Functional Medicine | Women's Health
By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND We live in a culture that embraces extremes - extreme work hours, extreme ambition, and high performance in all areas of life. When this translates to nutrition and exercise, it can actually become… well… unhealthy. Extremes with diets, exercise, fasting, cleanses, detoxes can turn out to be not so healthy on several …
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By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Endometriosis is a hormonal condition that appears to be growing in frequency at an alarming rate. I have some theories as to why, and we'll get to those below. The good news is though that you can balance your hormones, reduce pain and improve fertility with endometriosis, and a lot of this has to do with diet and …
By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Stress comes up in our conversations every day, and is so often linked with our health struggles. When I started practicing approximately 15 years ago, I had no idea that this would be the number one issue I would treat – and yet, we highly undervalue the need for downtime, relaxation, meditation, quiet time, time away from …
Continue Reading about The effect of ambition, drive and testosterone on women’s hormones →
By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND A very common time for women to be diagnosed with PCOS is after coming off the birth control pill. The pill suppresses the communication between the brain and your ovaries which stops ovulation. When most women stop the pill, this communication will come back right away along with regular ovulation and regular periods. Some …
Continue Reading about Temporary PCOS? Explaining pill-induced PCOS →
By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Overtraining syndrome is not a condition limited only to competitive athletes, and I actually find more cases in recreational athletes who have a frequent intense workout schedule. It is absolutely critical to build in rest days, fuel your body for your workouts, and cross-train to avoid overworking the same muscle groups. …
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By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Amenorrhea means absent periods, and I find that this is a condition where there is a lot of misdiagnosis, and often insufficient lab testing. There are many possible causes of missing periods, and with correct lab tests matched with symptoms we can navigate your best treatment options. What are the possible causes of …
By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND I want to start this article with the simple idea that the impact of stress on your body is not about how hard you work, but about how well you recover. We’re living in a go-go-go culture, rushing from place to place, constant time deadlines, sensory stimulation around the clock, and work that doesn’t go away when you get …
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By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Many women I have spoken with over the years list irritability as one of the complaints that brings them to a naturopathic consult. First of all, this is a common response to being overwhelmed in life - too many demands and not enough time for self-care. Building in some regular time for yourself can make a big impact on …
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By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Have you ever been told to take hormonal birth control to manage your period issues? The pill, or other hormonal birth control is routinely prescribed for issues such as: painful periods irregular cycles heavy periods endometriosis acne ovarian cysts PCOS perimenopause changes spotting …
Continue Reading about How to Manage Your Period Without the Pill →
