The Surprising Link Between Hormones and Chronic Pain
When people talk about hormones, the first things that often come to mind are mood swings, energy levels, or maybe even weight fluctuations. But there’s a less-talked-about connection that can have a significant impact on your day-to-day life: chronic pain. If you’re one of the 50 million Americans (CDC) who have been dealing with chronic pain, you might want to consider that your hormones could be playing a major role. Let’s talk about why.
How Hormones Affect Pain
Hormones are chemical messengers that regulate various processes in your body, including how you experience pain. Estrogen, for example, can have a big impact on pain sensitivity. When estrogen levels drop, like during menopause or certain points in your menstrual cycle, it can lower your pain threshold. This is one reason why some women experience more severe symptoms of chronic pain during certain phases of life or throughout their cycles.
Progesterone, another critical hormone, is known for its calming effect on the body. When it’s balanced, it helps reduce inflammation and aids in pain management. However, when levels of progesterone drop too low, the body becomes more susceptible to inflammatory conditions that can exacerbate chronic pain.
Additionally, cortisol, often referred to as the stress hormone, plays a significant role in how your body responds to inflammation. While cortisol is supposed to help reduce inflammation, chronic stress leads to cortisol imbalances, which may result in increased inflammation, making conditions like arthritis or fibromyalgia worse.
The Inflammation Connection
Inflammation is one of the root causes of ongoing pain, and hormones are often a key factor in how inflammation is regulated in the body. When your hormones are out of balance, it creates the perfect storm for inflammation to take hold, leading to conditions like fibromyalgia, migraines, or joint pain. What’s particularly tricky is that chronic inflammation doesn’t just lead to pain—it can also further disrupt your hormonal balance, creating a vicious cycle that’s hard to break.
Women, in particular, are more prone to conditions involving chronic pain and inflammation, such as autoimmune disorders. These conditions are often overlooked in traditional medicine, leaving many women without answers for why they feel the way they do.
Functional Medicine’s Approach to Chronic Pain
Unlike conventional treatments that often focus on masking symptoms with painkillers or anti-inflammatories, functional medicine takes a different approach. Rather than just managing the pain, functional medicine looks at the root cause—whether it’s hormonal imbalances, stress, or underlying inflammation.
One of the first steps in addressing chronic pain through functional medicine is identifying whether hormonal imbalances are at play. A comprehensive health history, along with lab tests, can help pinpoint which hormones are out of balance. From there, a personalized treatment plan is created, often focusing on diet, lifestyle adjustments, and potentially targeted supplementation to restore hormonal harmony.
For instance, addressing hormone production through natural hormone-balancing strategies can significantly reduce pain levels. Additionally, stress management techniques, including acupuncture, meditation, and lifestyle changes, can help regulate cortisol levels, reducing inflammation and the pain that comes with it.
If you’re ready to take control of your chronic pain, we can help! We offer services both virtually and in-person in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Please schedule your consultation today!
