Posts by Sara Szal MD
Project Peanut Butter: Help Us Address Childhood Malnutrition with the Dutasi Documentary Project
I’m grateful for your support of my work, online courses, and books, and want to devote this article to describe a mission that means so much to me. If you appreciate our work here at Gottfried Institute, I ask that you show your support by considering a small donation to Project Peanut Butter.
Read MoreWhat Is Cortisol And How Can You Manage It?
At a basic level, what is cortisol’s role in the body? Cortisol is the hormone that governs your digestion, hunger cravings, digestion, sleep/wake patterns, blood pressure, physical activity, and your capacity to cope with stress. Cortisol is the main stress hormone and is released when you’re in a fight with your partner or mom or…
Read MoreWhat To Eat When Your Main Hormone Levels Are Too High
When in balance, your hormones are like text messages in your body from a wise mentor. Each hormone sends a “do this” or “do that” task to specific cells all across your body in an effort to create homeostasis. You’ll feel this balance as a full head of hair, strong nails, clear skin, stable mood and weight,…
Read MoreThe Natural Sleep Cure: How to Get Restful, Rejuvenating Sleep Without Popping a Sleeping Pill
We’re all aware of the common breakfast cereal commercials that show a bowlful of bran flakes with milk, topped with banana slices, with a side glass of orange juice, accompanied by the phrase, “Part of a balanced breakfast!” Instead of claiming such a breakfast starts your day energized, I wish to replace that image with…
Read MoreCortisol & Cancer: How Lowering Stress Can Help Prevent Cancer
Every week on the news, online, in a magazine, we hear or read about the ever-elusive “cure for cancer.” So far, it’s still a far-off medical goal. While I think it’s important for us to keep researching treatment options for all the men and women affected by cancer, I also want people to focus on…
Read MoreHow Wild Alaskan Salmon Rocked My Locks and Transformed My Life
It’s August, 1989. Something weird and wonderful is happening en route to Harvard Medical School, and it’s not just the music of Nirvana and Pearl Jam. My hair is astonishingly full, thick, and shiny even though I haven’t used “product” on it for the entire summer. My nails are curiously strong.
Read MoreBalance Your Hormones, Balance the Scale: 5 Ways to Lose Weight through Natural Hormone Balancing
Are you doing everything right, but still struggling to lose weight? A lot of people seem to think weight loss is just a case of simple math. That all it takes is “eating less and exercising more.” That the only reason someone is overweight is because of their self-control. Ladies and gentlemen, that is a…
Read More8 Ways Birth Control Pills Might be Harming Your Health
Millions of women take birth control pills (BCP) for contraception and/or to treat an underlying hormone imbalance. BCPs block ovulation and thicken your cervical mucus so that sperm have a reduced chance of meeting up with a fertilized egg. But are they a good idea? That depends. As a gynecologist practicing functional medicine, I have…
Read MoreTired but Wired? 3 Foods to Eat + 3 to Avoid to Heal Your Adrenals
After taking care of patients for the past 25 years, I’m accustomed to the push back that occurs with adrenal problems. (In fact, I suspect you’ll have a few yourself in response to this article, and I look forward to hashing it out in the comments section). I get it – when you’re tired but…
Read MoreTop Five Foods for Clear, Glowing Skin
The skin is a mirror of the gut and mind. In functional medicine, symptoms are divine messages from the body. It’s our job together to decode them, not rush to a new pill or cream. We need to identify the root cause and then create a protocol to heal that cause. The same rule applies whether the issue is acne, eczema, rosacea, wrinkles, weight gain, rapid aging, or diabetes.
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