ARTICLES

Category: Hormones

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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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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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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Hormones
Dr. Kassimir

Calming the Overactive Thyroid: A Natural Approach to Graves’ Disease

July is Graves’ Disease Awareness Month, which makes it the perfect time to shine a light on this autoimmune thyroid condition. Even though the thyroid is a small gland at the base of your neck, it has a big job — helping to regulate your metabolism, energy levels, temperature, mood, and more. When something goes wrong with the thyroid, your whole body can feel it. And that’s definitely the case with Graves’ disease, where the immune system starts attacking the

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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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Environmental Health
Dr. Kassimir

Go With The Flow: Harmonize With Your Luteal Phase

Do you feel down in the dumps as soon as the second half of your menstrual cycle hits or starting a few days before your period? Does it interfere with your relationships, your mental health, or your daily activities and responsibilities? Many menstruating people struggle with premenstrual syndrome (PMS) or what I like to call the “luteal phase blues.”  In this article, you will uncover what is happening during the second half of your menstrual cycle and why you may

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Hormones
Dr. Kassimir

Go With The Flow: Embracing The Follicular Phase

Have you ever made the connection between different times of your menstrual cycle and how you’re feeling physically, mentally, and emotionally? You may experience fluctuations in things like energy, creativity, motivation, cognitive clarity, mood, and physical endurance during different times of the month. If we’re not paying close enough attention, it can sometimes feel like an unexplained rollercoaster. Rest assured there is a rhyme and reason!  In this article, we will be discussing the intimate details of the follicular phase.

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Hormones
Dr. Kassimir

Natural Tips for PMS and Period Cramps

It’s a Wednesday morning during a normal work or school week. You roll out of bed more tired than normal, put the coffee pot on, and start getting ready. As you get dressed, you notice you have a slight headache, your pants feel tighter than yesterday, and your breasts are a little tender as you snap your bra on. As you rush to get out of the house, you knock your coffee cup on the counter, and it spills everywhere.

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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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Digestive Health
Dr. Russell

The ONE Simple Health Habit You Need For 2022

I’ve seen a lot of complex cases over the years. While it can be perplexing figuring out where to start, I am still astounded how sometimes the simple solutions can have a dramatic impact on health. One of these powerful and simple solutions is hydration. We all know that our bodies are part water. The amount varies depending on where in the body we’re looking at. Our bones are only 31% water, whereas the muscle and kidneys are more than

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