Women’s Health
The Top Hormone Imbalances I See in Women
Hormones don’t fail quietly.They speak through symptoms, often long before labs look “abnormal.” In my clinical work, these are the most common hormone imbalances I see in women, especially during premenopause, perimenopause, and menopause. Many women experience more than one at the same time, which is why symptoms can feel confusing or contradictory. High Cortisol…
Read MoreWomen and Constipation: Why Is It More Common? (Part 1)
Many of my female patients suffer from constipation, but it is rarely the reason a woman visits her doctor. Yet research indicates constipation is approximately twice more common in women than in men. Constipation is like that one friend who takes forever to text back—frustrating, unpredictable, and way more common in women than men. In…
Read MoreEstrogen, Progesterone, and Testosterone: How These Hormones Shape Your Daily Life
Let’s take a tour beyond the myths and into the molecular reality of what these hormones really do in your daily life. Estrogen: The Multitasking Mastermind Estrogen isn’t just about periods and PMS. It’s a group of hormones—estradiol, estrone, and estriol—that influence nearly every system in your body. Produced primarily in the ovaries (or via…
Read MorePCOS and Endometriosis: Decoding the Hormonal Mysteries Behind Common Women’s Health Challenges
Despite affecting millions of women, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis remain among the most underdiagnosed, misunderstood, and mismanaged conditions in modern medicine. These aren’t just “period problems” or fertility issues—they are full-body hormonal syndromes with systemic ripple effects that often begin in adolescence with consequences that extend past menopause. PCOS is the most common…
Read MorePCOS: Autonomic Nervous System Dysregulation and Mitochondrial Issues
Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) often have increased stress, with an exaggerated sympathetic (fight-flight-freeze-fawn) nervous system and underactive parasympathetic (stay-and-play, rest-and-digest, feed-and-breed!) nervous system. We call these findings autonomic imbalances, including reduced parasympathetic activity, which suggests a potential link to mitochondrial dysfunction. Research indicates that mitochondrial dysfunction is indeed associated with PCOS and may contribute…
Read MoreMapping the Health Hazards of Being Female
The female body has been left behind by modern medicine. No wonder we are struggling from over-caring, over-giving, and over-functioning. Women are more stressed than ever before. Take a look at the telling statistics. While the root causes in part relate to biological differences in hormone levels, the X chromosome, and physiological states that men…
Read MorePOTS and the Autonomic Nervous System: A Post-COVID Rise in Dysregulation
Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) is a condition where your autonomic nervous system struggles to regulate blood flow and heart rate properly when you stand up, leading to an exaggerated increase in heart rate (tachycardia) without a corresponding drop in blood pressure. This dysregulation can cause symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, brain fog, and even fainting.…
Read MoreEnvironmental Pollutants as Toxic Signals (Part 1): Understanding the Hidden Threats to Your Brain Health, Nervous System, and Well-Being
Think of your nervous system as a high-speed train system—efficient, precise, and designed to keep everything running on schedule. Messages zip from your brain to your body like bullet trains, ensuring you can think, move, and function without delays. But what happens when environmental pollutants sneak onto the tracks? Imagine lead as a pile of…
Read MoreStress Hormones in Postpartum, Perimenopause and Menopause: Focus on Norepinephrine
When I worked in mainstream medicine, I was perplexed about why so many of my patients aged 35 and older were taking either selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) to treat certain types of depression and anxiety. SSRIs work by blocking reuptake of serotonin by nerves, and SNRIs work by…
Read MoreDivorce in Midlife: Experience, Independence, and Self-Awareness Converge
If you’re in your 40s and suddenly thinking, I’d rather be alone with a houseplant than stay in this marriage, you’re not alone. Women initiate nearly 70% of divorces, and midlife is prime time for calling it quits. Why? Because the “I’m Done” decade is real. The most common age for a woman to initiate divorce is…
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