All hormones need to be:

1. Used
2. Broken down
3. Recycled by the liver and digestive tract. This is accomplished in our bodies by specific genes – COMT, ACAT, CYP, and SULT genes. Any defect in these genes can create imbalances with your hormone system.

Getting a genetic test and running it through something like PROMETHEASE genetic program can give you this info (check out my post on genetic testing). However, other factors along with genetics, are heavy influences in the hormonal system, and metals is one of them. Patients with hormonal imbalance usually have unique backgrounds:

• raised near chemical factories
• unusual sickness and reactions after vaccinations when young
• lived on farms with heavy pesticide use
• lived in town with nuclear plant(seriously)
• metal fillings in the teeth
• smoking

HEAVY PROCESSED FOODS – metals are preservatives! Longer shelf life for foods containing metals and preservatives.

Age does eventually create hormonal imbalance, but metals speeds up the accumulation of hormones by simply BLOCKING the body from properly breaking down and re-using hormones. Metals that are very detrimental to hormone balance:

1. Lead
2. Arsenic
3. Mercury 
4. Aluminum

How to test?
Research hair analysis for metals. There are good companies that test and give great info why you should do it. I like ZRT labs, they give great information with their testing. They have a great video on how metal toxicity affects thyroid health, check this testing out!

http://www.zrtlab.com/test-specialties/heavy-metals-nutrients/

If you have hormonal imbalances and have a unique background of being in a heavy metal environment as mentioned above, a metals test may be beneficial for you.

If you do have high amounts of metals in the body research these supplement aids:

1. Activated Charcoal and bamboo charcoal
2. Humic and Fulvic Minerals – https://www.motherearthlabs.com/
3. Heavy metal support formulas-as an example check this formula out by Thorne, it’s a clean formula. https://www.thorne.com/products/dp/heavy-metal-support