Bugging the Blues: The Gut Microbiome’s Role in Depression

Ever wonder why your mood sometimes sinks for no clear reason? It turns out, the answer might lie deep in your gut—literally. While most people know serotonin as the brain’s “feel-good” chemical, fewer realize that nearly 90% of it is made in the gut. Even more surprising? Your gut bacteria play a major role in how much serotonin your body can produce—thanks in part to a microbial metabolic route called the shikimate pathway. Let’s explore how your microbes may be influencing your mood from the inside out.    Serotonin is made primarily in the brain and the gut.   [...]

Bugging the Blues: The Gut Microbiome’s Role in Depression2025-07-06T19:12:43+00:00

The Hidden Causes of Depression: A Whole-Body Perspective

Depression is more than a mental health diagnosis—it’s a message from the body that something deeper is out of balance. While conventional medicine often reduces depression to a "chemical imbalance," naturopathic and functional medicine reveal that it’s far more complex—and far more treatable at the root.  When I treat patients who suffer with depression, I am seeing beyond the diagnosis to the person and we look at all the possible underlying causes and find the ones that are at play in each person's case.  Then we address, support the part of the body that is out of balance, and [...]

The Hidden Causes of Depression: A Whole-Body Perspective2025-06-24T18:34:12+00:00

Recognizing Fatigue Symptoms and How to Alleviate Them

More people worldwide are experiencing fatigue than ever before. The impacts on our personal, family and work life is making us all more aware of work-life balance and how to stay healthy given the daily stresses we are undergoing.  A 2023 study from the National Institutes of Health revealed over 42% of people experience significant fatigue on a daily basis. (1) What are the key symptoms of fatigue?  -Physical symptoms include a feeling of tiredness during the day, waking up not feeling refreshed, blurry vision, a sense of listlessness, headaches, muscle weakness and dizziness.  -Mental symptoms include a lack [...]

Recognizing Fatigue Symptoms and How to Alleviate Them2024-06-18T18:45:03+00:00

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