Recently, I’ve been running more cortisol tests on patients, and levels are consistently coming back elevated. Many patients’ nervous systems are persistently activated in a chronic “fight-or-flight” state. While short bursts of stress are a normal and adaptive evolutionary response, prolonged sympathetic dominance can contribute to anxiety, sleep disruption, digestive dysfunction, and an overall diminished quality of life. To understand why this happens, it helps to review the basics of...

Headaches and hormones are closely interconnected, and many patients notice their headaches follow a pattern that aligns with their menstrual cycle, stress levels, or major hormonal transitions such as menopause. From a naturopathic perspective, understanding how hormones influence the nervous system and inflammation helps us get closer to the root cause rather than only treating symptoms as they arise. Hormones such as estrogen and progesterone affect the brain’s pain-regulation pathways....

Eczema, or more precisely atopic dermatitis , is more than just dry, itchy skin—it’s a chronic inflammatory condition that often reflects what’s happening inside the body. Characterized by itching, redness, dryness, and sometimes thickened or oozing skin, eczema is conventionally understood as a multifactorial condition influenced by genetics, immune dysregulation, and environmental triggers. From a naturopathic perspective, however, the skin acts as a mirror of the internal...