By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND It certainly has been a challenging couple of years, with ongoing stresses living through the pandemic. I find it interesting that everyone I speak to has had different stresses, but it does seem that almost universally, the load of stress has been significantly higher than it was previously. We are very good at …
Why am I so tired?
By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Fatigue, or tiredness is the number one complaint that brings people in for naturopathic care. There are many underlying factors to investigate in determining the cause of tiredness. Below is my top 10 list of factors that that can be causing your fatigue. Many of these are missed in a conventional medical work-up, or …
Are you close to Burnout?
By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND It’s typical to feel the impacts of stress after the stress is over, or when you finally let go and begin to relax. Think about getting sick after final exams in university, or the flu that hits over Christmas holidays. After this incredibly challenging year and a half, I am hearing from many women overwhelmed, …
Stress and the Cortisol Connection
By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Cortisol is an extremely important hormone for women’s health, because all of the hormonal systems are interconnected. A change in stress hormones can impact your thyroid function, blood sugar regulation, weight and body fat distribution as well as your reproductive hormone balance and fertility. Quite simply, when …
Overwhelmed and tired as a working mom… you’re not alone
By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Every day in my practice, I hear from women who feel very alone in their struggle either physically or emotionally. My intention is to normalize some of these things, and provide you with insight and resources. Today’s post is certainly close to my heart – I’m in it with you. I’m a self-employed working mom with two kids. …
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Metabolic stress: why your hormone imbalance may be caused by over-exercising and under-fueling
By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND I’m writing this article because it’s a pattern I see quite regularly, where exercise or nutrition habits are taken too far, and then some type of hormone imbalance develops. This is usually more subtle than an overt eating disorder, where the imbalance of caloric intake and energy burned is more extreme. There can be too …
Building Your Resilience
By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND In challenging times, we rely on our resilience to get us through. The past months have been one of these times for many of us, and now that the acute anxiety has eased up, it’s time to refocus on wellness again. “The definition of resilient is someone or something that bounces back into shape or recovers quickly.” (1) …
Are You In Stress Hormone Overload?
Are you in stress hormone overload? Chronic exposure to the stress hormone cortisol can have a profound impact on your health. We are currently living in a time where it is normal to be stressed out most of the time, and where the pace of our lives leaves little time for relaxation and recovery. Most of us are aware that our stress levels are …
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What does the location of your acne breakouts mean?
By Dr. Shawna Darou, ND Acne is one of the most common conditions I see in the clinic, with varying degrees of severity. It is one of the hardest things to live with as an adult, and it often causes my patients to make some fairly radical decisions with medications and hormonal treatments. As with most conditions, my approach as a …
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