Functional Medicine | Women's Health
By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Personal genetics continue to gain popularity, and more and more can provide insight into personalized medicine. We can learn about extra nutrient requirements, slow or fast detox pathways, response to medications, response to dietary changed (ex. lower or higher fat intake), and even how your body is best adapted to …
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By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Oral contraceptive use is so common that we sometimes overlook the possible impact it can have on our health and physiology. It is important to recognize some of the possible downstream effects of hormonal contraceptives, especially when dealing with issues like anxiety and fatigue. This also becomes difficult to see, …
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By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND February is Heart Health Month, and I wanted to share some newer information with you about how to more accurately assess your cardiovascular risk, which then provides a very clear roadmap for your personalized prevention. In cardiovascular disease, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, meaning we should be …
By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Whether you’re just feeling a little off, or are feeling outright unwell, there is nothing more frustrating than reaching out for help and being told that everything is normal and that you’re fine. I’m a strong advocate of optimizing your health, not living in the zone where lab tests that are just good enough, or not …
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By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Something that’s often missed in a health assessment is the impact of toxins on our health and wellness. The reality is that we are exposed to a vast amount of chemicals and pollutants every day, and they can play a role in our current health issues. Even if we have made steps to clean up our personal care products and …
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By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Your thyroid gland is central to your metabolism, and it impacts almost every system in the body. It can cause menstrual cycle changes and infertility, it can increase cardiovascular risk factors, cause depression and cognitive issues, impact gut motility, and lead to swelling in the body. Thyroid issues are extremely …
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By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Progesterone is a key hormone for women’s health, produced by the corpus luteum, only after ovulation. It has a tremendous influence on your mood (think PMS), sleep, period flow, fertility, and more. It is also important as the hormone that balances out our estrogen levels, keeping us out of an estrogen dominant state. What …
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By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND If you’re feeling tired and burned out, it may be time to look beyond low iron, low B12 levels and thyroid hormones. You have probably heard about mitochondria, but may not know how important they are to your health and especially your energy levels. Mitochondria are the energy centres of your cells, and we have over …
By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND In my studies about cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease, I have come across a wealth of information about the health impacts of indoor mold exposure. It’s an interesting toxin, in that not everyone reacts the same way: approximately 25% of people have a genetic susceptibility to develop an inflammatory response …
