Articles from The Fork.

Health Is Not Just a Diet: Why Your Whole Life Shows Up in Your Body

Health is about far more than what is on your plate. Your sleep, stress, environment, movement, relationships, purpose, and even joy can influence how your body functions. Discover how functional medicine looks at the whole person—and why creating lasting health may require looking beyond diet alone.

Beyond LDL: Why Your Cholesterol Number Is Only Part of the Story

Is your cholesterol number telling the whole story? This article explores why standard cholesterol tests often miss the bigger picture and how advanced cardiovascular testing can uncover hidden risk. Learn how inflammation, thyroid function, hormones, genetics, and advanced lipid markers work together to provide a more personalized understanding of heart health and help identify the true root cause behind abnormal cholesterol results.

What No One Told You About Perimenopause, Hormones, and Why the Weight Won't Budge

You used to know your body. You knew what made you gain weight and what helped you lose it. You had a system that worked. And then, somewhere in your late thirties or forties, that system stopped working.Now you're doing the same things you've always done, maybe more, and the scale climbs anyway. Your sleep is unpredictable. Your mood swings between irritable and weepy. You're starting to feel like a stranger in your own skin.If you've been told this is "just perimenopause" and you'll have to wait it out, you've been told wrong. Here’s the rest of the story.

Why Inflammation Is Blocking Your Healing

You're eating well, taking supplements, and trying to do all the right things, but chronic inflammation may be silently blocking your body's ability to heal. Learn how inflammation disrupts hormones, energy, metabolism, gut health, and more, and discover why identifying the root cause is the key to lasting wellness.

What Happens Inside Mission YOU and The 12 Week Transformation

What actually happens inside the Mission YOU 12 Week Transformation? This detailed week-by-week guide walks you through every phase of the program — from preparation and inflammation reset to personalized food reintroduction and long-term lifestyle integration. Discover how Mission YOU helps you uncover the root causes behind symptoms, learn your body’s unique needs, and build sustainable health from the inside out.

Why Diets Fail and What Actually Works for Your Body

Why do so many diets work temporarily… only to fail in the long run? In this blog, The Fork Clinic explores the science behind weight regain, metabolic adaptation, inflammation, and personalized nutrition. Learn why sustainable health is not about restriction or willpower, but understanding your unique biology and creating a way of eating that actually works for your body.

The Hidden Connection Between Gut Health and Hormones

If you’ve been told your hormones are the problem but nothing seems to fully resolve your symptoms, the missing piece may be your gut. This article explores the powerful connection between gut health, hormone balance, thyroid function, and stress—revealing why true healing starts deeper than hormones alone.

The Real Reason You're Always Tired

If you’re constantly tired despite “normal” labs, the issue may not be a lack of effort, it may be a lack of deeper investigation. This article uncovers the three critical systems behind persistent fatigue: thyroid, adrenal, and mitochondrial function. It explains why conventional testing often misses the real problem. Discover a more advanced, root-cause approach to restoring true energy and vitality.

Why You Still Don't Feel Better Even After Doing Everything Right

You’re doing everything right, but your body still isn’t responding. This isn’t a lack of effort. It’s a deeper physiological imbalance. Discover why your body may be working against you and how a personalized, functional approach can help you finally feel better.

Personalized and Precision Medicine

Personalized and precision medicine are reshaping healthcare by replacing generic recommendations with plans built on your unique biology, genetics, and lifestyle. By using advanced lab testing and nutrigenomics, this approach uncovers root causes and explains why what works for one person may not work for another. Learn how individualized protocols lead to more effective, sustainable health outcomes at The Fork Functional Medicine.

Wearable Technology and Data

Wearable technology offers powerful insight into how your body responds to food, stress, sleep, and movement, but data alone isn’t the solution. This article breaks down what wearables like smartwatches and continuous glucose monitors can truly reveal, from stress resilience and metabolic health to recovery and movement patterns. Discover how expert interpretation turns raw data into meaningful, personalized health transformation at The Fork Functional Medicine.

GLP-1 Medications: What You Need to Know

GLP-1 medications are reshaping weight loss and metabolic care, but they are not a standalone solution. This article explains how GLP-1 therapy works, its benefits beyond the scale, and why nutrition, muscle preservation, and lifestyle support are essential for lasting results. Learn how The Fork Clinic integrates GLP-1s into a comprehensive functional medicine approach through Mission YOU.

New Year’s Resolutions

Most New Year’s health resolutions fail because they rely on restriction instead of strategy. This article explores why willpower-based approaches fall short and how Mission YOU uses functional medicine, personalized nutrition, and lifestyle foundations to create sustainable, long-term health. Learn how to move beyond dieting and into a smarter, individualized path forward.

Why Avoiding Toxins Matters and How to Avoid Common Toxins

Every day, we’re exposed to hundreds of invisible chemicals in our air, water, food, and even the products we use at home. This article breaks down what environmental toxins are, how they impact your health, and simple steps you can take to reduce exposure without feeling overwhelmed.

Longevity + Anti-Aging Basics

A longer life doesn’t automatically mean a healthier one—and true longevity is about preserving your energy, mobility, clarity, and vibrancy for decades to come. In this article, we unpack the foundations of healthy aging by exploring how daily lifestyle choices shape your long-term health span. Today’s article will dive into what you need to know about longevity and anti-aging, along with action steps you can take today to support your health and longevity.

How to Balance Blood Sugar

If you’re struggling with stubborn weight, hormone symptoms, fatigue, or cravings, your blood sugar may be the missing link. Balanced blood sugar is one of the most powerful—and overlooked—foundations of healing. In this article, we break down why glycemic control matters and the simple nutrition and lifestyle shifts that can transform your energy, hormones, and long-term health.

Herx Reactions

Many people feel worse when they start a new supplement, gut protocol, or elimination diet—and it often leaves them wondering if something’s wrong. In reality, you may be experiencing a Herx reaction, a short-term “healing crisis” that happens when the body finally begins detoxifying and recalibrating. These temporary symptoms are actually signs that your system is responding. Learn why this happens, how to tell it apart from an allergic reaction, and the best ways to support your body through it.

Detoxification and Weight Loss

Weight loss is a full-body detox. It’s helpful to consider how to detox your body while following an elimination diet or utilizing other weight loss tools. As your body releases weight, it also releases toxins stored in body fat. If you’re not clearing toxins effectively via open detox pathways, toxins can recirculate, causing symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, mood changes, brain fog, cravings, skin issues, and more. If you’re losing weight but not feeling well, it’s time to think about body detox and opening detox pathways. This topic is exactly what we’ll explore in today’s article.

Why Food Quality Matters

Diet culture will have you believe that all calories are created equal. Just eat fewer calories than your body burns, and voila, weight loss, health, and happiness. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the body is much more complex, and many factors play a role in your health, including the food you eat. Today, we’ll discuss food quality. Moving beyond what to eat and how much, and diving into processed foods vs clean eating options.

How to Calm Your Nervous System for Better Healing

Here’s the truth: you can’t heal in a stressed state. When your nervous system is on overdrive, the body prioritizes survival over wellness. Nervous system regulation is an often-overlooked piece of the healing puzzle, but it is essential. You can eat the perfect diet, take all the supplements, exercise consistently, and follow your functional medicine protocol to the T, but if you’re not regulating the nervous system, you’re missing out on healing potential.

A Macro View of Your Daily Macronutrient Needs

When considering ideal nutrition, we can’t overlook the importance of macronutrients, the primary building blocks of the diet. Macronutrients provide calories, which the body uses to make energy, making them essential for life. However, ratios and proportions of macronutrients remain controversial, likely because different populations and individuals benefit from various target distributions. You may not be surprised to learn that the diet that works for you may be as unique as you are. Let's cover the macronutrient basics you need as you establish and fine-tune your personalized nutrition plan.

The Hidden Language of Cravings

It’s common to view food cravings as a problem that needs to be fixed. The tendency is to want to stop food cravings in their tracks, and for good. Cravings are often viewed as an enemy, a betrayal of the body, and a sign of emotional eating. This perspective on cravings stems from a culture that sees hunger as undesirable and a thin body as desirable. But what if a food craving was a doorway to a deeper understanding of yourself? What if being with the craving, instead of immediately satisfying it, could unlock a door that helps you move toward your health goals?

Inflammation – What is It Really?

You may hear about inflammation frequently on your health journey, and here’s the thing: not all inflammation is harmful and you actually want inflammation in the body when it’s working well. However, your lifestyle and diet greatly influence underlying inflammation levels in the body. Your daily habits determine if it becomes chronic inflammation, which contributes to weight gain and chronic disease. If you want to lose weight and improve your health, understanding signs of inflammation is critical.

Ultra-Processed Foods: What They Are & Why You Should Cut Back

Ultra-processed foods are the standard in U.S. culture, the rule rather than the exception. As ultra-processed foods increasingly comprise more of the average diet, the rates of obesity and chronic disease follow suit. But what is considered ultra-processed food, and how do they differ from other processed food?

The Correlation Between Sleep and Weight

Your weight isn’t as simple as what you eat and how much you exercise; so many factors play a role. Sleep is one such factor that people often overlook. You may have the perfect diet and exercise routine, but if you aren’t sleeping well, you may struggle to lose weight.

What Exactly Is Personalized Nutrition and Why It’s So Important?

When it comes to nutrition, you’ll find many differing approaches, fad diets, and nutrition myths. The contradictions and misinformation create so much confusion around what is a nutritious, sustainable, and healthy way to eat. The truth is there are as many healthy nutrition plans as people on the planet. The time of one-size-fits-all is over; we are in the era of personalized nutrition. Today’s article will explore personalized nutrition as a long-term solution to chronic dieting and diet culture.

What is the Gut-Brain Axis and What it Can Affect

Gut health affects more than digestion; it plays a powerful role in metabolism, immunity, hormone balance, and more. From a functional medicine perspective, everything in the body connects with everything else. When one piece is out of balance, we can’t overlook the role of the gut.

How Stress Shapes Your Health

Stress and health are linked, and high stress contributes to hormone imbalances, chronic diseases, weight gain, and other health concerns. Stress management and reduction are often the most challenging part of a healing protocol. Humans today experience many more stressors than ever before, along with more barriers to managing stress.

The Gut-Weight Connection

Weight loss is a common health goal, but it is difficult to achieve and even more challenging to maintain. The truth is that weight loss is more than just eating fewer calories and exercising more; everything in the body is connected. When it comes to weight loss, we often overlook the role of hormones, environmental factors, food sensitivities, inflammation, and the gut microbiome – our topic for today.

What Is An Elimination Diet? Identifying Food Triggers

An elimination diet is a functional medicine protocol designed to reduce inflammation and identify food sensitivities. It’s a short-term protocol that leads to insight and long-term benefits. Unlike other diets that focus on weight loss and ultimately don’t provide long-term success, an elimination diet is a tool.

Why Diets Don't Work Long Term

Every year, around 49% of U.S. adults attempt to lose weight, most of whom are women. Yet, for those who are successful at achieving weight loss, once they stop dieting, the weight comes back. Let’s face it: diets are hard to maintain over the long term. Let's get to the heart of why diets don't work long term.

The Rise Of Significant Hormonal Imbalances in Twenty-Somethings

There is a phenomenon that I am seeing more and more of in my patients, and that is women at a younger and younger age, (as early as in their 20’s), with significant hormone imbalances. And, not just a little hormonal imbalance, but sometimes shocking levels of hormonal imbalance! So why are we seeing something like this and what is causing it?

Cardiometabolic health Part 2 Dietary Solutions for Optimizing Your Lipid and Metabolic Health Panels

Many risk factors, like blood sugar, lipids, and blood pressure, are within your control and modifiable through lifestyle factors, including nutrition.Shifting nutrition is one of the best ways to reduce inflammation, calm the immune system, and improve metabolic health.

Cardiometabolic Health, Diet, and Hormones Throughout a Woman’s Life

Cardiometabolic health in the United States is getting worse by the year. According to current data, only 6.8% of adults have optimal cardiometabolic health! That means over 93% of us have poor metabolic health.

Supercharging Your Weight Loss Routine with Peptides like Semaglutide – Part 1

Because my success with peptide treatment for my pain, I decided to try the weight loss peptide, semaglutide. So far, I’ve lost 50 pounds. I have also seen many patients experience benefits too.

Supercharging Your Weight Loss Routine with Peptides like Semaglutide – Part 2

Today’s article will build upon peptides and weight loss. I’ll cover: Semaglutide brand names. Is semaglutide safe? Side effects of semaglutide. How to combine semaglutide with lifestyle changes.

Hormone and Thyroid Conditions Can Be Affected by Cellular Health

Mitochondria are tiny organelles found inside every cell. They turn calories from the food you eat into energy. Cellular metabolism depends upon mitochondrial health, but mitochondria are crucial for much more, including hormone balance.

Hormone and Thyroid Conditions Can Be Affected by Cellular Health – Part 2

Given chronic exposure to toxins and other factors, most of us have mitochondria that could use a little extra attention. You don’t need to have a specific mitochondrial disorder to benefit from the strategies I’m about to cover.

Connection Between Oral Contraceptives and Elevated SHBG

Birth control pills are a popular and effective form of birth control, but they may cause unintended side effects, including long-term changes in sex hormone binding globulin. Today I will cover the basics of contraceptive pills, birth control pill effectiveness, and side effects.

Connection Between Oral Contraceptives and Elevated SHBG – Part 2

Today I want to focus on one specific birth control pill side effect that’s rarely discussed: elevated sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG). High SHBG affects hormone levels, blood clotting risk, and overall health. Keep reading to learn how the pill affects testosterone in women, what symptoms of low testosterone might look like, and the risks of elevated SHBG.

Healthy Liver Function and Detoxification Part 2

The liver serves many functions, and a primary one is detoxification. The liver not only detoxifies the estrogen made by your body but xenoestrogens too. When the liver is overwhelmed with xenoestrogens to detoxify, it may need some support. Today, I will focus on xenoestrogens and their impact on your liver and hormones, as well as practical ways to support liver detoxification to improve hormone balance.

Healthy Liver Function and Hormone Balance

When the liver is sluggish, overloaded, or diseased, it affects metabolic and hormonal health. And conversely, when hormones are imbalanced, they may affect liver function. Today’s article will dive into the connection between liver health and hormonal imbalance.

Causes and Solutions for Elevated SHBG and TBG Levels – Part 2

TBG binds to thyroid hormone and will affect thyroid hormone levels. It may be an important piece of your thyroid health picture.

Causes and Solutions for Elevated SHBG and TBG Levels

If your hormones are out of balance, or if you have PCOS, insulin resistance, or liver disease, ask your doctor to check your SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin) levels. When SHBG levels are too high or too low, it impacts your hormones and health.

How To Improve Gut Health To Improve Hormones

Stool testing is an important consideration for women taking hormone therapy. If I am prescribing estrogen patches, creams, or oral doses, I want to be sure that my patient can detoxify and eliminate estrogen, so it doesn’t build up in the body.

The Importance of Gut Health and Stool Tests During Hormone Therapy

Gut function is about more than just digestion; it affects everything in the body, from the gut-brain axis to our hormones. Interestingly, gut health is a crucial piece of estrogen balance that is often overlooked. Here’s why.

How To Balance The Microbiome And Restore Health

A healthy microbiome is critical for achieving optimal wellness. If you aren’t at your peak, are experiencing hormonal issues, stubborn weight, or have a chronic disease diagnosis, understanding your digestive system and bringing the microbiome back into balance is critical for restoring health.

The Digestive System and Gut Microbiome

Over 2000 years ago, Hippocrates, the father of medicine said, “all disease begins in the gut.” Today, modern science supports this connection. When we take a root cause approach, we can’t overlook digestive health and the microbiome. It’s one of the most important places to look.

Factors That Contribute To Weight Gain, and Make Weight Loss Difficult

Are you in your late 30s or 40s and noticing a change in your metabolism? Has it become harder to maintain your weight, despite eating healthy foods? Or you’ve noticed the strategies you used in the past to lose weight no longer work? This scenario is common as we enter the perimenopause years. Our hormones begin to change, and that affects metabolism and weight. I promise you that it isn’t a problem with willpower; you just need new strategies for weight loss. Those strategies include exploring what is going on with your hormones.

The Connection Between Inflammation And Obesity

If you want to uncover how to increase metabolism, this is a must-read! In addition to understanding hormone contributors to weight gain, let’s look at inflammation and gut health. Read on to learn more about these surprising connections!

The 5 Types of SIBO and Connection to Other Health Conditions

A healthy microbiome is critical for wellness. So it is important to pay attention to the balance of the microbiome in the colon and consider the amount and diversity of bacteria, yeast, and other organisms. But what happens when organisms from the colon migrate into the small intestine? A condition called Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO).

Why Is SIBO Hard To Treat?

SIBO, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, is a GI condition related to a cascade of symptoms and many root causes. In the previous blog we discussed the five types of SIBO, SIBO causes, and SIBO’s relationship with IBS, histamine intolerance, and autoimmunity. In today’s article, I’ll discuss my approach to using functional medicine to treat SIBO in my practice. We will cover SIBO testing, issues with the low FODMAP diet, and how to heal SIBO naturally, once and for all!

Peptide Therapy In Functional Medicine

The use of peptide therapy to promote optimal wellness instead of disease management, is relatively new in functional medicine. I must admit I had some skepticism at first, especially since my patients benefit significantly from other modalities I offer, including nutrition, herbal medicine, and bioidentical hormone therapy. But, when I learned more about peptide therapy in clinical practice and tried it myself with nothing short of life-changing results, I felt confident in offering it to my patients as well.

What Is Peptide Therapy? What Is Peptide Therapy Good For?

Peptide therapy has been used for decades in cancer treatment, but newer applications show promise for anti-aging, sexual health, immune function, tissue repair, and many more amazing benefits.

Hormones and Sleep – A Functional Medicine Approach to Better Sleep

How Sleep Affects Health – Importance of Quality Sleep

A Functional Medicine Approach to Mental Health Issues

Common Mental Health Disorders and Lifestyle Factors

High Estrogen Symptoms and Estrogen Detox

Importance of a Hormonal Imbalance Test for Women

Estrogen Dominance and Estrogen Detox - The Functional Medicine Approach

Hormone Testing, Aromatization and Metabolic Disorders

A Functional Medicine Approach to Migraine Relief

While some people find support from conventional migraine medication, many of which aim to abort the pain when taken at the first sign of a migraine, others don’t respond to medication. Some may decide that they don’t like the side effects from medication or prefer natural migraine relief.

Migraine Types and Common Migraine Causes

Migraines are a common type of recurrent headache, affecting 35 million Americans. Migraines in women are more common than in men because of the role that hormones play in triggering migraines.

Functional Medicine Approach to Obesity and Weight Loss

When it comes to weight loss, we are always tempted by the quick fix or trying the new “best diet for weight loss”. In reality weight loss, and maintaining that weight loss, takes time, consistency with new lifestyle habits and addressing the underlying hormonal imbalances.

Healthy Lifestyle and Diet for Weight Loss and Obesity prevention

Weight loss is one of the most common health goals that women seek. The desire to change the body stems from cultural ideals about women’s beauty, but often is rooted in wanting to feel better and optimize health as we get older. Excess weight affects hormone balance, disease risk, mobility and quality of life.

A Functional Medicine Approach To Graves’ Disease

A Graves’ diagnosis is understandably challenging and scary to navigate, but a functional medicine approach brings comfort, clarity and many medical and holistic tools to the table. With the right approaches and support, you may find symptom management while preserving thyroid function.

Graves’ Disease Symptoms And Causes

What is Graves’ Disease? Graves’ disease is in the category of immune system disorders called autoimmune disease. While Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (add link to Hashimoto’s article) is the autoimmune version of hypothyroidism, Graves’ disease is the autoimmune hyperthyroid disease.

A Functional Medicine Approach To Hashimoto’s Disease

Functional medicine has a lot to offer women suffering from chronic disease, including Hashimoto’s. By understanding each woman’s root causes, we can work to restore immune balance from the root of the issue.

Hashimoto’s Disease Symptoms And Causes

Hashimoto’s disease, or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, is one of the most common autoimmune disorders. It affects about five percent of the population, with rates five to 10 times higher in women versus men. Yet, this condition tends to be underdiagnosed and many women who undergo conventional treatment, may not find the recovery they desire.

A Functional Medicine Approach To Mood Swings

A functional approach to mood symptoms and mood swings is comprehensive. We build the foundation with solid nutrition and lifestyle habits and then address each individual’s hormonal health and biochemistry with personalized recommendations, nutrients and herbs

Mood Swings And Amino Acids, Hormones And Neurotransmitters

While some changes in mood are normal and welcome, other mood changes impact our health, self-care and quality of life.

A Functional Medicine Approach To Autoimmune Disease

Autoimmune disease from a functional medicine perspective in terms of both what causes autoimmune disease and autoimmune disease treatment.

What Is Autoimmune Disease And What Are The Symptoms And Causes?

There are over eighty autoimmune diseases. Some are quite common, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or rheumatoid arthritis, and some are more elusive and difficult to diagnose. Yet, all autoimmune diseases share some root causes, even if the autoimmunity shows up in different areas of the body.

Hormone Balance Solutions – Part 1

Hormone Balance Solutions – Part 2

Benefits of Bioidentical Therapy: Estrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone

In my view, natural hormone replacement therapy, combined with a functional medicine approach is a winning combination for women as they move through their perimenopausal years and into their wise menopause years.

What Is HRT for Women? History of Hormone Replacement Therapy

What do you think of when you hear hormone replacement therapy, or HRT? Does it make you think of something your mother did? Or, fill you with fear around heart disease or cancer? Perhaps you have friends who’ve told you that HRT has been like night and day as far as menopausal symptoms?

Elimination Diet Part 1: How To Do A Food Elimination Diet

The elimination diet is certainly a popular diet in the functional medicine and natural health space and one that you’ve likely heard about. It is a helpful tool for uncovering specific foods that trigger inflammation and symptoms. But, what is an elimination diet and how do you implement one? That’s exactly what I’m going to cover in this two part series on the elimination diet.

Elimination Diet Part 2: Elimination Diet Meal Plan And Recipes

In Part 1 of my elimination diet series, I covered the basics of what an elimination diet is and how to get started. Be sure to go back and read Part 1 to get caught up. In today’s article we are going to talk about the fun details of what to eat and how to make the elimination diet experience both enjoyable and delicious.

Long Term Effects of COVID – A Functional Medicine Approach

Most people who get a COVID infection only have mild to moderate symptoms, similar to a flu, and recover fairly quickly. However, there is a significant sector of the population who continue to experience symptoms and don’t return to their baseline level of health. Functional medicine practitioners are uniquely poised to support these patients in recovery because we already have the tools in our toolkit for a personalized, root cause approach.

Who Is High Risk for COVID? – Coronavirus Risk Factors

As you are likely aware, symptoms of COVID range from nothing at all (asymptomatic) to severe disease and even death. What determines the severity of COVID symptoms turns out to be age, pre-existing health conditions and possibly other factors such as blood type, inflammation levels, genetics and more. While we’ve learned a lot about who is high risk for COVID, there is still a lot to uncover.

DHEA Supplement Benefits For Women - Part 1

Today’s topic is DHEA. Although DHEA may not be at the top of your list when you think about hormones, it is incredibly important. It’s a hormone and also a supplement that is widely available. As a functional medicine practitioner and nurse practitioner, I’m always looking to uncover the root cause of symptoms. Often, when working with women, we uncover hormone imbalances that when corrected make all the difference for how a woman feels, looks and continues vibrantly through life.

DHEA Supplement Benefits For Women - Part 2

In Part 1 of my series on DHEA we discussed the basics of DHEA and DHEA-S and what you might feel like if your DHEA is too low, or too high. In today’s article, we will continue this discussion by looking at DHEA supplementation.

How To Balance Testosterone In Women – Part 1: Elevated Testosterone

Testosterone isn’t always on the top of our list when it comes to hormone balance, especially for women, but it’s an incredibly important hormone and one that helps us to feel energetic, motivated, sexy and strong.

How To Balance Testosterone In Women – Part 2: Low Testosterone

In today’s article, I’m going to cover the opposite case – low testosterone in women. Remember that when it comes to hormones, we want to be like Goldilocks and have levels that are just right for us.

Avoiding Supplement Overload

Supplements, high quality supplements to be more specific, are an incredibly important tool in my Functional Medicine toolkit and can be personalized for each individual’s unique needs. Supplements, combined with diet and lifestyle change, are truly life changing. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. So, how do you navigate the supplement world to find what is right for you?

How SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) Impact Fertility

Around 15% of couples face fertility challenges and when a reason for the struggle isn’t obvious, their fertility doctor might diagnose the woman or couple with idiopathic infertility, meaning that the cause is unknown. However, the good news is that there are still stones to be unturned. One such stone is the genetic variations in the mother and father – called SNPs (pronounced “snips”) - or single nucleotide polymorphisms.

Grand Opening Celebration

After being officially open for eight months and in the midst of a global pandemic, local Holistic Clinic The Fork Functional Medicine will hold its grand opening on October 16th from 4:00-7:00pm.

Aesthetics Update Letter

We always advocate for a holistic approach to youthful skin. Achieving this goal involves a healthy diet, optimal hydration, balancing hormone levels, optimizing detoxification pathways and achieving robust gut health, a healthy effective skin care regimen, and protecting the skin from sun exposure.

Hormone Series Part 4: Plant Based Promotes Estrogen Detox

Many women that I work with in my practice want to lose weight. They come in with this weight loss goal, but when we look deeper, we often discover hormonal imbalances that contribute to weight gain or make it hard to lose weight.

Hormone series Part 3: Estrogen dominance

Have you ever experienced tender breasts and irritability before your period? What about heavy bleeding and pain with menstruation? Chances are, that at one time or another, you’ve experiences these – and other – uncomfortable symptoms associated with your cycle. We often think of these symptoms as “normal” and just par for the course when it comes to being a woman. Although common in our society, I’m here to tell you that these symptoms are not normal and a sign that hormones are out of balance.

Hormone series Part 1: What is cortisol?

Most of the women, and men, who come to my practice, have questions or concerns about their hormones. And with good reason: hormone balance creates a healthy and well-functioning body.

Hormone series Part 2: cortisol and progesterone

Progesterone is warming, calming, anti-inflammatory and sleep-promoting. It’s definitely a hormone that you want on board for overall health and wellness. Yet so many women suffer from low progesterone or other hormone imbalances that impact progesterone’s benefits. Why is that and what is the root cause?

Fertility Nutrition

Just like everything in the body, a woman’s ability to build a uterine lining, ovulate, conceive and have a healthy pregnancy has so much to do with nutrition. If you think about it, a baby is literally made from the building blocks that start out as proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals in the diet.

Is Genetic Testing a Good Way to Detect or Prevent Disease?

In conventional medicine, genetic testing is typically limited to those genes known to be the cause of disease, which actually impacts a very small percentage of the population. In functional medicine, however, we can use genetic testing in a variety of ways to support our goals of preventing disease and helping you to achieve your most optimal state of health.

How to Detox Your Liver

Inflammation and Immunity

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: the key to strengthening immunity is to reduce inflammation. In addition to all of the immune practices you are doing these days, including hand washing and social distancing, how you care for yourself on a daily basis makes all the difference.

What are Magnesium Supplements Good For? Taking the Mystery out of Magnesium.

As of late, magnesium is the supplement that I’m asked the most about. But, because there are so many forms of magnesium it can be quite a mysterious nutrient. How do you know what form of magnesium to take and for what conditions?

Collaborations and Laboratories

PCOS Part One: A Look at This Complex Condition

PCOS Part Two: Diet and Lifestyle Protocol

Adrenal Support During A Pandemic

You Can Get Mono Twice

Mono, “the kissing disease,” typically strikes only once. But maybe, you can get it twice. Is stress a factor? What causes this infection? How can you treat it?

Stealth Pathogens: Cell Wall-Deficient Bacteria in Chronic Disease

Stealth pathogens are a type of microorganism that hides from the immune system in biofilms. They cause chronic disease and wreck immunity — and are hard to spot.

Corona Virus Information

We were notified today that there is a confirmed case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Williamson County Tennessee. People have been asking lots of questions, so I have put together a little information. If you feel you have been exposed, may be sick, or are at risk, please contact your health care provider or the county health department

ABC Diet: Dangers & Alternatives (Ana Boot Camp Diet)

The Ana Boot Camp diet is a dangerous, anorexia-promoting “weight loss plan.” We cover harmful side effects of this plan, how it works, and better alternatives.

Good Nutrition for a Healthy Life: The Basics + Fads and Facts

Your body needs optimal nutrition to prevent and reverse disease. We cover types of nutrients, how to eat healthy, and working with your healthcare provider.

Working with a Functional Medicine Provider

What does a functional medicine practitioner do? What sets them apart from a naturopathic doctor? How can you find one? What can you expect at your appointment?

Functional Medicine: How & Why It Works

The alternative methods in functional medicine allow patients to live healthier, more fulfilled lives. Here’s what to expect and how to find your next doctor!

A Micro What? And It Did What?

As a nurse practitioner practicing functional medicine my mind is blown every day with all the information… science has become my latest true love. As I study and interact with people, exchanging information, I learn and I teach. More and more we learn and discover how our guts are connected to our brain and influence our whole bodies and our health. I love this video that is fun and does an amazing job of explaining it all.

Supplements Can Be Tricky

I always find myself researching when is the best time to take supplements. Magnesium with my calcium at night… and so forth and so on. I found this awesome graphic that does a great job of summing it up.

Truth or Opinion

This blog will hopefully contain a vast expanse of information. Sometimes I will be writing very informally about myself, my experiences (even personal ones), or my feelings and thoughts. Other times I will present information to help you understand more complex health issues and treatment options. Understand that my informal writing will not be cited or backed up by any particular evidence because its personal to me and its opinion. I’m not making any claims about my opinions being evidence based or viable. They are just my informal thoughts. On the other hand, when I am presenting information on issues that relate to medicine, science, health, etc., I want it to be reliable evidence and not just my opinion.

COVID-19 Clinic Updates & Resources

An archived clinic update retained at its original URL for historical reference.