brain health Archives %% - Dr Wendy Wells Naturopathic Doctor Online

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 DepressionWendy Wells2025-07-06T19:12:43+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 PerspectiveWendy Wells2025-06-24T18:34:12+00:00

Brain Healing Blockers: 6 Hidden Barriers (+ How to Fix Them)

Your brain is not broken. It's brilliant, adaptable, and constantly working to heal itself. Every day, it rewires connections, detoxifies waste, repairs damage, and generates new cells. This is the power of neuroplasticity and regeneration. But when modern toxins get in the way, this natural wisdom is blocked. Understanding which chemicals impair the brain's healing—and how to avoid them—is the first step toward restoring clarity, energy, mood, and function. The Brain's Natural Healing Pathways The brain is designed to heal. Here's how it does it: Neuroplasticity – Builds and reshapes neural circuits through learning, therapy, and experience. Neurogenesis – [...]

Brain Healing Blockers: 6 Hidden Barriers (+ How to Fix Them)Wendy Wells2025-06-20T04:07:14+00:00

What Are the Best Mushrooms for Body and Brain?

Mushrooms have been used as far back as 2000 years ago by Chinese Medicine doctors. There are also accounts using mushrooms as food for the gods in Ancient Egyptian times. In modern times, the medicinal use of mushrooms for overall wellbeing, immune stimulation, brain function, cancer prevention and more is well established and accepted. While there are several super charged mushrooms that benefit the body and brain, my personal favorite is Lion's Mane as it helps grow new neurons by stimulating neural growth factors. I have seen very positive results in everyone I've given it to. It helps memory [...]

What Are the Best Mushrooms for Body and Brain?csouza2025-05-08T19:33:04+00:00

Hormesis and Health

Hormesis is a bodily response to a mild, short repeated physical, chemical, biological stressor. The stressor causes a mild increase in oxidative effect in the body that then leads to a cascade of positive bodily effects that are moving one away from disease and towards health.(1) From an evolutionary perspective, this makes sense. We know the body is designed to conserve energy so it will change and adapt its processes to meet the demand and adapt so that the next time the same effort is not needed. The body wants to be comfortable so to say. Bottom line is, [...]

Hormesis and HealthWendy Wells2023-09-10T23:15:10+00:00

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