Yes, in the midst of the Grand Cross, Grand Square, prophesied bedlam and potential world turmoil, women everywhere are having wild mood swings. Fluctuations, deficiencies, and excesses in hormones cause changes in the mind, body, and emotions. When our hormones are in balance we feel good, sleep well, think clearly, are emotionally steady, and our chances of being healthy are greatly increased. When they are not in balance any number of symptoms can arise: low energy, rage, depression, fibroids, weight gain, loss of sex drive, hair loss, even cancer.

We often hear that hormones are difficult to keep in balance, but by taking a holistic approach and healing from the inside, hormones can work together as nature intended. One reason for the general belief that hormones are difficult to balance is because many different factors affect them. Sometimes it is hard to pinpoint what exactly is affecting your hormones. It is often a combination of things.

Exposure to sunlight and moonlight, food, emotions, stress, and environmental pollutants affect hormone levels. The amount of time spent indoors under artificial lighting in relation to being outdoors in nature and fresh air can affect hormones. And nature herself causes fluctuation, such as pregnancy. (photo)

Simple tests are available to you to have your hormone levels tested. For example, hormones in your saliva can give an overview of your levels of estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, cortisol, and DHEA. Saliva tests can help evaluate how your body metabolizes estrogen, an important issue for both men and women, and particularly for women with problems associated with the reproductive system. Saliva tests are easy and noninvasive, performed at home by putting your saliva into small vials that are labeled and shipped for testing.

Common sense tells us it is better to heal the root cause of an imbalance, in ways that support the body. However, many people take estrogen-blocking drugs, synthetic hormones, or the popular bioidentical hormones without any idea of what the drugs are doing to their bodies. It’s best to be informed and know your alternatives. If you want to see how your body metabolizes estrogen and other hormones, request the tests from your doctor. Do-it-yourself test kits are available online, but it is wise to work with a natural health practitioner to translate your results. You can then be guided to your unique personal plan to harmonize your hormone levels.

There are many ways to bring hormones into balance. One supplement your practitioner might recommend is diindolylmethane (DIM) known to stimulate natural detoxification enzymes and hormone metabolism. Derived from indole-3-carbinole and cruciferous vegetables, DIM has been shown to assist with estrogen metabolism and promote hormonal balance.

Your diet and food choices will help balance your hormones. Avoid foods and products that increase xenoestrogens (fake estrogens). These lead to estrogen dominance, a modern malady due in part to chemicals and pollutants in our environment that create an estrogenic effect in the body. Minimize and/or eliminate your exposure to synthetic products and harmful chemicals, including plastics that touch your water or food.

We are rarely advised to strengthen our endocrine system when we have symptoms of hormonal imbalance. But the adrenals, thyroid, and pituitary glands play important roles. A competent holistic doctor or naturopath can advise you on how to best proceed with supporting your endocrine system based on your hormone test results.

While there are many things you can do to bring your body into balance, having some knowledge of where to begin and why is helpful. It’s certainly time to stop accepting the prevailing viewpoint that some of life’s natural processes, such as menopause, are diseases that need to be treated with drugs. All of our life transitions and accompanying moods are gifts for greater personal power, inner awareness, and deeper wisdom.

you might have heard that alcohol effects hormones in the human body? so, it seem only fitting that this post be non-alcoholic!

SHIRLEY TEMPLE COCKTAIL
8 oz Club soda
1 oz Grenadine (made with REAL as in NOT FAKE pomegranate!)
1 slice Orange
1 maraschino cherry (go the health food store and buy maraschinos dyed NATURALLY, not with toxic cadmium #40)

Mix soda and grenadine. Serve in tall glass with straw, garnished with orange and maraschino.

Dr. Christina Grant is a holistic healer and spiritual counselor who uses astrology in her work to help people better understand their purpose and life circumstances. She works in person and by phone. She has helped hundreds of people attain physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being through personal transformation. Her writing is published nationwide. To learn more, see WWW.CHRISTINAGRANT.COM

the magical acai berry is dark in color and pleasant in taste. it doesn’t pack a punch, but persuades your palette to enjoy its flavor on an even keel. just like the god of saturn would prefer you to do in every area of your life. the god, saturn, is known as the lord of time, and goes by the name old man winter as well. he’s slow. he takes 29 years to orbit alone, and is the Furthest planet to be seen with the naked eye. he’s frigid, gassy, and surrounds himself with rings of ice. but saturn is arguably the most powerful planet in our solar system, rivaled only by pluto (who’s not a true planet). the acai berry has been declared the number one super fruit by those “in the know.” this brazilian berry is small, but strong.

here’s some saturn trivia:
***the word Saturnine means: a) cold and steady in mood; slow to act or change b) of a gloomy or surly disposition c) having a sardonic aspect a saturnine smile.

***We have all been born on the day of our choosing. if you entered this world on saturn’s day, Saturday, then you’ll work hard for a living.

***Satan’s role as an adversary was to wander the Earth in pursuit of those who did not keep the faith and who broke God’s law. Word has it he was authorized to test and tempt humans to demonstrate their lack of moral goodness.

so, dear aquarius, were’nt you the happy little camper when the outer planet of uranus was discovered? yep, William Herschel, a virgo, chanced upon it back in 1781, changing aquarius forever. through study and meditation it was found that uranus was the missing ruler of aquarius, and you are now happily considered to be ruled by both planets: uranus and saturn.

the sombering traits that saturn lent your character will never be taken away–but only augmented by the loving and effervescent uranus. the interesting combination of steely saturn and open-armed uranus makes for a quirky personality… that is perhaps why some aquarius are such strange birds. i can usually rationalize the actions of a person by their zodiac sign, but with aquarius, that tactic doesn’t always work. some of these eccentric and unpredictable characters make absolutely no sense to me! not naming names, but i’d certainly like to disclose some of my family members right about now… cheers to aquarius!

ASTRAL KISS:
2 cups veev acai liqueur
1 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 1/2 cups elderflower juice
1 1/2 cups lychee syrup
champagne

combine all in pitcher, stirring well. chill in fridge until ready to use. pour 2/3rds flute full and top with 1/3 champagne. drop a whole lychee nut into the bottom of the glass.

***elderflower juice is made from elderflower concentrate found at IKEA.
***lychee syrup is simply the juice in a can of lychees.

this is also an easy Mocktail to make for the kiddies… just make the recipe without alcohol, so they can tipple too!

genius idea ms. liquid muse. genius. finally, a mocktail book with seriously top notch creative and tasty recipes… i’m talking about PREGGATINIS by natalie bovis nelson. for only $16.95 you can give a hipper, cooler, awesomer baby shower gift than she’ll get from anyone else. in fact, i’m thinking about getting knocked up just so i can unwrap a copy of PREGGATINIS at my baby shower. not. get your copy out PREGGATINIS here…

MAMARITA:
2 tbsp rim salt
1 oz agave nectar
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz orange juice
3 oz limeade
1 lime wedge

salt rim a margarita glass and set aside. stir agave nectar and lemon juice in the bottom of a mixing glass until the nectar dissolves. add orange juice, limeade, and ice, then shake vigorously. strain into the margarita glass and serve with a lime wedge.

DE-VIRGINIZE FOR DAD:
turn the MAMARITA ino the LIQUID MUSE MARGARITA by leaving out the limeade and orange juice. ill a cocktail shaker wit ice and vigorously shake 2 1/2 oz tequila, 1/2 oz orange flavoured liqueur, 1 1/2 oz lime juice, 1/2 oz agave. strain into a salt rimmed glass and garnish.