Dr. Michelle Dillon

11/14/2025

Should I exercise when I’m stressed?

There are a lot of mixed messages out there, so let’s look at some facts.

Intense exercise causes a temporary increase in stress hormones BUT:

✅ The cortisol spike during intense exercise reduces the cortisol response to subsequent stressors in life AND
✅ Exercise releases endorphins, which naturally combat stress AND
✅ Regular exercise over time supports a healthy cortisol rhythm.

Some exercises, like yoga and tai chi, combat stress by putting the nervous system into a more parasympathetic state.

So, for most people, exercise helps to combat stress.

Exercise only becomes a problem when it’s extreme and intense—particularly in people who are already stressed by other things in life.

It’s all about looking at the big picture!

Visit www.CharlotteNaturalWellness.com

11/10/2025

Want a stress hack most people never think about?

Food.

Here’s why:

➡️If we skip meals, the body perceives this as a stress and releases cortisol.
➡️Other stressors (like the pressures of work and life) also increase cortisol.
➡️Regardless of the trigger, cortisol prompts the liver to release sugar into the bloodstream for a quick source of energy. It doesn’t matter if we need that energy or not. It’s just one of the effects of cortisol.
➡️Elevated cortisol over time can lead to persistently elevated blood sugar and all the problems that follow (like insulin resistance and weight gain)

What all this means is that eating in a way that supports balanced blood sugar levels sends the body a signal of safety (not stress) and helps to support healthy cortisol levels.

It reduces the stress load on your body and makes you more resilient.

You with me?

Here’s how I eat to combat stress:

🥣 Eat balanced meals on a regular schedule (skipping meals = stress)
🚫 Limit refined sugars (they cause the blood sugar to spike and crash, triggering cortisol)
🥦 Load up on fiber-rich foods (they slow the release of sugar into the bloodstream)
🥤 Stay hydrated (dehydration can spike blood sugar)

Have you noticed that food affects your stress level?

Visit charlottenaturalwellness.com to schedule an appointment or discovery call today.

11/06/2025

Surprising Things that Spike Cortisol 👉

Have you ever thought about what’s actually creating stress in your body?

Because it might not be what you think.

YES, there are the usual suspects:

❗ Running late for work
❗ Toddlers throwing tantrums in public
❗ Getting stuck in a traffic jam
❗ The list of to-do’s that never seems to get done

But here are some others:

❗ Undereating
❗ Over-exercising
❗ Staying up late
❗ Scrolling screens before bed
❗ Chugging coffee instead of food

Any of these things trigger the cascade of stress hormones. That means any of them (if repeated over time) can disrupt cortisol and contribute to chronic health issues.

I’m ready to flip the narrative on this.

Instead of normalizing habits and lifestyles that stress the body, don’t you think it’s time we start normalizing habits and lifestyles that put the body in a state of feeling safe and calm?

I’ll share some of my ideas on how to do that in upcoming posts.

Let me know in the comments—what did I miss in this list ☝️ of stressors?

Schedule today - visit www.charlottenaturalwellness.com

11/06/2025

Tired of peeing on yourself?? I have experienced going to a Pelvic Floor PT - and I'd much rather use the emsella chair. No fingers in your lady bits, just sit on the chair for 30 minutes and have your pelvic floor strengthened!! Fully clothed too, nothing evasive just strengthening! Work on these things now - so that incontinence isn't a thing when you are older.. :)

11/03/2025

Did you know the stress hormone cortisol follows a 24-hour rhythm?

The pattern helps you feel alert in the morning and calm at night, like this:

☀️Cortisol peaks within 30 minutes of waking to kickstart the body for the day.
⛅ Levels decline throughout the afternoon and into the evening.
🌙 Cortisol is lowest at midnight to allow for restful sleep.

But if stress or lifestyle disrupt this natural rhythm…

⬆️ Cortisol can be persistently high, making you anxious or sleepless.

⬇️ Cortisol can be persistently low, making you fatigued and moody.

🔃 Cortisol can be flipped, making you feel tired in the morning and wired at night.

Cortisol is a “stress hormone,” but it also influences metabolism, weight, inflammation, blood pressure, brain function, mood, and SO. MUCH. MORE.

I think it’s worth paying attention to cortisol and doing everything we can to get it back to balance.

Do you agree?

Like this post if you want to see more posts about how to support your cortisol rhythm and stop letting stress rule your health 🙌

Schedule an apt today to get your cortisol levels tested!

10/31/2025

10/28/2025

Stress is no joke.

That’s because the stress hormone *cortisol* has a ripple effect on just about every aspect of physical and mental health, like…

🔥 Immune Function
Cortisol keeps inflammation in check, but too much can lower the body’s ability to fight off infections and illness.

🍪 Blood Sugar
Cortisol increases blood sugar (to help us respond to stress), but this can lead to insulin resistance and blood sugar issues over time.

👖 Belly Fat
Chronically elevated cortisol leads to weight gain—particularly around the middle.

💩 Bloating & Digestion
The gut is our second brain and responds to stress hormones too!

❣️ Emotional Health
Cortisol can contribute to anxiety, restlessness, apathy, and other mood changes.

So, what can we do?

This is one of the most significant root causes of health issues in so many of my clients. What we do is look at what is actually happening with cortisol and come up with a plan to bring it back to a healthy and natural rhythm.

Watch for my next post. I’ll be sharing some surprising things that spike cortisol levels.

10/25/2025

What your body does with stress 👇

I think we can all agree that the holiday season is one of the most stressful times of year.

Maybe you have a *sense* that it affects your health, but do you actually know why or how?

If you want to train your body to be more resilient to stress (so it doesn’t have so much control over your life), it helps to understand stress hormones.

So let’s start there.

There are 2 hormones to know:

Cortisol & Adrenaline (also called Epinephrine). Here are the differences:

1️⃣ Adrenaline is released rapidly as an immediate response to stress, whereas cortisol is released in a daily rhythm regulated by the brain & the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.

2️⃣ Adrenaline has fast effects to activate the body when in danger (think “fight or flight!”) Cortisol has slower effects that are not as obvious to track.

3️⃣ Whereas adrenaline increases the heart rate and can make you feel anxious during intense moments, cortisol has longer-term health effects related to metabolism, sleep, brain, and mood.

Cortisol is so central to the stress cycle that I’ll be sharing more about it and what we can do to balance it in upcoming posts.

Like if you found this helpful ❤️

10/22/2025

Immune Prep for the Holidays 👇

The holidays come with their fair share of gatherings, sugar, and stress—all challenging our immune systems a bit more than at other times of year!

For immune support, consider…

1️⃣ Daily Movement
Moving your body gets your circulation and lymphatics flowing, relieves stress, and decreases your susceptibility to falling sick.

2️⃣ Probiotic-Rich Foods
Remember that 70% of your immune cells are in your gut! Probiotic-rich foods (think yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and sauerkraut) support the gut microbiome.

3️⃣ Vitamin C-Rich Foods
Oranges, grapefruits, broccoli, and bell peppers are excellent sources of vitamin C as well as other antioxidants to support immune health.

4️⃣ Immune-Supportive Supplements
Consider taking a multivitamin or some extra nutrients like vitamin D or zinc through the cold and flu season.

5️⃣ Sleep
One of the best things you can do for your immune system is to give your body time to rest and restore!

There are no guarantees when it comes to staying healthy through the winter months, but there are always ways to support your body’s resilience.

Visit www.charlottenaturalwellness.com for next steps.

10/19/2025

SLEEP ISSUES? Did you know that sleep issues can very well be a mark of sub optimal thyroid issues? The thyroid has a receptor in ALL the cells in the body, so when thyroid is not optimal, sleep (as well as a ton of other things). Is affected!

Other thyroid symptoms include: weight gain, dry skin, hair loss, feeling cold all the time, teeth marks on the tongue, brain fog, and constipation.

If you have a majority of these symptoms, get a hold of a functional medical doc who can look for OPTIMAL LEVELS of thyoid and acutally run a FULL thyroid panel, not just TSH!

Super important for optimal energy, health, and LIBIDO!!

Call today for an appointment -!! 704-543-5540

10/16/2025

Treats that aren’t candy ideas.

Save this post 📌 for some fun and healthy Halloween treats—perfect for parties, kids’ lunches, or snacking on trick-or-treat night.

🫑 Witch’s Fingers
Cut small rectangles out of a green bell pepper and wedge them into the end of cheese sticks to look like witch’s fingernails. Carve a few lines on the cheese to look like finger joints.

🍊 Clementine “Pumpkins”
Just peel some clementine oranges and stick a small piece of celery in the top to look like a pumpkin stem.

🥣 Pumpkin Hummus
Blend up some pumpkin with chickpeas, olive oil, and spices (try cumin, paprika, or cayenne to taste).

🍕 Mummy Mini Pizzas
Take your favorite bagels or gluten-free English muffins and build mini pizzas to look like mummies, with black olives as the eyes.

Enjoy your Halloween!

(and don’t feel bad if you snag a piece of candy or two!)

10/13/2025

📍 Save this post!

I’m loving these immune smoothies.

Just toss the following ingredients into a blender and you’ve got a beverage that will make your immune cells happy 💃

🥬 1 cup Leafy Greens
Spinach and kale are packed with antioxidants and beta carotene (the plant world’s precursor to vitamin A)—plus fiber and very few calories.

🥭 1 cup Frozen Fruits
Even during the winter months, you can get frozen pineapples, mangoes, or berries for a boost of vitamin C.

🥣1 cup Greek Yogurt or Kefir
Fermented foods are teeming with probiotics to support the gut microbiome and immunity. These foods also add protein to the mix.

🥄 2 Tbsp Seeds
H**p seeds, chia seeds, sesame seeds, and ground flax seeds provide essential omega-3 fats.

🥛Water or Almond Milk
Top it off with as much liquid as you need to get a sippable smoothie.

One of my favorite combos is to use spinach, mangoes, yogurt, chia seeds, and almond milk. If I’m feeling fancy, I add a splash of vanilla and cinnamon.

Let me know what you think!