PatriotDirect Family Medicine

11/12/2025

The gut and brain communicate through the gut-brain axis, influencing mood, memory, and stress regulation.

Imbalances in gut bacteria could contribute to depression and cognitive decline.

Your gut microbiome can influence your mood, memory, and stress regulation.

11/11/2025

Thank you to all of the veterans for your service 🙏

We're grateful for all that you have given for the protection of our freedoms.

11/09/2025

When sleep is irregular or stress becomes chronic, cortisol levels can fall out of sync—too high at night, too low in the morning or fluctuating unpredictably.

When in balance, cortisol helps regulate inflammation, blood pressure and blood glucose, allowing the body to adapt to life’s changing demands. This rhythm is intimately connected to the circadian rhythm, or sleep-wake cycle.

Aligning cortisol with natural rhythms through sleep habits, rituals and herbal support can ease stress and improve sleep during colder months.

11/03/2025

Daylight Saving Time requires an unnatural change that puts many people in conflict with the sun’s signals.

Setting the clock back is a strange, and perhaps insidiously unhealthy, practice.

11/02/2025

Glucose stability is crucial for everyone and can be the root cause of symptoms like low energy (especially in the afternoon), mood swings, increased belly fat, food cravings, brain fog, hormonal imbalances and loss of libido.

Stable blood sugar supports energy, mood and sleep; mindful eating, herbs and meal timing help prevent spikes and crashes for better health.

10/23/2025

For those with gastrointestinal inflammation or weak digestive tracts, freshness can genuinely affect tolerance — freshly cooked food is often easier to digest than reheated meals. But life is busy and complicated, so cooking three fresh meals a day, every day, is a luxury very few people can afford.

Why My Son Has to Learn to Eat Leftovers: A Lesson in Fuel Sufficiency Oct 14, 2025 | Blog, Functional Medicine, Pediatrics Today at lunch, my son didn’t want to eat. Not because he wasn’t hungry, but because he didn’t like the leftovers. It made me stop and think about something simple but im...

10/16/2025

Rather than labeling people as simply “good” or “bad” sleepers, a new study identified five distinct sleep types that each may be linked to different patterns of mood, health and brain activity.

A study identified five sleep types that could be linked to mental well-being, bedtime habits and brain activity. The findings could help improve clinical treatments.

10/09/2025

Short-term inflammation mends scraped knees and fights off colds, while chronic inflammation is linked to serious health issues.

Studies show that pro-inflammatory diets (diets high in processed foods, trans fats and sugar) can contribute to chronic disease. On the other hand, consuming more anti-inflammatory foods can help support your brain, cardiovascular system and overall health.

Make sure to add it to your diet ASAP.

10/05/2025

The brain has an amazing ability to rewire itself by strengthening, rerouting or growing new connections in response to learning, experience or injury. This continuous reshaping is known as neuroplasticity.

Neuroplasticity allows the brain to adapt at any age; exercise, meditation, healthy fats and creativity all support lasting mental flexibility and cognitive health.

09/30/2025

The functional medicine approach emphasizes that no intervention occurs in isolation: Acetaminophen use should be balanced with proactive support for glutathione production, methylation pathways, antioxidant defenses, and microbiome health—especially in individuals with genetic susceptibilities.

Acetaminophen use can increase oxidative stress by depleting glutathione. This oxidative stress then causes direct tissue damage and disruption of the gut microbiome. Your genetics likely increase your susceptibility to these problems, particularly if you have MTHFR mutations.

09/18/2025

The research is clear: your gut microbiome is not just connected to your brain, it's actively shaping its health every day. This isn't just about preventing disease; it's about optimizing brain function throughout your entire life.

When we support the gut-brain axis through targeted interventions, we're not just improving digestion, we're investing in our cognitive future.

"Metabolite-first" approach to understanding the gut-brain axis, focuses on the specific compounds our gut bacteria produce and how they influence brain function.

09/02/2025

Diet, stress, sleep, medications and environmental exposures shape the makeup of our gut microbiota, which, in turn, impact the body’s propensity for health or disease.

Efforts to restore and nurture gut health offer opportunities for us to enhance our well-being through simple lifestyle changes.

Gut microbes shape digestion, immunity, and mood—but stress, meds, and processed foods can disrupt balance. Small lifestyle shifts help restore this vital inner ecosystem.