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Is there evidence to back up TikTok content creators' ‘hormone-balancing’ tips?

December 21, 2023

Countless TikTok videos tout the benefits of 'hormone balancing' for women—diet, exercise and sleep practices—that optimize hormonal health during various changes the body undergoes. Such popular 'hormone-balancing' tips include paying attention to the four phases of the menstrual cycle, eating raw carrot salads, drinking dandelion root tea, getting sunshine every morning, limiting blue light, and performing certain yoga poses for optimal sleep.

While many of these lifestyle changes are often suggested by physicians as a complement to medical treatment, clinicians have expressed concern that viewers might interpret that these holistic changes are sufficient to treat conditions tat may actually require real medical treatment. Physicians identify hormone imbalances through tests and treat depending on the underlying cause. Treatment for low hormone levels might involve HRT, whereas high hormone levels may be treated with surgery, medication, or radiation therapy.

Some clinicians also worry that this hormone-balancing trend might lead some individuals to believe they have hormone imbalances when they actually don’t.

Symptoms of hormone imbalances discussed on TikTok videos can be broad, from fatigue and weight gain to high blood cholesterol levels, anxiety, and depression. They can also be linked to a number of different conditions, including polycystic ovary syndrome, acne, diabetes, thyroid disease, and obesity.

Source:

Bushak, L. (2023, December 18). MM+M. Medical Marketing and Media. CanTikTok's 'hormone balancing' tips stand up to medical scrutiny? https://www.mmm-online.com/home/channel/can-tiktoks-hormone-balancing-tips-stand-up-to-medical-scrutiny/