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Constipation: Why Healthy Bowel Movements Matter More Than You Think

Constipation: Why Healthy Bowel Movements Matter More Than You Think

  • Post category:Gut Health

Some temporary water retention is incredibly common and usually does not mean you've gained fat or that your hormones are harming you. For most women, patience really does pay off. Support your body with hydration, movement, potassium-rich foods, adequate protein, fiber, good sleep, and time. If you're still feeling persistently swollen after 3-4 months, or the symptoms are becoming severe, it's worth talking with your healthcare provider. Sometimes a small adjustment to your hormone regimen can make all the difference.

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Hair Loss in Women: Why It Happens and What We Look at here at Tendwell

Hair Loss in Women: Why It Happens and What We Look at here at Tendwell

Hair loss is one of those symptoms that can feel incredibly frustrating—and there is rarely just one possible cause. At Tendwell Functional Medicine, when someone comes to us concerned about increased shedding, thinning hair, a widening part, or changes in hair texture, we like to take a deeper look at why it may be happening rather than focusing only on the hair itself.

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Could Ureaplasma Be Affecting Your Fertility or Urinary Symptoms?

Could Ureaplasma Be Affecting Your Fertility or Urinary Symptoms?

If you’ve been dealing with recurrent urinary symptoms, vaginal irritation, or unexplained fertility challenges, you may have heard of Ureaplasma—or maybe you’ve never heard of it at all. Ureaplasma is a very small type of bacteria that can live in the urinary and reproductive tracts. It’s actually fairly common, and plenty of people carry it without ever having symptoms. So, a positive test doesn’t necessarily mean Ureaplasma is causing a problem or needs to be treated. But in certain patients, I do think it can be worth looking for.

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Cleerly vs. Coronary Calcium Score: What’s the Difference?

Cleerly vs. Coronary Calcium Score: What’s the Difference?

When we talk about preventing heart disease, cholesterol numbers are only part of the story. Tests such as ApoB, LDL cholesterol, Lp(a), blood pressure, blood sugar, and inflammatory markers can tell us about cardiovascular risk—but sometimes we want to answer a more direct question: Is there actually plaque in the coronary arteries? Two tests you may hear about are a coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and Cleerly coronary plaque analysis. They both look for coronary artery disease, but they provide very different information.

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Anti-Ovary Antibodies (AOA): A Functional Medicine Perspective

Anti-Ovary Antibodies (AOA): A Functional Medicine Perspective

Anti-ovary antibodies (AOAs) are autoantibodies directed against proteins within the ovary. Their presence may suggest that the immune system is recognizing ovarian tissue as a target. Although testing is not part of the standard infertility evaluation and the assays have not yet been standardized, ovarian autoimmunity is increasingly recognized as a potential contributor in a subset of women with reproductive challenges. In Functional Medicine, we view anti-ovary antibodies as one piece of a larger immune assessment, rather than a stand-alone diagnostic test.

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Vagus Nerve Stimulation at Home: Can Wearable Devices Help Calm Anxiety and Improve Gut Health?

Vagus Nerve Stimulation at Home: Can Wearable Devices Help Calm Anxiety and Improve Gut Health?

If you've spent any time exploring nervous system regulation, you've probably come across wearable vagus nerve stimulators like Pulsetto, Nurosym (sold as NuroPod in the U.S.), or Truvaga. These devices promise to reduce stress, improve sleep, support digestion, and even increase heart rate variability (HRV). As someone who spends much of my day helping patients navigate anxiety, IBS, SIBO, reflux, constipation, chronic stress, and functional GI disorders, I understand why there's so much excitement around these devices.

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Saliva Testing for Endometriosis: A New Era in Diagnosis?

Saliva Testing for Endometriosis: A New Era in Diagnosis?

One of the most exciting developments in women's health over the past few years is the emergence of saliva-based testing for endometriosis. For decades, diagnosing endometriosis has been frustratingly slow. The average woman waits 7-10 years from the onset of symptoms to receive a diagnosis. Many are told their painful periods are "normal," while others undergo years of imaging, medications, or even surgery before finally getting answers.

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Cortisol & Menopause: Why Stress Can Feel So Different at Midlife

Cortisol & Menopause: Why Stress Can Feel So Different at Midlife

If you’ve reached perimenopause and suddenly feel like you just can’t handle stress the way you used to, you’re not imagining it. Maybe you’re waking up at 3:00 a.m. with your mind racing. You’re exhausted in the afternoon but somehow get a “second wind” at bedtime. Your anxiety feels heightened, your body composition is changing, or you simply feel more easily overwhelmed by things that wouldn’t have rattled you a few years ago. There are many reasons this can happen during the menopause transition, but one important piece of the puzzle is cortisol.

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Water Retention After Starting Hormone Therapy: Why It Happens (and What You Can Do About It)

Water Retention After Starting Hormone Therapy: Why It Happens (and What You Can Do About It)

Some temporary water retention is incredibly common and usually does not mean you've gained fat or that your hormones are harming you. For most women, patience really does pay off. Support your body with hydration, movement, potassium-rich foods, adequate protein, fiber, good sleep, and time. If you're still feeling persistently swollen after 3-4 months, or the symptoms are becoming severe, it's worth talking with your healthcare provider. Sometimes a small adjustment to your hormone regimen can make all the difference.

Continue ReadingWater Retention After Starting Hormone Therapy: Why It Happens (and What You Can Do About It)
How Your Nervous System May Be the Missing Piece in Healing Your Gut

How Your Nervous System May Be the Missing Piece in Healing Your Gut

  • Post category:Gut Health

When most people think about gut health, they think about food. Maybe they need to eliminate gluten. Maybe they have SIBO. Maybe they need probiotics, digestive enzymes, or more fiber. While all of those tools can be helpful, there's another piece of the puzzle that often gets overlooked: Your nervous system.

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Methylene Blue—Hype or Helpful? What the Research Actually Says

Methylene Blue—Hype or Helpful? What the Research Actually Says

Methylene blue has become one of the most talked-about compounds in the longevity and biohacking world. From social media influencers to physicians interested in mitochondrial medicine, it's being discussed as a potential tool for improving brain function, energy, and even healthy aging. But what exactly is it—and does the science support all of the excitement?

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Progesterone IUDs in Perimenopause and Menopause: When Is It Time to Remove Them?

Progesterone IUDs in Perimenopause and Menopause: When Is It Time to Remove Them?

A lot of my patients in their 40s and 50s have progesterone-releasing IUDs such as Mirena, Liletta, Kyleena, or Skyla. These devices can be incredibly helpful during the reproductive and perimenopausal years, but one question comes up frequently in my practice . . .

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Get Your Polyphenols: Why Olive Oil Deserves a Place in Your Daily Routine

Get Your Polyphenols: Why Olive Oil Deserves a Place in Your Daily Routine

Research suggests that polyphenols may help support cardiovascular health, reduce inflammation, protect blood vessels, support brain function, and contribute to healthy aging. It's one of the simplest (and most delicious) ways to add more health-promoting nutrients to your day.

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Heart Health for Women-2026

Heart Health for Women-2026

Heart health in women—especially during perimenopause and menopause—is evolving quickly. Newer cholesterol guidelines are shifting the conversation away from simply “waiting until someone has heart disease” and toward identifying risk earlier, looking at the whole picture, and treating preventively for the long term.

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