What causes hormonal imbalance and how to avoid it?

Hormones are the chemicals in your body that you make naturally, but once you have too much or too little of them—a condition called hormonal imbalance— it disrupts the functions of your organs.

In Rica Peralejo's vlog titled "Things I Wish I Knew about the Female Body," she talked to Dr. Sheree Bondoc, a board-certified fellow in Metabolic, Nutritional, and Functional Medicine, to discuss what hormonal imbalance is and how it affects one's overall well-being.

According to Dr. Bondoc, hormones are the body's chemicals that regulate the organs. In other words, they tell your body how to do things, so keeping the hormones in our body balanced and steady is essential. But how do we do that?

Dr. Bondoc said several factors contribute to disrupting good hormonal health, but the most common are poor diet and exercise.

"Your organs are very dependent on what you eat, on what you're exposed to, so diet, lifestyle, habits, even medications that you take affect these hormone organs," she said.

"Another factor is sleep. Sleep is a way for your body to repair. When you don't get enough of that, your organs don't repair well, and then the next day, it doesn't perform well," she added.

When you're experiencing hormonal imbalance, some symptoms include fatigue, low energy, and brain fog.

In order to have optimal hormonal health, Dr. Bondoc advised returning to the basics of good health.

"Start with a good diet. Hindi naman kailangan na strict, just avoid too much sugar and processed food as much as possible," the doctor said.

"And then move, not necessarily that you must exercise every day. Just move and walk at least 15 minutes a day," she added.

Dr. Bondoc is one of the doctors in The Core Clinic, where Moira Dela Torre got herself checked about her hormonal imbalance. Dr. Bondoc was also the doctor who guided Moira on the lifestyle changes she has made toward her wellness journey.

—Hermes Joy Tunac/MGP, GMA Integrated News