Empowered Wellness Functional Medicine

12/20/2025

Self-care isn’t a hair appointment.
It’s not brunch.
And it’s not a shopping day.

Those things can be enjoyable — but they don’t fix burnout, inflammation, hormone imbalance, or chronic exhaustion.

Real self-care is unglamorous and repetitive:

• Getting up and showering when you don’t feel like it
• Brushing your teeth and washing your face
• Eating real food that fuels your body
• Drinking water
• Moving your body — even if it’s just a walk
• Going to bed instead of scrolling
• Praying, grounding, and reconnecting with God
• Choosing discipline over dopamine

Self-care is how you live every day, not how you escape your life once a week.

If your foundation is broken, no amount of “treat yourself” will fix it.

Start with the basics.
That’s where healing actually begins.

👇
Comment “ME TIME” if you want an appointment or more information about what I do. ❤️

12/17/2025

Using alcohol to “help you sleep” is never a good idea.

❤️❌❤️

Yes, alcohol may help you fall asleep faster — but what it actually does behind the scenes tells a very different story.

From a functional medicine perspective, alcohol:
❤️ Suppresses REM and deep sleep — the stages required for brain repair, hormone balance, and emotional regulation
❤️ Spikes cortisol as your liver works overnight to detox it, leading to 2–4 a.m. wake-ups
❤️ Disrupts blood sugar, triggering adrenaline release while you sleep
❤️ Dehydrates you, impairing cellular recovery and detox pathways
❤️ Increases inflammation and places added stress on the gut, liver, and nervous system

The result?
You wake up feeling:
❤️ Unrefreshed
❤️ Anxious
❤️ Foggy
❤️ More inflamed
❤️ Craving caffeine and sugar

If you need alcohol to sleep, that’s not a sleep solution — it’s a signal.
Your nervous system may be overstimulated, your stress hormones elevated, or your circadian rhythm off.

❤️ Real sleep comes from:
❤️ Stabilizing blood sugar
❤️ Supporting adrenal and nervous system health
❤️ Improving magnesium status
❤️ Regulating cortisol — not sedating it

Sleep is where healing happens.
If sleep is a problem, let me help you get to the root cause — not just mask the symptoms.

❤️ Book a consult and let’s get you sleeping — and healing — the right way.

12/15/2025

You can’t eat junk, drink all weekend,
then expect your body to perform Monday–Friday.

The work you put in Monday through Friday in the gym and in the kitchen shouldn’t be punishment for the previous weekend’s decisions.

That up-and-down cycle =
blood sugar crashes, inflammation, hormone chaos, poor sleep, and low energy.

If you feel exhausted, foggy, anxious, or unmotivated by Monday —
it’s not willpower.
It’s physiology.

I help people get off the weekend-to-weekday roller coaster by:
• Stabilizing blood sugar
• Supporting gut and hormone health
• Creating realistic routines that actually stick

No extremes. No perfection. Just consistency that works in real life.

12/14/2025

For those with alpha gal or a beef allergy you can substitute ground turkey

Try this simple one-pan meal loaded with ground beef, brussels sprouts, carrots, and sweet potato, perfect for a quick weeknight dinner fix. A veggie-packed whole30 recipe.

12/14/2025

Meal prep on the left hydrating simmer pot on the right what does your Sunday afternoon look like?

12/12/2025

Chronic Inflammation: The Silent Problem Most People Don’t Know They Have

Chronic inflammation isn’t the swollen ankle or sore throat most people think of.
It’s low-grade, ongoing immune activation that quietly disrupts normal physiology over time.

You don’t wake up one day and feel “inflamed.”
Instead, it shows up as symptoms that feel unrelated:

• Persistent fatigue
• Brain fog
• Joint or muscle aches
• Weight gain that doesn’t respond to diet or exercise
• Blood sugar issues
• Hormone imbalance
• Digestive problems
• Anxiety or low mood

Here’s why it’s sneaky:
Chronic inflammation doesn’t cause acute pain — it causes slow cellular damage.

What drives it?
• Poor diet (ultra-processed foods, excess sugar, seed oils)
• Chronic stress and poor sleep
• Insulin resistance
• Gut dysfunction
• Environmental toxins
• Hormone imbalance
• Untreated infections

Over time, inflammation interferes with:
• Mitochondrial function (energy production)
• Insulin signaling
• Hormone receptors
• Brain chemistry
• Immune regulation

This is why labs can look “normal,” yet you feel anything but normal.

In functional medicine, the goal isn’t to suppress inflammation —
it’s to identify and remove the drivers so the body can regulate itself again.

If you’ve been told “everything looks fine” but you know something isn’t right,
chronic inflammation is often the missing piece.

12/07/2025

A Healthy Alternative to Candles: Non-Toxic Simmer Pot Recipes ❤️

If you love a cozy, great-smelling home but hate the headaches, hormone disruptors, and toxins that come with most candles, try a homemade simmer pot instead.
They’re clean, natural, and make your whole house smell incredible — without harming your air quality. Bonus it adds some humidity to the dry air in your house!!! I don’know about you but over the last week I have had multiple nose bleeds because the air in my house is so dry.

Here are a few easy ones:

🍊 Cozy Citrus & Clove (Fresh + Clean)
• Orange slices
• Lemon slices
• Cinnamon sticks
• Whole cloves
• Splash of vanilla
👉 Simmer on low to brighten your mood and naturally deodorize your home.

🍎 Apple Pie (Warm + Comforting)
• Apple slices
• Cinnamon sticks
• Allspice
• Cloves
• Vanilla
👉 Creates the most comforting, fall-baking aroma — totally toxin-free.

🌿 Herbal Stress Relief (Spa-Like + Refreshing)
• Fresh rosemary
• Lemon slices
• Peppermint or fresh mint
• Optional eucalyptus
👉 Perfect for stress relief, clarity, and a clean, fresh home vibe.

🫕How to Use:
Add ingredients to a small pot, cover with water, bring to a light simmer, then turn to low. Add water as needed. Reuse the mixture for up to 3 days.

Clean ingredients. No endocrine disruptors. No headaches. Just pure, cozy goodness. ❤️

12/06/2025

🎄 19 Days Until Christmas… and Your Stress Is Rising? Let’s Talk.

This time of year can feel like beautiful chaos — gifts to buy, events to juggle, kids’ programs, end-of-year deadlines… and suddenly your own health drops to the bottom of the list.

But here’s the truth I want you to hear as your Functional Medicine Nurse Practitioner:
You don’t have to sacrifice your health to survive the holidays.
You can stay energized, grounded, and in control — even with only 19 days left until Christmas.

Here’s how to protect your hormones, mood, and energy right now:

✔️ 1. Start the day with protein — non-negotiable.

A stable blood sugar morning = fewer cravings, less anxiety, and better focus all day.
(20–30g protein is the sweet spot to start)

✔️ 2. Build in 10 minutes of nervous-system regulation.

Deep breathing, a quiet walk, a prayer moment, stretching — these micro-pauses literally shift your cortisol curve.

✔️ 3. Set ONE realistic daily goal.

Not five. Not ten. One.
Finishing one important thing keeps your brain out of overwhelm mode.

✔️ 4. Drink water before the coffee.

Hydration supports energy, digestion, and mood — all of which tank when stress spikes.

✔️ 5. Give yourself permission to say NO.

Your health is more important than pleasing everyone this season.
Boundaries aren’t rude — they’re regulated nervous system decisions.

✔️ 6. Sleep is your superpower right now.

A rested brain makes better food choices, handles stress better, and keeps your immune system strong.

________________________________________

🎁 Here’s the mindset shift:
You don’t need a perfect holiday — you need a healthy, present YOU.
19 days is plenty of time to take control back.

If you’re tired of doing this alone every year, I’m here to help you reset your health from the inside out.

12/04/2025

Why Gloomy Days + Cold Weather Hit Your Mood Harder Than You Think ❄️

As a Functional Medicine APRN, I see this every year — when the days get darker and the temperatures drop, your energy, motivation, and mood often drop with them.
But here’s what most people don’t realize:

It’s not just the weather.
It’s how the weather impacts your biology.

❤️ Less sunlight = lower serotonin (your natural mood stabilizer)
❤️ More time indoors = less movement and slower metabolism
❤️ Cold temps increase your stress response
❤️ Holiday busyness = more cortisol, less recovery
❤️ Cravings increase because your body wants quick energy when you’re tired and cold

Here’s the good news:
Your body isn’t “broken.” It’s responding exactly how it’s designed to — we just have to support it differently this time of year.

Simple ways to protect your mood during gloomy seasons:
❤️ Get direct daylight exposure within the first 1–2 hours of waking (I have found the Happy Light helps)
❤️ Prioritize protein ALWAYS with every meal to stabilize blood sugar + mood
❤️ Move your body daily, even if it’s 10 minutes
❤️ Vitamin D3 + K2 (when appropriate)
❤️ Magnesium glycinate before bed
❤️ Say no to the things draining you — protect your energy like your health depends on it

Winter doesn’t have to take you down this year.
Your body wants balance — let’s help it get there. ❄️❤️

11/24/2025

QUICK FIXES AREN’T FIXES AT ALL

Everyone wants the “easy button” when it comes to stubborn weight, fatigue, brain fog, and hormone symptoms. Diet pills and trendy shortcuts promise fast results… but none of them address why your body is struggling in the first place.

In functional medicine, I see this every day:
When you skip the root causes—hormone imbalance, inflammation, insulin resistance, gut dysfunction, nutrient deficiencies, chronic stress—you may see temporary changes… but the underlying problem is still there. And it always comes back louder.

Quick fixes don’t heal.
They suppress symptoms.
And long-term? They often create new issues: rebounding symptoms, slowed metabolism, worsened cravings, cortisol disruption, and deeper hormonal imbalance.

If you want results that last, you have to understand your body—not override it.
You have to repair the systems, not silence the signals.
You have to treat the why, not just the what.

That’s the work I do every day in functional medicine—digging deeper, connecting the dots, and restoring balance so your body can finally work with you, not against you.

If you’re tired of the quick-fix cycle, it’s time for a different approach. Let’s get to the root cause❤️

11/21/2025

🧠 The root problem isn’t YOU… it’s the health care system. 🧠

You’re not “lazy.”
You’re not “non-compliant.”
You’re not “crazy.”
And you’re definitely not broken.

You’ve been handed 15-minute appointments, rushed conversations, normal labs that don’t feel normal, and a prescription pad instead of real answers.

The truth?
🩺 The system was built to manage disease, not find the root cause.
🩺 It rewards quick visits, not deep investigation.
🩺 It focuses on symptoms, not physiology.
🩺 It waits until things get bad enough for meds… instead of helping you heal before you ever get there.

You didn’t fail the system. The system failed YOU.

Functional medicine flips the script:
❤️ I listen.
❤️ I dig deeper.
❤️ I look at hormones, gut health, inflammation, stress, sleep, toxins, metabolism, and lifestyle…
❤️ And I bring YOU back to the center of your care.

If you’ve been dismissed, overlooked, or brushed off—
you deserve better.
And I’m here to help you get there.

11/10/2025

❤️ Your Health Is Your Greatest Asset ❤️

We’re taught to work 40+ hours a week to earn money, save money, and build security…

But what happens when your health is gone?

You can have a savings account, a 401K, a house, and every material thing you ever dreamed of—
but if you’re exhausted, inflamed, burnt out, and constantly battling symptoms…
you won’t be able to enjoy any of it.

Health is not an expense.
It’s an investment.

❤️ You can make more money.
❤️ You cannot make more time.

I see patients every day who put their wellness last:
• “I’ll rest when things slow down.”
• “I’ll eat better when life isn’t so busy.”
• “I’ll schedule that appointment when work settles down.”

But the truth is—
life never “slows down.”

Your body is giving you signals now so you don’t pay a bigger price later.

If you’re tired of pushing through fatigue, weight gain, mood swings, gut issues, or hormone chaos with no answers…
I’m here to help you do something radical:

Prioritize yourself before symptoms become disease.

You don’t need more willpower.
You need a plan, clarity, and someone who actually listens.

❤️Your health is the foundation that determines the quality of your entire life.

Invest in it. Let’s partner together to grow that investment!!