Hormonal Imbalance (endocrinology)
Functional medicine bay area, Naturopathic Doctor palo Alto, Naturopathic doctor Bay Area, bay area natural medicine, Palo Alto natural medicine, Nicole McCarter ND, functional medicine palo alto
Nicole McCarter is a naturopathic doctor located in Los Altos, CA which is conveniently located near Palo Alto and easily accessible from the Bay Area. She specializes in treating thyroid disorders including hashimotos, grave’s disease, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism. She also treats adrenal fatigue, menopause, PMS, PCOS, amenorrhea, postpartum depression and low libido. Hormone imbalance often can cause weight gain and weight loss. She uses bioidential hormone replacement, hormone replacement, desiccated thyroid hormones and natural therapies in her practice. Diagnostic testing includes saliva hormone testing, comprehensive thyroid panel and adrenal fatigue testing. Schedule a free consultation to understand how she can help you naturally address your hormone imbalance.
Our endocrine system (hormonal system) is made up of several glands that secrete hormones which regulate many functions in our body. These include the thyroid which is responsible for metabolism, the adrenals which help us appropriately respond to stress and sleep, and ovaries/testicle which are responsible for fertility, libido, and regular menstruation.
Thyroid dysfunction: an imbalanced thyroid can be caused by hypo (too little hormone) or hyper (too much hormone). one in four American’s has some form of thyroid issue and many don’t even know it. Common hypothyroid symptoms include fatigue, difficulty losing weight, constipation, hair loss, feeling cold often, dry hair skin and nails. Hyperthyroid symptoms include anxiety, diarrhea, insomnia, hair loss and unexplained weight loss. Unfortunately, many thyroid disorders go undiagnosed because doctors aren’t doing extensive testing and simply like to see their patients in the “normal” reference range whereas I have found my patients do and feel the best when they are in the optimal range. These ranges are very different.
Adrenal dysfunction: The adrenal glands make adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormone) in response to stressful situations. This is a normal healthy adaptive response that has allowed our ancestors to survive during famine and when being threatened or attacked. Unfortunately, most of us are experiencing stress all day, every day which constantly makes us feel like we're are in flight or fight mode. This perpetual state os stress results in adrenal dysfunction, either too high or too low cortisol. Common symptoms of adrenal dysfunction include: anxiety, depression, feeling overwhelmed or burnt out, difficulty losing weight (especially abdominal weight gain), insomnia and fatigue. I use naturopathic and functional medicine techniques to diagnose adrenal dysfunction and balance the adrenal glands so you can go back to thriving, not just surviving.
Female Sex hormone imbalance: Symptoms include PMS, PMDD, PCOS, postpartum depression, menopause, lack of menstrual cycle or irregular cycle, acne and low libido. Unfortunately for women whenever they have a hormone-related issue the only treatment option they are given is birth control pills which simply mask the symptoms, and as soon as the medication is stopped the symptoms return, often even worse than before. I use herbs, nutrients, bio-identical hormone replacement, nutrition and lifestyle techniques to bring your hormones back into balance and eliminate your symptoms for good.
Male sex hormone imbalance: infertility, low libido, erectile dysfunction, low muscle mass and difficulty losing weight. I use herbs, nutrients, bio-identical hormone replacement, nutrition and lifestyle techniques to bring your hormones back into balance and eliminate your symptoms for good.
I look beyond your diagnosis and want to know why. Why can’t you lose weight? Why do you have mood swings? Why aren’t you having a period? What went wrong and how can we fix it? By using my clinical experience, listening to your story and lab testing I can find the answer. Some of the hormone tests I use are:
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Extensive thyroid testing
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Female hormones panel: both pre and post menopause
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Male hormone panel
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Adrenal health panel