Hormone Health, Naturally


Every single week, we meet with women who are tired of struggling with the effects of stress. If you’re like a majority of modern women, you might have been dealing with fatigue, brain fog, unwanted weight gain, lack-lustre hair and skin, anxiety, depression, hormonal fluctuations, even flushes or fainting for months or even years already. Having faced and recovered from adrenal fatigue and burnout myself, I’m here to reassure you that I know this is definitely not who you are and you can absolutely recover. The tools of naturopathic medicine are what I used to restore my mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing and I’d love to help you find your way back to vibrant wellness too.

One of the things that bothers me most is how many capable, conscious women are suffering the effects of long-term stress and are being told by their doctors that their symptoms are all in their heads – or that they should just go on antidepressants. When I was burnt out, I wondered if I was depressed. and it scared the living daylights out of me. I was responsible for a practice full of amazing women and kids, had big responsibility in running my business, had a marriage I wanted to thrive, but I had no energy to push myself from anymore. I had always relied on my innate “go-getter” to get things done, and move my life forward.  Facing a time of extreme financial and emotional stress from a place of burnout (aka Adrenal Fatigue) was a massive learning opportunity that taught me so many things. One of which was that I now see almost all cases of anxiety and depression as expressions of adrenal fatigue. That’s what  happens when were’ too strong for too long, and the body just has a threshold and makes you stop. Burnout keeps you in flatlined mode, making you rest even if you don’t want to! (it forces you to stop, just like depression).

If you’re looking for healing and lasting wellness, I’m so excited to help you refresh your faith in our innate ability to heal. Your body comes pre-designed for wellness. These bothersome symptoms are Simply communication signals from your body to point us to where the imbalances are that need our attention. By using the right natural medicines and lifestyle guidance, you can recover your energy, stamina and personality safely and authentically so that you feel like the very best version of yourself, now and into the long term. So you can go do your thing and enjoy your life again!

Thyroid & Adrenal Health

We think these two glands – your adrenals and thyroid gland – get way less press than they deserve.

Between them, they account for hundreds of hormonal and biochemical reactions that keep you going, keep you active, keep you thinking straight, keep you fertile when you’re supposed to be fertile…and since over 80% of medical visits are due to stress related symptoms, we need to take a much closer look at how your stress response and your thyroid health are doing before we’re going to tell you that “Everything’s fine”.

Stress & Your Thyroid

When you’re under long term stress – that includes running along at the pace of modern life – there is pressure put on your hormonal system. The body understands that there is some kind of unrelenting threat to your safety so it goes into conservation and protection mode. Effectively, your cortisol (stress hormone) level rises or becomes irregular, and your thyroid hormone function decreases to preserve your energy.
The net result? “Everything’s slowing down”. You feel exhausted and foggy. You feel irritable or anxious at the slightest inconvenience. You’re snapping at your husband or kids. You feel less confident in yourself. You’re noticing increased weight gathering around your midline and your libido’s out the window.

These symptoms are classic for adrenal fatigue and subclinical hypothyroidism.

Your adrenal glands can only keep you adapting to stress for so long before they go kind of haywire – you’ll feel either flatlined all day, or “wired but tired” and have trouble falling asleep even if you’re totally exhausted.

If your thyroid’s getting affected, you’ll notice slowed thinking, less energy for exercise, weight gain and even irregular periods or increased perimenopausal hot flashes.

Too many women are being told that “this is a normal part of aging” and that they should either just deal with it, or take antidepressants or HRT (hormone replacement therapy).

As naturopathic doctors who prioritize helping women get their mind, mood and mojo back on track so they can feel great and go change the world, we are so excited to share that there are real, effective solutions to feeling like a dog’s breakfast. You don’t have to put up with this any longer!

I Think It’s My Thyroid…

…but my doctor says my thyroid’s “fine”.

You’ve probably noticed that there’s only one thyroid test listed on your blood work: TSH or thyroid stimulating hormone. TSH is produced by your pituitary gland to tell your thyroid gland to make more thyroid hormone. TSH on its own is an indirect (and incomplete) assessment of your thyroid health.

Before we can assess your thyroid to be healthy, we need to understand what the results from 5 thyroid blood tests and your symptoms are telling us.

We also need to understand how much your past and present stress levels, nutrition and toxicity may be impacting your thyroid function.

How We Work Together


Here’s what to expect when seeing your Naturopathic Doctor for thyroid, adrenal or hormonal balance. We’ll review your individual health history in detail, including any lab work you’ve had done in the past year or two. (If possible, please bring these reports with you to your Initial Consultation). We’ll discuss your goals and experiences and get you started with the most important first steps. Recommendations may include additional testing with your medical doctor or through our office. You’ll get an initial treatment plan right away, and you’ll have lots of time to get answers to any questions you may have.

At your second visit, we’ll complete your assessment including additional lab results, and move into your longer-term treatment plan. We’ll review your results about every 4-6 weeks or as needed to monitor your progress and help you continue to improve your energy, mood, and self-care so that you can enjoy optimal health and wellbeing in mind, body and spirit for months and years to come.


 

Getting Beyond “FINE”


We’re not ready to accept that “you’re fine” until you feel well – consistently and sustainably. Regardless of how your conventional doctor interprets your symptoms and results, we don’t settle until you feel great. You deserve incredible, vital health! Your body might just need some gentle and natural supports to get there.

Thyroid problems like hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s, adrenal issues like fatigue, cravings, sleep problems and anxiety, and women’s hormonal concerns like PMS, painful periods, PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), infertility and menopausal symptoms are among the most common yet underdiagnosed and poorly treated conditions we see among our patients (if they’re receiving any help at all with these concerns!)

We will stand with you and give you our complete attention, evidence-based natural medical care, and the wisdom we’ve gained as to how you can let your body heal, and step into the freedom, joy and wellbeing that only optimal health can offer.


 

It’s Your Time


It takes time for your body and mind to heal, yet most of our patients experience positive changes in their symptoms within 1-3 months of care. In fact, with nutrition, herbal medicine, acupuncture and other natural approaches, we’ve helped hundreds of people to get back to feeling like themselves again – often the best they’ve ever felt – and the best part is, you are the one doing all the amazing healing!

have questions?



Whether you’ve tried other therapies or worked with other naturopathic doctors before, it’s important to get the right “fit” for you and your health professional. To help assess fit, we offer complimentary meet-and-greet visits at our office (or over the phone/Skype) to give you a great sense of what working together would be like, and how we can help you get your mojo back.

We value the opportunity to create a lasting therapeutic relationship with you. Our patients tell us that working together feels like having a chat with your closest confidant while gaining the knowledge, skills and empowerment you’d expect from your longtime family doctor. Book an appointment with one of our naturopathic doctors or contact us with any questions you may have. We’d love to help.


© 2018 Two Rivers Health