depression Archives %% - Dr Wendy Wells Naturopathic Doctor Online

Vagus Nerve Signaling: The Gut-Brain Superhighway

When you have a ”gut feeling”, you’re not imagining things, your nervous system is actually listening and trying to get your attention. One of the best ways your gut talks to your brain is through the vagus nerve which is a long, wandering nerve that connects your digestive tract to your brainstem. But what most people don’t realize is that around 80% of vagus nerve fibers are afferent, meaning they carry signals from the gut up to the brain, not the other way around! When Vagal Signaling Is Working Well… In a healthy gut, vagal afferent fibers, which are [...]

Vagus Nerve Signaling: The Gut-Brain SuperhighwayWendy Wells2025-07-14T03:01:55+00:00

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

Top Tips for Balancing Your Hormones Naturally

Hormone imbalance is when one or more of the sex hormones are higher or lower then they should be. The reasons for this can be many and are uniquely different for each person. Your levels will depend on how well you're producing the hormones and also how well you are detoxing them from your body. So your hormone balance depends on not only your endocrine system but your gastrointestinal health, nutritional status, your liver function, your medications, your diet and lifestyle. Common symptoms of hormone imbalance: hair loss low energy irregular menses heavy menses premenstrual syndrome (PMS) acne [...]

Top Tips for Balancing Your Hormones NaturallyWendy Wells2025-05-25T17:05:04+00:00

Homeopathy in Menopause: Finding the Cure in the Cause

Whether you are undergoing menopause or have an acute illness, such as a cold or flu, or a chronic illness, such as thyroid disease, homeopathy can play an essential role in your wellness.

Homeopathy in Menopause: Finding the Cure in the CauseWendy Wells2023-09-24T20:12:38+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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