Understanding your health means understanding the conditions that might be affecting you. Here's an
overview of some common concerns we help patients navigate—not to diagnose, but to inform and empower
your conversations with your doctor.
Perimenopause and Menopause
While menopause is a natural part of a woman's life, the decrease in hormones can lead to many
health problems. Our cardiovascular system, our bones, even our brain are severely impacted by
the reduction in hormones circulating in our body. No two people are alike, so why would we treat
every woman the same? "Cookie-cutter" hormone therapy prescribing is only addressing one part of
the process and may not even be providing the levels each woman needs for optimal health. Having
a knowledgeable hormone specialist guide you through these changes and find the right treatment,
tailored specifically for you, can help reduce these risks.
Questions worth bringing to your appointment: Should I test my hormone levels?
Am I a candidate for hormone therapy? If I can't take hormones, or I don't want to, what other
options are there to help me through this stage of life? What are diet and lifestyle changes I
can make during this season of life?
Women's Health Concerns
Do you experience painful, heavy or irregular periods? Do you suffer from PCOS? Are you trying
to conceive and looking to optimize your fertility? Women's health is multifaceted. From puberty
to menopause, our hormones are dynamic—no two days in a cycle are the same. Whether you are
interested in natural family planning, or trying to get your cycles regular, there are many ways
we can work to restore your body's natural rhythm.
Topics to explore with your doctor: What types of testing are available to
check my hormones? Are there diet and nutritional recommendations that will address my specific goals?
Digestive Concerns
Bloating, reflux, irregular bowel movements, abdominal pain—digestive symptoms are incredibly common
and often dismissed as "just IBS." But these symptoms are signals, and understanding what's driving
them can open the door to meaningful relief.
Digestive health involves many moving parts: stomach acid production, enzyme secretion, bile flow,
the gut microbiome, intestinal barrier integrity, and the nervous system's influence on gut function.
When any of these are off, symptoms can follow.
Topics often worth discussing: Could SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth)
be a factor? Is low stomach acid contributing to symptoms? Would food sensitivity testing or a
comprehensive stool analysis provide useful information? How do stress and the gut-brain connection
fit into the picture?
Thyroid Dysfunction
Your thyroid gland produces hormones that regulate metabolism, energy, body temperature, and much
more. When thyroid function is off—whether too high (hyperthyroidism) or too low (hypothyroidism)—the
effects can touch nearly every aspect of how you feel.
Key insight: Standard thyroid screening (just TSH) often misses the full picture.
Comprehensive testing—including free T3, free T4, reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies—can reveal
issues that basic testing overlooks. Symptoms like fatigue, weight changes, hair loss, or feeling
cold can persist even when TSH appears "normal"—which is why comprehensive evaluation matters.
Consider asking: Has my thyroid been fully evaluated, or just screened? What are
optimal thyroid levels, not just "normal" ranges? Could autoimmune thyroid issues be relevant?
Could nutrient deficiencies be affecting thyroid function?
Adrenal & HPA Axis Issues
Your adrenal glands produce cortisol and other hormones that help you respond to stress. The HPA
(hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis is the communication system that regulates this stress response.
When this system becomes dysregulated—often from chronic stress—it can manifest as fatigue, sleep
issues, anxiety, brain fog, and difficulty recovering from even minor stressors.
While "adrenal fatigue" isn't a recognized medical diagnosis, HPA axis dysfunction is very real
and measurable. The pattern of cortisol throughout your day can reveal a lot about how your stress
response system is functioning.
Worth discussing: Could my symptoms be related to HPA axis dysfunction? Would
cortisol testing be helpful? What strategies can help restore healthy stress response patterns?
Autoimmune Conditions
In autoimmune disease, the immune system—designed to protect you—mistakenly attacks your own tissues.
Conditions like Hashimoto's thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and inflammatory bowel disease
fall into this category. While genetics play a role, research increasingly points to environmental
triggers that can activate or worsen autoimmunity.
A functional approach: Rather than only suppressing symptoms, integrative approaches
often focus on identifying and addressing potential triggers—things like gut health, chronic infections,
food sensitivities, stress, and toxic exposures. Supporting the immune system's balance, rather than
just dampening it, is often part of the strategy.
Questions for your appointment: What might be triggering or perpetuating my
immune response? Would testing for food sensitivities or gut health be helpful? How can I support
my body alongside conventional treatment?
Fatigue & Low Energy
Persistent fatigue that doesn't improve with rest is one of the most common—and frustrating—complaints
we hear. It's also one of the most complex, because fatigue can stem from numerous factors: sleep
issues, thyroid dysfunction, adrenal problems, nutrient deficiencies, chronic infections,
mitochondrial dysfunction, or simply burning the candle at both ends.
Key insight: "You're just tired" or "Your labs are normal" isn't an adequate answer
when fatigue is affecting your life. A thorough evaluation looks beyond standard labs to investigate
the multiple systems that contribute to energy production.
Worth asking: What might be contributing to my fatigue beyond what basic testing
shows? Are there nutritional or hormonal factors we haven't fully explored? What's the difference
between normal tiredness and something more significant?
