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Author: Dr. Russell
Women's Health
Dr. Russell

Endometriosis: More Than Your Average Monthly Nuisance

I recently completed our family with the birth of our daughter, Paulina, in November. While I am not a fan of being pregnant, one of the few perks is not having a period for an extended period of time. For reasons that I cannot comprehend, my period quickly returned, not even 7 weeks postpartum, even while exclusively breastfeeding. With the return of my period, it made me reflect on periods in general. One thing I’ve commonly seen in practice is

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March 2, 2026 No Comments
Women's Health
Dr. Russell

Is It My Thyroid? How To Comprehensively Evaluate Thyroid Health

What distinguishes our practice from conventional care is our personalized, whole-person approach. We meet individuals where they are and thoughtfully evaluate all of their symptoms to piece together a clearer picture of their health. However, one area where I sometimes feel a bit “lazy” is when it comes to ordering labs, especially thyroid panels. By “lazy,” I mean that I test almost everyone for thyroid function.  Because the thyroid influences nearly every system in the body, dysfunction can show up

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January 6, 2026 1 Comment
Women's Health
Dr. Russell

POTS, Hormones, and Hidden Triggers: What Every Patient Should Know

What Is POTS? Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or Postural Tachycardia Syndrome, commonly called POTS, is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system. This part of the nervous system controls “automatic” body functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature regulation. In people with POTS, the body has trouble adjusting to upright posture. When standing, instead of blood flowing smoothly back to the heart and brain, it tends to pool in the lower body. To compensate, the heart races —

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October 1, 2025 No Comments
Hormones
Dr. Russell

How Do I Know If I’m In Perimenopause?

I hear it all the time. A woman in her 40s comes to me feeling like she’s going through puberty again. She’s irritable at the smallest things and feels like she’s PMS-ing half the month. Her sleep and energy are all over the place and she’s having a hard time concentrating at work. Is this perimenopause? Like any concerned individual, she goes to her doctor to see if they can figure out what’s going on. After a quick visit, she leaves

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September 3, 2025 No Comments
Acupuncture
Dr. Russell

Five Natural Remedies That Actually Work for Headaches

Headaches are among the most common health concerns, affecting people across all ages and lifestyles. Whether they appear occasionally or become chronic and disruptive, headaches can significantly impact quality of life. While conventional medicine often treats headaches with over-the-counter or prescription drugs, naturopathic medicine takes a more integrative approach, one that addresses underlying causes and supports the body’s innate ability to heal. By exploring factors like nutrient status, hydration, stress levels, sleep patterns, and blood sugar regulation, we can uncover

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June 4, 2025 No Comments
Sleep
Dr. Russell

Rest to Reset: Natural Sleep Tips for Improving Mental Health

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to highlight practices that nourish the mind, body, and soul. One of the most fundamental—but often overlooked—pillars of mental health is quality sleep. When we rest well, our mood stabilizes, focus sharpens, and emotional resilience increases. In fact, modern research consistently shows a strong two-way connection between sleep and mental health. Inadequate or poor-quality sleep doesn’t just make us tired—it can significantly affect mood, cognitive function, and emotional regulation. Studies have linked chronic sleep

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May 5, 2025 No Comments
Mental Health
Dr. Russell

When Medicine Does Harm: Medical Trauma

Last year, I fulfilled a bucket-list goal of mine: to present at the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians 2024 Convention. I was one of about twenty chosen out of over 200 proposals to speak to my colleagues and it was such an honor.  But I would be remiss if I didn’t share some of what I presented since it likely affects more people than we realize. And that is medical trauma. As a society, we are very familiar with the

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January 8, 2025 No Comments
Uncategorized
Dr. Russell

Frederick Natural Health Center Celebrates 10 Years!

Frederick Natural Health Center, a leader in holistic and integrative healthcare services, proudly marks its 10th anniversary this month. Over the past decade, we have provided a range of services including nutritional counseling, supplement and herbal guidance, craniosacral therapy, and homeopathy, and more.  “We are thrilled to celebrate this significant achievement,” said Dr. Ashley L. Russell, Founder and Owner of Frederick Natural Health Center. ” We are honored to have served our community over the past ten years and are excited

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September 5, 2024 No Comments
Hormones
Dr. Russell

Are hysterectomies the only option for fibroids?

Bleeding heavily is a common concern for women of pre- and peri-menopause age. While there can be different reasons for heavy bleeding, a frequent cause are fibroids. Fibroids (leiomyoma) are benign tumors that grow in the smooth muscle of the uterus. It’s believed that by age 50, 70% of women have fibroids, though most will not know it. About 30% of women with fibroids are symptomatic. Unfortunately, that number disproportionately affects Black women and there is not a good explanation

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June 25, 2022 No Comments
Mental Health
Dr. Russell

Natural Tools To Tame Anxiety

Second to fatigue, the most common concern that my patients have is anxiety. While it may seem like everyone has anxiety (and I would argue to some extent that is true and normal), about 1 in 5 Americans meet the criteria to be considered diagnosable with an anxiety disorder.  While anxiety can present in different forms (generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobias, OCD, etc), there is a lot of similarities around the root cause(s) of anxiety.  From an evolutionary standpoint, anxiety

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April 15, 2022 No Comments
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