Balms and Manna Blog - Balms and Manna

3 Surprising Things Many Women Don't Know About Perimenopause

10/6/2025

You've heard people dread menopause, but is it really that bad? I mean, what's so bad about not having a period anymore?

You know it's inevitable. But everything seems ok right now.

Here's the thing most people miss- it's not menopause that's the problem. It's perimenopause. The time between regular cycling and when it's done- forever!

Here are three surprising things people miss about perimenopause:

1- You might be in perimenopause and not even know it!
Even though you are still cycling fairly regularly, estrogen and progesterone levels might be shifting. This can look like longer or shorter cycles, increased days of bleeding, night sweats, hot flashes or worsened PMS.

2- You can have a regular cycle and not ovulate!
It's called an anovulatory cycle, meaning you bleed but don't ovulate. If you don't ovulate, you don't make progesterone. This can lead to feeling anxious, emotional, increased PMS and poor sleep.

3- Perimenopause doesn't have to be uncomfortable!
Stress is one of the biggest factors in your perimenopause journey. If you work to manage your stress before you get to this time in life, it can greatly increase the likelihood of a smooth and easy experience.

You don't have to be in the dark. There are answers out there.

Don't let perimenopause take you by surprise. Start now to put healthy habits in place so you can have an easy transition to menopause!

Schedule a Discovery Call to learn more how you can get the things you need to live life to the fullest- in every season of life!

4 Ways to Say Good Bye to Pre-Period Bloating

9/22/2025

It seems unavoidable.

You know it's coming. Because it's there every menstrual cycle like an impending morning alarm.

The bloating that makes you feel a size too big.
Breast tenderness that is there with every step you take.

It might be familiar but it's not normal! It's your body telling you something isn't right.

4 Ways to Say Good Bye to Pre-Period Bloating

1- Grab some magnesium glycinate
Low magnesium is a culprit with PMS with fluid retention.

2- Pair magnesium with vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 needs magnesium to be effective.

3- Avoid xenoestrogens
Xenoestrogens increase estrogen levels- another suspect in PMS with fluid retention. Choose organic meat and dairy. Avoid plastics (plastic wrap, containers), using microwaves, fragrances, toxic body care products and cleaners.

4- Boost your diet
Beans, whole grains and leafy vegetables are good choices of food during this time.

It's not inevitable! It's avoidable!

You can feel and look your best even the week before your period!

These are just a few things to get started with. Test to know where your hormones really are.

Join my 180 Days to Wellness for specific eating, stress and supplement plans created just for you and what you need!

4 Remedies for Estrogen Dominance PMS

9/8/2025

You dread those days. And so does everyone else in your house.

You feel anxious, moody and irritable. You try to hold it together but what you really want to do is escape yourself!

When there are more days like this than not.... it's time to take action!

4 REMEDIES FOR PMS FOR ESTROGEN DOMINANCE

1- Switch to organic animal fats and dairy
Animal fats and dairy increase xenoestrogens making estrogen dominance worse.

2- Say good bye to sugar and refined carbs
Sugar and carbs create inflammation and stress. It's really that simple.

3- Avoid xenoestrogens
Xenoestrogens mimic regular estrogens. Choose organic meat and dairy. Avoid plastics (plastic wrap, containers), using microwaves, fragrances, toxic body care products and cleaners.

4- Try magnesium glycinate and vitamin B6
Support inflammation and progesterone- both of which are challenges in estrogen dominance.

You don't just have to deal with it. It's not just how you are.

You can feel better! You can go through a whole month with more good days than bad days!

These are just a few things to get started with. Test to know where your hormones really are.

Join my 180 Days to Wellness for specific eating, stress and supplement plans created just for you and what you need!

Tried Everything and Still Feel Stuck?

8/25/2025

Feel like you've tried everything?

Diet. Supplements. Exercise. Fasting. Detox.

Nothing has worked. You feel stuck. You want to feel better. You know you could feel better. But you are tired of trying.

You aren't stupid. You aren't lazy. You are trying surface level things that aren't getting to the root of the problem.

Here's what I tell client's who feel stuck and have "tried it all":

Are you supporting all of your body together?
Are you addressing physical things but not the emotional things?
Are you looking at digestion, hormones and the liver as a whole?

If you aren't, it's not your fault. You are just doing what you know to do.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself:

Am I always rushing and am I ok with slowing down and saying no?
How is my digestion? Am I having consistent bowel movements every day?
Do I have steady energy throughout the day and wake up feeling refreshed?

Stop supporting yourself with surface level solutions and get to the root. See your body as a whole. Test don't guess. Start from the bottom up so you can get real results!

180 Days to Wellness is a whole body approach to finding the root causes that will help you start healing and feeling like yourself again!

5 Tips for Cramp Relief

7/7/2025

5 TIPS FOR CRAMP RELIEF

I just heard someone say, "I always take four ibuprofen at a time! Less than that doesn't touch the pain."

Pain medication, even when it's over the counter wreaks havoc on your digestive system and liver. While it can help take away the discomfort, it's not addressing the root cause and can be creating more inflammation which will increase the pain down the road.

Even though it might only be one day a month, period pain that keeps you from fully participating in work, relationships and tasks at home, isn't something you have to suffer with! There are more answers than the band-aid of pain medication.

To understand period pain, let's first consider what causes it.

As your uterine lining starts to break down at the end of your cycle, it releases prostaglandins. These stimulate your uterine muscles to contract to help shed the lining. But too many prostaglandins can cause pain. To relieve period pain, we need to focus on reducing prostaglandins and inflammation.

5 Tips for Cramp Relief

1- Essential oils
Essentials oils, when diluted and applied topically, can provide immediate relieve for cramps. Ginger, Digestzen, Marjoram, Lavender, Clary Sage/Clary Calm and Jasmine are all good choices to ease discomfort.

2- Minerals
Magnesium lowers prostaglandins and relaxes the uterus. It can be helpful for both prevention and current relieve. Zinc also inhibits prostaglandins and inflammation. Potassium can also be beneficial when taken regularly.

3- Herbs
Turmeric lowers inflammation which can be taken in a capsule or in a tea. Ginger warms and increases blood flow which can be also taken in a tea.

4- Compress
Castor oil packs can relax muscles and remove toxins from the liver. Apply over abdomen for several hours or over night. Heating pads, hot packs or warm compresses can also be soothing and relax muscles.

5- Dietary Changes
Avoiding inflammatory foods such as sugar, dairy and high histamine foods can reduce your overall inflammation load. Adding in foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids (olive oil, cod liver oil, etc) and reducing foods high in omega-6 fatty acids can also significantly reduce overall inflammation and prostaglandins.

I'd be delighted to know if you try any of these ideas and which ones you found the most helpful!

Love the idea of getting to the root cause not just dealing with the discomfort? Check out my 180 Days to Wellness where we dig deep into your personal root causes so that you can be energetic, happy and feel like yourself again!

How to Exercise With... Not Against Your Hormones

5/19/2025

HOW TO EXERCISE WITH...NOT AGAINST YOUR HORMONES

Have you ever had those days when you know you needed to exercise but just didn't feel like it? Those days when you had to push yourself to get started when your body was screaming to just sit and rest?

That is because sometimes high intensity and resistance is what we need. And other times we just need to stretch and walk. Doing the wrong thing at the wrong time can make it worse than if we didn't exercise at all.

What is cycle syncing?

Cycle syncing is a way to eat, exercise and work with your body to support your monthly cycle. Our body has different needs at different times of the month. When you work with your body, you can exercise and actually feel great every day of the month!

Exercise with your body

Menstrual phase: In the menstrual phase, your hormones are at the lowest level which can make you tired and want to stay close to home. As your estrogen starts to rise your energy increases.

FOCUS for exercise: Yoga, stretches, walking.

Follicular to Ovulatory phase: Energy continues to rise along with estrogen. You have faster reaction times and an increase in pain masking endorphins which makes high intensity workouts easier. You build more muscle and build it faster in this phase.

FOCUS for exercise: high intensity and resistance work outs.

Luteal phase: As progesterone rises, you can be more physically fatigued and have less stamina. But you’re burning up to 30% more fat when you exercise thanks to the combination of estrogen and progesterone making your body more efficient at using fat for fuel. Exercising reduces hormone-triggered water retention by helping you sweat out excess fluid.

FOCUS for exercise: Light cardio and light resistance exercises

Have you ever done cycle synching with exercise? If so, what have you noticed?

3 Tips to Problem Free Peri-menopause

3/3/2025

3 TIPS TO PROBLEM FREE PERI-MENOPAUSE

In the last few months, it's come to my attention how little understanding women have of peri-menopause- which makes me sad! When you don't know what's going on with your body, it's hard to tune into the changes or know how to support your body. This leads to this time of life being dreaded and feared. It doesn't have to be that way!

WHAT DEFINES PERI-MENOPAUSE?
Peri-menopause is the time leading up to menopause, which is the complete cessation of the menstrual cycle.

WHAT IS HAPPENING DURING PERI-MENOPAUSE?
In peri-menopause, estrogen and progesterone levels start to decrease and ovulating eventually stops. This begins as early as the late thirties.

Progesterone decreases gradually but estrogen can have big swings. The gradual decline of hormones can create some minor discomfort but when they really become problematic is when they are imbalanced. But you don't necessarily have to experience unpleasant symptoms in peri-menopause. Tracking your hormones and supporting your levels with lifestyle changes and natural products will go a long way with making this season of life better!

HOW DO I KNOW IF I AM IN PERI-MENOPAUSE?
There isn't a clear defining moment when you cross from pre-menopause to peri-menopause. However when you transition from regular ovulation to more sporadic or infrequent ovulation, that's your first clue that you have moved to this phase. Why do I say that's the first clue? Because you can stop ovulating and continue to have regular cycles so if you aren't tracking ovulation, you might have no symptoms and not even know you are in peri-menopause! As estrogen starts to dip and soar, you might notice other things like irregular periods, heavier bleeding, insomnia, vaginal dryness and hot flashes.

3 TIPS TO PROBLEM FREE PERIMENOPAUSE
1- Track Your Hormones
If you don't know where your hormones are at, it's hard to know where you are at in the process of peri-menopause. The first step is taking your basal body temperature first thing every morning to track ovulation. Ovulation is how you make progesterone, so as ovulation decreases so does your progesterone.

2- Less Carbs, More Protein
As you move into perimenopause, you become more sensitive to insulin. This means that when you eat carbs and sweet treats, you can have more dips and spikes in your blood sugar. This leads to weight gain and fatigue. Protein helps stabilize blood sugar, satiety, cardiovascular health and bone health.

3- Strength Training
Estrogen plays a role in bone and joint health. So as it decreases, strength training can help to maintain bone density and bone health. Strength training improves muscle mass which then can help with insulin sensitivity.

Knowing where you are at with your hormones (if you are still ovulating, symptoms of high and low estrogen and where your progesterone levels are) can help you know where you are at in peri-menopause and make navigating this time of life much easier.

Want to have a smooth transition through peri-menopause? Already there and tired of sleepless nights, hot flashes and mood changes?

Schedule a discovery call to learn more about my Six Month Personalized Wellness Package that will equip you with knowledge, tools and a personal coach to help you feel happy, energized and yourself again!

Schedule Your Discovery Call

What's Hijacking Your Hormones?

1/20/2025

WHAT'S HIJACKING YOUR HORMONES?

Hormones are complicated things! And absolutely necessary to be in balance to feel good. While there are many things that could be hijacking your hormones, endocrine disruptors on a major one. Let's take a deeper look.

Xenoestrogens are specific endocrine disruptors that are false estrogens that mimic estrogen. Because of this, xenoestrogens fit in the same receptor sites as estrogen which block the estrogen from being received and can increase the levels of estrogen in the body. Over time, xenoestrogens not only block receptor sites but can damage them as well.

This specific class of endocrine disruptors are found in conventional dairy, microwave use, plastics (especially when heated), non-organic soy and fragrances.

There are several ways to support healthy xenoestrogen levels in the body. One is to remove the amounts entering the body by avoiding the previously mentioned sources. Another way is to help the body break down and remove the current levels.

Flaxmeal- binds with estrogen to help remove it from the body
Liver support- the liver removes excess hormones. Milk thistle or dandelion products are great for the liver.
Cruciferous veggies- these contain diiodolymethane or DIM which improves estrogen metabolism

Tired of dealing with mood swings, PMS, low energy, poor sleep and digestive discomfort? Curious if you have excess estrogen or endocrine disruptors are the cause of your hormone imbalance? Test, don't guess!

Schedule a discovery call to learn more about testing and start feeling like yourself again!

Schedule Your Discovery Call

How Do I Know If I Have a Thyroid Problem?

11/11/2024

HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE A THYROID PROBLEM?

As toxins increase, our food becomes less nutrient dense and the pace of our world and lives speeds up, it's not suprising that thyroid challenges are becoming more and more common.

Maybe you've wondered if some of the nagging, annoying symptoms you've been having are a result of your thyroid.

The thyroid's main function is to regulate metabolism. This includes how quickly the body uses energy, makes proteins and regulates body temperature. When the thryoid isn't functioning optimally, you either have hypothyroidism (low thyroid function) or hyperthyroidism (high thyroid function).

Blood serum tests are the best way to really see what's going on. But here's a quick list of common symptoms of either hypo or hyper thyroid.

Hypothyroidism

Dry, coarse hair
Thinning hair
Brittle nails
Loss of outer third of eyebrows
Puffy face
Slow heart beat
Constipation
Weight gain
Arthritis
Cold intolerance
Dry skin
Muscle cramps, stiffness and joint pain
Heavy menstrual periods
Fatigue
Depression
Infertility

Hyperthryoidism

Weight loss
Palpitations
Sweating
Heat intolerance
Warm, moist palms
Frequent bowel movements
Anxiety
Irritability
Infrequent or scant menstrual periods
Fatigue
Increased appetite
Infertility
Insomnia
Bulging eyes
Rapid Heartbeat

If these lists resonate with you and you are suspicious of poor thyroid function, there is a solution! With a simple blood test, you can have a better idea of where your thyroid function is.

Schedule a discovery call to learn about not only the testing that is available through my Personalized Wellness Program but also how together we will identify your root causes of these symptoms and help you on your way to being more energetic and feeling like yourself again!

Schedule A Discovery Call

Tired of Feeling Tired and Overwhelmed?

9/25/2023

TIRED OF FEELING TIRED AND OVERWHELMED?

We live in a stressful world. No one is exempt from it. Whether it's physical, emotional, financial, relational or chemical stress, our bodies all perceive it as stress.