St. Charles Functional Medicine

03/13/2026

💊SUPPLEMENT HOT SEAT: PHOSPHATIDYLSERINE

The “high cortisol” supplement.

But is cortisol actually high?

Phosphatidylserine (PS) can:
• Lower elevated nighttime cortisol
• Improve sleep onset
• Reduce wired-but-tired feeling
• Support stress resilience

BUT…

🚩 If cortisol is already low → it can worsen fatigue
🚩 If taken in the morning → it can blunt needed daytime drive
🚩 If brain fog is from low dopamine → it won’t fix the root

PS doesn’t “fix stress.”
It helps regulate cortisol signaling.

And cortisol has a rhythm.

The question isn’t:
“Are you stressed?”

It’s:
What is your cortisol doing… and when?

03/09/2026

03/07/2026

💊SUPPLEMENT HOT SEAT: PROBIOTICS

Everyone thinks they need one.

Not always true.

Probiotics can:
• Improve gut diversity
• Reduce diarrhea
• Support immune balance

BUT…

🚩 If you have SIBO → they can worsen bloating
🚩 If you have high histamine → certain strains can flare symptoms
🚩 If your gut lining is inflamed → they may not colonize well

More bacteria isn’t always the answer.

Sometimes you have to:
1️⃣ Kill
2️⃣ Repair
3️⃣ THEN repopulate

Sequence matters.

03/03/2026

Symptoms are just signals..follow them to find the root.

02/27/2026

💊Supplement Hot Seat: Tongkat Ali 💪🏼

Tongkat Ali is marketed as a “natural testosterone booster”…
👉 But clinically, it works more as a stress-hormone modulator than a simple T pill.

This isn’t a gym supplement.
It’s an HPA-axis influencer.

Who Tongkat Ali Helps

✔️ Low testosterone with high stress
✔️ High SHBG patterns
✔️ Fatigue with low motivation/drive
✔️ Men with cortisol-driven hormone suppression
✔️ Reduced libido under chronic stress
✔️ Overtrained or burned-out individuals

Why It Works

🧬 Lowers cortisol signaling
— reduces stress-mediated suppression of testosterone

⚖️ Improves free testosterone
— lowers SHBG → increases bioavailable T

🧠 Dopamine & motivation support
— improves drive, focus, assertiveness

⚡️ Adaptogenic effect
— improves stress tolerance without direct hormone replacement

Why It Can Backfire

❌ Can feel overstimulating
❌ Can worsen anxiety or irritability
❌ Can disrupt sleep if taken late
❌ Not appropriate in adrenal exhaustion states

How to Take It

200–400 mg daily
Best taken early in the day

Cycle:
👉 5 days on / 2 days off
or
👉 8–12 weeks on, then break

Clinical Pearls

1️⃣ Works best when cortisol is the problem — not primary hypogonadism
2️⃣ Raises free testosterone more than total
3️⃣ Not a replacement for testosterone therapy
4️⃣ Stack with magnesium & zinc cautiously
5️⃣ Less is often more

🚫 Who Should Be Cautious

⚠️ High anxiety or panic disorders
⚠️ Poor sleep or insomnia
⚠️ Adrenal exhaustion / very low cortisol
⚠️ Aggression or mood instability

02/25/2026

Being told “that’s normal for your age” is usually code for “we don’t know why.”

02/20/2026

💊Supplement Hot Seat: Zinc Carnosine💊

Zinc gets talked about for immunity…
But zinc carnosine is a completely different conversation.

This form doesn’t just support immunity —
it repairs and protects the gut lining.

Who Zinc Carnosine Helps

✔️ Leaky gut / intestinal permeability
✔️ Gastritis / stomach irritation
✔️ Acid reflux & GERD (supportive)
✔️ IBS
✔️ H. pylori support protocols
✔️ NSAID-related gut damage
✔️ Chronic inflammation driven by the gut
✔️ Poor wound healing in the GI tract

Why It Works

Targets the gut lining
— zinc carnosine binds directly to damaged mucosa
— stays localized where healing is needed

Enhances mucosal repair
— stimulates cell regeneration
— strengthens tight junctions

Reduces gastric & intestinal inflammation
— protects against acid and enzymatic injury

Antimicrobial synergy
— supports H. pylori clearance when used in protocols
— without wiping out beneficial flora

Why It Works Better Than Zinc Alone

❌ Regular zinc absorbs systemically
✔️ Zinc carnosine stays in the gut
✔️ Prolonged contact = better healing

How to Take It

75–150 mg daily
Split doses with meals

For active gut irritation:
75 mg 2x/day

Clinical Pearls

1️⃣ One of the best gut-healing nutrients available
2️⃣ Does NOT commonly upset the stomach
3️⃣ Excellent during antimicrobial protocols
4️⃣ Helps protect against NSAID damage
5️⃣ Safe for longer-term gut repair phases

🚫 Who Should Be Cautious

⚠️ Long-term high-dose zinc use (monitor copper)
⚠️ Advanced kidney disease

02/18/2026

Normal ranges were designed to detect disease — not create health.

02/16/2026

🔥 Hot Take: Autoimmune disease doesn’t “just happen.”

That’s one of the biggest myths in conventional medicine.

Your immune system doesn’t wake up one day and randomly decide to attack you.

Autoimmunity follows patterns:
• Gut permeability
• Chronic infections
• Toxin exposure
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Hormone imbalance
• Blood sugar dysfunction
• Chronic stress & poor sleep

Calling it “bad luck” or “just genetics” is lazy medicine.

Genetics load the gun —
environment and physiology pull the trigger.

And if no one looks for the triggers…
You’re left managing symptoms forever instead of changing the terrain.

Autoimmune disease isn’t a mystery.
It’s a message.

The question is whether your care team is listening… or just prescribing.

02/13/2026

💊Supplement Hot Seat: Apple Cider Vinegar 🍎
(Why We DON'T Recommend It Anymore)

Apple cider vinegar used to be the go-to for digestion…
👉 But clinically, we’re seeing far more harm than benefit.

ACV isn’t “natural stomach acid support.”
It’s acid stress on already stressed tissue.

Who ACV Used to Be Recommended For

✔️ Bloating
✔️ Reflux
✔️ “Low stomach acid” symptoms
✔️ Blood sugar support

But here’s the problem…

Why It Backfires So Often

🔥 Irritates the gut lining
— worsens gastritis, ulcers, and leaky gut
— delays true mucosal healing

🧠 Triggers reflux via irritation, not acid deficiency
— reflux is often pressure + motility + nerve signaling
—not simply “low acid”

🦷 Damages teeth & enamel
— even diluted ACV is highly erosive over time

🦠 Worsens histamine symptoms
— fermented + acidic = flares in sensitive patients

⚡️ Increases adrenal stress
— acid load activates stress responses in already dysregulated systems

Why the “Low Stomach Acid” Theory Is Oversimplified

❌ Symptoms overlap with reflux, SIBO, bile dysfunction
❌ ACV doesn’t fix motility
❌ ACV doesn’t fix enzyme output
❌ ACV doesn’t heal the gut lining

Acid alone is not digestion.

What We Use Instead

✔️ Digestive enzymes
✔️ Bitter support
✔️ Zinc carnosine for mucosal repair
✔️ DGL for reflux without acid burn
✔️ Motility support when needed
✔️ Nervous system regulation

Clinical Pearls

1️⃣ Reflux ≠ low stomach acid by default
2️⃣ Burning ≠ need more acid
3️⃣ Healing the lining comes before adding acid
4️⃣ Most chronic reflux patients have inflamed tissue, not deficiency
5️⃣ ACV may feel helpful short-term but worsens long-term outcomes

02/12/2026

Parasite cleanses are popular because they give people something to blame