The popular saying, “I have a gut feeling” may be more accurate than you think. It is estimated that almost 95% of our body’s serotonin is produced by bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract. Serotonin is one of our “happy hormones” and is greatly influenced by the gut microbiome. Recent evidence suggests that the gut microbiome can influence neural development, brain chemistry, emotional behavior, pain perception and our stress response! Read more for tips on how to optimize your gut health and improve your mood.

Magnesium is an essential nutrient and our bodies need it to function optimally. Magnesium is found in a variety of foods but many individuals are deficient in this vital nutrient due to mineral depletion in the soil, decreased absorption and/or poor dietary choices.

There are a variety of forms of magnesium and each has a slightly different function in the body. Many magnesium supplements exist and it can be confusing knowing which one to choose.

Common causes of iron deficiency anemia include blood loss (including monthly menstruation), pregnancy, a lack of iron in the diet or a decreased ability to absorb iron. You can usually correct iron deficiency anemia with iron supplementation or by incorporating more iron rich foods into your diet.

PMDD is a condition that affects women for 2-3 weeks every month. It has the same distinct cyclical pattern and similar physical symptoms as PMS, but is different because there are associated mood disturbances that result in marked social or occupational impairment that can impact important professional and personal relationships.

Progesterone cream is often the recommendation when a woman has low progesterone. It's easy to find over the counter and it makes sense that if you're low in progesterone, it's probably worth supplementing. We like to take a few steps back from that thinking and consider why you might not be producing enough progesterone and start building up the system that way. Let's first take a look at what progesterone does for you body and why it's important.

So maybe you've been tracking your cycle and you notice you have a short luteal phase, which is generally less than 10 days between ovulation and bleeding time, or you just had your progesterone tested and it came back low. It's possible your doctor recommended progesterone cream and maybe you're looking for other ways to increase your own production of progesterone. Here are my top progesterone production boosting tips!

Vitamin D, the wonder vitamin! You have likely heard some of the health-related claims surrounding vitamin D. Some of these assertions are true but many need more research to back them up. Regardless of the hype, vitamin D has been shown to be beneficial for a variety of health concerns.