Women’s Health
5 Secrets to Turn Back the Clock
Jennifer was a forty-four-year-old patient who arrived in my office feeling defeated, worn out, and “older than her years” as she put it. As a third-shift nurse who worked grueling twelve-hour nights – frequently picking up overtime – the stressful struggle to balance sleep, two kids, and an unemployed husband drained her sanity, and took…
Read MoreHow Stress Harms Your Health and Aging
Mary was a thirty-nine-year-old patient who visited me complaining she felt burned out. Her sixty-hour workweeks left her beyond fatigued, with frequent headaches, miserable colds, and raging tension that cut into her sleep. On top of that, she confessed that lately life had become meaningless, which she attributed to an early midlife crisis, and her…
Read MoreWhy Can’t I Lose Weight and Keep It Off? (Hint: It’s Not Your Fault)
Have you tried every diet imaginable, and still find it hard to lose weight? Or maybe you lose weight, only to gain it back within a few months? Chances are your metabolism is broken. A broken metabolism is intertwined with what I call hormone misfires, which make you store fat no matter what diet you…
Read More5 FAQs on Hormones and Weight Loss Resistance
What happens in the body regarding weight gain and loss when estrogen and progesterone are out of balance? Estrogen is the primary female sex hormone. It gives women hips and breasts, buffers mood, and keeps you on task by regulating serotonin. Estrogen is responsible for the first half of your menstrual cycle, it boosts sex…
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 MoreHashimoto’s and AutoImmune Thyroiditis
Hashimoto’s disease deserves a spot in the conversation about hormone balance, as it’s one of the most common conditions that can cause hormonal burnout and a host of vague symptoms you might attribute to other things. Before we delve into those, however, let’s recap what Hashimoto’s disease is: an autoimmune condition that involves thyroid dysfunction.…
Read MoreDr. Sara’s Exercise Report Card: Chronic Cardio Gets a “C”
It is no mystery that working out is vital to a healthy, happy body and mind. However, when it comes to physical activity, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Recent data shows not only do you not have to spend countless hours at the gym to benefit from exercise, but also…
Read MoreThe Top 7 Books Every Woman Should Read
These are books that I’ve loved in the past few months to years. Hope you love them too! 1. Yes Please by Amy Poehler. Her two apology letters, one from the brain (p 80) and from the heart (p 82) are required reading for anyone in a relationship, because relationships will take down your adrenals…
Read MoreJJ Virgin's Sugar Impact Diet: Dr. Sara’s Book Club #20
If you’ve ever despaired that your sweet tooth is the bane of your existence, stop what you’re doing and go get a copy of my dear friend’s new book, JJ Virgin’s Sugar Impact Diet. You’ve probably heard of JJ Virgin – she’s a clean-eating, smoothie-sipping, burst-training goddess after my own heart – and her latest…
Read MoreAmerica’s #1 Addiction Might Shock You
“I wanted to do it alone,” a client told me. “I didn’t want anyone else around. Minutes after I began, I felt this rush of euphoria and I couldn’t stop. Then came the inevitable crash, where I wanted to curl up in the fetal position watching ‘Friends’ reruns.” If you’re concerned my client had a…
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