If you’ve lived with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), you already know how powerful hormone shifts can be on mood, energy, and cognition. Then perimenopause begins—and many women are caught off guard when their symptoms change.
Many patients come to Tendwell with a sense that something is off—but no clear answers. Sometimes they already suspect mold exposure. Other times, they’ve seen multiple specialists—ENT, neurology, gastroenterology—and still don’t feel better. Their labs may be “normal,” yet symptoms persist.
There’s been a surge of new lab companies—Function Health, Superpower, and others—promising deeper insights, more data, and a clearer picture of your health. In this blog we explore these offerings.
Many patients come to Tendwell after mold exposure, trauma, chronic illness, or perimenopause saying the same thing: “I feel like my body is stuck in fight-or-flight.” If that sounds familiar, you’re not broken. You may be experiencing nervous system dysregulation — and there is a physiological reason for it.
If you’ve been told you have Hashimoto’s, or that your thyroid labs are “normal” but you still feel exhausted, anxious, foggy, or stuck with weight gain — you are not alone. We see this every day at Tendwell.
Understanding that difference between vaginal and transdermal estradiol can make hormone therapy feel much clearer and more intentional.
If you’re in perimenopause or menopause and feel like you’ve been told “you’re fine” — but you don’t feel fine — you’re not crazy. Find out why many doctors are not properly trained to help.
If you’re wondering whether hormone therapy is right for you, we’re here to guide you through the decision with nuance, safety, and personalization.
At Tendwell, we spend a lot of time helping women understand what’s actually happening hormonally in their 40s (and sometimes late 30s), and how hormone therapy can help when used thoughtfully, individually, and at the right time.
One of the most common themes we see in functional medicine is a compromised gut barrier—sometimes called “leaky gut,” but more accurately described as impaired intestinal integrity. This shows up clinically as bloating, food sensitivities, inflammation, fatigue, autoimmune flares, and even hormone dysregulation.
When someone is living with chronic stress or chronic illness, the nervous system often gets stuck in a state of threat. The vagus nerve plays a central role in calming the body, supporting digestion, immunity, and emotional regulation. Limbic retraining helps re-pattern the brain’s threat response, reducing overactivation and allowing the body to shift toward safety, healing, and resilience.
The Menopause Moment is a refreshing, evidence-based, and deeply empowering guide for women navigating perimenopause and menopause—and for clinicians who care for them. Dr. Kelly Casperson brings a much-needed blend of medical rigor, clinical clarity, and straight talk to a phase of life that has been historically under-taught, under-treated, and often dismissed.
Life is marked by transitions—some expected, others abrupt. New roles, shifting hormones, changing responsibilities, and evolving priorities all ask something different of our bodies. At Tendwell, we see these transitions not as problems to fix, but as invitations to listen more closely to what your body needs now.
GLP-1 medications can be a powerful and supportive tool for weight loss and metabolic health. But like any tool, how you use it matters. At Tendwell, we focus on helping you lose weight in a way that protects your muscle, supports your metabolism, and sets you up for long-term health—not just short-term results on the scale.
When we talk about menopause, we often focus on hot flashes, sleep disruption, or weight changes. But there’s another category of symptoms that deserves far more attention: mood changes.
If you struggle with falling asleep—or staying asleep—there’s a surprisingly simple habit that may help: wearing socks at night. It sounds almost too easy, but this small change can support one of the most important drivers of good sleep: healthy temperature regulation.
Protein is one of the most powerful—and most under-consumed—nutrients I see in clinical practice. Adequate protein intake supports blood sugar balance, muscle and bone health, hormone production, detoxification pathways, immune function, and satiety, especially for women navigating perimenopause, menopause, or metabolic health concerns.
At Tendwell, we talk a lot about the gut—and for good reason. Your gut is not just about digestion. It’s central to immune function, hormone balance, brain health, and inflammation throughout the body. One of my favorite tools for getting a truly comprehensive picture of gut health is Vibrant Wellness’s Gut Zoomer 3.0.
There’s no single “right” way to do a cleanse, and the word itself often means very different things to different people. For some, it brings to mind water fasting (my sister-in-law immediately thinks of this!). But starving your way through a fast—only to regain weight or feel depleted afterward—isn’t my idea of an effective or sustainable cleanse. Others think of juice-only programs, which can send a surge of natural sugar straight into your system without offering much in the way of real detox support.
As women move through perimenopause and menopause, one of the most common changes we see on lab work is a noticeable rise in cholesterol levels—sometimes for the first time in a woman’s life. This shift can feel surprising or concerning, but it’s actually a well-documented and physiologically understandable part of the menopausal transition.