Feyre, it bores me to tears most of the time. I don’t want to put you through that.”

True, I’d never had a knack for business, but it did interest me. I was in the arts program and wanted to get a minor in business, but my college days did not last long enough for me to actually learn anything of value.

Our routine was nearly clockwork. Park the car in the garage, go to the entrance to the private elevator and ride up to the fifty ninth floor where our penthouse waited. It was weird to call it ours, because I’d never paid a cent towards it, but it was our home. Either he’d cook or Alis made something before she left for the night or we’d both give up and just order in, which happened most nights. As it did tonight with the Uber-Eats person waiting at the entrance to the elevator. The smell of chicken fried rice wafted through the small space as we rode up floor by floor, curdling my stomach with each increment of elevation.

The elevator opened up to the apartment, and the grandeur of it never failed to make me feel like I’d gotten off on the wrong floor. With the floor to ceiling windows, ambient cool lights and modern decor, I felt like I was walking into an overpriced hotel. Like the furniture was for show, not for living.

Tamlin didn’t echo the feelings, even when I’d voice them to him. He only laughed at how ‘quirky’ I was. I reminded myself that he’d grown up in spaces like this his entire life. This wasn’t the South Side anymore where we’d shared a two bedroom with four people.

No, I’d escaped that life. I’d burned away the moment I left that hospital, and I’d never looked back.

We settled in front of the TV and I curled into Tamlin’s warmth, savouring the feel of his arm around me and the smell of his skin, like rosemary and fresh rain. The food tasted ashen in my mouth but I downed it with a glass of water. Tamlin looked into the container and back up at me. “You not hungry?”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him I hated Chinese food, so I opted for a half truth. “Not really. I’ll take it to work tomorrow.”

He nodded and his eyes waded back to the TV. “Don’t forget, we’ve got that gala tomorrow night.”

I sighed. “Do we really have to go?”

“Yes,” he chuckled into my hair and set his empty container onto the coffee table before us, “I’m kind of hosting it, so it would be appropriate if I made an appearance.”

“You mean Ianthe and Lucien are hosting it.” I deadpanned.

“Well, yes but—” Tamlin stumbled over his words until he saw the smirk on my face, then smiled. “Look, I don’t like these things either but they’re part of the job description. Plus, with everything happening with Night Industries, it’ll be a chance to get them off our scent.”

“You have a scent?” My brows furrowed. “Who are the Night Industries?”

He waved me off. “Doesn’t matter. But,” he hedged, his eyes dimming, “I talked to Ianthe. About what you’re wearing.”

The breath squeezed from my lungs. We didn’t talk about this. Not in the open; not in casual conversation.

“She made sure to get something longer this time. It should be—”

“As long as it covers them, I’m fine,” I muttered—more like bit out. I couldn’t meet his eyes. He shifted next to me, like the proximity between us was no longer a comfortable, familiar thing.

“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he murmured, and he pulled me closer to him. Despite the reluctance blossoming in me, I settled into him again and we found bliss in the mindless activity of staring at an information box.

After a while, though, my thoughts reverted back to the conversation and got caught on the words. Covers it, covers it, something longer to cover it—

Cover up the fact that I was crazy. Cover up the fact that I was off the deep end and everyone knew it, cover up the fact that I evidently did not belong amongst them, cover up the fact that I was a fraud and a liar and a murderer and that I didn’t deserve any of this, that I should be gone like the rest of them—

“You okay?” Tamlin asked from the kitchen. I hadn’t even realized he’d left the couch. I hadn’t noticed the absence of his warmth.

The entire space was open and I could see him standing behind the marble counter that could probably pay for many years’ worth of food for my family and I in the past.

I swallowed hard. “I’m gonna go take a shower.”

He didn’t answer as I pushed myself off the couch and padded away down to the narrow hall branching to the rooms and our offices. As I passed Tamlin’s office, I sighed, knowing he’d probably be holed in there for the rest of the night. Then I passed my office.

Office was a loose term. There was a desk somewhere in there beneath the newsprint and old bedsheets and paint cans. Art studio was the better fitting name, but seeing as though I no longer used it, maybe museum was the best way to describe it. Museum of the life I’d left behind.

I left my things in our bedroom and pulled my robe from the back of the door as I settled into the washroom and began to strip.

Looking at myself in the mirror was a draining thing.

Which was why I ignored it and slumped my clothes in the corner before stepping into the boiling stream of water. It burnt my skin red and splotchy but I didn’t care as I rubbed a day’s worth of sweat and grime off of me.

And when I got to my scar covered thighs, I paused. Then scrubbed them furiously anyways.

Like that could ever make it go away. Soap and exfoliation didn’t erase fuck up.

Nonetheless I scrubbed and scrubbed until my thighs were raw, and when the water turned cold I slumped onto the shower floor and closed my eyes as the stream fell onto my shoulders. It was the only time where I felt like I had some sort of hold on myself; when the world wasn’t just a blur, and the silence could reign.

“Feyre?” A voice called. “Is everything alright?”

My eyes opened and I sighed, staring at the water collecting on the tiles. The silence never reigned long before interruption. “Be out in a minute.” I called.

The water still dripped from my body when I stepped out into the dim hall and Tamlin stood there, arms crossed, eyes snaking up my body like he owned every inch of it. There was that familiar hunger in his gaze. The one I let devour me. The one I wore when I wanted to devour him.

His lips found my skin before either of us could say anything, and before I knew it the towel was off of me and we were stumbling towards the bed.

Chills trembled across my skin as his mouth came down on me, and I let out undignified sounds when he plunged his full length within me. Thrust by thrust, the aches went away, the pain fled, the silence was broken—the void took a step back and waited patiently as I got my fill. As my thoughts left my mind, and as my mind left this body, if only for a few passionate, glorious minutes of pleasure.

Tamlin rolled off of me after I’d screamed out my climax. I stared up at the ceiling, catching my breath, counting the flickers of light protruding in from the window’s diluted city glow. His weight shifted next to me, and I felt his lips press a kiss to my shoulder before he got off the bed, pulled his pants on and left the room, presumably to resume work in his study.

I didn’t even have the energy to get up and dry my hair. I only curled further into the sheets and made sure my alarm was on before letting my eyes fall closed, and sit back as the void, along with the thoughts, creeped back in.

+

“I’ve got to head straight to the gallery after work so I’ll get somebody to pick you up, alright?”

My fingers fumbled as I neared the ends of my hair I was trying to braid. I lost them and shook out the rest of my hair before starting again. “I can just catch a ride with someone. Or walk, it’s honestly not that far.”

Tamlin waved the thought away. “Don’t worry about it, besides I wouldn’t want you to scuff up your dress. I’ll text you the information.”

I licked my lips and nodded once. He pressed a kiss to my cheek and I gave him a grin before we parted ways at our usual location of divide on the ground level of Spring Corporation. He headed for the executive elevator while I headed to Hum’s. The world still slept at five thirty in the morning, but they’d be awake soon and demanding their morning prescription before I knew it.

The day passed in a blur of whirring machines, bills and change and grounds. Sweat beaded on my brow and my feet ached, but I carried on despite the exhaustion wearing on my bones. The fog in my mind seemed to thin out when the rush came in and consumed my focus and attention. But when the lulls came, and I was sweeping around the few tables, my mind wandered. Far. My hands were rope-burnt from trying to reel it back in.

But I did. Because tonight was important for Tamlin, and I couldn’t break down. There was no room for error when your life was centred on appearances. Everything was always good and perfect and lovely, even if it wasn’t.

A familiar face appeared at the door, and I smiled as Lucien’s golden red hair gleaned in the sunlight. He reciprocated the smile as he revealed what he’d been holding behind his back: a hanger supporting what must’ve been a lush gown concealed by black material.

“Is it hideous?” Were the first words out of my mouth. Lucien laughed as I took the hanger from his hands across the counter and set it in the back with the rest of my things. We had a running joke between us about the dresses Ianthe had put me in before that made me look no less than an exotic bird. Some were gorgeous, though, and I loved putting on the lavish materials—but most of the time, they felt like a waste.

“You look gorgeous in anything,” was all he replied with his usual dripping sarcasm. I rolled my eyes and began whipping up his usual: chai latte with oat milk and extra cinnamon on top.

“So what’s this one for tonight?” I wondered aloud. “New partner? Company morale? Charity dinner?”

At the mention of this, Lucien’s face turned neutral, his stance uneasy. One thing about Lucien that I picked up quickly was that you could always read how he felt by his stance. And now, I could tell he was lying, or hiding something, as he did often when discussing company business.

“Something like that,” was all he vaguely answered. In the past, I may have interrogated him until his ears bled, as he put it, but I let it go. Another charity ball wasn’t going to kill me. My feet and knees, maybe, from wearing the heels Tamlin loved, but not the entirety of me.

Over the whirring of the milk steamer, I called, “I don’t get why we have these anyways. He sneaks off half of the time to discuss with people and leaves me with the rest of the sharks.”

“Firstly, we’re under a lot of pressure right now with our competitors. People are trying to snoop where they don’t belong. And before you ask, you know I can’t tell you anything.” I sighed. The one golden rule Tamlin and I kept in our relationship: work stays at work. “And secondly, they are not sharks, Feyre.”

“They damn well might be,” I countered. I removed both tea bags from the piping water and poured the warm milk into it, the spicy scent caressing my senses. “They’re all numbers and business and exponential growth. What am I supposed to say to that?”

“Ianthe will be there,” Lucien supplied, licking his lips as I sprinkled copious amounts of cinnamon atop the foam of his drink. “And Bron and Hart.”

“They have eleven brain cells combined, if that.”

Lucien shot me a pointed look as I slid the drink across the counter to him. “That’s six more than you’ve got, Fey.”

I bit back a grin as I shoved his shoulder from across the counter. “Get out of here.”

“I’ll see you tonight. Clean yourself up a little.”

I didn’t have time to bite back a retort before the door closed behind him. Clean yourself up, I scoffed. I had my makeup kit in my bag. And I showered last night. I looked fine.

Probably not as dashing or pristine as Ianthe will, but my hair’s clean. And I smelled good. That right there was the height of my presentability.

The clock ticked closer and closer to five, the end of my shift. There usually wasn’t many people past five, seeing as though Hum’s wasn’t much of a student-oriented establishment. The last hour was always the longest, watching as every second brought me closer to the gala. My stomach felt like it was crawling. I hated these events.

The door opened along with the chiming bell, and my head snapped up from my phone to see an all-too familiar face already set in a smirk. Only this time, his suit was immaculate, even more so than yesterday’s, and his hair was parted differently, gelled back with little dangling strands around his face that brought out he midnight blue of his eyes.

I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to face this prick again, but damn was he so good to look at.

“I should put your picture up on the board with the rest of the banned customers.” I said as I turned to the espresso machine. I hated that I remembered his order. His eyes even showed surprised as I pulled out the almond milk and boiling water for his Americano.

“Wouldn’t you love to stare at me all day long?” He mused. “They better keep that board near the front so you don’t hide back there all day looking at me. Maybe tape it right here to the cash register.”

“Prick,” I murmured under my breath. I didn’t want to meet his eyes, and I didn’t want to seem like I had any interest in what he did whatsoever, but I couldn’t help myself. “Why the expensive suit today? Hot date?”

“All of my suits are expensive. And unless there was a date and time written on the bottom of my cup yesterday, I don’t recall you asking me out.”

My cheeks heated. “Oh, screw you.”

“You wish.”

My cheeks were probably the colour of traffic lights as I poured the almond milk into his coffee. “Four ten.” I ground out.

“Where’s that dazzling smile today, darling? Really, you must give me your manager’s contact information. I demand better service than this.”

“I’ll read it out to you: 514-829-suck my dick.”

Rhysand stood before me, a startled look on his face, like he couldn’t believe the words I’d just said.

I couldn’t believe the words I’d just said. This man was rich. Probably high, high up in the corporate rank. A phone call from him to anybody’s boss would definitely get them fired.

But he let out a startled laugh. A full, rich laugh that only made me swallow hard.

And bite back a smile.

“Four ten,” I said once again, and he only handed over yet another ten dollar bill. He didn’t even acknowledge my hand when I gave him his change and I begrudgingly put it in the jar.

But he didn’t leave. No, he stood there in front of me sipping his coffee like this was a normal, casual thing we did.

“You make a killer coffee, darling. Really.”

“It’s just an americano,” I scoffed. I turned and began wiping down the espresso machine and milk steamer. But really I was hiding the blush on my cheeks. God, look at me. Gawking over a stranger because they complemented me. An annoying stranger at that. One that knew exactly how to get under my skin.

“Don’t you have better things to do with your time than flirt with baristas?” I threw over my shoulder. He still wouldn’t leave, despite the silence between us.

“Yes of course I do, but flirting with you is by far the most enjoyable.”

My eyes narrowed. “You don’t even know my name.”

“You could easily fix that by just telling me.”

“Not going to happen.”

“Darling, I just don’t think it’s fair. You know my name. All the mystery is demystified. You’ve got the upper hand. Help me out a bit, here.” He shot me a pout and those brooding eyes, but I couldn’t be bothered. Instead, I pointed to the clock.

“We’re officially closed, and I don’t have to put up with you anymore.”

He only smirked and began walking away from the counter with that same graceful swagger. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning bright and early, darling.”

“There’ll be a restraining order by then!” I called back.

The door swung shut with the chiming of the bell, and I sighed.

I told myself the smile on my face wasn’t because of him. But I was never really a good liar.

+

The gown wasn’t hideous. Hideous was too strong a word.

I was just grateful, though, that my scars stayed out of view. Last time, things got…ugly.

Nonetheless, it sure as hell wasn’t my style. I sighed as I walked up the avenue, chiffon balled tightly in my fists, and tried to calm my nerves as I saw the pillars to the Prythian art gallery crawl into view. The lights they’d set up made the entire white-marble building seem like a dream. The gala tonight was for company morale, a sort of way for all of them to clap themselves on the back for the hard work they’d done. I’d lost count of how many I’d attended since I’d known Tamlin.

Usually I could nose my way out of them. When I was in school, before the accident, it was easier to use that out and have a night to myself in the apartment. Now that I was only working at Hum’s, I didn’t have any excuse anymore.

Every step ached in the heels. This was going to be a long night.

The bouncers didn’t even need to ask for name as I walked in the main front doors. The lobby was teeming with people I didn’t know, most likely all of them employees or people from business circles. Faces swam in and out of view, and I felt like I’d seen many of them before, but without Tamlin at my side I had no reason or courage to approach them.

He could’ve been anywhere. I had no idea where to even start looking.

The dinner was at seven, so I supposed I had a few hours to kill. I glanced over my shoulder for a moment then weaved my way to the back of the room where the museum branched off into different wings. Tamlin did pick the best venues, I had to concede. Always something for me to distract myself with.

This month’s exhibition was Paris’s post-impressionism era in the 1900s. Arguably my favourite period in art, the museum was lucky enough to snag some lesser-known Van Gogh and Monet. There was one piece, an early morning sunrise flecked with pinks and oranges that caught my eye. I stood before it, staring at the brushstrokes and blending of colours and hues, amazed. My fingers itched. I wanted to memorize the colours to memory in hopes that I could ever possibly recreate such a piece.

Before I realized it, I looked down at my fingertips and took a step back from the piece. I wanted to paint. It was a sensation I hadn’t felt in so long.

It’d been months since I’d painted. Tamlin wanted me to keep painting, said it would be good for me, but that studio haunted me. I couldn’t go back. There was nothing left for me in there.

One thought of trying to mix the red and white had me exiting the the showroom. Tears burned behind my eyes, and the last thing I needed right now was to make a scene at Tamlin’s party.

After a while of meandering, drinking alone and making several trips to the washroom to check my half-assed hair and makeup, Tam’s blonde hair came into view and it was seven o’clock.

His arm slid around me, too tight, and the easy grin on his face didn’t reach his eyes. “Where’ve you been? You’re late.”

“I’m late? Where have you been?” I retorted lowly. “I’ve been here looking for you for hours.”

“Have you been talking to people?”

I remained silent. The round tables were amply decorated with flush, exotic flowers that probably cost my yearly salary. Everything was gold-trimmed, pastel and proper, the usual colours of Tamlin’s personal assistant’s palette.

Tamlin ground out, “You can at least try, Feyre. For me.”

“I have been for the past year.” I snapped.

It was all we had time to say to each other before somebody came to shake Tamlin’s hand and bellow some inside stock-trading joke I didn’t understand before bursting into laughter. They followed us until we reached our table, right near the front of the room before the stage. Lucien and Ianthe were already seated, the former looking pale and tense.

He shook his head when I shot him a questioning look. When it came to Ianthe, Lucien was always tense.

The night passed by dreadfully. Making conversation was painful. Ianthe and Tamlin had plenty to talk about, though, with the drama in their elite circles that I didn’t care enough to be a part of. I’m sure most of the people here tonight were kind and interesting and wonderful people, but there was still that innate part of me that clung to the belief that most businesspeople were sucked dry of their souls.

I looked to my boyfriend. Most being the operative term. Not all.

Tamlin, though, began to grow tense. His head kept bouncing to the back of the room to a set of doors. His leg was bouncing beside me. It was so bad I had to put my hand on his thigh to calm him down. He put his hand on top of mine and shot me a grateful look, and I kissed him on the cheek. I knew he hated these things too.

Lucien looked to Tamlin. “Have your friends showed up yet?”

Tamlin shook his head. “Any minute.”

“What friends?” I wondered. I knew most of Tamlin’s friends and business partners. They were all neatly classified under the rich white guy identification part of my memory.

He shook his head, though. “You haven’t met them. You don’t want to meet them. They’re not necessarily good friends.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Are you in trouble? Is something wrong?” Nervousness bloomed in my stomach. We couldn’t repeat last time. We really, really couldn’t repeat everything that happened last time.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he murmured in my ear. I sighed but leaned into his warmth anyways. Then suddenly he was up, and I scrambled to stay seated without falling out of my chair from the abrupt loss of contact.

“I’ll be right back.” He declared before storming off to the set of doors off to the east wing of the gallery. There were three sets of feet. My stomach grumbled. Everything about this was off.

I looked down to my plate and couldn’t finish it. Too rich. Too buttery. Everything, it was all closing in: the people, the finery, the utter lack decency…it was like being completely and truly alone in a room full of people. At a table filled with friends.

Lucien laid a hand on my shoulder. “Fey? Are you okay?”

“I need some air,” I muttered, before stalking out to the gallery’s main lobby. I stared at the map before throwing myself into the twisting hallways, and cursing myself for wearing high heels as I climbed stair after stair. But finally, I found myself on the gallery’s rooftop, looking out over the water of the Sidra and wishing I was anywhere but here.

Only I wasn’t alone.

I nearly flinched when I saw who it was leaning across the building’s cement lipped edge. The city lights made his face seem older. Deep-set. Like life had dealt him yet another shit hand and he was wondering whether to go all in or just fold.

I mean, I was near the point of folding. I really, really was.

Especially since I thought I was going to finally get some damned peace, yet now I had to face this prick. For the second time today.

“Stalking me, darling?”

“Could say the same for you, creep,” I called across the landing. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Apparently in the mere hours we’d been apart, life had taken a wrong turn for him. Probably didn’t happen too often judging by the look on his face.

“All dressed up. Tell me, what are you doing here darling? You look like a minnow in a sea of sharks.”

I scoffed. “What are you doing here?”

“Are you going to keep answering my questions with questions?”

“Are you going to keep asking me questions I don’t want to answer?”

Rhysand’s gaze held mine. We were only feet apart, but it was like a current ran between us. My mouth, puckered in a frown, only ignited the ever-lasting amusement in his eyes. That same electric, tension-filled feeling I felt in the coffee shop, like I didn’t know whether to throttle him or run my hands across his chest.

I blinked. I couldn’t believe I’d just thought of that. I brushed it away, telling myself just because I wasn’t ordering didn’t mean I couldn’t look at the menu.

Admitting defeat, my stare broke from his. Instead, I took position leaned against the cement railing, and marvelled at the city, the sea of lights and beauty before us.

Before I knew it, Rhysand was beside me, the arm of his expensive suit nearly brushing mine. The warmth nearly leeched from his toned body. I wanted to press myself into him as the breeze flew over us, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

“I’m not gonna lie, darling, I’ve had a shit day.”

“I didn’t ask.”

“I know. But I’m going to talk anyway. Because I need someone completely objective to discuss with.”

The silence stretched on with my muteness. Half of me wanted to listen, half of me wanted to walk away before I was in too far over my head.

“You know when everything feels like it’s stacked up against you? Like nothing more could possibly go wrong, and then you turn around and it does?” He sighed. “I blink and days go by. I have no idea how I get here; half of the time I have no idea how I even get out of bed. It’s like I’ve made my way here to the top, I’ve got everything I could imagine.” The rush of the city cars filled in the quiet between us as he paused for a moment. “But I’m still fucking empty inside.”

I told myself it was the breeze that sent the shiver down my spine. Not the aching feeling I had as he said those words, as he described everything I’d been feeling over the past year of my life.

Then Rhysand chuckled. “By the Cauldron. I’m sorry. You must think I’m crazy.” His breath fogged as he laughed again. “Guess I’ve got to find myself a new coffee shop.”

“No,” I replied instantly. His eyes flicked to mine, the surprise only presenting itself with the gentle up-flick of his eyebrows. “No. I know how you feel. I get it.” I cleared my throat. “It’s either completely normal to feel this way, or we’re both anomalies.”

“Honestly, I hope it’s the latter. I promised myself I wouldn’t end up like those people milling around downstairs. But here I am, fraternizing among them like we’re old friends.”

I shrugged. “Whatever keeps the roof over your head and food on the table.” I knew too many days with food on the table to deny that the money we had was extremely comforting.

He grinned, but it was sad. Morose. “That’s one way to put it.”

More silence ensued, but it wasn’t awkward. It was…peaceful. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been out on Tamlin and I’s balcony at home just to watch the world spin and move and whirl around me. Most definitely because I couldn’t trust myself on a balcony anymore. My mind was a thing of its own; moving in toxic ways the rest of me balked at.

“How long have you been a barista?” Rhysand wondered softly.

“A year,” I supplied, “can’t go back to sugary drinks now, though. Not after all the shit I see going into them.”

He chuckled, and I asked, “How long have you been empty on the inside?”

This time, the smile was full and bright, and it did reach his eyes. Rhysand said, “My entire life, darling. My entire damned life.”

“Well—”

The sound of metal screeching interrupted me, and a breathless voice called, “Feyre?”

I whipped around to see Lucien there, hand on his knee hunched over, trying to catch his breath. My heels echoed across the rooftop as I jogged towards him without toppling over. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“What are you doing here?” He sneered. “Why are you speaking with him?”

I wrinkled my nose and turned back to Rhysand. “You know him?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Lucien said, but threw a look Rhysand’s way nonetheless. A look about as unfriendly as they go. “We need you downstairs, Fey. Let’s go.” And with that Lucien began pounding down the stairs.

But I looked back at Rhysand. He only waved lazily my way, and called, “Until next time, Feyre darling.”

I bit back my smile as I in turn began thundering down the stairs. Prick.

+

It appeared as though the banquet went smoothly considering the near empty glasses—being quickly refilled—and the laughter-filled, red-tinted faces that beamed as Tamlin took the stage. Under the lights, his golden hair looked smooth and gleaming where it fell naturally down to his ears, and his tuxedo highlighted his muscled body in all the perfect places. His face was flushed as well, and I knew we’d have to call an Uber tonight by the looks of it. I’d never learned how to drive—never needed to with public transportation and Tamlin—which meant me driving home was out of the question. Better to put Tamlin at the wheel despite the state he was in than to even attempt letting me near the driver’s seat.

“As you all know, tonight is a celebration of the success of this company, of which you’ve all contributed immensely to, thanks to your handwork and dedication to our mission.” Applause erupted, and Tamlin’s smile brought my own grin to my face. To see the pride in his face…I knew despite all the complaints and exhaustion, he still liked what he did.

“Spring Corporations has never seen better days, and for that, you all have my utmost gratitude and admiration.” More applause, to which Tamlin patiently waited to pass before adding, “but tonight is more than just our corporate success.”

My eyebrows raised in surprise. What else could Tamlin have to announce?

“Personally, things have been hectic. It’s been a good, prosperous year, but that doesn’t come without life’s ups and downs.” His eyes wandered through the crowd, until they finally befell me, and his eyes sparkled. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen my boyfriend so content. “Life has thrown a lot of ups and downs at me, and I wouldn’t have been able to handle them without my girlfriend.”

My heart was pounding in my chest. Oh Gods. I had no idea where he was going with this.

Scratch that, I knew exactly where he was going with this, and it made me nearly sick to my stomach.

“Feyre Archeron,” he said, “you are the true one and only love of my life. There’s nobody, no one else on this earth that brings me joy and understands me like you do.”

Tamlin took the microphone, and murmurs began spreading across the crowd as he wandered down the steps right before our table, right before me.

I wasn’t breathing.

Tamlin got down on one knee, and joyful gasps echoed through the room. With one hand, he fished a dark velvet box from his inner suit pocket, and cracked it open to present the largest emerald stone I’d ever seen, set onto a golden band. So typically Tamlin that I grinned.

“Feyre,” he murmured into the mic, his golden eyes brimming with silver as we stared at each other, “will you marry me?”

Fear paralyzed my body, yet I still choked out, “Yes. Yes, a thousand times yes.”

The microphone screeched but I didn’t care as I leaned down and pressed my mouth to his, sealing our lifetime together, with a little voice in my head echoing, There’s no going back now.

[xeniawrightne]

Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss

Estrogen dominance is very common these days,but that DOES NOT make it normal.  Our modern world creates the perfect environment for estrogen to take over.  It may seem impossible, but you can do something about it.  Yes, YOU can!  You just have to know what is causing estrogen dominance in you specifically.  There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to addressing estrogen dominance.  I know because I spent years trying to figure out what was causing estrogen dominance in my own body.  Different doctors told me what to do, but nothing was helping.  That’s because no one was addressing the root cause.

I work with a lot of women dealing with the symptoms of estrogen dominance.  Things like PMS, heavy or irregular periods, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, brain fog, mood swings, depression, irritability, low libido, histamine intolerance, fibroids, endometriosis, thyroid problems, gall bladder issues, and blood sugar issues.  Any of these sound familiar?

Many things can contribute but here is a list of the top causes I see with my clients…

1. Gut dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance)

Your gut and hormones are absolutely connected.  Glucuronidation is one of the major phase 2 detoxification pathways in the liver that helps us eliminate hormones from the body.  An enzyme called beta glucuronidase can block this detoxification process, which can cause your hormones (including estrogen) to get reabsorbed, reactivated, and put back into circulation.  Beta glucuronidase is produced by imbalanced intestinal bacteria.

So to address the cause, you need to lower this enzyme by balancing your gut bacteria.  Sorry to say it but simply taking a probiotic is usually not enough to re-balance the gut.  Get a good stool test, like the GI MAP, to address bacterial overgrowth.  The nice thing about the GI MAP is that it actually tests for the beta glucuronidase enzyme.  This result below was the first GI MAP I took…it showed over double what the lab considers normal!  In order to address the cause, I worked to re-balance my gut bacteria, which is a process that should be customized to you and your microbiome.

2. Poor liver detoxification (overall, phase 1, or phase 2?)  

If your liver is sluggish, then it will be difficult to clear estrogen from your body, no matter what.  We live in a pretty toxic world, which makes our livers work really hard.  The liver processes hormones to get them ready to be eliminated from the body.  If the liver is not functioning optimally, estrogen levels can be high because your body is not breaking it down and getting rid of it like it should.  It is important to know if there is a specific phase of liver detoxification where estrogen is getting backed up.  This information can help figure out what you need to do to address the cause.

If phase 1 of estrogen metabolism is stuck then a supplement like DIM can help but if that isn’t the problem, then you could be wasting your money on an unnecessary supplement or even cause estrogen to drop too low.

Phase 2 of estrogen detoxification is a process called methylation.  Genetically we might not be good at methylating properly, but we also depend on certain nutrients for this process to work correctly.  We need vitamin folate, B12, B6, and magnesium. If you are deficient, then that could be a contributing factor to your estrogen dominance.  These pathways can’t be tested using blood or saliva, but you can test them with urine, which is why I use DUTCH test by Precision Analytical with my clients.  So much more information!  Save yourself a lot of trouble and get tested instead of guessing.

3. Constipation

I talk about pooping all the time with my clients.  Your bowel movements can tell you a lot about your health.  When you are not having at least one bowel movement per day, when you are not eliminating fully, or when you are going and it looks like little pellets, then you are constipated.  Estrogen that should have been eliminated from the body in your stool is reabsorbed in the gut and re-circulates in the body.  It’s the gut’s responsibility to eliminate hormones.  Get to the root cause of your constipation.  Is it your thyroid, gut pathogens, motility issues, dehydration, low fiber, stress, or something else?  Start by increase your water intake.  You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in pounds in ounces of water per day (coffee and alcohol doesn’t count).  Then make sure you are eating enough fiber by increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables.  If that doesn’t help then you may need to investigate further.  Test your thyroid and gut with functional lab testing.  Proper testing is key!

4.  Low progesterone

Estrogen dominance does not always equal high estrogen.  Estrogen can be at a normal level, but if progesterone is too low then you can still have estrogen dominance symptoms.  So why is progesterone low?  Not eating enough healthy fats, too low body weight, chronic stress, HPA axis dysfunction (AKA adrenal fatigue), gluten sensitivity, lack of ovulation, hypothyroidism, or high prolactin– these are just some causes of low progesterone.  It is all about getting to YOUR root cause.  A good practitioner should be able to help you with this investigation.  That is exactly what I do with my clients.

5.  Copper toxicity and Other Heavy Metals

We can become copper toxic in a variety of ways.  Hormonal birth control (pill, patch, ring), copper pipes, copper IUDs, hormone replacement therapy.  It can even be something that was passed to you in-utero from your mother.  Copper stimulates estrogen production and estrogen can increase copper; they are very connected.  When one goes up the other can follow.  In my practice I use hair mineral analysis testing to look for copper issues.  If you have looked at all the other factors and still can’t seem to find out what is causing your high estrogen, then it might be time to consider copper.

Other heavy metals like aluminum, mercury, and lead are also considered metalloestrogens, which means that they have the ability to mimic estrogen in the body.  Some metals are considered essential minerals, but if the concentration of these metals become too high, they can interfere with hormones.  These types of metals are much harder for the body to eliminate on its own.  I like to do a hair mineral analysis test with clients, especially when they are having a hard time addressing why their estrogen is high.

6.  Inflammation

Do you have a lot of inflammation in your body?  Maybe aches, pains, skin problems, joint discomfort, gut issues, heart problems, excess weight, inflamed gums in your mouth?  Do you have a lot of food sensitivities?  Have you been exposed to a lot of toxins?  Inflammation anywhere in your body can be a problem because it can drive up your production of cortisol (your stress hormone that can also be anti-inflammatory).  High cortisol can equal higher DHEA, which then can get made into testosterone and – yes-even estrogen.

These are the top root causes of estrogen dominance that I see in my practice.  It is also very possible to have more than one root cause.  This can be an overwhelming and sometimes complicated beat to tackle.  Working with someone that can help you navigate your root cause(s) and provide you with the best game plan to get your hormones back into balance can be very helpful.   When your hormones are balanced it is easier to maintain a healthy weight, have clear skin, have healthier periods, and slow down the aging process.  If you don’t have the ability to work with a professional, below are a couple things you can  start to do on your own.

What can you start doing today to help your estrogen?

 1.  Use safer beauty products. Toxic chemicals in conventional beauty products can be hormone disruptors.  These chemicals can act like hormones in your body and contribute to higher estrogen levels.  Beautycounter is my favorite safer beauty line!  Consider swapping out your shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, and makeup for non-toxic products.  Read my post Are Your Beauty Products Contributing to Hormone Imbalance for more info.

2.  Eat more veggies.  Things like cruciferous vegetables contain a compound that help to support phase 1 of estrogen detoxification.  Even raw carrots contain a beneficial fiber that helps to eliminate estrogen from your system.  Don’t forget your leafy green veggies that are a good source of folate and support phase 2 of estrogen detoxification.  These are easy things you can incorporate into your daily meals.

3.  Love your liver with castor oil packs. I wrote a whole post about it so go check it out here.

4.  Get enough sleep. Sleep is super critical for overall health and it is whenyour body does a lot of repair work.  Just two consecutive night of not sleeping well can negatively impact your cortisol levels.  And high cortisol can lead to high estrogen.  Get to bed by 10pm and work toward getting at least eight hours per night.

5.  Manage your stress. I can’t emphasis this one enough!  Stress is terrible for your hormones.  Stress negatively impacts your adrenal glands and cortisol levels, which makes it really hard to get your hormones back on track.  Deep breathing, getting out in nature, and a daily self-care ritual are my favorite ways to keep my stress in check.

Resolving estrogen dominance is a multi-factorial process including nutrition, lifestyle, proper detoxification, and healing other bodily systems like the adrenals and gut.

ARE YOU READY TO GET TESTED AND TURN YOUR HEALTH AROUND?  CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO REQUEST A FREE 30 MINUTE DISCOVERY CALL…

Schedule Your FREE 30 Minute Discovery Call

As a Holistic Dietitian and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, I help clients get proper testing, assist in the process of reading those results using clinical correlation (treating the patient and not just the test results), and give them the proper tools (diet, supplements, and lifestyle) to start the healing process.

  The post Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss appeared first on The Organic Dietitian.

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Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss

Estrogen dominance is very common these days,but that DOES NOT make it normal.  Our modern world creates the perfect environment for estrogen to take over.  It may seem impossible, but you can do something about it.  Yes, YOU can!  You just have to know what is causing estrogen dominance in you specifically.  There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to addressing estrogen dominance.  I know because I spent years trying to figure out what was causing estrogen dominance in my own body.  Different doctors told me what to do, but nothing was helping.  That’s because no one was addressing the root cause.

I work with a lot of women dealing with the symptoms of estrogen dominance.  Things like PMS, heavy or irregular periods, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, brain fog, mood swings, depression, irritability, low libido, histamine intolerance, fibroids, endometriosis, thyroid problems, gall bladder issues, and blood sugar issues.  Any of these sound familiar?

Many things can contribute but here is a list of the top causes I see with my clients…

1. Gut dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance)

Your gut and hormones are absolutely connected.  Glucuronidation is one of the major phase 2 detoxification pathways in the liver that helps us eliminate hormones from the body.  An enzyme called beta glucuronidase can block this detoxification process, which can cause your hormones (including estrogen) to get reabsorbed, reactivated, and put back into circulation.  Beta glucuronidase is produced by imbalanced intestinal bacteria.

So to address the cause, you need to lower this enzyme by balancing your gut bacteria.  Sorry to say it but simply taking a probiotic is usually not enough to re-balance the gut.  Get a good stool test, like the GI MAP, to address bacterial overgrowth.  The nice thing about the GI MAP is that it actually tests for the beta glucuronidase enzyme.  This result below was the first GI MAP I took…it showed over double what the lab considers normal!  In order to address the cause, I worked to re-balance my gut bacteria, which is a process that should be customized to you and your microbiome.

2. Poor liver detoxification (overall, phase 1, or phase 2?)  

If your liver is sluggish, then it will be difficult to clear estrogen from your body, no matter what.  We live in a pretty toxic world, which makes our livers work really hard.  The liver processes hormones to get them ready to be eliminated from the body.  If the liver is not functioning optimally, estrogen levels can be high because your body is not breaking it down and getting rid of it like it should.  It is important to know if there is a specific phase of liver detoxification where estrogen is getting backed up.  This information can help figure out what you need to do to address the cause.

If phase 1 of estrogen metabolism is stuck then a supplement like DIM can help but if that isn’t the problem, then you could be wasting your money on an unnecessary supplement or even cause estrogen to drop too low.

Phase 2 of estrogen detoxification is a process called methylation.  Genetically we might not be good at methylating properly, but we also depend on certain nutrients for this process to work correctly.  We need vitamin folate, B12, B6, and magnesium. If you are deficient, then that could be a contributing factor to your estrogen dominance.  These pathways can’t be tested using blood or saliva, but you can test them with urine, which is why I use DUTCH test by Precision Analytical with my clients.  So much more information!  Save yourself a lot of trouble and get tested instead of guessing.

3. Constipation

I talk about pooping all the time with my clients.  Your bowel movements can tell you a lot about your health.  When you are not having at least one bowel movement per day, when you are not eliminating fully, or when you are going and it looks like little pellets, then you are constipated.  Estrogen that should have been eliminated from the body in your stool is reabsorbed in the gut and re-circulates in the body.  It’s the gut’s responsibility to eliminate hormones.  Get to the root cause of your constipation.  Is it your thyroid, gut pathogens, motility issues, dehydration, low fiber, stress, or something else?  Start by increase your water intake.  You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in pounds in ounces of water per day (coffee and alcohol doesn’t count).  Then make sure you are eating enough fiber by increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables.  If that doesn’t help then you may need to investigate further.  Test your thyroid and gut with functional lab testing.  Proper testing is key!

4.  Low progesterone

Estrogen dominance does not always equal high estrogen.  Estrogen can be at a normal level, but if progesterone is too low then you can still have estrogen dominance symptoms.  So why is progesterone low?  Not eating enough healthy fats, too low body weight, chronic stress, HPA axis dysfunction (AKA adrenal fatigue), gluten sensitivity, lack of ovulation, hypothyroidism, or high prolactin– these are just some causes of low progesterone.  It is all about getting to YOUR root cause.  A good practitioner should be able to help you with this investigation.  That is exactly what I do with my clients.

5.  Copper toxicity and Other Heavy Metals

We can become copper toxic in a variety of ways.  Hormonal birth control (pill, patch, ring), copper pipes, copper IUDs, hormone replacement therapy.  It can even be something that was passed to you in-utero from your mother.  Copper stimulates estrogen production and estrogen can increase copper; they are very connected.  When one goes up the other can follow.  In my practice I use hair mineral analysis testing to look for copper issues.  If you have looked at all the other factors and still can’t seem to find out what is causing your high estrogen, then it might be time to consider copper.

Other heavy metals like aluminum, mercury, and lead are also considered metalloestrogens, which means that they have the ability to mimic estrogen in the body.  Some metals are considered essential minerals, but if the concentration of these metals become too high, they can interfere with hormones.  These types of metals are much harder for the body to eliminate on its own.  I like to do a hair mineral analysis test with clients, especially when they are having a hard time addressing why their estrogen is high.

6.  Inflammation

Do you have a lot of inflammation in your body?  Maybe aches, pains, skin problems, joint discomfort, gut issues, heart problems, excess weight, inflamed gums in your mouth?  Do you have a lot of food sensitivities?  Have you been exposed to a lot of toxins?  Inflammation anywhere in your body can be a problem because it can drive up your production of cortisol (your stress hormone that can also be anti-inflammatory).  High cortisol can equal higher DHEA, which then can get made into testosterone and – yes-even estrogen.

These are the top root causes of estrogen dominance that I see in my practice.  It is also very possible to have more than one root cause.  This can be an overwhelming and sometimes complicated beat to tackle.  Working with someone that can help you navigate your root cause(s) and provide you with the best game plan to get your hormones back into balance can be very helpful.   When your hormones are balanced it is easier to maintain a healthy weight, have clear skin, have healthier periods, and slow down the aging process.  If you don’t have the ability to work with a professional, below are a couple things you can  start to do on your own.

What can you start doing today to help your estrogen?

 1.  Use safer beauty products. Toxic chemicals in conventional beauty products can be hormone disruptors.  These chemicals can act like hormones in your body and contribute to higher estrogen levels.  Beautycounter is my favorite safer beauty line!  Consider swapping out your shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, and makeup for non-toxic products.  Read my post Are Your Beauty Products Contributing to Hormone Imbalance for more info.

2.  Eat more veggies.  Things like cruciferous vegetables contain a compound that help to support phase 1 of estrogen detoxification.  Even raw carrots contain a beneficial fiber that helps to eliminate estrogen from your system.  Don’t forget your leafy green veggies that are a good source of folate and support phase 2 of estrogen detoxification.  These are easy things you can incorporate into your daily meals.

3.  Love your liver with castor oil packs. I wrote a whole post about it so go check it out here.

4.  Get enough sleep. Sleep is super critical for overall health and it is whenyour body does a lot of repair work.  Just two consecutive night of not sleeping well can negatively impact your cortisol levels.  And high cortisol can lead to high estrogen.  Get to bed by 10pm and work toward getting at least eight hours per night.

5.  Manage your stress. I can’t emphasis this one enough!  Stress is terrible for your hormones.  Stress negatively impacts your adrenal glands and cortisol levels, which makes it really hard to get your hormones back on track.  Deep breathing, getting out in nature, and a daily self-care ritual are my favorite ways to keep my stress in check.

Resolving estrogen dominance is a multi-factorial process including nutrition, lifestyle, proper detoxification, and healing other bodily systems like the adrenals and gut.

ARE YOU READY TO GET TESTED AND TURN YOUR HEALTH AROUND?  CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO REQUEST A FREE 30 MINUTE DISCOVERY CALL…

Schedule Your FREE 30 Minute Discovery Call

As a Holistic Dietitian and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, I help clients get proper testing, assist in the process of reading those results using clinical correlation (treating the patient and not just the test results), and give them the proper tools (diet, supplements, and lifestyle) to start the healing process.

  The post Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss appeared first on The Organic Dietitian.

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How To Overcome Anxiety and Feel More at Ease (Part 1)

New Post has been published on https://headacheshelp.com/awesome/how-to-overcome-anxiety-and-feel-more-at-ease-part-1/

How To Overcome Anxiety and Feel More at Ease (Part 1)

Anxiety ailments are the most prevalent mental health challenge we face. Globally, an estimated 275 million people, or 4 % of the population, were affected in 2016. (( Our World in Data: Anxiety Disorders )) In the U.S ., 18.1% of the adult population suffers every year and 30% of people will experience nervousnes at some phase .(( Anxiety And Depression Association of America: Facts& Statistics )) Anxiety ailments touch 25.1% of children between 13 and 18 years old and women are almost twice as likely to experience anxiety ailments than males.

So if you’re feeling anxious or suffering from anxiety, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Not merely is anxiety highly common, it is also highly treatable. Yet less than half of people suffering seek treatment.

Having been there myself, I know it is scary, confusing, frustrating and difficult. At periods, it feels like it’s going to suffocate you or swallow you whole; and you fear you’ll never feel like yourself again.

I recollect a day when I stands at the front door sobbing because I didn’t want my husband to leave for work in the morning. It was not me. I have always been laid back, easygoing and fearless. And all of a sudden I was anxious, scared and full of fear.

What attained it even worse was feeling scared I would feel that way forever. I remember calling a good friend on my route home one day from therapy. She’d suffered from anxiety too. I’ll never forget it what she told me. It was a turning point in my healing. “It WILL get better; you won’t always feel like this. I know it feels like it now, but you won’t. I promise, you will get better”. Those terms resonated profoundly and stuck with me through the toughest of periods. I desperately needed to know there was hope.

Everyone I’ve spoken to who’s suffered from anxiety says something similar. I thought it would never end. I supposed I was going to have to live like that forever( and I knew I couldn’t ). I has no such idea how I was going to get out of it. But they all been through this it.

In this article, I’ll share real tales and recommendations from those who have been through anxiety, as well as tips-off and strategies from mental health professionals.

All of them share one common sentiment: anxiety is common and can be treated. If you can summon up the strength and gallantry to take a few steps out of the darkness, you will find light.

So if you’re out there wondering if you will EVER get through this, wondering if you will EVER feel like yourself again, wondering if this will EVER end…It CAN and it WILL.

For those of you facing anxiety on any level, my hope is that you find at least one of these stories, strategies or resources helpful and supportive in running through your own process and journey.

What Is Anxiety? People use the term’ anxiety’ to describe everything from a stressful impression or situation to a severe feeling of anxiety, and even anxiety assaults which can come out of nowhere and closely mimic the same symptoms of a heart attack.

According to David Carbonell, PhD .( The Anxiety Coach ): “Anxiety is a set of feelings, thinks, and physical sensations typically centered on some dread about a future event or potential instance. Anxiety is an ordinary emotion which is part of life. We would have trouble functioning without it.

An anxiety ailment, on the other hand, is a condition in which a person has literally become afraid of their experiences of nervousnes and tries to resist and avoid those experiences in ways that attain the problem worse rather than better. People develop an nervousnes disorder for various reasons. It seems clear that there are genetic predispositions to develop them. People who score high on a measure of’ anxiety sensitivity’ are more prone to develop one.” There are several major nervousnes ailments including Panic Disorder, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Social Anxiety Disorder, and specific phobias of all kinds. When talking about overcoming anxiety, since there are such differing levels and degrees of what that means, there are also varying levels of treatment and supporting .(( Anxiety and Depression Association of America: Understand the Facts ))

What Causes Anxiety? Here’s the technical answer from Jennie Morton: “The experience of anxiety has emerged from a cascade of events that are triggered in the body by the activation of the sympathetic nervous system( or battle/ flight mechanism) in response to a threat. This is a very natural reaction that is designed to ensure our survival when under assault from a predator. An area of our brain called the amygdala acts as a kind of’ smoke detector’ for environmental menaces and plays a key role in triggering the fight or flight response.

The amygdala (( Science Daily: Amygdala )) is also involved in emotional learning and, based on our experiences from childhood onward, will label certain places, people, situations, etc. as either safe or unsafe.

So while for many the experience of nervousnes may seem irrational or illogical, there will be a reason why the amygdala has chosen to spark this sensation. Somewhere along the line it put a red flag warning on an event or even just a particular aspect of a threatening situation which it is then conditioned to repeat.” In my experience, if you’re suffering from anxiety, something bigger is going on. Anxiety is not the problem. Anxiety is a symptom of something.

There are many complex and varying causes for anxiety, including;

Life experiences and events( including trauma)

Genetics and upbringing

Brain chemistry

Medical conditions( including blood sugar imbalance, thyroid dysfunction and gut imbalance/ food sensitivities ), and

Forms of stress including unhealthy relationships, demanding tasks, and financial obligations.

More often than not, anxiety is a sign you are out of alignment or out of balance in some way shape or kind- mentally, emotionally, physically or even spiritually.

It’s your body’s way of telling you something isn’t’ functioning. Something is not right. Our bodies are quite amazing. They have a way of telling us to slow down, do something different, pay attention or make a change. And if we don’t listen, guess what? They scream louder. And often, they speak the language of nervousnes. Remember, anxiety is a message. To honor this message, seem deeper into what may be out of balance in your body, as well as your life. This may feel scary at first, but remember, the life you want is on the other side of dread! — Dr. Kelly Brogan How to Heal Your Anxiety I’d like to introduce Erica Phillipson. Erica is a Graphic Artist, Yoga Instructor& Retreat Facilitator( and former Club DJ& Radio Show Host ).

Here, she shares her personal narrative and recommendations for overcoming anxiety:

At the height of my anxiety, I thought I would never get through it. I didn’t simply have anxiety, I had Panic Disorder. On bad days, I would have 6 or 7 panic attack. They would sometimes last for over an hour and often it would take me a few hours to recover. The trauma I experienced took a toll on me both physically and psychologically. Eventually, everything became too much for me. I didn’t want to get too excited/ nervous/ scared, I didn’t want to set myself in any situation that could trigger my anxiety, I didn’t want to leave the house. I felt like I had short-circuited. I even got to a phase where I would worry that merely thinking about a panic attack was going to bring one on.

I thought it would never objective. But it did. It may have lasted 6 years, but I haven’t had a panic attack for over 6 years now!

Having Panic Disorder pushed me to work through so much’ stuff’. It forced me to really go deep within myself. Seeming back at how much I evolved during that time, I can frankly say that my Panic Disorder has been one of my life’s greatest gifts. Without it, I would have stayed in a career that was not working for me; I would not have found balance in my life; I would still be saying yes when the answer in my heart is no. I would probably not be as grateful for the little things that induce our lives so beautiful; I would not be the person I am today.

I know who I am. I know what I want. I know what I am willing- and not willing- to put up with. I am glad! If I can get through it, you can, too.

This anxiety you are facing is a tool for growth, but you need to be willing to work with it. Your body has given you nervousnes because it is trying to tell you something but you have not been listening. It’s time to listen.

As I went through my healing process, I tried every type of therapy out there, including: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Tapping, Vitamins, Homeopathy, Yoga, Hypnosis, Art procedures, kundalini, Breathwork and drug( for a few months ).

I’m said he hopes that the knowledge I is obtained from these therapies will help you to heal quicker than it took me.

The biggest thing I want you to know is that no one can heal you but you.

Here are my recommendations: 1. Know your triggers. Get to the root issue of what’s not working and what’s causing anxiety.

For me, there were a few triggers. I was working too much , not sleeping, traveling every week and stressed out. I was afraid of flying( from a past experience as a child ), so having to perform in a new city every week became a massive trigger for me.

Living on my own became a trigger because I would arrive home in the early hours of the morning when no one was around( in one of the most dangerous cities in the world, Johannesburg ).

My radio indicate also became a trigger because it was naturally nerve-wracking for me. DJing at clubs became a trigger for me because it’s stressful having to keep a dance floor full and happy.

Compounding these triggers resulted in the perfect recipe for Panic Disorder.

I also use coping mechanisms to keep me running. I would get ready to DJ a present by drinking Coke and a shot of tequila so that I was’ awake and smiling’. Now this may sound extreme, but my guess is many of you have your own versions of this- taking medication for that headache every day, having one too many glasses of wine every night, taking sleeping capsule so you can sleep or drinking style too much coffee to get through the next hour of run. All of those things are masking something that’s not working.

Find out what they are and eliminate those things from your life. Make the changes step by step, and eventually you will begin to understand your anxiety and get what your body is trying to tell you.

It’s not going to be easy, but it’s going to be a heck of a lot easier than living the style you are right now. 2. Find what brings you JOY and add more of that to your life. Discovery what brings you balance, makes you feel good, or brings positivity.

Do what you love. Find things that are aligned with your heart, your soul, your purpose. 3. Surround yourself with people that’ get you’. Unless you’ve had anxiety, you can’t truly understand better how it feels. Not many people got what I was going through.

So many times I suffered panic attacks’ in broad daylight’. I would be hosting my show, DJing to a thousand people, at a fundraiser for the “South African Depression and Anxiety Group”( ironic !), and wouldn’t tell a spirit.

Others would try and help by telling me’ it was going to be ok’ or’ I must think about something else’, but they had NO idea how dark it was. I guessed I was going to die. I guessed I was going to lose my mind and never come back.

It’s important to find your people. Maybe they have gone through it themselves, maybe they just know how to support you unconditionally, perhaps it’s a therapist who can support and normalize what you’re facing.

My husband was my rock, his love helped me mend. My best friend was incredible, she took my panic attack seriously and that meant the world to me. I also determined immense convenience in my puppy, Nala. She genuinely was my emotional support dog. 4. Take care of your body. Eat healthy foods, practise yoga, journal, exercise, breathwork, sleep … These were critical in my healing. 5. Acceptance. When I stopped opposing my panic attacks and faced them, they moved through me much more quickly.

Being aware of what has triggered you and how you are feeling will help you to gain perspective and slowly. But, surely you will understand that you are safe and nothing is going to happen to you. 6. Get to know yourself. This was the single most important factor of my healing. So much of my nervousnes was caused from being out of alignment with who I was, I had to get REAL.

I procured myself in a life that was NOT working for me. I was in a job that wasn’t me. It was glamorous, fun and astonishing from the outside; it looked like the dreaming task. But it wasn’t me. It wasn’t what I wanted to do or how I wanted to do it.

I had to look at who I was, what I wanted in life and what genuinely made me happy. I had to dig into my faiths, values, and moral compass.

Please, as you go through this, don’t be so hard on yourself. Be gentle and nurturing. This is a process and takes time. There is no one way to heal from nervousnes. The root cause is different for different people and the solution will be as well. Try everything. Note what works and let go of what doesn’t.

Lastly, consider that the universe might just be giving you a gift. Maybe say to yourself: “Here’s a gift. It’s called anxiety. Let’s insure what it brings me”. I hope I had that perspective and I hope it helps you.” Conclusion I love Erica’s incredible story and am so thankful she’s shared it with us. It’s a poignant reminder that there’s a reason you have anxiety and that there are things you can do to overcome it.

Personally, I addressed my anxiety from an integrative, holistic approach as well. I stepped back and assessed my life and looked at what needed to happen mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. I went to therapy, worked with a coach, made some important life changes, got bodywork, read books, did yoga, and practiced meditation.

I learned grounding techniques. I changed my eating. I cut out alcohol, caffeine and artificial sweeteners. I tried everything I could get my hands on. I maintained what worked for me and let go of what didn’t.

I was able to work through my nervousnes too…and though I can’t pinpoint exactly what helped the most, I know it was this integrative, multi-faceted approach that made a difference.

Today, I wouldn’t say I’m back to my old self. I’d say I’m happy to be my new ego.

As Nietzsche so wisely said many years ago, “That which does not kill me induces me stronger”.

It’s true. My experience with nervousnes has helped me evolve into the more conscious, thoughtful, connected and compassionate person I am today.

For those of you facing anxiety on different levels, my hope is that these stories and suggestions are supportive in helping you work through your own process so you can move forward and uncover that ‘gift’ Erica spoke about.

Your next step? Take a step forward — any step. That may entail trying one of the techniques you’ve read here or reaching out for help. There are many forms of fantastic therapies that can help – but they can only work if you do.

Don’t miss PART 2 of the Anxiety Series which includes additional stories and lots of great strategies from mental health professionals and experts.

And below are some additional resources to support you in your healing. Resources and Websites Therapists If you’re experiencing persistent and excessive levels of anxiety, I highly recommend you reach out to your doctor, therapist or specialist for support.

To find a therapist near you, reach out to someone you trust who can make a recommendation, contact one of our professionals above or find someone here:

Anxiety Disorders Association of America

Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies

Additional Websites

Anxiety and Depression Association of America

The Anxiety Coach

MarisaPeer.com

Kelly Brogan

Best Anxiety Blog 2019

National Institute of Mental Health

Read more: lifehack.org

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Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss

Estrogen dominance is very common these days,but that DOES NOT make it normal.  Our modern world creates the perfect environment for estrogen to take over.  It may seem impossible, but you can do something about it.  Yes, YOU can!  You just have to know what is causing estrogen dominance in you specifically.  There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to addressing estrogen dominance.  I know because I spent years trying to figure out what was causing estrogen dominance in my own body.  Different doctors told me what to do, but nothing was helping.  That’s because no one was addressing the root cause.

I work with a lot of women dealing with the symptoms of estrogen dominance.  Things like PMS, heavy or irregular periods, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, brain fog, mood swings, depression, irritability, low libido, histamine intolerance, fibroids, endometriosis, thyroid problems, gall bladder issues, and blood sugar issues.  Any of these sound familiar?

Many things can contribute but here is a list of the top causes I see with my clients…

1. Gut dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance)

Your gut and hormones are absolutely connected.  Glucuronidation is one of the major phase 2 detoxification pathways in the liver that helps us eliminate hormones from the body.  An enzyme called beta glucuronidase can block this detoxification process, which can cause your hormones (including estrogen) to get reabsorbed, reactivated, and put back into circulation.  Beta glucuronidase is produced by imbalanced intestinal bacteria.

So to address the cause, you need to lower this enzyme by balancing your gut bacteria.  Sorry to say it but simply taking a probiotic is usually not enough to re-balance the gut.  Get a good stool test, like the GI MAP, to address bacterial overgrowth.  The nice thing about the GI MAP is that it actually tests for the beta glucuronidase enzyme.  This result below was the first GI MAP I took…it showed over double what the lab considers normal!  In order to address the cause, I worked to re-balance my gut bacteria, which is a process that should be customized to you and your microbiome.

2. Poor liver detoxification (overall, phase 1, or phase 2?)  

If your liver is sluggish, then it will be difficult to clear estrogen from your body, no matter what.  We live in a pretty toxic world, which makes our livers work really hard.  The liver processes hormones to get them ready to be eliminated from the body.  If the liver is not functioning optimally, estrogen levels can be high because your body is not breaking it down and getting rid of it like it should.  It is important to know if there is a specific phase of liver detoxification where estrogen is getting backed up.  This information can help figure out what you need to do to address the cause.

If phase 1 of estrogen metabolism is stuck then a supplement like DIM can help but if that isn’t the problem, then you could be wasting your money on an unnecessary supplement or even cause estrogen to drop too low.

Phase 2 of estrogen detoxification is a process called methylation.  Genetically we might not be good at methylating properly, but we also depend on certain nutrients for this process to work correctly.  We need vitamin folate, B12, B6, and magnesium. If you are deficient, then that could be a contributing factor to your estrogen dominance.  These pathways can’t be tested using blood or saliva, but you can test them with urine, which is why I use DUTCH test by Precision Analytical with my clients.  So much more information!  Save yourself a lot of trouble and get tested instead of guessing.

3. Constipation

I talk about pooping all the time with my clients.  Your bowel movements can tell you a lot about your health.  When you are not having at least one bowel movement per day, when you are not eliminating fully, or when you are going and it looks like little pellets, then you are constipated.  Estrogen that should have been eliminated from the body in your stool is reabsorbed in the gut and re-circulates in the body.  It’s the gut’s responsibility to eliminate hormones.  Get to the root cause of your constipation.  Is it your thyroid, gut pathogens, motility issues, dehydration, low fiber, stress, or something else?  Start by increase your water intake.  You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in pounds in ounces of water per day (coffee and alcohol doesn’t count).  Then make sure you are eating enough fiber by increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables.  If that doesn’t help then you may need to investigate further.  Test your thyroid and gut with functional lab testing.  Proper testing is key!

4.  Low progesterone

Estrogen dominance does not always equal high estrogen.  Estrogen can be at a normal level, but if progesterone is too low then you can still have estrogen dominance symptoms.  So why is progesterone low?  Not eating enough healthy fats, too low body weight, chronic stress, HPA axis dysfunction (AKA adrenal fatigue), gluten sensitivity, lack of ovulation, hypothyroidism, or high prolactin– these are just some causes of low progesterone.  It is all about getting to YOUR root cause.  A good practitioner should be able to help you with this investigation.  That is exactly what I do with my clients.

5.  Copper toxicity and Other Heavy Metals

We can become copper toxic in a variety of ways.  Hormonal birth control (pill, patch, ring), copper pipes, copper IUDs, hormone replacement therapy.  It can even be something that was passed to you in-utero from your mother.  Copper stimulates estrogen production and estrogen can increase copper; they are very connected.  When one goes up the other can follow.  In my practice I use hair mineral analysis testing to look for copper issues.  If you have looked at all the other factors and still can’t seem to find out what is causing your high estrogen, then it might be time to consider copper.

Other heavy metals like aluminum, mercury, and lead are also considered metalloestrogens, which means that they have the ability to mimic estrogen in the body.  Some metals are considered essential minerals, but if the concentration of these metals become too high, they can interfere with hormones.  These types of metals are much harder for the body to eliminate on its own.  I like to do a hair mineral analysis test with clients, especially when they are having a hard time addressing why their estrogen is high.

6.  Inflammation

Do you have a lot of inflammation in your body?  Maybe aches, pains, skin problems, joint discomfort, gut issues, heart problems, excess weight, inflamed gums in your mouth?  Do you have a lot of food sensitivities?  Have you been exposed to a lot of toxins?  Inflammation anywhere in your body can be a problem because it can drive up your production of cortisol (your stress hormone that can also be anti-inflammatory).  High cortisol can equal higher DHEA, which then can get made into testosterone and – yes-even estrogen.

These are the top root causes of estrogen dominance that I see in my practice.  It is also very possible to have more than one root cause.  This can be an overwhelming and sometimes complicated beat to tackle.  Working with someone that can help you navigate your root cause(s) and provide you with the best game plan to get your hormones back into balance can be very helpful.   When your hormones are balanced it is easier to maintain a healthy weight, have clear skin, have healthier periods, and slow down the aging process.  If you don’t have the ability to work with a professional, below are a couple things you can  start to do on your own.

What can you start doing today to help your estrogen?

 1.  Use safer beauty products. Toxic chemicals in conventional beauty products can be hormone disruptors.  These chemicals can act like hormones in your body and contribute to higher estrogen levels.  Beautycounter is my favorite safer beauty line!  Consider swapping out your shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, and makeup for non-toxic products.  Read my post Are Your Beauty Products Contributing to Hormone Imbalance for more info.

2.  Eat more veggies.  Things like cruciferous vegetables contain a compound that help to support phase 1 of estrogen detoxification.  Even raw carrots contain a beneficial fiber that helps to eliminate estrogen from your system.  Don’t forget your leafy green veggies that are a good source of folate and support phase 2 of estrogen detoxification.  These are easy things you can incorporate into your daily meals.

3.  Love your liver with castor oil packs. I wrote a whole post about it so go check it out here.

4.  Get enough sleep. Sleep is super critical for overall health and it is whenyour body does a lot of repair work.  Just two consecutive night of not sleeping well can negatively impact your cortisol levels.  And high cortisol can lead to high estrogen.  Get to bed by 10pm and work toward getting at least eight hours per night.

5.  Manage your stress. I can’t emphasis this one enough!  Stress is terrible for your hormones.  Stress negatively impacts your adrenal glands and cortisol levels, which makes it really hard to get your hormones back on track.  Deep breathing, getting out in nature, and a daily self-care ritual are my favorite ways to keep my stress in check.

Resolving estrogen dominance is a multi-factorial process including nutrition, lifestyle, proper detoxification, and healing other bodily systems like the adrenals and gut.

ARE YOU READY TO GET TESTED AND TURN YOUR HEALTH AROUND?  CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO REQUEST A FREE 30 MINUTE DISCOVERY CALL…

Schedule Your FREE 30 Minute Discovery Call

As a Holistic Dietitian and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, I help clients get proper testing, assist in the process of reading those results using clinical correlation (treating the patient and not just the test results), and give them the proper tools (diet, supplements, and lifestyle) to start the healing process.

  The post Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss appeared first on The Organic Dietitian.

[kathrinelewisne]

Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss

Estrogen dominance is very common these days,but that DOES NOT make it normal.  Our modern world creates the perfect environment for estrogen to take over.  It may seem impossible, but you can do something about it.  Yes, YOU can!  You just have to know what is causing estrogen dominance in you specifically.  There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to addressing estrogen dominance.  I know because I spent years trying to figure out what was causing estrogen dominance in my own body.  Different doctors told me what to do, but nothing was helping.  That’s because no one was addressing the root cause.

I work with a lot of women dealing with the symptoms of estrogen dominance.  Things like PMS, heavy or irregular periods, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, brain fog, mood swings, depression, irritability, low libido, histamine intolerance, fibroids, endometriosis, thyroid problems, gall bladder issues, and blood sugar issues.  Any of these sound familiar?

Many things can contribute but here is a list of the top causes I see with my clients…

1. Gut dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance)

Your gut and hormones are absolutely connected.  Glucuronidation is one of the major phase 2 detoxification pathways in the liver that helps us eliminate hormones from the body.  An enzyme called beta glucuronidase can block this detoxification process, which can cause your hormones (including estrogen) to get reabsorbed, reactivated, and put back into circulation.  Beta glucuronidase is produced by imbalanced intestinal bacteria.

So to address the cause, you need to lower this enzyme by balancing your gut bacteria.  Sorry to say it but simply taking a probiotic is usually not enough to re-balance the gut.  Get a good stool test, like the GI MAP, to address bacterial overgrowth.  The nice thing about the GI MAP is that it actually tests for the beta glucuronidase enzyme.  This result below was the first GI MAP I took…it showed over double what the lab considers normal!  In order to address the cause, I worked to re-balance my gut bacteria, which is a process that should be customized to you and your microbiome.

2. Poor liver detoxification (overall, phase 1, or phase 2?)  

If your liver is sluggish, then it will be difficult to clear estrogen from your body, no matter what.  We live in a pretty toxic world, which makes our livers work really hard.  The liver processes hormones to get them ready to be eliminated from the body.  If the liver is not functioning optimally, estrogen levels can be high because your body is not breaking it down and getting rid of it like it should.  It is important to know if there is a specific phase of liver detoxification where estrogen is getting backed up.  This information can help figure out what you need to do to address the cause.

If phase 1 of estrogen metabolism is stuck then a supplement like DIM can help but if that isn’t the problem, then you could be wasting your money on an unnecessary supplement or even cause estrogen to drop too low.

Phase 2 of estrogen detoxification is a process called methylation.  Genetically we might not be good at methylating properly, but we also depend on certain nutrients for this process to work correctly.  We need vitamin folate, B12, B6, and magnesium. If you are deficient, then that could be a contributing factor to your estrogen dominance.  These pathways can’t be tested using blood or saliva, but you can test them with urine, which is why I use DUTCH test by Precision Analytical with my clients.  So much more information!  Save yourself a lot of trouble and get tested instead of guessing.

3. Constipation

I talk about pooping all the time with my clients.  Your bowel movements can tell you a lot about your health.  When you are not having at least one bowel movement per day, when you are not eliminating fully, or when you are going and it looks like little pellets, then you are constipated.  Estrogen that should have been eliminated from the body in your stool is reabsorbed in the gut and re-circulates in the body.  It’s the gut’s responsibility to eliminate hormones.  Get to the root cause of your constipation.  Is it your thyroid, gut pathogens, motility issues, dehydration, low fiber, stress, or something else?  Start by increase your water intake.  You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in pounds in ounces of water per day (coffee and alcohol doesn’t count).  Then make sure you are eating enough fiber by increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables.  If that doesn’t help then you may need to investigate further.  Test your thyroid and gut with functional lab testing.  Proper testing is key!

4.  Low progesterone

Estrogen dominance does not always equal high estrogen.  Estrogen can be at a normal level, but if progesterone is too low then you can still have estrogen dominance symptoms.  So why is progesterone low?  Not eating enough healthy fats, too low body weight, chronic stress, HPA axis dysfunction (AKA adrenal fatigue), gluten sensitivity, lack of ovulation, hypothyroidism, or high prolactin– these are just some causes of low progesterone.  It is all about getting to YOUR root cause.  A good practitioner should be able to help you with this investigation.  That is exactly what I do with my clients.

5.  Copper toxicity and Other Heavy Metals

We can become copper toxic in a variety of ways.  Hormonal birth control (pill, patch, ring), copper pipes, copper IUDs, hormone replacement therapy.  It can even be something that was passed to you in-utero from your mother.  Copper stimulates estrogen production and estrogen can increase copper; they are very connected.  When one goes up the other can follow.  In my practice I use hair mineral analysis testing to look for copper issues.  If you have looked at all the other factors and still can’t seem to find out what is causing your high estrogen, then it might be time to consider copper.

Other heavy metals like aluminum, mercury, and lead are also considered metalloestrogens, which means that they have the ability to mimic estrogen in the body.  Some metals are considered essential minerals, but if the concentration of these metals become too high, they can interfere with hormones.  These types of metals are much harder for the body to eliminate on its own.  I like to do a hair mineral analysis test with clients, especially when they are having a hard time addressing why their estrogen is high.

6.  Inflammation

Do you have a lot of inflammation in your body?  Maybe aches, pains, skin problems, joint discomfort, gut issues, heart problems, excess weight, inflamed gums in your mouth?  Do you have a lot of food sensitivities?  Have you been exposed to a lot of toxins?  Inflammation anywhere in your body can be a problem because it can drive up your production of cortisol (your stress hormone that can also be anti-inflammatory).  High cortisol can equal higher DHEA, which then can get made into testosterone and – yes-even estrogen.

These are the top root causes of estrogen dominance that I see in my practice.  It is also very possible to have more than one root cause.  This can be an overwhelming and sometimes complicated beat to tackle.  Working with someone that can help you navigate your root cause(s) and provide you with the best game plan to get your hormones back into balance can be very helpful.   When your hormones are balanced it is easier to maintain a healthy weight, have clear skin, have healthier periods, and slow down the aging process.  If you don’t have the ability to work with a professional, below are a couple things you can  start to do on your own.

What can you start doing today to help your estrogen?

 1.  Use safer beauty products. Toxic chemicals in conventional beauty products can be hormone disruptors.  These chemicals can act like hormones in your body and contribute to higher estrogen levels.  Beautycounter is my favorite safer beauty line!  Consider swapping out your shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, and makeup for non-toxic products.  Read my post Are Your Beauty Products Contributing to Hormone Imbalance for more info.

2.  Eat more veggies.  Things like cruciferous vegetables contain a compound that help to support phase 1 of estrogen detoxification.  Even raw carrots contain a beneficial fiber that helps to eliminate estrogen from your system.  Don’t forget your leafy green veggies that are a good source of folate and support phase 2 of estrogen detoxification.  These are easy things you can incorporate into your daily meals.

3.  Love your liver with castor oil packs. I wrote a whole post about it so go check it out here.

4.  Get enough sleep. Sleep is super critical for overall health and it is whenyour body does a lot of repair work.  Just two consecutive night of not sleeping well can negatively impact your cortisol levels.  And high cortisol can lead to high estrogen.  Get to bed by 10pm and work toward getting at least eight hours per night.

5.  Manage your stress. I can’t emphasis this one enough!  Stress is terrible for your hormones.  Stress negatively impacts your adrenal glands and cortisol levels, which makes it really hard to get your hormones back on track.  Deep breathing, getting out in nature, and a daily self-care ritual are my favorite ways to keep my stress in check.

Resolving estrogen dominance is a multi-factorial process including nutrition, lifestyle, proper detoxification, and healing other bodily systems like the adrenals and gut.

ARE YOU READY TO GET TESTED AND TURN YOUR HEALTH AROUND?  CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO REQUEST A FREE 30 MINUTE DISCOVERY CALL…

Schedule Your FREE 30 Minute Discovery Call

As a Holistic Dietitian and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, I help clients get proper testing, assist in the process of reading those results using clinical correlation (treating the patient and not just the test results), and give them the proper tools (diet, supplements, and lifestyle) to start the healing process.

  The post Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss appeared first on The Organic Dietitian.

[ivorysandersonmkna]

Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss

Estrogen dominance is very common these days,but that DOES NOT make it normal.  Our modern world creates the perfect environment for estrogen to take over.  It may seem impossible, but you can do something about it.  Yes, YOU can!  You just have to know what is causing estrogen dominance in you specifically.  There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to addressing estrogen dominance.  I know because I spent years trying to figure out what was causing estrogen dominance in my own body.  Different doctors told me what to do, but nothing was helping.  That’s because no one was addressing the root cause.

I work with a lot of women dealing with the symptoms of estrogen dominance.  Things like PMS, heavy or irregular periods, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, brain fog, mood swings, depression, irritability, low libido, histamine intolerance, fibroids, endometriosis, thyroid problems, gall bladder issues, and blood sugar issues.  Any of these sound familiar?

Many things can contribute but here is a list of the top causes I see with my clients…

1. Gut dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance)

Your gut and hormones are absolutely connected.  Glucuronidation is one of the major phase 2 detoxification pathways in the liver that helps us eliminate hormones from the body.  An enzyme called beta glucuronidase can block this detoxification process, which can cause your hormones (including estrogen) to get reabsorbed, reactivated, and put back into circulation.  Beta glucuronidase is produced by imbalanced intestinal bacteria.

So to address the cause, you need to lower this enzyme by balancing your gut bacteria.  Sorry to say it but simply taking a probiotic is usually not enough to re-balance the gut.  Get a good stool test, like the GI MAP, to address bacterial overgrowth.  The nice thing about the GI MAP is that it actually tests for the beta glucuronidase enzyme.  This result below was the first GI MAP I took…it showed over double what the lab considers normal!  In order to address the cause, I worked to re-balance my gut bacteria, which is a process that should be customized to you and your microbiome.

2. Poor liver detoxification (overall, phase 1, or phase 2?)  

If your liver is sluggish, then it will be difficult to clear estrogen from your body, no matter what.  We live in a pretty toxic world, which makes our livers work really hard.  The liver processes hormones to get them ready to be eliminated from the body.  If the liver is not functioning optimally, estrogen levels can be high because your body is not breaking it down and getting rid of it like it should.  It is important to know if there is a specific phase of liver detoxification where estrogen is getting backed up.  This information can help figure out what you need to do to address the cause.

If phase 1 of estrogen metabolism is stuck then a supplement like DIM can help but if that isn’t the problem, then you could be wasting your money on an unnecessary supplement or even cause estrogen to drop too low.

Phase 2 of estrogen detoxification is a process called methylation.  Genetically we might not be good at methylating properly, but we also depend on certain nutrients for this process to work correctly.  We need vitamin folate, B12, B6, and magnesium. If you are deficient, then that could be a contributing factor to your estrogen dominance.  These pathways can’t be tested using blood or saliva, but you can test them with urine, which is why I use DUTCH test by Precision Analytical with my clients.  So much more information!  Save yourself a lot of trouble and get tested instead of guessing.

3. Constipation

I talk about pooping all the time with my clients.  Your bowel movements can tell you a lot about your health.  When you are not having at least one bowel movement per day, when you are not eliminating fully, or when you are going and it looks like little pellets, then you are constipated.  Estrogen that should have been eliminated from the body in your stool is reabsorbed in the gut and re-circulates in the body.  It’s the gut’s responsibility to eliminate hormones.  Get to the root cause of your constipation.  Is it your thyroid, gut pathogens, motility issues, dehydration, low fiber, stress, or something else?  Start by increase your water intake.  You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in pounds in ounces of water per day (coffee and alcohol doesn’t count).  Then make sure you are eating enough fiber by increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables.  If that doesn’t help then you may need to investigate further.  Test your thyroid and gut with functional lab testing.  Proper testing is key!

4.  Low progesterone

Estrogen dominance does not always equal high estrogen.  Estrogen can be at a normal level, but if progesterone is too low then you can still have estrogen dominance symptoms.  So why is progesterone low?  Not eating enough healthy fats, too low body weight, chronic stress, HPA axis dysfunction (AKA adrenal fatigue), gluten sensitivity, lack of ovulation, hypothyroidism, or high prolactin– these are just some causes of low progesterone.  It is all about getting to YOUR root cause.  A good practitioner should be able to help you with this investigation.  That is exactly what I do with my clients.

5.  Copper toxicity and Other Heavy Metals

We can become copper toxic in a variety of ways.  Hormonal birth control (pill, patch, ring), copper pipes, copper IUDs, hormone replacement therapy.  It can even be something that was passed to you in-utero from your mother.  Copper stimulates estrogen production and estrogen can increase copper; they are very connected.  When one goes up the other can follow.  In my practice I use hair mineral analysis testing to look for copper issues.  If you have looked at all the other factors and still can’t seem to find out what is causing your high estrogen, then it might be time to consider copper.

Other heavy metals like aluminum, mercury, and lead are also considered metalloestrogens, which means that they have the ability to mimic estrogen in the body.  Some metals are considered essential minerals, but if the concentration of these metals become too high, they can interfere with hormones.  These types of metals are much harder for the body to eliminate on its own.  I like to do a hair mineral analysis test with clients, especially when they are having a hard time addressing why their estrogen is high.

6.  Inflammation

Do you have a lot of inflammation in your body?  Maybe aches, pains, skin problems, joint discomfort, gut issues, heart problems, excess weight, inflamed gums in your mouth?  Do you have a lot of food sensitivities?  Have you been exposed to a lot of toxins?  Inflammation anywhere in your body can be a problem because it can drive up your production of cortisol (your stress hormone that can also be anti-inflammatory).  High cortisol can equal higher DHEA, which then can get made into testosterone and – yes-even estrogen.

These are the top root causes of estrogen dominance that I see in my practice.  It is also very possible to have more than one root cause.  This can be an overwhelming and sometimes complicated beat to tackle.  Working with someone that can help you navigate your root cause(s) and provide you with the best game plan to get your hormones back into balance can be very helpful.   When your hormones are balanced it is easier to maintain a healthy weight, have clear skin, have healthier periods, and slow down the aging process.  If you don’t have the ability to work with a professional, below are a couple things you can  start to do on your own.

What can you start doing today to help your estrogen?

 1.  Use safer beauty products. Toxic chemicals in conventional beauty products can be hormone disruptors.  These chemicals can act like hormones in your body and contribute to higher estrogen levels.  Beautycounter is my favorite safer beauty line!  Consider swapping out your shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, and makeup for non-toxic products.  Read my post Are Your Beauty Products Contributing to Hormone Imbalance for more info.

2.  Eat more veggies.  Things like cruciferous vegetables contain a compound that help to support phase 1 of estrogen detoxification.  Even raw carrots contain a beneficial fiber that helps to eliminate estrogen from your system.  Don’t forget your leafy green veggies that are a good source of folate and support phase 2 of estrogen detoxification.  These are easy things you can incorporate into your daily meals.

3.  Love your liver with castor oil packs. I wrote a whole post about it so go check it out here.

4.  Get enough sleep. Sleep is super critical for overall health and it is whenyour body does a lot of repair work.  Just two consecutive night of not sleeping well can negatively impact your cortisol levels.  And high cortisol can lead to high estrogen.  Get to bed by 10pm and work toward getting at least eight hours per night.

5.  Manage your stress. I can’t emphasis this one enough!  Stress is terrible for your hormones.  Stress negatively impacts your adrenal glands and cortisol levels, which makes it really hard to get your hormones back on track.  Deep breathing, getting out in nature, and a daily self-care ritual are my favorite ways to keep my stress in check.

Resolving estrogen dominance is a multi-factorial process including nutrition, lifestyle, proper detoxification, and healing other bodily systems like the adrenals and gut.

ARE YOU READY TO GET TESTED AND TURN YOUR HEALTH AROUND?  CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO REQUEST A FREE 30 MINUTE DISCOVERY CALL…

Schedule Your FREE 30 Minute Discovery Call

As a Holistic Dietitian and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, I help clients get proper testing, assist in the process of reading those results using clinical correlation (treating the patient and not just the test results), and give them the proper tools (diet, supplements, and lifestyle) to start the healing process.

  The post Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss appeared first on The Organic Dietitian.

[scottrennne]

Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss

Estrogen dominance is very common these days,but that DOES NOT make it normal.  Our modern world creates the perfect environment for estrogen to take over.  It may seem impossible, but you can do something about it.  Yes, YOU can!  You just have to know what is causing estrogen dominance in you specifically.  There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to addressing estrogen dominance.  I know because I spent years trying to figure out what was causing estrogen dominance in my own body.  Different doctors told me what to do, but nothing was helping.  That’s because no one was addressing the root cause.

I work with a lot of women dealing with the symptoms of estrogen dominance.  Things like PMS, heavy or irregular periods, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, brain fog, mood swings, depression, irritability, low libido, histamine intolerance, fibroids, endometriosis, thyroid problems, gall bladder issues, and blood sugar issues.  Any of these sound familiar?

Many things can contribute but here is a list of the top causes I see with my clients…

1. Gut dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance)

Your gut and hormones are absolutely connected.  Glucuronidation is one of the major phase 2 detoxification pathways in the liver that helps us eliminate hormones from the body.  An enzyme called beta glucuronidase can block this detoxification process, which can cause your hormones (including estrogen) to get reabsorbed, reactivated, and put back into circulation.  Beta glucuronidase is produced by imbalanced intestinal bacteria.

So to address the cause, you need to lower this enzyme by balancing your gut bacteria.  Sorry to say it but simply taking a probiotic is usually not enough to re-balance the gut.  Get a good stool test, like the GI MAP, to address bacterial overgrowth.  The nice thing about the GI MAP is that it actually tests for the beta glucuronidase enzyme.  This result below was the first GI MAP I took…it showed over double what the lab considers normal!  In order to address the cause, I worked to re-balance my gut bacteria, which is a process that should be customized to you and your microbiome.

2. Poor liver detoxification (overall, phase 1, or phase 2?)  

If your liver is sluggish, then it will be difficult to clear estrogen from your body, no matter what.  We live in a pretty toxic world, which makes our livers work really hard.  The liver processes hormones to get them ready to be eliminated from the body.  If the liver is not functioning optimally, estrogen levels can be high because your body is not breaking it down and getting rid of it like it should.  It is important to know if there is a specific phase of liver detoxification where estrogen is getting backed up.  This information can help figure out what you need to do to address the cause.

If phase 1 of estrogen metabolism is stuck then a supplement like DIM can help but if that isn’t the problem, then you could be wasting your money on an unnecessary supplement or even cause estrogen to drop too low.

Phase 2 of estrogen detoxification is a process called methylation.  Genetically we might not be good at methylating properly, but we also depend on certain nutrients for this process to work correctly.  We need vitamin folate, B12, B6, and magnesium. If you are deficient, then that could be a contributing factor to your estrogen dominance.  These pathways can’t be tested using blood or saliva, but you can test them with urine, which is why I use DUTCH test by Precision Analytical with my clients.  So much more information!  Save yourself a lot of trouble and get tested instead of guessing.

3. Constipation

I talk about pooping all the time with my clients.  Your bowel movements can tell you a lot about your health.  When you are not having at least one bowel movement per day, when you are not eliminating fully, or when you are going and it looks like little pellets, then you are constipated.  Estrogen that should have been eliminated from the body in your stool is reabsorbed in the gut and re-circulates in the body.  It’s the gut’s responsibility to eliminate hormones.  Get to the root cause of your constipation.  Is it your thyroid, gut pathogens, motility issues, dehydration, low fiber, stress, or something else?  Start by increase your water intake.  You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in pounds in ounces of water per day (coffee and alcohol doesn’t count).  Then make sure you are eating enough fiber by increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables.  If that doesn’t help then you may need to investigate further.  Test your thyroid and gut with functional lab testing.  Proper testing is key!

4.  Low progesterone

Estrogen dominance does not always equal high estrogen.  Estrogen can be at a normal level, but if progesterone is too low then you can still have estrogen dominance symptoms.  So why is progesterone low?  Not eating enough healthy fats, too low body weight, chronic stress, HPA axis dysfunction (AKA adrenal fatigue), gluten sensitivity, lack of ovulation, hypothyroidism, or high prolactin– these are just some causes of low progesterone.  It is all about getting to YOUR root cause.  A good practitioner should be able to help you with this investigation.  That is exactly what I do with my clients.

5.  Copper toxicity and Other Heavy Metals

We can become copper toxic in a variety of ways.  Hormonal birth control (pill, patch, ring), copper pipes, copper IUDs, hormone replacement therapy.  It can even be something that was passed to you in-utero from your mother.  Copper stimulates estrogen production and estrogen can increase copper; they are very connected.  When one goes up the other can follow.  In my practice I use hair mineral analysis testing to look for copper issues.  If you have looked at all the other factors and still can’t seem to find out what is causing your high estrogen, then it might be time to consider copper.

Other heavy metals like aluminum, mercury, and lead are also considered metalloestrogens, which means that they have the ability to mimic estrogen in the body.  Some metals are considered essential minerals, but if the concentration of these metals become too high, they can interfere with hormones.  These types of metals are much harder for the body to eliminate on its own.  I like to do a hair mineral analysis test with clients, especially when they are having a hard time addressing why their estrogen is high.

6.  Inflammation

Do you have a lot of inflammation in your body?  Maybe aches, pains, skin problems, joint discomfort, gut issues, heart problems, excess weight, inflamed gums in your mouth?  Do you have a lot of food sensitivities?  Have you been exposed to a lot of toxins?  Inflammation anywhere in your body can be a problem because it can drive up your production of cortisol (your stress hormone that can also be anti-inflammatory).  High cortisol can equal higher DHEA, which then can get made into testosterone and – yes-even estrogen.

These are the top root causes of estrogen dominance that I see in my practice.  It is also very possible to have more than one root cause.  This can be an overwhelming and sometimes complicated beat to tackle.  Working with someone that can help you navigate your root cause(s) and provide you with the best game plan to get your hormones back into balance can be very helpful.   When your hormones are balanced it is easier to maintain a healthy weight, have clear skin, have healthier periods, and slow down the aging process.  If you don’t have the ability to work with a professional, below are a couple things you can  start to do on your own.

What can you start doing today to help your estrogen?

 1.  Use safer beauty products. Toxic chemicals in conventional beauty products can be hormone disruptors.  These chemicals can act like hormones in your body and contribute to higher estrogen levels.  Beautycounter is my favorite safer beauty line!  Consider swapping out your shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, and makeup for non-toxic products.  Read my post Are Your Beauty Products Contributing to Hormone Imbalance for more info.

2.  Eat more veggies.  Things like cruciferous vegetables contain a compound that help to support phase 1 of estrogen detoxification.  Even raw carrots contain a beneficial fiber that helps to eliminate estrogen from your system.  Don’t forget your leafy green veggies that are a good source of folate and support phase 2 of estrogen detoxification.  These are easy things you can incorporate into your daily meals.

3.  Love your liver with castor oil packs. I wrote a whole post about it so go check it out here.

4.  Get enough sleep. Sleep is super critical for overall health and it is whenyour body does a lot of repair work.  Just two consecutive night of not sleeping well can negatively impact your cortisol levels.  And high cortisol can lead to high estrogen.  Get to bed by 10pm and work toward getting at least eight hours per night.

5.  Manage your stress. I can’t emphasis this one enough!  Stress is terrible for your hormones.  Stress negatively impacts your adrenal glands and cortisol levels, which makes it really hard to get your hormones back on track.  Deep breathing, getting out in nature, and a daily self-care ritual are my favorite ways to keep my stress in check.

Resolving estrogen dominance is a multi-factorial process including nutrition, lifestyle, proper detoxification, and healing other bodily systems like the adrenals and gut.

ARE YOU READY TO GET TESTED AND TURN YOUR HEALTH AROUND?  CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO REQUEST A FREE 30 MINUTE DISCOVERY CALL…

Schedule Your FREE 30 Minute Discovery Call

As a Holistic Dietitian and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, I help clients get proper testing, assist in the process of reading those results using clinical correlation (treating the patient and not just the test results), and give them the proper tools (diet, supplements, and lifestyle) to start the healing process.

  The post Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss appeared first on The Organic Dietitian.

[felipestewartne]

Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss

Estrogen dominance is very common these days,but that DOES NOT make it normal.  Our modern world creates the perfect environment for estrogen to take over.  It may seem impossible, but you can do something about it.  Yes, YOU can!  You just have to know what is causing estrogen dominance in you specifically.  There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to addressing estrogen dominance.  I know because I spent years trying to figure out what was causing estrogen dominance in my own body.  Different doctors told me what to do, but nothing was helping.  That’s because no one was addressing the root cause.

I work with a lot of women dealing with the symptoms of estrogen dominance.  Things like PMS, heavy or irregular periods, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, brain fog, mood swings, depression, irritability, low libido, histamine intolerance, fibroids, endometriosis, thyroid problems, gall bladder issues, and blood sugar issues.  Any of these sound familiar?

Many things can contribute but here is a list of the top causes I see with my clients…

1. Gut dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance)

Your gut and hormones are absolutely connected.  Glucuronidation is one of the major phase 2 detoxification pathways in the liver that helps us eliminate hormones from the body.  An enzyme called beta glucuronidase can block this detoxification process, which can cause your hormones (including estrogen) to get reabsorbed, reactivated, and put back into circulation.  Beta glucuronidase is produced by imbalanced intestinal bacteria.

So to address the cause, you need to lower this enzyme by balancing your gut bacteria.  Sorry to say it but simply taking a probiotic is usually not enough to re-balance the gut.  Get a good stool test, like the GI MAP, to address bacterial overgrowth.  The nice thing about the GI MAP is that it actually tests for the beta glucuronidase enzyme.  This result below was the first GI MAP I took…it showed over double what the lab considers normal!  In order to address the cause, I worked to re-balance my gut bacteria, which is a process that should be customized to you and your microbiome.

2. Poor liver detoxification (overall, phase 1, or phase 2?)  

If your liver is sluggish, then it will be difficult to clear estrogen from your body, no matter what.  We live in a pretty toxic world, which makes our livers work really hard.  The liver processes hormones to get them ready to be eliminated from the body.  If the liver is not functioning optimally, estrogen levels can be high because your body is not breaking it down and getting rid of it like it should.  It is important to know if there is a specific phase of liver detoxification where estrogen is getting backed up.  This information can help figure out what you need to do to address the cause.

If phase 1 of estrogen metabolism is stuck then a supplement like DIM can help but if that isn’t the problem, then you could be wasting your money on an unnecessary supplement or even cause estrogen to drop too low.

Phase 2 of estrogen detoxification is a process called methylation.  Genetically we might not be good at methylating properly, but we also depend on certain nutrients for this process to work correctly.  We need vitamin folate, B12, B6, and magnesium. If you are deficient, then that could be a contributing factor to your estrogen dominance.  These pathways can’t be tested using blood or saliva, but you can test them with urine, which is why I use DUTCH test by Precision Analytical with my clients.  So much more information!  Save yourself a lot of trouble and get tested instead of guessing.

3. Constipation

I talk about pooping all the time with my clients.  Your bowel movements can tell you a lot about your health.  When you are not having at least one bowel movement per day, when you are not eliminating fully, or when you are going and it looks like little pellets, then you are constipated.  Estrogen that should have been eliminated from the body in your stool is reabsorbed in the gut and re-circulates in the body.  It’s the gut’s responsibility to eliminate hormones.  Get to the root cause of your constipation.  Is it your thyroid, gut pathogens, motility issues, dehydration, low fiber, stress, or something else?  Start by increase your water intake.  You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in pounds in ounces of water per day (coffee and alcohol doesn’t count).  Then make sure you are eating enough fiber by increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables.  If that doesn’t help then you may need to investigate further.  Test your thyroid and gut with functional lab testing.  Proper testing is key!

4.  Low progesterone

Estrogen dominance does not always equal high estrogen.  Estrogen can be at a normal level, but if progesterone is too low then you can still have estrogen dominance symptoms.  So why is progesterone low?  Not eating enough healthy fats, too low body weight, chronic stress, HPA axis dysfunction (AKA adrenal fatigue), gluten sensitivity, lack of ovulation, hypothyroidism, or high prolactin– these are just some causes of low progesterone.  It is all about getting to YOUR root cause.  A good practitioner should be able to help you with this investigation.  That is exactly what I do with my clients.

5.  Copper toxicity and Other Heavy Metals

We can become copper toxic in a variety of ways.  Hormonal birth control (pill, patch, ring), copper pipes, copper IUDs, hormone replacement therapy.  It can even be something that was passed to you in-utero from your mother.  Copper stimulates estrogen production and estrogen can increase copper; they are very connected.  When one goes up the other can follow.  In my practice I use hair mineral analysis testing to look for copper issues.  If you have looked at all the other factors and still can’t seem to find out what is causing your high estrogen, then it might be time to consider copper.

Other heavy metals like aluminum, mercury, and lead are also considered metalloestrogens, which means that they have the ability to mimic estrogen in the body.  Some metals are considered essential minerals, but if the concentration of these metals become too high, they can interfere with hormones.  These types of metals are much harder for the body to eliminate on its own.  I like to do a hair mineral analysis test with clients, especially when they are having a hard time addressing why their estrogen is high.

6.  Inflammation

Do you have a lot of inflammation in your body?  Maybe aches, pains, skin problems, joint discomfort, gut issues, heart problems, excess weight, inflamed gums in your mouth?  Do you have a lot of food sensitivities?  Have you been exposed to a lot of toxins?  Inflammation anywhere in your body can be a problem because it can drive up your production of cortisol (your stress hormone that can also be anti-inflammatory).  High cortisol can equal higher DHEA, which then can get made into testosterone and – yes-even estrogen.

These are the top root causes of estrogen dominance that I see in my practice.  It is also very possible to have more than one root cause.  This can be an overwhelming and sometimes complicated beat to tackle.  Working with someone that can help you navigate your root cause(s) and provide you with the best game plan to get your hormones back into balance can be very helpful.   When your hormones are balanced it is easier to maintain a healthy weight, have clear skin, have healthier periods, and slow down the aging process.  If you don’t have the ability to work with a professional, below are a couple things you can  start to do on your own.

What can you start doing today to help your estrogen?

 1.  Use safer beauty products. Toxic chemicals in conventional beauty products can be hormone disruptors.  These chemicals can act like hormones in your body and contribute to higher estrogen levels.  Beautycounter is my favorite safer beauty line!  Consider swapping out your shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, and makeup for non-toxic products.  Read my post Are Your Beauty Products Contributing to Hormone Imbalance for more info.

2.  Eat more veggies.  Things like cruciferous vegetables contain a compound that help to support phase 1 of estrogen detoxification.  Even raw carrots contain a beneficial fiber that helps to eliminate estrogen from your system.  Don’t forget your leafy green veggies that are a good source of folate and support phase 2 of estrogen detoxification.  These are easy things you can incorporate into your daily meals.

3.  Love your liver with castor oil packs. I wrote a whole post about it so go check it out here.

4.  Get enough sleep. Sleep is super critical for overall health and it is whenyour body does a lot of repair work.  Just two consecutive night of not sleeping well can negatively impact your cortisol levels.  And high cortisol can lead to high estrogen.  Get to bed by 10pm and work toward getting at least eight hours per night.

5.  Manage your stress. I can’t emphasis this one enough!  Stress is terrible for your hormones.  Stress negatively impacts your adrenal glands and cortisol levels, which makes it really hard to get your hormones back on track.  Deep breathing, getting out in nature, and a daily self-care ritual are my favorite ways to keep my stress in check.

Resolving estrogen dominance is a multi-factorial process including nutrition, lifestyle, proper detoxification, and healing other bodily systems like the adrenals and gut.

ARE YOU READY TO GET TESTED AND TURN YOUR HEALTH AROUND?  CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO REQUEST A FREE 30 MINUTE DISCOVERY CALL…

Schedule Your FREE 30 Minute Discovery Call

As a Holistic Dietitian and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, I help clients get proper testing, assist in the process of reading those results using clinical correlation (treating the patient and not just the test results), and give them the proper tools (diet, supplements, and lifestyle) to start the healing process.

  The post Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss appeared first on The Organic Dietitian.

[scottrennne]

Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss

Estrogen dominance is very common these days,but that DOES NOT make it normal.  Our modern world creates the perfect environment for estrogen to take over.  It may seem impossible, but you can do something about it.  Yes, YOU can!  You just have to know what is causing estrogen dominance in you specifically.  There is no “one size fits all” when it comes to addressing estrogen dominance.  I know because I spent years trying to figure out what was causing estrogen dominance in my own body.  Different doctors told me what to do, but nothing was helping.  That’s because no one was addressing the root cause.

I work with a lot of women dealing with the symptoms of estrogen dominance.  Things like PMS, heavy or irregular periods, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches, brain fog, mood swings, depression, irritability, low libido, histamine intolerance, fibroids, endometriosis, thyroid problems, gall bladder issues, and blood sugar issues.  Any of these sound familiar?

Many things can contribute but here is a list of the top causes I see with my clients…

1. Gut dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance)

Your gut and hormones are absolutely connected.  Glucuronidation is one of the major phase 2 detoxification pathways in the liver that helps us eliminate hormones from the body.  An enzyme called beta glucuronidase can block this detoxification process, which can cause your hormones (including estrogen) to get reabsorbed, reactivated, and put back into circulation.  Beta glucuronidase is produced by imbalanced intestinal bacteria.

So to address the cause, you need to lower this enzyme by balancing your gut bacteria.  Sorry to say it but simply taking a probiotic is usually not enough to re-balance the gut.  Get a good stool test, like the GI MAP, to address bacterial overgrowth.  The nice thing about the GI MAP is that it actually tests for the beta glucuronidase enzyme.  This result below was the first GI MAP I took…it showed over double what the lab considers normal!  In order to address the cause, I worked to re-balance my gut bacteria, which is a process that should be customized to you and your microbiome.

2. Poor liver detoxification (overall, phase 1, or phase 2?)  

If your liver is sluggish, then it will be difficult to clear estrogen from your body, no matter what.  We live in a pretty toxic world, which makes our livers work really hard.  The liver processes hormones to get them ready to be eliminated from the body.  If the liver is not functioning optimally, estrogen levels can be high because your body is not breaking it down and getting rid of it like it should.  It is important to know if there is a specific phase of liver detoxification where estrogen is getting backed up.  This information can help figure out what you need to do to address the cause.

If phase 1 of estrogen metabolism is stuck then a supplement like DIM can help but if that isn’t the problem, then you could be wasting your money on an unnecessary supplement or even cause estrogen to drop too low.

Phase 2 of estrogen detoxification is a process called methylation.  Genetically we might not be good at methylating properly, but we also depend on certain nutrients for this process to work correctly.  We need vitamin folate, B12, B6, and magnesium. If you are deficient, then that could be a contributing factor to your estrogen dominance.  These pathways can’t be tested using blood or saliva, but you can test them with urine, which is why I use DUTCH test by Precision Analytical with my clients.  So much more information!  Save yourself a lot of trouble and get tested instead of guessing.

3. Constipation

I talk about pooping all the time with my clients.  Your bowel movements can tell you a lot about your health.  When you are not having at least one bowel movement per day, when you are not eliminating fully, or when you are going and it looks like little pellets, then you are constipated.  Estrogen that should have been eliminated from the body in your stool is reabsorbed in the gut and re-circulates in the body.  It’s the gut’s responsibility to eliminate hormones.  Get to the root cause of your constipation.  Is it your thyroid, gut pathogens, motility issues, dehydration, low fiber, stress, or something else?  Start by increase your water intake.  You should be drinking at least half of your body weight in pounds in ounces of water per day (coffee and alcohol doesn’t count).  Then make sure you are eating enough fiber by increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables.  If that doesn’t help then you may need to investigate further.  Test your thyroid and gut with functional lab testing.  Proper testing is key!

4.  Low progesterone

Estrogen dominance does not always equal high estrogen.  Estrogen can be at a normal level, but if progesterone is too low then you can still have estrogen dominance symptoms.  So why is progesterone low?  Not eating enough healthy fats, too low body weight, chronic stress, HPA axis dysfunction (AKA adrenal fatigue), gluten sensitivity, lack of ovulation, hypothyroidism, or high prolactin– these are just some causes of low progesterone.  It is all about getting to YOUR root cause.  A good practitioner should be able to help you with this investigation.  That is exactly what I do with my clients.

5.  Copper toxicity and Other Heavy Metals

We can become copper toxic in a variety of ways.  Hormonal birth control (pill, patch, ring), copper pipes, copper IUDs, hormone replacement therapy.  It can even be something that was passed to you in-utero from your mother.  Copper stimulates estrogen production and estrogen can increase copper; they are very connected.  When one goes up the other can follow.  In my practice I use hair mineral analysis testing to look for copper issues.  If you have looked at all the other factors and still can’t seem to find out what is causing your high estrogen, then it might be time to consider copper.

Other heavy metals like aluminum, mercury, and lead are also considered metalloestrogens, which means that they have the ability to mimic estrogen in the body.  Some metals are considered essential minerals, but if the concentration of these metals become too high, they can interfere with hormones.  These types of metals are much harder for the body to eliminate on its own.  I like to do a hair mineral analysis test with clients, especially when they are having a hard time addressing why their estrogen is high.

6.  Inflammation

Do you have a lot of inflammation in your body?  Maybe aches, pains, skin problems, joint discomfort, gut issues, heart problems, excess weight, inflamed gums in your mouth?  Do you have a lot of food sensitivities?  Have you been exposed to a lot of toxins?  Inflammation anywhere in your body can be a problem because it can drive up your production of cortisol (your stress hormone that can also be anti-inflammatory).  High cortisol can equal higher DHEA, which then can get made into testosterone and – yes-even estrogen.

These are the top root causes of estrogen dominance that I see in my practice.  It is also very possible to have more than one root cause.  This can be an overwhelming and sometimes complicated beat to tackle.  Working with someone that can help you navigate your root cause(s) and provide you with the best game plan to get your hormones back into balance can be very helpful.   When your hormones are balanced it is easier to maintain a healthy weight, have clear skin, have healthier periods, and slow down the aging process.  If you don’t have the ability to work with a professional, below are a couple things you can  start to do on your own.

What can you start doing today to help your estrogen?

 1.  Use safer beauty products. Toxic chemicals in conventional beauty products can be hormone disruptors.  These chemicals can act like hormones in your body and contribute to higher estrogen levels.  Beautycounter is my favorite safer beauty line!  Consider swapping out your shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, and makeup for non-toxic products.  Read my post Are Your Beauty Products Contributing to Hormone Imbalance for more info.

2.  Eat more veggies.  Things like cruciferous vegetables contain a compound that help to support phase 1 of estrogen detoxification.  Even raw carrots contain a beneficial fiber that helps to eliminate estrogen from your system.  Don’t forget your leafy green veggies that are a good source of folate and support phase 2 of estrogen detoxification.  These are easy things you can incorporate into your daily meals.

3.  Love your liver with castor oil packs. I wrote a whole post about it so go check it out here.

4.  Get enough sleep. Sleep is super critical for overall health and it is whenyour body does a lot of repair work.  Just two consecutive night of not sleeping well can negatively impact your cortisol levels.  And high cortisol can lead to high estrogen.  Get to bed by 10pm and work toward getting at least eight hours per night.

5.  Manage your stress. I can’t emphasis this one enough!  Stress is terrible for your hormones.  Stress negatively impacts your adrenal glands and cortisol levels, which makes it really hard to get your hormones back on track.  Deep breathing, getting out in nature, and a daily self-care ritual are my favorite ways to keep my stress in check.

Resolving estrogen dominance is a multi-factorial process including nutrition, lifestyle, proper detoxification, and healing other bodily systems like the adrenals and gut.

ARE YOU READY TO GET TESTED AND TURN YOUR HEALTH AROUND?  CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW TO REQUEST A FREE 30 MINUTE DISCOVERY CALL…

Schedule Your FREE 30 Minute Discovery Call

As a Holistic Dietitian and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner, I help clients get proper testing, assist in the process of reading those results using clinical correlation (treating the patient and not just the test results), and give them the proper tools (diet, supplements, and lifestyle) to start the healing process.

  The post Estrogen Dominance…6 Root Causes That Are Easy to Miss appeared first on The Organic Dietitian.