Category: Anxiety & Depression

Hormone Havoc: Chronic Stress & Adrenal Burnout

The adrenal glands (AKA the stress glands) may be small, but they have a big purpose. These endocrine glands are located on top of each kidney and are quite useful when a flight-or-fight situation arises. However, our bodies can start to experience hormonal havoc when that same surge of the flight-or-fight response occurs several times…


Recovering From the Pandemic Aftershock

It was a lazy Saturday morning, and I sat curled up on the couch with a coffee in hand. My cell phone rang, and I was surprised to see a friend’s daughter calling from the West Coast. It was 6 a.m. her time. I picked up with a little catch in my heart. I knew…


How Depression Can Be a Symptom Instead of a Diagnosis

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States, affecting more than 16 million people. As such, antidepressant use has jumped by 65 percent in the last 15 years, with one in eight Americans over the age of 12 taking antidepressants. These statistics are alarming considering the root causes of depression…


Serotonin-Your Brain’s Happiness Chemical

Many people take SSRI antidepressants for depression. However, it’s important to ask why you are feeling depression in the first place. Many important research strides have been made linking chronic inflammation, poor gut health, gut bacteria, and general brain health with depression. However, we still need healthy serotonin activity, the target of Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), to…


Why Worry Affects Your Digestion

Anyone who is a chronic worrier can tell you where they feel it in their bodies. Always in the stomach. If you have ever had a challenging presentation at work, a major paper due at school, or perhaps a root canal appointment, you know where those feelings of stress manifest—in the gut. And the more…