Does the Birth Control Pill Cause Adrenal Fatigue?

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Birth Control Leave a Comment

“Does the birth control pill cause adrenal fatigue?,” Charlotte, a 31 year old patient at my clinic asked. As a women’s health expert that specializes in helping women with the side effects and long-term consequences associated with the birth control pill, this is a question I hear often. Charlotte, like many other women, had become concerned about what role the …

7 Adaptogenic Herbs to Heal Adrenals Naturally  

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Sex Hormones Leave a Comment

“Every little stressor feels like the end for me! I’m screaming at my kids, my husband, and gritting my teeth with co-workers for at least the last 6 months,” Alice shared in her first visit. She was 10 months postpartum with her first baby and holding down a full time job on top of a household! To say she had …

gut health and hormones

Gut Health and Hormones: Why is a Healthy Gut Microbiome Important for Hormone Balance

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Gut-Hormone Connection Leave a Comment

Evaluating gut health and the microbiome (the organisms that inhabit your gastrointestinal tract) is crucial if you suffer from hormonal symptoms like fatigue, mood swings, headaches, hair loss, sensitivity to stress, cold intolerance, painful periods, or symptoms that suggest your hormone health is struggling. In my clinical experience, hormone issues are often related to poor gut health because your gut: …

Is Iodine Bad for Hypothyroidism?

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Thyroid & Hormone Balance Leave a Comment

What is the iodine hypothyroidism connection? ‘Is iodine bad for hypothyroidism?’ This is among the most common questions I am asked by my patients. While it is true that your thyroid requires iodine to make thyroid hormone, too much iodine can harm certain individuals. In this video, I review who should be careful about taking iodine and what foods best …

10 Top Foods for Thyroid Health

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Thyroid & Hormone Balance Leave a Comment

Whether you are Hypothyroid or Hyperthyroid, this list of 10 top foods for thyroid health has got you covered! In my clinic, we like to focus on what you CAN eat, rather than all the foods you should be avoiding. And while there are certainly plenty of foods you should be avoiding if you have hypothyroidism, I want to encourage …

Thyroid Disease After Pregnancy: Fatigue in the Fourth Trimester

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Postpartum Leave a Comment

Thyroid disease after pregnancy may be the most overlooked and under diagnosed condition affecting new mothers. Taking a conservative estimate, we can expect 300,000-400,000 mothers to develop postpartum thyroid disease this year. That is 10% of all new moms. But some estimate it may be as high as 17%— and those are only the women who are being tested. Many other mothers …

The Autoimmune Hormone Connection

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Thyroid & Hormone Balance Leave a Comment

Autoimmune disease is undeniably on the rise and who does it affect most? Us ladies! This might not come as a shock, but what might surprise you is just how much your autoimmune disease can completely wreck your hormones. Autoimmune diseases that cause hair loss, brittle nails and worse seem designed to attack our femininity. In this post we are going …

The Ovarian Adrenal Thyroid Axis Connection

Dr. Jolene BrightenPublished: Thyroid & Hormone Balance Leave a Comment

The Ovarian-Adrenal-Thyroid Axis or OAT for short is the most important axis to assess when striving for balanced hormones. The OAT is the way in which these three hormone producing glands (your ovaries, adrenals and thyroid) communicate and truly–rule your world. The 3-Legged Stool I like to think of the OAT as a 3-legged stool, which each gland representing a leg. When …