Rebecca

Luteal Phase Gremlins “What can I do about my luteal phase gremlins?” This is one of my favorite ways I’ve heard PMS / PMDD described. You know, those negative feelings that sneak in during the second half of your cycle. You’re feeling great… and then after ovulation, boom—you’re anxious, irritable, can’t focus, or can’t sleep. […]

Diagnosing disease is important- it has saved my life! But healthcare falls short if it is all we do. While this is important at any age, perimenopause is a great time to focus on health optimization. We’re moving into the second half of our lives, and lets get real here, it’s when our bodies have

Feeling exhausted and foggy? Not sure if it’s perimenopause or something else? Test, don’t guess! Fatigue and brain fog can have many causes, from hormonal shifts in perimenopause to other underlying health concerns. The key to getting answers is testing. My Top Conventional Lab TestsThese are the tests I frequently recommend and interpret through standard

Healing Autoimmunity: Letting Go of Shame and Blame Before we dive into the specifics of how to reduce autoimmunity (and trust me, I have a lot to say about that), I want to talk about one of the biggest roadblocks many of us face. There’s a toxic undercurrent in the natural health world—sometimes subtle, sometimes

The first time I heard about perimenopausal sleep disturbances was in naturopathic school. I was in my late 20s, and one of my professors—who was probably about the age I am now—told us that she used her insomnia as an opportunity to deepen her spiritual practice with nighttime meditation. I thought that was fantastic and

  As a woman in my mid-40s, I’ve noticed a significant uptick in the number of celebrities trying to sell me solutions to perimenopausal symptoms on social media. Some of this is due to my age and marketing metrics, and some of it comes from the buzz generated by new data showing that hormone replacement

I recently watched the comedy special “Old Man at the Pool” by Mike Birbilgila. He did a bit about his nutritionist. “Imagine your most annoying friend, and then imagine they start charging you. She’s like, you know what’s healthy? Vegetables. I’m like, I had heard that.. from EVERYONE. Have you been talking to everyone?” You could

Many people who come in to see me want to avoid pharmaceutical treatments or at least not start taking another one. Because of this they are often surprised and at times apprehensive when I recommend a medication. One of the most common medications that I prescribe is low dose naltrexone. I also get a lot

Is it Long COVID?   This is a question I get asked a lot these days. Almost all of us have had COVID-19, and many of us have lingering symptoms afterwards. Research suggests that between one month and one year after having COVID-19 one in five people ages 18 to 64 have a health condition

  Last weekend I was introduced to the concept of wonder walking. I was at a panel discussion on preventing and treating mild cognitive decline. The thought that I may one day loose some of my cognitive functioning, or not regain it after an injury or illness, is terrifying to me. Because of this I

Today I’d like to tell you a story about the humble histamine molecule, and how it, along with its chemical friends, can wreack complete havoc in your body. Many people are aware of histamine because they take antihistamines to block allergy symptoms. What you may not be aware of is that histamine, being a chemical

It may not look like it, buried as we are under almost two feet of snow, but Spring is right around the corner. If you are an allergy sufferer, this is the calm before the storm. The good news is that this the perfect time to start thinking about allergies, and getting your body ready

Today I’d like to talk about one of the major road blocks that we face when healing autoimmune disease – shame. There is a toxic undercurrent in the natural health world of implicit or explicit blaming of yourself for your ill health. You are probably bombarded with advice from the internet, well meaning friends, doctors,

When I was in my mid 20’s I was diagnosed with Hashimotos, one of the most common autoimmune diseases, especially for women. I soon learned that my family was riddled with autoimmune diseases: diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, and lots of Hashimotos. I was lucky to have been in naturopathic school at the time. I was

Have you ever noticed that when your autoimmune symptoms are worse your mental health goes down the tubes? Maybe you have rheumatoid arthritis, and when you have a flare your anxiety goes through the roof. Or perhaps an ulcerative colitis flare will trigger your depression or OCD. Most of the time autoimmune diseases and mental

I am thrilled to announce that I am finally a licensed naturopathic doctor in the state of Massachusetts! Many of you know that Massachusetts passed a bill allowing for the licensure of my profession back in January of 2017. At the time I did not expect that we’d have to wait until 2022 to actually

Sitting down with a cup of tea and a good book is one of my favorite pastimes. I’ve put together a list of some of my favorite books about health and healing that I hope will help you on your healing journey. You can view and purchase the books here. For patient’s with chronic pain,

How to prepare for the COVID-19 vaccine I’ve been been getting a lot of questions recently about how to best prepare for the COVID-19 vaccine. Many of you are concerned about the potential side effects, and wondering if there is anything you can do about them. While we don’t have any solid studies on this

“Mamma, I have a tick on me!”  With those few words, and the sight of the tiny parasite clearly embedded in my daughter’s leg, my first instinct was to completely freeze.  But living in New England, we have experience with ticks. Luckily, I knew what to do in this situation… Switching out of panic mode I sprung into action. Knowing how

These past few weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster for me.  I oscillate between feelings of gratitude for what I have, and deep sadness for what I’ve lost.  I feel angry about what is going on in the world, and powerless to change any of it.  Again and again I go back to the teachings

It’s hard to turn on the news, open your email or even talk to a friend without being reminded of the coronavirus.  Fear, it seems, is everywhere.  These are challenging times.  One of the things I most appreciate about Five Element Chinese medicine is the teaching around fear.  Working with fear from a Five Element

In my last post I wrote about COVID-19 preparedness.   The next question, of course, is what you can do if you contract the disease.   While the majority of people who get Coronavirus will have a mild to moderate illness and recover fully, for some people the disease can be dangerous.  If you do

***The information in this article is not intended to diagnose or treat any condition.  If you have concerns about this or any other health issue, please contact your doctor*** I don’t like to check facebook when my kids are around.  But this morning I did.  Just for a second.  Just to look up one thing. 

A Story I’d like to tell you a story about a patient I recently saw. She was struggling with fatigue, moodiness, weight gain, constipation and irregular periods. She saw her primary care provider, and was told her labs were all normal. She was given a prescription for prozac, and sent on her way. She had

This morning I woke up tired. As a working mother of two, I’ve figured out a way to function, but it wasn’t always that way. When I went back to work after my second daughter was born I was so tired I didn’t know how I would make it through each day. That’s when remembered

This is an audio recording of the Sufi practice of remembrance. It is a simple non-denomination meditation to connect with your heart and with the divine. I hope you find it helpful.  

I see a lot of patients who are sick, but were told my their medical providers that they are “fine.”  Perhaps you have had this experience as well. You’ve had physical exams, blood work, and maybe even imaging.  It’s all normal, or almost normal, and no diagnosis can be made.  This would be good news

For years I shied away from using hemp products for medicine.  Honestly, I just didn’t like the controversy, and felt like I had plenty of good tools under my belt.  However, with the wider acceptance of hemp based products, and CBD now all the rage, I knew it was time to look into it.  It

First year acupuncture students often give themselves away by asking: “what’s a good point for relieving a headache?” After a couple of years of training, students know better: headaches can be as varied as the people that experience them, and no one treatment works for everyone. While this may seem like common sense, all too often

My three year old loves sugar! Cookies, candy, ice cream. If it’s sweet, she wants it. This leads to predictable tantrums: “…But I NEEEED something SWEEEEET!”  Of course, for her health and our sanity, my husband and I can’t feed her only sugar, and we’ve developed various strategies (some more effective than others) to talk

Beginning in September I will be returning to my practice! As many of you know, I have been on maternity leave this summer. I have thoroughly enjoyed the special time I’ve spent with my daughters, the baby and the pre-schooler, and now am looking forward to working with patients again in pursuit of health and

When will the bill go into effect? We don’t know exactly, but it will likely be a year or more. Will my insurance cover my visits now that bill has passed? The bill does not contain any provisions regarding insurance coverage.  Once it goes into effect it will be up to individual insurance companies to

I’m not going to lie to you; it was pretty hard to get out of bed this morning.  And then when I heard on the radio about the record breaking low temperatures… Let’s just say it feels like a miracle that I made it into the office rather than scurrying back under the covers (side note: