In a world that never seems to pause, your body’s stress response can shift from a survival tool to a chronic health saboteur. Let’s talk about why nervous system regulation is the key to overcoming inflammation, managing weight, and reclaiming your energy.

Ear infections are among the most common ailments in children, particularly those under the age of 5. They can cause significant discomfort, worry for parents, and confusion about the best treatment options. This article explores the symptoms of pediatric ear infections, the pathogens that most commonly cause them, and both conventional and naturopathic treatment approaches. Importantly, we'll address the growing recognition that antibiotics are not always essential for managing this condition.

Hormones. They’re the invisible forces that shape how we feel, think, and function every single day. But here’s the kicker: what “hormone balance” looks like changes over time.

Your body isn’t the same at 25 as it is at 45—or 65. Knowing what’s happening under the surface is your first step to staying in tune with your body and feeling your best at every stage.

Every new year brings a mix of emotions—hope, excitement, and, if we’re being honest, a little bit of fear.

Because let’s face it: deep down, we know that if we keep doing what we’ve always done, nothing will change. The fatigue will linger. The stubborn weight will stay. The mood swings, the brain fog, the frustration with not seeing results—it all starts to feel like our “normal.” And that’s a scary thought.

Maybe you’ve tried before. You’ve made resolutions, stuck to a plan for a few weeks, but nothing really changed. Or if it did, it didn’t last. It’s enough to make you wonder if you’ll ever feel better… really better.

But what if this year could be different? What if you could wake up with energy that lasts all day, finally feel in sync with your body, and see real, sustainable changes in your metabolism and mood?

Stop Stress in Its Tracks and Find Your Holiday Reset

The holidays are here—a season of joy, connection, and celebration. But let’s be honest… it can also feel like a season of stress, overwhelm, and exhaustion. If you’re juggling endless to-do lists, family gatherings, and work deadlines, it’s easy to feel stretched too thin.

And when stress takes over? It doesn’t just stay in your head—it shows up everywhere:

❌ You’re snappy and irritable ❌ You can’t sleep (or you wake up groggy) ❌ Your digestion feels off—bloating, cramping, or sluggishness ❌ Your hormones go haywire—period problems, belly fat, and cravings

If this sounds familiar, take a deep breath. You don’t have to push through the holidays feeling this way. You have the power to reset and reclaim your peace—and it starts with your mind.

As we approach the end of 2024, we’re invited to pause, reflect, and reset our intentions for the coming year. It’s a time to evaluate where we’ve been and how we can move forward with purpose, especially when it comes to our health.

This isn’t just about setting a resolution to lose weight or exercise more—it’s about creating a holistic approach to health that nurtures your mind, body, and spirit. It’s about lowering inflammation, balancing hormones, improving sleep, and setting the foundation for long-term vitality. It’s about thriving, not just surviving.

As parents, we want to ensure our children grow up happy, healthy, and well-adjusted. However, mental health issues are increasingly affecting children and adolescents, and it’s essential to be aware of the signs and symptoms, especially when it comes to anxiety, depression, and other common mental health challenges. As a naturopathic doctor, I believe in treating the whole person — mind, body, and spirit. Mental health concerns in children can be complex, but many holistic approaches can support their well-being and help them thrive.

As the seasons change, so do our nutritional needs. Eating seasonally isn’t just about savoring fresh flavors—it’s a strategic way to support your body’s health, immunity, and hormone balance. But are the foods on your plate nourishing your well-being or silently draining your energy?

Every bite you take sends a signal to your body. It can either:

• Support: Provide essential nutrients that boost energy, balance hormones, and strengthen immunity.

• Drain: Contribute to inflammation, hormone imbalances, and metabolic disruptions.

Modern diets often include processed foods high in refined sugars and unhealthy fats. These "drainers" deplete vital nutrients, disrupt gut health, and can lead to chronic conditions like fatigue, hormonal imbalance, and weakened immunity.

On the other hand, nature's seasonal bounty offers "supporters" packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants your body needs for optimal functioning. Seasonal superfoods help you sync with the rhythms of nature and support your health through every seasonal shift.

The lymphatic system often works behind the scenes, quietly supporting your body’s most vital functions. Yet, its health is essential for detoxification, immunity, energy, and even mental clarity. The lymphatic system is a network of vessels, nodes, and organs that helps to remove waste and move white blood cells around the body. 

It is so closely linked to the immune system that we cannot expect our immune systems to work without healthy lymphatic flow. As we move into the ‘cold’ season, let’s take a moment to understand the system that works behind the scenes.

Lately, our clinic has been flooded with cases of viral infections—from persistent upper respiratory issues to digestive disturbances and sinus infections. It is the time of the year when our immune system needs to stay robust and adaptive as we encounter the seasonal changes and new viral challenges.

The immune system is not just a defense mechanism; it’s a complex network that requires proper nourishment and care to function optimally. Let’s explore the role of specific immune-boosting nutrients, why gut health is foundational for a resilient immune response, and how sleep, stress, and dietary sugar impact our body’s ability to fend off illness.

Whether you’re recovering from a recent infection or looking to prevent future ones, these insights will empower you to make choices that strengthen your immune defenses.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month—a time to honor survivors, raise awareness, and take action in the fight against breast cancer. While conventional treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation have saved many lives, an integrative, holistic approach is becoming increasingly recognized as a critical component of prevention, treatment, and healing. This approach addresses not just the physical body, but also environmental, hormonal, and lifestyle factors that can contribute to the development of breast cancer.

Our brains rely on a steady, rich supply of oxygen and nutrients through blood circulation to function optimally. However, when tiny blood clots—called microclots—form and circulate through the bloodstream, this vital supply can be interrupted. Microclots can silently wreak havoc on brain health, leading to a wide range of neurological issues, from brain fog to more serious cognitive impairments. In this blog, we’ll explore why microclots are detrimental to brain health, the symptoms they cause, and how they form. We’ll also dive into practical strategies—both lifestyle habits and supplements—that can help dissolve these clots and protect your brain.

Most people don’t think twice about brain health unless they notice problems with their memory or concentration. 

But your brain is the control center for everything else in your body! 

Every thought, emotion, movement, and even the way you digest food or respond to stress is regulated by our brain. How well your brain functions has a direct and significant effect on your stress response, hormone production, gut health, and hunger cues. (Not to mention productivity and mood.)

We just cannot separate the body from the brain. Prioritizing brain health is crucial not only for mental clarity and emotional well-being but also for your overall health. 

In modern medicine, the focus is shifting from a one-size-fits-all approach to more personalized strategies that consider the unique aspects of each individual. Central to this personalization is understanding our genetic makeup. Genetics provide a blueprint, giving us insights into how our bodies function in the short term and the long term. By integrating genetic data into our health care approach, we not only address today’s symptoms but also gain clarity on potential risks and opportunities for proactive care.

Treating Symptoms by Addressing the Root Cause

There are times where we want to prioritize symptom management, times where we want to prioritize an approach that seeks the root cause, and other times where we want to blend the two. When we open up the broader lens and look towards our health with a comprehensive workup, we want to take a peek at – diet, lifestyle, family history, labs, and each system in the body to be able to understand the whole. Yet, to truly understand what makes each individual unique, we must also consider the genetic component. This helps paint a comprehensive picture of health that goes beyond just symptoms, offering deeper insights into why certain issues arise and how best to treat them.

As the winter season approaches and school is in session for most children, ensuring your child’s health and well-being becomes crucial, especially when factors like reduced sunlight exposure and seasonal illnesses come into play. Here’s a comprehensive guide to building a pediatric winter wellness toolbox, focusing on essential supplements to support your child’s overall health during these colder months.

Embracing the Transition from Summer to Fall: A Guide for Resetting Self-Care Routines

As summer draws to a close, the transition into fall and the back-to-school season brings with it a mix of emotions for moms and families alike. On one hand, there's the excitement of new beginnings, the joy of reuniting with school friends, and the anticipation of a more structured routine. On the other hand, there can be feelings of anxiety, stress, and even sadness as the carefree days of summer come to an end. For many, it's a time of adjustment, juggling schedules, and finding a new rhythm.

Understanding the labs

Anyone who struggles with thyroid function knows that it’s all too common for their labs to look “fine” and yet still feel tired all the time or have mood swings, brain fog, constipation, hair loss, or other concerns.

That’s why in functional medicine, we also:

✔️ Monitor more than just TSH

✔️ Optimize nutrition for thyroid hormone synthesis

✔️ Support conversion of T4 to the more active T3

✔️ Calm inflammation & oxidative stress

✔️ Identify & address root causes (metals, toxins, nutrient deficiencies, infections, stress, etc.)

First, let’ understand how to read thyroid lab results

The hot flashes, low libido, PMS, carrying those extra pounds … they are frustrating and leave us wanting to feel confident and sexy in our own bodies.

But our hormonal balance rarely is just due to the sex hormones being out of balance. The out of kilter hormones are a red flag that our body is showing us, saying ‘take a look at me!’ One of those deeper root layers to hormonal irritability, is the thyroid.

The thyroid is a gland at the front of your neck that regulates metabolism, mood, and more. It is referred to as the ‘master gland’ because of the critical role it plays in regulating our metabolism, energy, and hormonal dance. It can become overactive or underactive, causing anything from feeling tired all the time to unexplained weight gain, hair loss, or mood swings.

Even with routine blood tests, thyroid imbalances are sometimes missed, and even when labs are brought into the normal range, I often see patients who still do not feel well.

When we zoom out, we see that thyroid hormones also interact with stress hormones (cortisol), blood sugar hormones (insulin), and reproductive hormones (estrogen). This is the greater orchestra of your body and why despite its central role, thyroid issues are rarely isolated problems. This is why you may struggle balancing your thyroid when all of your other buckets in the body are leaky.