Author: Rohan Smith | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Adelaide, SA Quick Answer Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a metabolic-endocrine condition driven by insulin resistance, chronic low-grade inflammation, and disrupted androgen regulation. A functional medicine approach uses targeted testing, including the DUTCH Complete hormone panel, to identify individual drivers such as hyperinsulinaemia, elevated cortisol, and impaired…
Author: Rohan Smith | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Adelaide, SA Quick Answer Premenstrual mood swings are primarily associated with fluctuations in estrogen and their downstream effects on serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine), a key neurotransmitter involved in emotional regulation. As estrogen declines during the late luteal phase, serotonin synthesis, receptor sensitivity, and synaptic availability may decrease, contributing to…
Author: Rohan Smith | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Adelaide, SA Quick Answer Perimenopause is the hormonal transition before menopause, driven by fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels rather than simple deficiency. These shifts may contribute to hot flashes, mood changes, fatigue, sleep disruption, accelerated bone loss, and altered body composition. Targeted nutritional support, lifestyle strategies, and…
Author: Rohan Smith | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Adelaide, SA Quick Answer Sleep and hormonal health share a bidirectional relationship mediated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and circadian clock genes. Disrupted sleep may alter cortisol, melatonin, insulin, ghrelin, leptin, and sex hormone regulation, while imbalances in thyroid hormones, oestrogen, progesterone, and blood glucose can independently…
Author: Rohan Smith | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Adelaide, SA Quick Answer After age 40, shifts in testosterone production, cortisol regulation, and metabolic function may contribute to fatigue, weight gain, reduced libido, and diminished stress resilience in men. These changes are not inevitable and are strongly influenced by lifestyle factors including sleep quality, stress exposure,…
Author: Rohan Smith | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Adelaide, SA Quick Answer Artificial intelligence may help summarise hormonal health information, but it cannot diagnose or treat hormonal dysfunction. Hormones operate through complex neuroendocrine feedback loops involving the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, thyroid, gut microbiome, and liver detoxification pathways. AI relies on statistical pattern recognition and lacks…
Author: Rohan Smith | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Adelaide, SA Quick Answer Executive stress is a biological systems problem rooted in allostatic load, the cumulative physiological wear and tear described by neuroendocrinologist Bruce McEwen, not a willpower deficit. When high performers face constant decision-making and sympathetic nervous system activation without adequate recovery, measurable changes may…
Author: Rohan Smith | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Adelaide, SA Quick Answer Magnesium may act as a natural gatekeeper at NMDA receptors in the brain, where it blocks excessive calcium influx that can drive neuronal excitability and anxiety. Chronic stress depletes magnesium through cortisol-mediated urinary excretion, potentially creating a vicious cycle. Restoring adequate magnesium levels…
Author: Rohan Smith | Functional Medicine Practitioner | Adelaide, SA Quick Answer Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, proposes that the autonomic nervous system (ANS) responds to perceived safety and threat through three hierarchical states: the ventral vagal complex (social engagement), the sympathetic nervous system (mobilisation), and the dorsal vagal pathway (immobilisation). Rather than…
