St. Charles Functional Medicine

01/06/2026

If You’re Always Tired… Your Adrenals Are Already in Trouble

Fatigue is not normal.
Needing caffeine to function is not normal.
Crashing at 2–4pm is not normal.

These are early adrenal failure signs.

The body whispers before it screams.

01/02/2026

💊 Supplement Hot Seat: Vitamin D

Low vitamin D isn’t always a dosage issue…
👉 It’s often a cofactor issue.

Vitamin D doesn’t act alone.

⸻

Who Vitamin D Helps

✔️ Immune dysfunction
✔️ Bone loss
✔️ Hormone imbalance
✔️ Autoimmune patterns
✔️ Mood disorders
✔️ Chronic infections

⸻

Why It Works

🧬 Hormone-like signaling
— influences over 1,000 genes

🦴 Calcium regulation
— directs calcium into bone (not arteries)

🛡 Immune modulation
— balances inflammatory responses

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Why It Sometimes Fails

❌ Low magnesium
❌ Low vitamin K2
❌ Poor fat absorption
❌ Chronic inflammation

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How to Take It

2,000–5,000 IU daily
Always pair with magnesium + K2

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Clinical Pearls

1️⃣ Low vitamin D = immune confusion
2️⃣ K2 prevents arterial calcification
3️⃣ Blood levels matter more than dose
4️⃣ Sunlight ≠ consistent year-round supply

🚫 Who Should Be Cautious

⚠️ High calcium
⚠️ Sarcoidosis
⚠️ Granulomatous disease

01/01/2026

12/31/2025

New Year. New Goals. New Choices.

There are many options for weight loss today.
Shots. Pills. Extreme diets. Fads. Programs promising fast results.

But fast results rarely mean lasting results.

At St. Charles Functional Medicine, we take a different approach.

We focus on natural, sustainable weight loss by working with your body — not against it.

✔️ Personalized nutrition
✔️ Metabolism-supporting lifestyle strategies
✔️ Root-cause hormone and blood sugar balance
✔️ Real habits that last beyond January

Because true weight loss isn’t about forcing your body into submission…
It’s about restoring the systems that allow your body to release weight naturally.

If you’re ready for long-term success instead of temporary fixes, we’d love to help.

12/30/2025

Hair Falling Out… But Your Thyroid Labs Are “Normal”?

If your doctor says your thyroid is “fine” but your hair is thinning, shedding, or falling out — something deeper is going on.

TSH alone does NOT show how thyroid hormones are actually working inside your cells.

Hidden issues like:
• poor T4 → T3 conversion
• high reverse T3 (metabolic brake pedal)
• low ferritin
• blood sugar crashes
• chronic stress hormones
can quietly shut hair growth down.

Hair loss is a metabolic signal — not just cosmetic

See the whole blog post here → https://stcharlesfunctionalmedicine.com/why-your-thyroid-labs-look-fine-but-your-hair-is-falling-out/

Get real answers at St. Charles Functional Medicine

12/26/2025

💊 Supplement Hot Seat: Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha is labeled “calming”…
👉 But for some people, it makes anxiety worse.

That’s not a failure — it’s physiology.

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Who Ashwagandha Helps

✔️ Chronic stress
✔️ Burnout / adrenal fatigue patterns
✔️ Low morning cortisol
✔️ Poor stress resilience
✔️ Low thyroid output
✔️ Testosterone support (men & women)

⸻

Why It Works

🧬 Adaptogenic signaling
— doesn’t sedate; it modulates cortisol output

🧠 HPA axis regulation
— improves stress tolerance over time

🦠 Immune modulation
— balances inflammatory cytokines

🧪 Thyroid support
— can improve T4 → T3 conversion

⸻

Why It Can Backfire

❌ Raises cortisol before stabilizing it
❌ Can overstimulate sensitive nervous systems
❌ Not appropriate for panic-dominant anxiety

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How to Take It

300–600 mg daily
Best taken earlier in the day

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Clinical Pearls

1️⃣ Works better after stabilizing blood sugar
2️⃣ Avoid in acute anxiety/panic states
3️⃣ Stack with magnesium & phosphatidylserine
4️⃣ Not ideal for high nighttime cortisol
5️⃣ Great for long-term stress adaptation

🚫 Who Should Be Cautious

⚠️ Panic disorder
⚠️ Hyperthyroidism
⚠️ Severe anxiety early in treatment

12/19/2025

💊 Supplement Hot Seat: NAC

Everyone talks about antioxidants and glutathione…
👉 But NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine) is the supplement that actually builds it.

Glutathione = the body’s master detox molecule.
NAC = the fuel that makes it.

Who NAC Helps

✔️ Chronic fatigue / “wired & tired”
✔️ Mold exposure / chemical sensitivity
✔️ Histamine issues
✔️ Persistent mucus / chronic sinus problems
✔️ PCOS + insulin resistance
✔️ Brain fog, anxiety during detox
✔️ Smokers / ex-smokers / poor lung function
✔️ Autoimmune or inflammatory patterns

Why It Works

🧬 Precursor to glutathione
— boosts phase II detox, clears oxidative stress

🫁 Mucolytic
— breaks disulfide bonds → thins thick mucus in lungs, sinuses

🧠 Neuro-protection
— modulates glutamate → reduces anxiety/compulsions
— supports mitochondrial resilience during stress

⚡️Improves insulin sensitivity
— reduces inflammatory/free radical damage to beta cells

🔥 Reduces cytokine storms
— huge in respiratory infections & chronic inflammation

🕒 How to Take It

600–1200 mg daily (split AM/PM)

For upper respiratory / sinus / lung support:
👉 600 mg 2–3x/day

For detox & antioxidant support:
👉 600 mg 1–2x/day

Take away from food if possible — better absorption.

🧠 Clinical Pearls

1️⃣ Pair NAC with glycine → makes glutathione production explode
2️⃣ Pair with B2, B6, selenium → cofactor support
3️⃣ NAC + PCOS → lowers insulin, improves ovulation
4️⃣ NAC + anxiety (esp. compulsive patterns) → game changer
5️⃣ NAC + mold → protects mitochondria from oxidative collapse

🚫 Who Should Avoid or Be Cautious

⚠️ Asthma (can paradoxically tighten airways in some)
⚠️ Active GI ulcers
⚠️ Taking nitroglycerin (can alter BP)
⚠️ Very low histamine tolerance → start low

12/12/2025

💊 Supplement Hot Seat: MAGNESIUM GLYCINATE

Everyone asks if they need magnesium.
👉 The real question is: what TYPE?
Because some forms go straight to your toilet…
and some go straight to your nervous system.

Magnesium glycinate = nervous system support + sleep + muscle recovery.

Who It Helps

✔️ High stress / insomnia
✔️ Tight traps, calves, or jaw clenchers
✔️ Anxiety / panic / racing thoughts
✔️ Peri/menopausal sleep disruption
✔️ Chronic fatigue / adrenal burnout
✔️ Migraine + tension headaches
✔️ Constipation from IBS

Why It Works

🧠 Binds to GABA receptors → calm the brain
🚪 Blocks NMDA overstimulation → decreases anxiety
💪 Muscle relaxation → less cramps / tension
🩺 Cellular magnesium repletion → ATP production
😴 Parasympathetic shift → deeper restorative sleep

It’s not “sedating.”
It tells the nervous system to stop fighting itself.

🕒 How to Take It

👉 200–400 mg elemental magnesium nightly
Start low → scale up

Best time:

60–90 min before bed

With protein or a light snack

Stack: Magnesium Glycinate + Ashwagandha or L-Theanine = 🔥 sleep / anxiety combo.

🚫 Who Should Be Cautious

⚠️ Severe kidney disease
⚠️ Taking meds that slow heart conduction
⚠️ Already on high-dose magnesium combos

🧠 Clinical Pearls

Low vitamin D makes magnesium harder to absorb.

Magnesium is a cofactor for thyroid conversion.

Glycinate improves HRV and sleep architecture — not just “lights out.”

12/05/2025

💊 Supplement Hot Seat: CREATINE

Everyone thinks it’s a “gym bro” supplement.
👉 But neurologists, cardiologists, and anti-aging researchers quietly use it…
Because creatine fuels ATP — your body’s energy currency.

It’s not a muscle drug.
It’s a mitochondria upgrade.

Who Creatine Helps

✔️ Men 30–70 who want strength, muscle, libido
✔️ Women with low energy, brain fog, weak recovery
✔️ Peri/menopausal fatigue & muscle loss
✔️ Vegans/vegetarians (lowest natural creatine)
✔️ Patients rebuilding after metabolic burnout
✔️ People with concussion history or migraines

What It Actually Does

🧠 Brain fuel — better working memory + cognition
💪 Muscle ATP — more reps, more power
💧 Cell hydration — protects muscle + nerve tissue
🔥 Glucose control — improves insulin sensitivity
🛡️ Neuroprotection — reduces inflammatory damage
😴 Recovery — less soreness, quicker bounce-back

🕒 How to Take It

👉 5 g daily
No cycles. No loading phase needed.
Can be morning, pre-workout, or post-workout — consistency > timing.

Hydration matters.
Creatine pulls water into cells — not your ankles.

🚫 Who Should Be Cautious

⚠️ Chronic kidney disease (get labs + physician oversight)
⚠️ Severe dehydration habits
⚠️ Very high caffeine intake

Creatine does not raise liver enzymes.
It does raise creatinine, which is a lab artifact, not kidney damage.

🧠 Clinical Pearls Most People Miss

Creatine + resistance training = metabolic reset

Creatine + women (esp. 40–60) → less sarcopenia, better mood

Creatine + concussion = improved brain recovery

Creatine + vegans → game changer for strength & cognition

11/28/2025

💊 Supplement Hot Seat: Berberine

Everyone calls it “nature’s Ozempic.”
👉 But that’s not actually why it works.

Berberine changes cellular metabolism and insulin signaling — it’s fixing the engine, not just stepping on the brakes.

Who Berberine Helps

✔️ Insulin resistance
✔️ Prediabetes / Type 2 diabetics
✔️ PCOS with carb cravings or stubborn fat
✔️ Belly fat with high fasting glucose
✔️ High triglycerides or LDL-P
✔️ Constant crashes after meals

What It Actually Does

🧠 Activates AMPK
— “cellular switch” that improves metabolism and fat oxidation
⚡ Slows glucose absorption
— fewer blood sugar spikes
🍯 Improves insulin receptor sensitivity
— better fuel use, less storage
🦠 Reduces overgrowth bacteria in the gut
— yes, this is why some people feel better digestion on it

🕒 When to Take It

Best timing:

250-500 mg before meals (1-2x/day)

Take with your biggest carb meal

Or split breakfast/dinner if meals are moderate

Most people feel results in 2–4 weeks.

🚫 Who Should Avoid It

⚠️ Pregnant or breastfeeding
⚠️ On diabetes meds without supervision (it can drop glucose HARD)
⚠️ Gallbladder removal + bile problems (go slow)
⚠️ Taking antibiotics → space them out
⚠️ Extremely low blood sugar patterns

Who Berberine DOES NOT Work For

People who:

Don’t eat enough protein

Under-eat all day then binge at night

Are severely sleep deprived

Have cortisol dysregulation

Are chronically inflamed