Endocrine Wellness

01/03/2026

Something for all of us to strive for as we go into the New Year. Wishing everyone more joy each and every day in 2026. 🥳🎉💗

This next year,
I’m choosing joy.
Not because life suddenly became lighter,
or because every unanswered prayer found its ending—
but because I’ve learned what it costs
to carry heaviness longer than necessary.

I’ve learned that sorrow can take up residence
if you let it.
That grief doesn’t always announce itself loudly—
sometimes it slips in quietly
and settles into the ordinary days.

So this year,
I’m choosing joy on purpose.

I’m choosing it in the mornings
when my body reminds me of all the years I’ve lived.
In the mirrors that tell the truth about time.
In the memories that ache and bless me
all at once.

I’m choosing joy in the small, overlooked moments—
coffee growing cold on the counter,
laughter drifting in from another room,
the sound of someone I love just being here.

I’m choosing joy without waiting
for life to make sense first.

Because I know now—
waiting for perfect is how joy gets postponed
until it’s almost forgotten.

This next year,
I’m choosing joy even when the house is quiet.
Even when the calendar is full
and my heart still feels a little empty.
Even when I miss people
I can’t call anymore.

I’m choosing joy that coexists with sadness.
Joy that doesn’t deny the hard things,
but refuses to let them have the final word.

I’ve carried enough “what ifs.”
Enough “if onlys.”
Enough seasons where surviving
was mistaken for living.

This year,
I’m living.

I’m choosing joy in slowing down.
In saying no without guilt.
In loving deeply without keeping score.
In being present instead of productive.

I’m choosing joy that doesn’t need permission
or approval
or explanation.

Joy that looks like peace.
Joy that sounds like gratitude.
Joy that feels like finally exhaling
after holding my breath for years.

I don’t know everything this next year will bring.
I don’t know what it will take
or what it will ask of me.

But I know who I am now.

And that’s someone who chooses joy—
not because life is easy,
but because life is precious.

This next year,
I’m choosing joy.

And I’m not waiting another season
to begin.

12/30/2025

Shatavari is good for so many things related to women’s health! So nice to see the benefits post-partum for our breastfeeding mommas. ♥️

Clinical support for Asparagus racemosus (shatavari) is rapidly expanding. Building on a positive 2022 clinical trial shared earlier on my page, a newly published RCT by a separate research team has also found that shatavari significantly enhances breast-milk production in lactating women.

A total of 120 women who had recently given birth took part in the study. Half of them took 300 mg/day of a shatavari root extract (10% shatavarins, extract ratio not specified), while the other half were given a placebo, and the results were measured after 72 hours. Researchers observed statistically significant positive changes (compared to placebo, per-protocol) in milk supply volume, the time it took for the mothers to feel their breasts were full, and how satisfied the mothers felt with breastfeeding.

Effect sizes were good. At 72 hours, shatavari supplementation produced no difference in the timing of milk expression compared with placebo (p = 0.961), indicating that the intervention did not alter feeding or expression behaviour. In contrast, milk volume expressed at 72 hours was significantly higher in the shatavari group (97.98 ± 14.34 mL) compared with placebo (85.36 ± 14.19 mL), with a mean between-group difference of 12.63 mL. This corresponds to a large effect size (Cohen’s d = 0.889; p = 0.001), indicating a substantial and clinically meaningful increase in milk production.

Additionally, shatavari was associated with a significant reduction in time to evident breast fullness after the last feeding, with mothers reporting earlier fullness compared with placebo (mean difference −0.56 h). The effect size was moderate (Cohen’s d = −0.504; p = 0.002), suggesting improved mammary refilling dynamics.

Importantly, no side effects were observed in any of the mothers who took Shatavari root extract. These results suggest that immediate post-partum use of Shatavari root extract is a safe and effective natural option to increase breast milk volume.

For more information see: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41055223/

12/25/2025

Wishing a safe and happy holiday season to everyone! This time of year can be the most joyful and also the most challenging for some people. Many of us will be remembering those that have left us a little more than usual at this time of the year. Hoping everyone finds joy and happiness this year! ♥️🎄

12/04/2025

✨✨Reminder to all of our patients✨✨
We will be closed for the holidays Dec 20-Jan 5. Please take a look at your supplements and let us know by Tuesday, Dec 16 of what you need to get through the holiday! That way if we need to place any order we have time! Thank you!

11/23/2025

Why is it that women experience stress more intensely than men? Drs. Daina Parent and Annette Schippel discuss the connection between women's hormones and the effects of stress on the female body. Dr. Schippel offers invaluable clinical tools and takeaways to create a strong foundation for any woman to navigate stress management and optimal wellness with nutrition, herbs, lifestyle and more.

Why is it that women experience stress more intensely than men? Drs. Daina Parent and Annette Schippel discuss the connection between women’s hormones and th...

11/19/2025

Ok mommas! Check this out!

Could the answer to the current allergy epidemic in our children be as simple as feeding them blueberries? A rigorously run infant RCT suggests that adding blueberries as one of the first solids may nudge immune balance in an anti-allergic direction and help allergy-type symptoms settle during the first year—while also shifting the gut microbiome in potentially favourable ways.

The first year of life is a critical window for establishing immune competence and preventing allergic diseases. Dietary exposures during this period can influence the induction of immune tolerance, epigenetic programming, and gut microbial succession.

In a double blind, randomised, placebo-controlled feeding trial in Denver, USA, exclusively breast-fed infants (n=61, start age 5–6 months) received freeze-dried blueberry powder (10 g/day) or an isocaloric, colour/flavour-matched placebo until 12 months of age.

The blueberry group started out with more respiratory/allergy-like symptoms at baseline yet showed a greater resolution over time vs placebo (trajectory p=0.05). Immune biomarkers: IL-13 (pro-allergic/Th2 response) fell significantly with blueberries (p=0.035); IL-10 (anti-inflammatory/regulatory) trended up (p=0.052). However, the changes in these cytokines could not directly explain symptom changes. However, specific gut microbiome changes at 12 months correlated with the cytokine changes, hinting at gut-immune crosstalk.

In a companion paper in the same cohort, blueberry introduction altered gut microbiota composition/diversity (trends toward higher alpha diversity; increases in short-chain fatty acid-associated genera such as Subdoligranulum/Butyricicoccus and reductions in potentially unfavourable organisms such as Escherichia/Streptococcus).

The findings align with broader evidence showing that diverse, fibre- and polyphenol-rich complementary diets plus early allergen introduction help shape the gut-immune axis toward tolerance.

For more information see: https://bit.ly/4i7mr2M
and
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40944184/

11/18/2025

10/29/2025

Here you go my crazy winter athletes! (I say that with love! 😉). Although I plan on doing more green tea with ginger this winter just to stay warm. 😊

A recent study found that teaming green tea with ginger gave athletes an extra edge—helping them last longer, feel warmer and recover faster, especially in the cold. Green tea alone boosted endurance but adding the ginger resulted in a significant cold-weather performance combination.

This crossover RCT (in 16 recreationally active male adults, average age 23.4 years, VO₂max 46.8 mL/kg/min) was conducted under two environmental conditions: normothermic (21–24 °C) and cold (5–7 °C).

There were four intervention arms, each tested in both environmental settings: placebo (maltodextrin), green tea extract (500 mg, ~45% EGCG), ginger (1 g), and the combined green tea + ginger.

The exercise test was submaximal time-to-exhaustion (TTE) cycling at 70% VO₂max. Outcomes measured were TTE (endurance capacity), respiratory exchange ratio (RER) reflecting substrate usage (fat vs carbohydrate), ratings of perceived exertion (RPE), thermal sensation (TSS) and muscle soreness (Visual Analogue Scale, VAS) 24 hours post-exercise.

Under normothermic conditions green tea (and the combination with ginger) significantly increased TTE versus placebo, and reduced RER (suggesting greater fat oxidation) compared to placebo. The combination also lowered RPE compared to both the placebo and ginger alone. Under cold conditions the combined herbs significantly improved TTE, lowered RER and improved TSS compared to placebo and ginger alone. Ginger by itself did not meaningfully affect TTE or RER under cold, but it did improve thermal sensation and reduce muscle soreness (VAS) relative to placebo. All treatment arms (green tea, ginger, combined) reduced muscle soreness (VAS) compared to placebo (in cold). The placebo under cold conditions had higher RPE and higher VAS (muscle soreness) than in normothermic conditions, confirming that cold imposes additional stress.

This was a well-designed exploratory trial, with each participant serving as their own control, reducing intersubject variability (crossover design). Limitations include that it was in men only, the small test number and the fact it was only a single dose study.

The take home message is that green tea extract seems to boost endurance and shift metabolism toward fat oxidation under “normal” temperatures, whereas in cold stress, combining green tea with ginger confers additive or synergistic benefits: boosting performance, improving thermal comfort and aiding recovery. In particular, ginger appears to contribute more on the perceptual/comfort/soreness side rather than on pure endurance or an energy substrate shift under cold conditions.

For more information see: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41010475/

10/28/2025

Don’t miss out on this virtual presentation coming up on Nov. 7th and 8th for health care practitioners! Visit www.endocrinewellnessgroup.com for more information and to sign up!!!

10/15/2025

OA and RA can have better outcomes when treated earlier. Research like this shows promise for a more natural route. And like all herbal products, quality matters! I use MediHerb formulas and then pair them with additional joint and connective tissue support. MediHerb combines boswellia, turmeric, celery seed and ginger in a supplement called Boswellia Complex. I believe the synergy of the herbs offer greater benefits to patients with these conditions. The study doesn’t include Cat’s Claw but it is another excellent choice for OA and RA! This is why it is so important to work with a qualified health care practitioner that truly understands herbal therapy. They can make sure you are getting the right product at the correct dose and any other supporting nutrients that are needed!!!

Hand osteoarthritis (HOA) is a degenerative joint disease that primarily affects the distal and proximal interphalangeal joints (DIP/PIP) and the first carpometacarpal joint at the base of the thumb, causing pain, stiffness, reduced grip/pinch strength, and characteristic bony nodules (Heberden’s and Bouchard’s nodes). Compared with knee or hip OA, HOA more often presents in mid-to-late life women, frequently involves multiple small joints symmetrically, and impairs fine motor tasks rather than weight-bearing function.

High-quality herbal trials in HOA are rare; most phytotherapy studies focus on knee OA. That’s why a recent Belgian multicentre, double-blind trial of standardised Curcuma longa (turmeric) and Boswellia serrata extracts is noteworthy: over 3 months, the combination achieved a statistically significant reduction in pain versus placebo and was generally well tolerated.

The double blind, randomised controlled trial included 162 adults with symptomatic hand OA (mean age, 63.1 years; 76.5% women) who reported hand pain on ≥ 50% of days in the prior month and ≥ 48 hours before baseline, with pain ranging from 40 to 80 mm on a 100-mm visual analogue scale (VAS) in at least one hand over the last 24 hours. The primary outcome was the mean change in finger pain on both hands during the past 24 hours on the VAS over 3 months.

At 3 months (intention-to-treat analysis), patients who received the plant extracts had a greater mean VAS pain reduction of 24.7 mm compared with 16.2 mm in those who received placebo (difference, -8.5 mm; P = 0.03); similar benefit was observed at month 1 (difference, -7.0 mm; P = 0.04). Patients receiving the plant extracts vs placebo also showed significant improvements in the patient global assessment (difference, -9.6 mm; P = 0.01) and quality of life score (P = 0.01) at month 3. There were no significant differences vs placebo for the number of painful/swollen joints, functional score, grip strength and analgesic consumption.
The number of adverse effects did not differ significantly between the two groups, and most of them were unrelated to the use of plant extracts. However, one patient taking the herbal combination developed acute hepatitis, judged as “probably related” (no further details provided).

The trial intervention was two tablets/day of a product containing Curcuma longa (turmeric) standardised dry extract: 237 mg, providing 200 mg curcumin and Boswellia serrata oleoresin: 51 mg, standardised to 65% boswellic acids and vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol): 3.6 μg (144 IU). (Note there is an error in the paper that states each tablet contained 1.4 mg of vitamin D (56,000 IU). Whoops!) Higher doses of these herbs might well achieve a better result.

This was a robust, well-designed RCT with a clinically relevant primary endpoint and a statistically significant and moderate benefit vs placebo.

For more information see: https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/combination-plant-extracts-shows-promise-hand-osteoarthritis-2025a1000h5o?ecd=mkm_ret_250830_mscpmrk-OUS_InFocus_etid7668522&uac=48709HJ&impID=7668522

and

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40554037/

09/24/2025

Informed consent is knowing all the risks and benefits so we can make better choices. And trying to understand all the possible triggers for NDD is ALSO about making better choices. That could be cleaning up the environment, our food, better vaccine testing…spacing out vaccines…whatever is necessary to protect and keep our kids healthy. I don’t understand how anyone would be against that…

09/23/2025