MORE BLOG POSTS — Stress

One of the most common complaints I hear from my female patients over 40 is that they're losing more hair than they used to—even if they haven't changed a thing. Sometimes it's the growing collection of hair wrapped around the shower drain. Sometimes it's the increasingly crowded hairbrush. Other times it's a ponytail that seems noticeably thinner than it once was. The truth is that some degree of hair shedding is completely normal. Most people lose dozens of hairs every day as part of the natural hair growth cycle. But if you're noticing more hair than usual in your brush,...

Hot flashes. Anxiety. Insomnia. Heart palpitations. Headaches. Brain fog. Random itching. A nose that suddenly behaves like it’s allergy season year-round. A glass of wine that used to feel relaxing but now leaves you flushed, wide awake at 2 a.m., and questioning every life decision you've ever made. Sound familiar? I thought so…. Most women assume these symptoms are simply part of stress or aging. And to be fair, many of them are. But there’s another player that often flies under the radar—one that can quietly stir up a surprising amount of chaos—especially during perimenopause and menopause. Meet histamine, an...

Many women don’t realize that prescription and over-the-counter medications can affect the levels and patterns of the stress hormone cortisol. I’ve worked with countless women who had many symptoms of stress system dysfunction—fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, sleep issues—but their system couldn’t course-correct because some of their medications were tying its hands behind its back. In some cases, medications are necessary. But it’s important to understand which ones can affect cortisol and the stress system—and how they do so.   Medications That Affect the Way You Perceive Stress Your brain constantly scans your environment looking for potential threats—whether that’s a...

There was a time when you could move through a stressful day without it completely derailing how you felt. You handled responsibilities, managed competing demands, and still had enough energy left to feel like yourself at the end of it. Even when life got busy or unpredictable, your system had a way of absorbing the pressure and eventually settling back down. Then things started to change. The same types of stressors that once felt manageable now seem to linger longer and hit harder. Sleep becomes lighter and more fragmented, even when nothing about your routine has changed. Your patience feels...

Probiotics help restore order by competing for space and resources, making it harder for those unwanted bacteria and yeast to take control—tipping the balance back in your metabolism’s favor.