Category: Health

Risks and market complications of designating distributors as your EU MDR/IVDR importer

Health Medical Device No Comments

Under the old medical device directives (MDD 93/42/EEC), the requirement for a distributor is not mentioned, while the word importer appears three times. The new MDR (2017/745) implemented per May 26th 2021, revisits the entire supply chain and economic operators, namely: the manufacturer, authorized representative, importers, and distributors. Each economic operator will have replaced and additional responsibilities and liabilities. This article will explain the potential risks and complications of designating your distributor as your importer and the benefits of having one independent EU wide importer.

Table of Contents

GrowthImports is an independent European wide MDR
compliant importer that provides hassle-free, cost-effective
importing services while allowing clients to maintain full
control and flexibility.

Whatis the definition of an MDR importer?

According to Article 2 (33) of the MDR, the definition of the Importer is “Any natural or legal person established within the Union that places a device from a third country on the Union market”. A product is placed on the market when it is made available for the first time on the Union market.

A product is made available on the market when supplied for distribution, consumption or use on the Union market in the course of a commercial activity, whether in return for payment or free of charge. Such supply includes any offer for distribution, consumption or use on the Union market which could result in actual supply (e.g. an invitation to purchase, advertising campaigns). Supplying a product is only considered as making available on the Union market, when the product is intended for end use on the Union market. The supply of products whether for further distribution, for incorporation into a final product, or for further processing or refinement with the aim to export the final product outside the Union market is not considered as making available. Commercial activity is understood as providing goods in a business related context.

As for ‘making available’, the concept of placing on the market refers to each individual product, not to a type of product, and whether it was manufactured as an individual unit or in series. Consequently, even though a product model or type has been supplied before new Union harmonisation legislation laying down new mandatory requirements entered into force, individual units of the same model or type, which are placed on the market after the new requirements have become applicable, must comply with these new requirements. As well as importance of shipping and packaging medical device.

Who can be the MDR importer?

The reason for the MDR regulation to re-define and designate specific obligations to the Economic Operators, is to include additional checkpoints to avoid incompliance products to be placed in the Union. To be aligned with this philosophy and avoid any incompliance risks, it is advisable the Economic Operators are separate entities.

  1. Distributor (pharmacy, retailer, individual shop)

An EU distributor (or any retail channel) who directly obtains the goods from a non-EU manufacturer or distributor, clears it from customs and places that product in the Union, will automatically recieve the responsibilities of an importer. Meaning that in this case the distributor becomes the MDR importer. If they purchase it from a wholesaler or another EU based distributor, they will be considered as the distributor. In Article 14 / MDR the obligations of the distributor are stated, and in this case the distributor also needs to comply with Article 13 which will make the distributor jointly liable for goods placed on the market. The complications of designating a distributor as the importer is described below

information about distributor

Considerations notto appoint (multiple) distributors as your EU MDR importer

  1. Multiple distributors becoming importers

A manufacturer can also appoint multiple distributors or importers. There is no limitation to the number of importers as long as article 13 of each importer is fulfilled. It is not possible to have multiple distributors for an individual device. Designating multiple importers also means more challenges, lack of insights in traceability and market complications as described in the section below:

  1. Manufacturer

If the manufacturer has a subsidiary as an entity in the Union and supplies the goods direct to the end-user, the manufacturer can also act as the importer. If you as a non-EU manufacturer want to sell direct into the Union to a patient, healthcare professional or hospital, your end-user cannot be your importer. So if you are intending to sell direct into the market you would need to appoint an importer.

  1. Logistics / e-commerce

If goods are shipped to a 3PL/e-commerce company which will receive the goods directly from the manufacturer, stocks the goods and ships it out to a distributor or end-user, they will be seen as the MDR importer. If you are using the services of a fulfilment provider and they are conducting activities such as storing products, packaging/relabelling, handling customer returns, etc., they might be considered a distributor by EU regulators.

  1. Independent importer

The importer can also be a separate entity / company designated by the manufacturer to fulfil the obligations of the MDR (article 13) importer requirements. At GrowthImports we fulfil this role by being specialised in the MDR importer role, providing European wide, independent hassle-free importing so manufacturers nor distributors do not have to struggle with the requirements and liabilities.

Complications and risks of assigning (multiple) distributors as your MDR importer of record.

As explained above, the idea behind the MDR regulationis to build in more safety protocols and would recommend to designate separate entities within the Economic Operator supply chain to control and keep visibility on the traceability of goods. More-over it would facilitate additional compliance verifications and increased quality standards.

A manufacturer is however free to appoint a distributor as its importer. Complications and risks manufacturers in that case need to consider are:

  1. A quality contract that states the additional liabilities and obligations a distributor (article 14) will have and the addition of the importer obligations (article 13). It would mean that a distributor will be joint liable for the products placed on the market.
  2. Not all distributors have the capabilities nor the desire to take on these additional liabilities and obligations
  3. Imagine a distributor providing hundreds of SKU’s from different suppliers. It would require a distributor to have their own full regulatory department. Wouldn’t you as a manufacturer prefer your distributor keeps the focus on sales and marketing your products?
  4. If your distributor is also your importer your dependency in the market may be too much relying on your distributor. Not only if your distributor gets bankrupt, acquired but also when a distributor under performs, it may be challenging to leverage or influence the agreement or the complications when withdrawing from the relationship. Or imagine an incompliance of your importer that is also your distributor. The chances you will lose your business and reputation in the market will be substantial.
  5. Sharing technical file documentations with your distributors could be sensitive and unlocking proprietary information.

A manufacturer can also decide to designate multiple distributors. Also this construction could bring incompliance risks as well as market complications:

  1. The traceability of the devices needs to be tracked which can be challenging to map and include in the Post Market Surveillance. Moreover, each importer needs to add their label on the product which brings operational complexities;
  2. At the end of the day the manufacturer will be liable of the supply chain and thus the quality and assurance of MDR compliance of the importer will need to be audited and verified by the manufacturer. With multiple importers this can bring challenges as well as increase compliance risks as multiple economic operators are involved;
  3. If there are 2 distributors in a market and one distributor wants to be the importer and the other doesn’t, it means the label of the willing distributor will be added and shipped to all end-users. This could potentially create channel conflicts in the market.

Get in touch

Want to learn more about your specific situation and how we can help or would you like to learn about the experience of our clients? Book a call with us or contact us at info@growthimports.eu or feel free to visit our website www.growthimports.eu for more information/

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The importing value of GrowthImports

The importing value of GrowthImports

GrowthImports is an independent MDR compliant importer providing hassle-free market access while maintaining flexibility, compliance and Increased quality standards. With over 30 years of combined experience, GrowthImports is dedicated to ensure the facilitation of a compliant and smooth international MDR/IVDR compliant importing process in the European market.

Our clients not only have faced distributors or 3PL’s not wiling to take the eu importer obligations and joint-liability role on them, but also chose GrowthImports due to the convenience and accessibility of the processes we have designed to ensure hassle-free access to the European market while assuring compliance.

We are able to provide our clients an all-in solution, importing, support with 3PL, fiscal representation and assistance with market expansion activities.

Many of our clients also do not want to burden the administrative tasks and operational complexities nor do they want to have their distributors lose focus or do they want to be too much dependent on their distributors. Moreover when developing new distribution partnerships and by already having an eu importer designated and registered, the chances to establish new partnership will be increased. Overall partnering with one specialized, independent importer for all European wide importing needs will bring efficiency and guaranteed MDR compliance for a fraction of the cost.

Powerful Home Remedies for Acne Treatment

Health Skin Care No Comments

Treat Acne At Home Easy

We get it. Quarantine, masks, social distancing, new work related stress will amp your system into overdrive to screw with your hormones and skin pH for new breakouts to appear.  You’ve done the diet modifications, face washes, and topical treatments but your little inflamed ‘friends’ don’t get the hint. It’s time to try something new. You have the problem, we have the solution in how to use ultrasonic face scrubber. 

Blue LED Blemish stick

Originally LED was invented by NASA to help Astronauts have a leg up in skin healing while in space. The medical community adopted this technique and has spent a lot of lab time studying its effects. The results? An effective add on to skin care routine to treat and prevent mild to moderate acne in 73-98% of studies. The mechanism of action is the specific wavelength that acne causing bacteria are extremely vulnerable to. Our Blemish Stick can be used as a spot treatment or all over face massage to treat and prevent acne. 

LED Gua Sha – it’s LIT

We are all familiar with Gua Sha massage but this smart tool takes it to the next level.  It’s soothing, its effective and it’s LIT! The smart options of vibration heat and Gua Sha & quartz face technique allow the user to adjust it to their liking. Among the many other benefits, the massage helps detoxify the skin, help with lymphatic drainage which has been clinically shown to reduce and prevent acne. 

Smart Ultrasonic Scrubber + Blue LED

All these tools are for the treatment of mild to moderate acne and can be used in combination of your existing skin tools. Have questions? shoot us an email. 

These statements have not been evaluated by FDA 

Picking the Best Crossfit Pittsburgh Box

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CrossFit Pittsburgh

Are you new to CrossFit and trying to figure out which CrossFit gym is the Best CrossFit Pittsburgh Box?  We get it, there are a lot out there to choose from. When we opened in 2013, there weren’t nearly so many options.  However, as CrossFit grew in popularity, so did the number of CrossFit boxes in Pittsburgh. The tricky part is that not all CrossFit boxes are created equal.  So, again, how do you determined the best CrossFit Pittsburgh box?

The first thing you need to do is check out the website and social media for each CrossFit box you are considering.  Does the gym has a clean website? Is it user friendly and give you the information you need? In today’s internet world, a website is like a business’s storefront.  If the website isn’t clean and easy to navigate, that can be indicative of the actual business. We’ve spent a lot of time making sure we present our brand through our website. We believe that it shows you the welcoming Community we spend so much time trying to create.

Looking at the social media, does the CrossFit box even have Facebook and Instagram accounts?  Sure, that seems obvious, but we are always amazed to find out that other gyms either don’t have a social media presence, or it is really lacking.  If the CrossFit box does have an active social media, what does it contain? Is it just a bunch of random pictures of their members? Or, does the social media present a story of the gym’s culture showing a community, sharing knowledge, and celebrating successes?  Does the community look like something you want to be a part of? We are at “Industrial Athletics” on both Facebook and Instagram. You will see links to articles sharing knowledge, recipes, our members, the social events we host in and out of the gym, and all that we do in our surrounding Pittsburgh community.

Best CrossFit Pittsburgh
Best CrossFit Pittsburgh

From the website, the best CrossFit Pittsburgh boxes will make it easy for you to contact them.  Did someone respond to you quickly? Does the CrossFit box clearly show an interest in the value of your contact?  Or, did you have to wait until it was convenient for them to get back to you? As soon as we see your email, we call or text you.  We can’t wait to share Industrial Athletics with you, so we can barely contain our excitement.

The best CrossFit Pittsburgh boxes are going to bring you into the gym to share their community almost any way possible.  At Industrial Athletics, we do this through a free introduction. It is a no obligation one-on-one session with our owner or head coach.  We show you how we teach CrossFit in a safe and informative manner. After the free introduction, we spend time with you in our Fundamentals Program teaching you all you need to know before joining the full CrossFit class.

As the best CrossFit Pittsburgh box, we believe in elevating the individual.  We pay attention to you and your goals. We make sure you that you reach those goals in a safe manner so that you can continue to receive the benefits of CrossFit, our Culture, and our Community for a long time.  We also make you part of our Community. It is vast social network that provide support, accountability, and fun. We are constantly planning and participating in social events both inside and outside of the gym. We also get involved in volunteer opportunities so we are always giving back to the city we love.  We will be more to you than just a place to sweat.

 

Official Source:- https://www.industrial-athletics.com/picking-the-best-crossfit-pittsburgh-box/

Apply These Tips To Find A Best Gym Near You

Gym Health No Comments

You may have made up your mind for joining a gym near your home. You may have done some inquiry and research before paying for the gym memberships. There are many gyms in allentown pa, but you should consider all the factors before you join one. Gym membership is a long term commitment that has a great impact on your fitness and health.

5 Essential Things You Should Know Before Joining a Gym

1). It is not just about the gym:

When you sign up for a gym membership, you would be visiting there several times a week, or even daily. You should be comfortable working out in that particular environment. Along with exercise, you should plan what you would eat, count your calories, and refuse the junk food to start living a healthy lifestyle. You can seek expert advice and suggestions to plan your meals and a workout schedule also.

2). Hours of operation matter a lot:

You should inquire about the hours of operation of the gym and check with the instructors about the timings when it’s most crowded. If you are joining a gym for the first time, you may need expert guidance and personal attention. Some gyms operate round the clock and so, you can visit them as per your convenience.

3). Budget:

Compare the fees at several gyms in Allentown pa. You can call them up and inquire about the membership plans or visit a few nearby gyms personally to get the price details. Once you have the prices of some of the reputed gyms, you can compare them and choose the one that fits within your budget. Some gyms offer discounts also. Do not hesitate to ask us about the current offers we’re running.

4). Quality and condition of equipment:

Visit the gym personally and check the condition of the equipment. Would you like to visit a gym where sweat is placed over the handles of treadmills? Nobody would like to join a gym that has torn seats on exercise cycles. Walk around every corner of the gym and find out whether it is clean and hygienic. Ask them how often they clean the gym floor and equipment.

Quality of Equipment: Gym Near Allentown

5). Friendliness of the staff members:

Discuss all the things with the staff members and instructors. This will help you understand whether they are friendly or not. You can ask them questions and clarify the doubts before joining gyms in Allentown PA.

No matter what your fitness goals may be, make sure that you choose the right gym to maintain a healthy and fit lifestyle. Do some research over the internet, read the reviews online, and compare the prices while joining a gym. You can ask your friends or family members to accompany you so that you can make exercise fun and spend some time together at the gym. Investing in a gym membership is an important decision and so, think of the long term benefits before you join a gym.

5 EXERCISES WOMEN OVER 50 NEED TO BE DOING RIGHT NOW

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5 EXERCISES WOMEN OVER 50 NEED TO BE DOING RIGHT NOW

Attention: women over 50!  If you are unsure about exercises you should be doing to lose weight and improve your health and fitness, this post is for you.

TRAINING SMARTER AS WE AGE

As we age we need to focus on training smarter and more efficiently, not slowing down. As a personal trainer Battersea who works with women over 50, I often hear that they are being told to slow down and not push harder – nothing could be further from the truth.

Now is the time to pump up the intensity, but in a controlled and targeted manner so you maximise the benefits as they relate to your specific needs.

The following is a series of exercise movements and types of movements that will help you get the most out of your training, as well as provide specific benefits that your age group needs – as always if you have any questions please drop me a line to james@fittolast.co.uk .

1. KETTLEBELL SWINGS

Personal trainer Battersea

The kettlebell swing (see video for an excellent demonstration from ninja clients Mel and Sylvia) uses your hips, gluteus, and core in an explosive manner that will help improve joint mobility, strength and cardiovascular fitness.

Make sure you choose a weight that will challenge you, but not at the expense of compromising correct form. Have a look at the video and if you have any questions drop me a line to james@fittolast.co.uk .

2. MULTIPLE-JOINT COMPOUND MOVEMENTS (I.E. DEADLIFTS)

As women age they are at greater risk off osteoporosis. A great way to help mitigate this risk is by completing resistance exercises that use more than one joint at a time (aka compound movements). In this example Bernadette is completing a fantastic deadlift with 2/3 of her own body weight.

Using multiple joints means that you apply tension at both ends of a bone. This forces the bone to bend, resulting in increased bone regeneration.

As well, you are also helping your body build lean muscle mass. By building more lean muscle mass you will burn more calories at rest, which means that you will more effectively control your weight as you get older.

3. VIGOROUS, HIGH INTENSITY EXERCISE (I.E. BATTLE ROPES)

The heart is a muscle. Muscles, when tested and pushed, become stronger by adapting to the stimulus they are presented with. Keeping your heart in shape is of paramount importance, especially as we age. By including short blasts of vigorous activity in your workouts, you will keep your cardio-vascular system topped up, and your body will thank you for it.

Here Sylvia is pushing through a short interval of battle ropes, challenging her body overall to improve her cardiovascular fitness.

4. LIFTS OVERHEAD (I.E. SINGLE ARM-OVERHEAD PRESS)

Lifts overhead force your heart to work harder due to Peripheral Heart Action (when you hold resistance overhead I.e. weights, your heart works harder to pump more blood). Additionally, overhead movements like the one Bernadette is doing here use your whole body to lift a weight, meaning you will burn lots of calories in the process.

Overhead lifts like the overhead snatch are a great way to get your whole body involved. The more if your body you use, the more calories you will burn.

5. MOVEMENTS THROUGH DIFFERENT PLANES OF MOTION (I.E. WEIGHTED ICE SKATER WITH AN OVERHEAD PRESS)

It would be so much easier if we all just moved forward and backwards only…but we don’t.

To protect your body for those constant situations when you need to swerve (I.e. when that person on their phone doesn’t see you walking towards them, and you have to suddenly move out of the way to avoid a head-on collision), move in different planes of motion when you exercise.

THREE PLANES OF MOVEMENT 

Sagittal – forward backward movement

Frontal – lateral movement (side to side)

Transverse – rotational movement

Try and include movements in all three planes of movement in your training routines – life isn’t all forward and backward, and neither should your training.

All of these exercises are challenging and will definitely get you out of breath. But if you want to keep your body changing and remain resilient as you get older, the benefits of these exercises will vastly outweigh the challenge to complete them.

NEXT PROGRAM FOR LADIES OVER 50

We’re taking applications for our next 12-week Rewind program for women over 50 who want to get into amazing shape, lose weight and move better than they ever have.

Article Source URL: https://www.fittolast.co.uk/women-over-50-2/

Best Whey Protein with Water Buying Advice

Nutritions No Comments
best whey protein with water

Welcome to coachoutlet-sale.com, a complete resource to help you find the best whey protein with water currently available – at the very best price.

Whey protein has quickly become a staple part of any gym goers diet, whether the goal is to bulk up, slim down or maintain current size – whey protein can play a very important role. Finding the best whey protein with water is often a challenge, there’s literally hundreds (if not thousands) of whey products to choose from and sadly, many of them are simply not worthy of your money.

Our aim at coachoutlet-sale.com is to provide independent buying advice on all whey protein products to ensure no money is wasted and everyone finds the best whey protein with water for their goals. We do this by providing expert articles written by award winning personal trainers and offering reviews of popular whey protein products, with feedback from real users.

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, we are confident this site will help you find the best whey protein with water as well as offering a range of muscle building help and advice to take you to the next level.

How Can I Find The Best whey protein with water?

The higher quality whey protein blends will have several consistent characteristics and you should always be on the lookout for them –

best whey protein with water

Quality ingredients: If you’re serious about finding the best whey protein with water shakes, the ingredients should be the first thing you look at. Closely examine the ingredient list to make sure the blend includes sufficient amounts of protein and doesn’t include any nasty fillers.

Also make sure they haven’t gone overboard with sugars and sweeteners as this can really impair quality. You should be looking for supplements which contain as few ingredients as possible and if there’s anything in there you can’ t pronounce or don’t like the look of, trust your instincts.

Value for money: The best whey protein with water blends sometimes come at a slightly higher price than others and if you’re serious about buying the best, you shouldn’t be put off if you have to pay a little bit more. That said, you can still buy the best whey protein with water blends at extremely reasonable prices whatever your goals are.

Effectiveness: Looking for the best whey protein with water blends will naturally lead you to reading reviews on effectiveness. Take claims of effectiveness, or lack of, with a big pinch of salt. The effectiveness of a whey protein blend will significantly vary from person to person. There are far too many external contributing factors at work to accurately pinpoint whether any noticeable changes can be attributed to the whey protein shake. For example, the reviewer may not have eaten correctly or exercised in the proper manner.

Protein: A Hikers Best Friend

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Gyms near allentown PA

Keeping your energy on the trail can be a delicate balancing act of setting a proper pace and giving your body enough energy from snacks and diet. Many people think that the primary needs for a hiker are carbohydrates. While it is true that carbohydrates provide for lasting energy; people often overlook the need for protein. In fact, protein can be the most valuable nutritional tool in a hiker’s toolkit, especially on the most difficult and rewarding back country trails.

While carbohydrates provide energy that is sorely needed on a long calorie burning trek; protein is essential and often overlooked. While hiking you work out muscles over long periods of time. If carrying a pack you are also working out often overlooked (and under-exercised) muscles in your legs and back. The evidence of this is plain; your muscles get sore and tired, often in strange spots. The reason for this is that muscles degrade over time when used. Over the course of a long hike, muscles need the tools to repair themselves, and that is where protein comes in. Protein is the building block of muscle, and providing your body with a good source of clear protein drinks can greatly reduce recovery times while on the trail.

clear protein drinks
clear protein drinks

The most common source of clear protein drinks for hikers comes in the form of food on the trail.  However, it is important to pay special attention to what the snacks you are eating are giving you.  Many “power” bars advertise their protein content, and can be a good source of clear protein drinks. However, that protein often comes with lots of extra fat and sugars that aren’t going to provide the most stable trail diet. Beef Jerky can also be a good source of clear protein drinks, but it comes with a heavy cost. Jerky dehydrates your body, and will increase your need to intake water in order to stay hydrated. Nuts and dehydrated berries are other common munchies on the trail that pack a similar need to drink extra water.

One way of getting protein that is often overlooked is through dietary supplements. Because its dairy based, whey protein is easier to digest than soy protein making it perfect for the trail. Also, studies show that whey protein is more effective than soy based protein; which is often the protein that gets added to power bars. Since whey protein usually involves mixing powder with water; it is easy to get your protein while hydrating yourself. This makes whey protein a decent way to re-hydrate yourself rather than simply dehydrating yourself with salty nuts or jerky. And since whey protein isn’t packed with unnecessary fats or sugars, you’ll be able to incorporate it into a stable trail diet. For both of those reasons, whey protein can be an excellent way to get protein over a long hike; and protein is the hidden crux of a hiker’s nutritional needs on a long rewarding back country trail.

Probiotics and Digestive Health

Nutritions No Comments

What exactly are probiotics anyway? Digestive health insurance and probiotics are subject which so many people are talking about nowadays. Are you aware what’s going on within your body regarding total digestive health because it concerns your digestive system? Even when you’re eating the best diet, in case your digestion isn’t succeeding, your body will not do well. The body will not have the ability to completely process all the valuable nutrition from individuals meals to ensure that your digestive health is functioning in the optimum potential as well as your is obtaining the nutrition right places.

Micro-microorganisms which naturally occur is known as probiotics. It is important for total body health that you should have the correct quantity of microbiome probiotics inside your digestive system. It is important for microflora balance inside your digestive tract which encourages a proper and normal intestinal function. For correct digestion, probiotics have to be regularly introduced to your system. The digestive tract would be the spot for the miracle happens. This is where a lot of the digestion happens. We have to keep in mind that proper digestive health is essential to accomplish body wellness.

microbiome probiotics

So what is so special about probiotics and just how particularly will they play a role inside your body’s digestive health? Are you aware that nearly all immune cells within your body are in your digestive system? The primary advantage of probiotics is they help in the constant maintenance of keeping the digestive tract in balance. Therefore encourages proper defense mechanisms and proper digestion.

Whenever your digestive health is nice as well as your digestive tract is on the right track, healthy digestion happens and nutrition is made available to the body. All the cells, tissue and organs within your body will appreciate the interest you have to pay towards assisting proper digestive health. Whenever your body has the capacity to correctly digest food and nutrition from your meals are capable of being absorbed from your body, you will be living at optimal health and wellness.

You will find occasions when daily stresses along with other changes in your routine can upset the body. You will find natural remedies to aid in supporting a proper digestive tract, rebuilding your own body’s natural digestive balance and assistance to safeguard against individuals periodic digestive upsets. It’s highly essential that you obtain the right probiotic that will let your body to stay in complete health. Which kind of probiotic performs this? One which has a good number of live culture or living microorganisms-it’s fundamental of these living microorganisms to become shipped straight to your digestive tract.

Estrogen Imbalance May Be Causing Your Other Symptoms

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bossy-attitude-estrogen-imbalance-23572-1

One of the biggest factors in many women’s health problems is hormonal disruption and in particular estrogen imbalance. This imbalance can produce symptoms such as:

  • Swollen breasts
  • Irritable mood and bossy attitude
  • Fibroids
  • Early menarche
  • Endometriosis
  • Uterine fibroids
  • Fatigue
  • PMS
  • Cystic breasts
  • Irregular menstruation
  • Higher breast cancer risk

Although this may paint a gloomy picture, the good news is that by addressing estrogen and hormonal imbalance as the root cause, women can be free of many, if not most of these symptoms, and get back to good health.

What is Estrogen Imbalance?

Estrogen is the female hormone that stimulates growth: it makes the breasts grow, increases body fat, and thickens the endometrial layer in the uterus. Progesterone is the hormone that balances estrogen: it is what maintains the secretory endometrium; it uses up fat for energy; and it is what protects against fibrocystic breasts, endometriosis, and breast cancer.

In a healthy state, estrogen and progesterone are in balance. However, estrogen and progesterone can become imbalanced, often with too much estrogen and not enough progesterone. This is known as estrogen dominance. It is important to note that the absolute levels of both hormones may be within normal bounds, but the relative abundance of the two hormones is out of balance.

Estrogen imbalance and dominance is becoming increasingly problematic for women all over the world. In fact, it is estimated that estrogen dominance affects almost 50% of the female population over 35 years of age in the West.

One of the reasons this issue is more prevalent in modern times is because we are exposed to compounds that act like estrogen (xenoestrogen) from outside sources. Xenoestrogens are found in a variety of products, including plastics, pesticides, herbicides, and solvents.

The introduction of these xenoestrogens into the body can compound other health problems, such as liver congestion. This can cause estrogen imbalance and a host of issues that come with it.

Endometriosis and the Liver

Endometriosis is a painful condition that affects millions of women worldwide and may be seen with estrogen dominance. It occurs when the endometrial cells, which should only be present in the lining of the uterus, begin to spread to other parts of the body such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the outside of the uterus.

Over time, as the endometrial cells swell and shrink with the reproductive cycle, they can cause the development of scar tissue in the organs they spread to. This is often very painful and can lead to other issues such as cysts, fatigue, infertility, and allergies.

An estrogen imbalance produces a thicker uterine lining, which brings on heavy bleeding during menses. Heavier bleeding increases the risk of endometrial tissues traveling to other parts of the body and developing into endometriosis. Endometriosis is thus part of the estrogen dominance continuum.

Endometriosis is a common symptom of Estrogen imbalanceAnd although suppressing estrogen production can alleviate endometriosis, this solution in itself can cause other problems, such as infertility. So, what is a better way to balance estrogen in the system? Strengthening the liver, improving adrenal function, and reducing exposure to or ingestion of excess estrogen are all helpful strategies.

A strong liver helps maintain hormonal balance by removing estrogen from the system. In healthy pre-menopausal women, the amount of estrogen being removed by the liver is similar to the amount being produced by the body. This simultaneous production and removal are what keeps a balance of estrogen in the body, so the liver needs to be in an optimal condition in order to maintain this balance.

Certain herbs, exercises, and diets can strengthen liver function. This will help to maintain or improve this delicate estrogen balance and therefore protect against endometriosis. There are a few factors that can aggravate, or even trigger, the estrogen imbalance, including liver congestion, Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS), and the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response. Addressing those causal factors can improve hormonal balance and overall health as well.

Liver, NEM, AFS, and Endometriosis

The liver, ovaries, and adrenal glands all play a part in NEM Stress Response, which is your body’s way of handling stress. The adrenals and ovaries are responsible for hormone production and regulation, while the liver is responsible for detoxification and metabolic regulation. When the body is overly stressed, these organs can become imbalanced, resulting in hormonal imbalances such as estrogen imbalance or dominance and Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS). In the early stages of AFS, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is overstimulated and causes an increased production of cortisol, the anti-stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands. The production of cortisol then promotes fat deposits in the liver that are associated with a fatty liver disease.

Just as cortisol affects the liver, cortisol levels also affect progesterone. This intricate balance between these hormones and the liver’s functions is compromised in those who suffer from AFS. As stress levels increase, progesterone is shunted down the hormone pathway to make more cortisol, this leads to a progesterone and estrogen imbalance. With AFS, the hormone deregulation can produce estrogen dominance and endometriosis.

That is how endometriosis should be viewed: as a symptom rather than the actual problem. Its root cause is the hormonal imbalance, which can be brought on or aggravated by AFS and the NEM Stress Response.

Addressing the adrenal fatigue, NEM Stress Response, and the ensuing estrogen dominance is the best way to ensure deep and lasting change. And the liver plays a key role in the success or failure of the recovery process.

A holistic health plan with proper dietary coaching, exercise, stress-relief, good sleep, liver-function-enhancing herbs, and adrenal fatigue supplementation gives the best chance for recovery from both the adrenal fatigue and the hormonal imbalance.

But it is important to note that some foods and herbs, even liver-supporting herbs, can be estrogenic. These include:

  • Garlic
  • Dates
  • Cherries
  • Soya
  • Chickpeas
  • Flaxseed
  • Ginseng
  • Royal jelly
  • Sage

Estrogen imbalance can be improved by using sage.This can be a little confusing at first, especially since some of these herbs are recommended for liver cleansing, and these foods are quite healthful under normal circumstances. This is why the best way forward if you have hormonal and estrogen imbalance as well as AFS, is to consult a medical professional experienced with both. Improper use of detoxing supplements can often aggravate and further stress the body.

Both AFS and estrogen dominance are reversible. A healthy liver function will help you overcome both, and as one condition improves, often times, so will the other.

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