White Stone Wellness Functional Nutrition

La mia bella regazza.

Biking around Rome

Ciao! We're off to meet our oldest in Italy!

🇮🇹

Three ways a low- functioning thyroid can affect your hormones:

1. It can cause low progesterone. The body uses a combination of cholesterol and T3, the active form of thyroid hormone, in the process required to make progesterone. If you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism or have symptoms of low thyroid function, it could result in less progesterone being made.

2. It can cause excess estrogen. Low thyroid function can affect the liver’s detoxification pathways and prevent estrogen from being broken down and eliminated from the body. This can lead to excess estrogen and symptoms of estrogen dominance.

3. It can mess with your menstrual cycle qnd s*x drive. . Low thyroid function can result in increased levels of another hormone, prolactin. High levels of prolactin can inhibit production of hormones in the brain (gonadotropins) responsible for regulating the phases of the menstrual cycle. This can cause irregular menstrual cycles, low libido and infertility.

Wondering if your thyroid could be driving your hormone crazy train?

Here are some symptoms that could indicate a need to get your thyroid tested:

Fatigue (with a capital F!)
Low s*x drive
Sluggishness (like you’re moving through molasses)
Stubborn weight gain
Depression
Brain fog
Dry hair and skin
Thinning hair (especially outer third of your eyebrow)
Sensitivity to cold
Slow heart rate
Constipation

Every month around my period I used to turn into the human equivalent of Cookie Monster, tornado-ing through the pantry on a rampage for snacks. 🍪🍪

Me want chocolate cake‼️

And Pringles‼️

And Sour Patch Kids‼️

And you’d better stay outta my way, ‘cause I’m irritable, bloated, crampy and for-the-love-of-God did I just gain 6 pounds overnight⁉️😡

I know that you know that I know that you know someone else who struggles with severe PMS too.

It’s the #1 complaint I see in cycling women in my practice. 

Our Standard American Diet doesn’t do us any favors, either.  (It’s called SAD for a reason.) 

It’s full of:

1. Unhealthy fats

2. Sugar and refined carbs🍞🍩

3. Salt🧂

4. Dairy🥛

5. Alcohol🍷

6. High calorie/low nutrient density foods (processed or fast food) 🍟

Having a diet high in these six things can cause PMS or make it worse.

And adding fuel to this hellfire, a dip in serotonin during the last half of our menstrual cycle can make us CRAVE these foods even MORE. 

VICIOUS. CYCLE.

Lucky for us, food can also be medicine.  Studies have shown that women who adhere to a Mediterranean style diet have less PMS and less severity of symptoms than women whose diet is heavy on the 6 things listed above.

High in fruits and veggies, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds and healthy fats like olive oil, the Mediterranean Diet is good for your gut, good for your blood sugar, and good for your hormones. 

So, what can you swap out, and what can you eat more of that your body will thank you for?

🍏 🥦 🍓 🥬 🥕

Reflecting on a day full of blessings.

Morning of quality time cycling and hanging with my handsome man.

Fun afternoon of mother daughter mani/pedi, boba tea and snack run.

Made a delicious salsa verde recipe courtesy of that will now be in heavy rotation.

Relaxing paddle on the lake with my baby bear.

Loving my rose bushes this year 💖

Do good. Do better.

Repost

Four days of great minds, great people, seeing old friends and making new ones.

Thrilled to be presenting on one of the most common concerns I address in my practice.

Link to register: https://bit.ly/3JlHwGn

's health

Credit:wildwomensisterhoodofficial

In a 2022 survey of 188 women on hormonal birth control, 43% experienced mood changes, yet 83% stated their Healthcare provider never mentioned the possibility of psychological side effects.

This is why I ALWAYS ask:

👉Which did you start taking first, The Pill or the antidepressant❓️

I ask thus question first, because

⚠️Women taking birth control pills are between a 23%-34% more likely to be prescribed an antidepressant.

For adolescents, the statistics are much worse:

⚠️Teens are 80% more likely to suffer from depression after starting the combination birth control pill, and

⚠️Teenagers have DOUBLE the risk of su***de after being on the pill for 12 months.

Why is this?

Hormonal birth control affects a number of the body's systems that can lead to development of depression, like:

❌️Altering the microbes in your gut

❌️Increasing inflammation

❌️Disrupting your body's ability to make tryptophan

❌️Depleting nutrients needed for brain health and mood.

While I'm not bashing the use of the Pill, I do want to further empower women to know how to care for their bodies if they choose it.

👀If you want to find out more about side effects of the Pill or hormonal contraception that are not always talked about, go to the link belpww to download my FREE GUIDE to

"Six Things I Wish My Doctor Had Told Me About The Pill."

https://whitestonefunctionalnutrition.com/six-things-about-the-pill?fbclid=IwAR1Bg5ZNFa7xKPQc9qRJ0gYWhyfqLm6_jSfwvq4jAKsanOzkASKXKUY4suY

PMC9842494

Before we get into all the reasons why we can have too much estrogen, let's talk about what types of estrogen our bodies produce and when.

In the medical world, when someone says "Estrogen" they're typically talking about Estradiol or E2, the main form of estrogen made during a woman's reproductive years.

Estradiol is made primarily in the ovaries but can also be made in the adrenal glands, liver, brain, adipose tissue and other tissues. Your body can even convert testosterone into estrogen. (The same goes for men!)

After the tissues are done using any of the three estrogens, they go through metabolism in the liver where they're turned into other forms of estrogen, called metabolites.

These metabolites are also active throughout the body--either doing the good work of estrogen or causing trouble, depending on the metabolite that's produced. (More on that later.)

So tell me, what questions do you have about estrogen?

While the Pill can be an effective means to prevent pregnancy and can provide life changing relief from debilitating symptoms found with conditions like endometriosis and PCOS, it also has significant side effects with long term use.

One of these side effects increasing a woman’s requirement for B vitamins.

B vitamins are considered the “helper” and “blood building” vitamins in the body.

Your body uses B vitamins to:

✅️ Make neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine and GABA

✅️ Build red blood cells

✅️ Turn the carbs, protein and fat you eat into fuel and energy

✅️ Maintain your antioxidant defenses

✅️ Help with nerve impulses in your brain

✅️ Support your immune system

✅️ Regulate your blood sugar
.and much more.

In fact, vitamin B6 alone assists with over 80 different processes in the body, and B6 is found in the brain in amounts 100x more than in the blood.

Long term use of the Pill can increase a woman’s need for at least six of the eight B vitamins, including

B1 (thiamine)

B2 (riboflavin)

B3 (niacin)

B6

Folate

B12

To find out what other nutrients the Pill affects along with other need-to-know side effects, grab my list of

“Six Things I Wish My Doctor Told Me About The Pill”.

https://whitestonefunctionalnutrition.com/six-things-about-the-pill

📸

For all the cycling females out there:

You know how some times of the month you feel, well...MEH?

And then you have those days where you feel those good vibes flowing, you've got a good hair day goin' on and you just KNOW you look gooood?

You can thank estrogen for that, because estrogen is what puts the VOOM in your Va-Va-Voom. 💋

It's the hormone that gives you those curves, plump, glowing skin, a healthy appetite, and a healthy, robust s*x drive--and it helps you or**sm.

BUT--you CAN have too much of a good thing.

While many of the symptoms listed above will show up as PMS--like breast tenderness, weepiness and irritability, having too much estrogen can also show up as:

🔥Fibroids
🔥Endometriosis
🔥Gallbladder issues
🔥Migraines or headaches
🔥Abnormal pap smears
🔥Insomnia

Excess estrogen is not just because a woman makes too much. In fact, a woman can have normal levels of estrogen production and still have these symptoms, due to things like exposure in her environment, low progesterone and poor clearance of estrogen by her body.

I'll be talking more about these and other contributors to excess estrogen symptoms in later posts.

Do you have any of these symptoms, especially around your period? Comment below!

These are just a few signs of a well-functioning GI tract:

✅️ You produce enough stomach acid and digestive enzymes when you need them.

✅️ You produce enough mucus in your intestines to protect your gut barrier and support healthy microbes (this is where they live!)

✅️ The barrier between the content of your intestines and your bloodstream is intact and free from inflammation so that nutrients are allowed into the bloodstream, but toxins, unhealthy microorganisms, viruses and undigested food are kept out.

✅️ Both the frequency of your bowel movements and stool composition are regular and predictable.

✅️ You have the right proportion of microorganisms in your gut to control pH levels, guard against toxins, bacteria and viruses and support your immune system.

✅️ You don't have any digestive distress- like pain, pressure, uncomfortable fullness, bloating, gas, reflux, constipation or diarrhea.

✅️  Your liver is happy because you're able to digest fats and adequately detoxify waste products from inside your body along with any toxins found in some foods (like pesticides), medications and personal care items.

If you read all of these you might be saying..."How the heck would I know if I make enough digestive enzymes or if I'm absorbing nutrients, etc?"

I hear you, because unless you know how NOT having these things show up symptom-wise, you won't know.

I'll be talking about this and more in my upcoming FREE "Gut School" where you can get weekly, "hot-off-my desk" expert info and advice about gut health. Stay tuned to find out how to sign up!

The microbes in your digestive tract don't just help harvest nutrients from the food we eat and perform other duties inside the gut, they also affect important processes outside the gut that influence our whole body. They play a role in:

1.  How your body handles cholesterol

2.       Blood sugar regulation, diabetes

3.       Making and removing excess
hormones

4.       Your mental health

5.       Neurological function

6.       Immunity/Autoimmunity

7.       Obesity

8.       Allergies

9.       Skin health

10.   Liver and kidney function

And that's the short list.

Using a proton pump inhibitor (ppi) for more than a year has been shown to significantly increase the risk of hip fracture, due to reduced absorption of calcium and magnesium.

Proton pump inhibitors are one of the top 10 most prescribed 💊 in the U.S.

They are prescribed for symptoms like heartburn, acid reflux and ulcers because they help reduce acid production in the stomach.

Extended use of these medications, however, can also increase your risk of autoimmune disease and pneumonia, along with other risks associated with low stomach acid. (To see these risks and more check out on Instagram).

There are many, but some common ppis on the market are:

Omeprazole (Prilosec)
Lansoprazole (Prevacid)
Esomeprazole (Nexium)

If you are taking one of these medications, talk to your healthcare provider about alternatives, like an H2 blocker.

H2 blockers may be a suitable alternative while you are working on lifestyle factors and other contributors to your symptoms.

H2 blockers also reduce stomach acid, but via a different mechanism and to a lesser extent (60-70%) vs ppi's (80-95%) and without the risk profile associated with ppis.

Have you ever wished there was a natural product that was proven to be effective for relieving symptoms of anxiety and depression?

One without the side effects commonly seen with medications used for these conditions?

Does such a natural product exist?

YES.

It's actually an herbal product.

This herb has been studied head-to-head against the drugs Ativan (Lorazepam) and Paxil (Paroxetine) and found to be just as effective.

It is also safe for ages 12 and older and does not have contraindications with other meds.

Do you want to know more about it?

I will be hosting a webinar for functional psychiatrist, Dr. James Greenblatt, on Wednesday, August 11th at 8pm, EST, where I will be discussing this herb formulation, how it works, and the clinical studies showing its remarkable safety and effectiveness.

This webinar is free and is sponsored by .

To register, go to https://www.psychiatryredefined.org/free-functional-psychiatry-webinars/

Photo by Loving My Company

As a practitioner, I have access to an extensive list of excellent supplement companies, whose products have guaranteed potency and purity and are backed by science. That's one reason why the list of retail companies I endorse is short.

At the top of this short list, however, is Nature’s Way. I especially appreciate their extensive herbal line.

In this article I explain how to decode their label/cap colors so you can determine the right herbal product for your needs.

Decoding the Language of Nature's Way Herbs | Nature's Way® Why are some bottles yellow and others are green? What are the grey bottles for? We'll decode the tiers of our herbal supplements so you can make the right choice for you.

White Stone Wellness Functional Nutrition updated their website address.

In a previous post I talked about all the negative ways cortisol can affect your health. While we all know that we should reduce our stress, it’s not always easy.

These foods, however, can support your efforts to reduce high cortisol levels.

With one caveat.

Keep reading and I’ll tell you what that is.

Fruits and vegetables contain phytonutrients that help your body respond to stress.

Phytonutrients are the components found in fruits and vegetables that give them their bright vivid colors. They are also ANTI-inflammatory.

This is important because:

More inflammation= more cortisol released = more inflammation = more cortisol.

Green tea contains an amino acid known as L-theanine, which has not only been shown to lower cortisol but also has a calming effect.

Nope, that’s not a typo—dark chocolate can lower cortisol. (You’re welcome!)

It also provides magnesium, a mineral that most Americans are deficient in, and that our body uses large amounts of in times of stress. Magnesium also has a relaxing effect.

Be sure to buy dark chocolate 70% or higher in cocoa for maximum benefit.

Prebiotics are foods that contain soluble fiber and are food for your gut bacteria.

These gut microbes are involved in a healthy stress response.

Some great prebiotic sources are:

Legumes like black and kidney beans
Avocado
Sweet potatoes
Brussels sprouts
Citrus
Apples
Oats
Ground Flaxseed

If you increase your fiber intake do so gradually and increase your water intake as well to avoid digestive discomfort.

Ok, here’s the caveat:

If you’re not sleeping, not exercising, and your breakfast consists of a donut and coffee and you have fast food for lunch, no amount of green tea or dark chocolate is going to lower your cortisol.

If you’re eating garbage, you’re going to feel like garbage.

On that note, the list on the right shows what foods might actually be raising your cortisol.

A good place to start is to reduce the foods from that list and increase the foods from this list. 😊

Did you know that sixty percent of Americans report dealing with chronic, daily stress?

Over a third of those individuals also experience anxiety and fatigue and turn to prescription meds for support.

The body has a process in place for dealing with short-term stress, however, ongoing, unrelenting stress can dysregulate our body’s ability to properly respond to stress.

In essence, we lose our ability to “shut off” feeling stressed.

Why is this a big deal?

Because over time, this leads to negative consequences and impacts nearly every.body.system.

While individual effects of stress are unique and can vary widely from person to person—one thing you can count on is, if left unattended to, stress will make itself known SOMEWHERE in your body.

Some of the organs and tissues affected by stress are the:

Cardiovascular system
Hormones
Immune system
Nervous system
Gastrointestinal system

Signs that stress is affecting these systems can include chest pains, heart palpitations, infertility, frequent colds, allergy attacks, insomnia, irritability, muscle pain, abdominal pain and diarrhea or constipation.

This is just a handful of symptoms.

The damage stress inflicts is so diverse that the American Institute of Stress lists at least 50 signs and symptoms of stress!

As with any time we want to make a change, often we stumble over where to begin.

My goal is to pull you up out of the fray and empower you by taking complex ideas about nutrition and health and break them down so they are understandable and doable.

April is Stress Awareness Month and I’ll be sharing some ways to support your body and mind along with some of my favorite nutrients for stress.

So tell me, what would you like to know when it comes to increasing your body’s resilience to and recovery from stress?