Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in women. Depending on the ferritin cutoff
used, somewhere between 1 in 5 and nearly 2 in 5 women may have depleted iron stores—even before they develop anemia.

Ferritin isn`t iron—it`s your body`s stored iron. Think of it as your iron reserve. You can run low on ferritin long before you become anemic, which is why symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, and hair loss are sometimes dismissed even though your body is telling you something important.

So if you’ve recently been told you have low ferritin, I don’t want you to panic. I just want you to keep these tips in mind when you’re working on a plan to boost it back up.

Comment SUBSCRIBE if you want to be added to my free newsletter list where I’ll be sending out a guide all about ferritin, iron, and what they mean for your body!

Stick with me here. When someone comes to me bloated, anxious, and convinced they need another round of testing, there are a few things I like to experiment with first:

✓ Eat the exact same breakfast for five days. A protein-rich, fiber-rich breakfast takes one variable off the table. If your energy, bloating, or cravings suddenly improve, we`ve learned something useful.

✓ Take a 10-minute walk after dinner every night. It`s one of the simplest ways to support blood sugar
regulation and digestion.

✓ Cook your vegetables for one week instead of eating them raw. Raw vegetables are incredibly nutritious, but I want to know whether cooking them makes digestion easier.

✓ Eat one fermented food with lunch every day. Think unsweetened yogurt, kefir, kimchi, or sauerkraut.
Consistent exposures to fermented foods may help support a healthier gut microbiome over time.

✓ Spend one meal eating without your phone. Digestion starts long before food reaches your stomach, and I can`t tell you how many people realize they haven`t slowed down for a meal in years.

None of these replace a medical workup when it`s needed, and I’m happy to do one in addition to these things.

But starting here often give me better clues about what`s driving someone`s symptoms than ordering another test on day one.

Sometimes the "weird" experiment is exactly what points us toward the root cause.

Blessed to be a part of @aiwellnesscenters @aiwellnesstv Grand Opening in Sherman Oaks. To push medicine beyong the status quo to educate others and to allow others to rise!

Love the crew @dr.abz1111 @dr.gunsandneedles and my new Pinay tribe who are embodying their Philippine heritage, talent, and dreams to the highest potential @rosslyn_castro

Why does postpartum depression so often go unnoticed? 🤍

In this conversation with Kirkland Newman journalist, founder of @mindhealth360, and Executive Director of IMMH, we unpack why so many new mothers slip through the cracks when it comes to postpartum depression and anxiety.

Having a baby takes a real toll on the body and mind, and Kirkland Newman explains that many of us enter motherhood with our resilience already low. Chronic stress, constant connectivity, less nourishing food and years of medications can leave our systems running on empty.

When she was struggling, she was offered SSRIs, sleeping pills and CBT, but none of them addressed what she sees as the root cause: a body and nervous system with no reserves left. In her experience, hormones, nutrition, family support and lifestyle were rarely even looked at.

Such a powerful reminder that postpartum depression isn`t just in your head. Sometimes healing begins when someone finally looks at the whole picture. ✨

What actually turns small wins into lasting change? 🤍

In this conversation with Kirkland Newman journalist, founder of @mindhealth360, and Executive Director of IMMH we break down the everyday basics she believes create the biggest shifts in our health.

For Kirkland Newman, it starts with sleep: seven to nine hours a night, good sleep hygiene and
sunlight as soon as you wake up.

Next comes nutrition built on whole foods, with less sugar and processed food, ideally worked out with a nutritionist to find what suits your body. Then daily movement, time in nature, small moments of rest throughout the day to calm the nervous system, and supportive relationships that give you a real sense of community.

Such a powerful reminder that change doesn`t always need a dramatic overhaul.
Sometimes it starts with getting the basics right. ✨

How to boost your iron levels naturally ↓

If your ferritin is low, start with the basics:

• prioritize iron-rich foods like lentils, beans, tofu, spinach, and pumpkin seeds…then for my non-vegans incorporate red meat, liver, shellfish, and sardines.
• pair iron-rich foods with vitamin C to improve absorption
• avoid taking iron with coffee, tea, or calcium-rich foods
• if you have heavy periods, address the blood loss
• make sure you’re eating enough overall, especially protein
• support gut health with probiotics
• consider iron supplementation
• recheck ferritin, CBC, and iron

And remember: low ferritin is often a clue, not the whole diagnosis. As an integrative physician it’s my job to help you figure out why your iron stores are low in the first place.

Save this for your next lab review with us @drlifestyleclinic

What happens when 20 years of therapy meets one life-changing experience? 🤍 In this conversation with Kirkland Newman journalist, founder of @mindhealth360, and Executive Director of IMMH, we explore the role trauma played in her health and what finally helped her see it clearly.

After two decades of different therapies, Kirkland Newman describes a recent psilocybin journey as the experience that truly shifted the needle for her. She credits her years of therapeutic work with helping her make sense of it, and says it gave her clarity on what had been driving her health issues and how much she needed rest.

Today she sees healingin layers: lifestyle foundations first, then functional medicine testing and treatment, then trauma work through somatic therapy or a skilled trauma therapist. She also notes that some people reach similar clarity through consistent meditation.

Such a powerful reminder that healing isn`t only physical. Sometimes the body can`t fully recover until the story behind it is heard. ✨

Getting diagnosed with an autoimmune disease can change how safe you feel in your own body.

You may suddenly wonder what every ache means, what the future looks like, and whether your body will ever feel familiar again. That emotional response is incredibly common—and it`s backed by research.

Studies consistently show that people living with autoimmune diseases have significantly higher rates of anxiety and depression than the general population. One large meta-analysis found that people with autoimmune disease had an 85% higher risk of developing depression, while another large population study
found autoimmune conditions were associated with substantially higher rates of both depression and anxiety, particularly in women.

If you`re navigating an autoimmune condition and you`re feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or grieving the life you expected, please know this: those feelings are part of the conversation, too.

If you`d like more conversations like this, where we talk about health through both a medical and human lens,comment MEMBER to join me & Dr. Yu MYAutoimmuneMD inside @drlifestyleclinic . We’d love to have you there.

Dr. Melissa’s Kitchen is back, and this time we’re making a plant-based “beef” bowl packed with veggies and flavor!

I used @nourished.life.foods Plant Muscle Mix for the vegan beef, served on top of miso rice noodles and topped with bok choy and enoki mushrooms for a savory and nourishing meal.

Let me know if you try this one for yourself!

If you recently turned 40 and are wondering if this new decade also comes with some very specific physiological changes, you`re in the right place...and it does.

But the changes shouldn`t look like not being able to recover from a workout, or gaining weight with no
explanation.

Your hormones are changing, and that is expected. But feeling like you`ve become a completely different person isn`t.

That`s when I turn our conversation from “You may be experiencing routine perimenopausal symptoms” to

“This could also be pointing toward an autoimmune disease or chronic condition. Let’s take a closer look.”

If you aren’t sure how to make sense of your health in your 40s, let’s talk. I’m right here with you, and ready to figure it out together!

In order to get your dreams! 💪 You got to crush big obstacles and do things scared! I`m so blessed to give my book to healthcare providers who want freedom and creativity in Medicine. Direct Lifestyle/Integrative/Functional care through memberships is patient and provider centered 💝

💃 🪩 🕺 Now this is one of my favorite communities and summits! @healthbusinessgrowthcollective Thankful for old and new friends who get it! Entrepreneurship isn`t easy but the real experts are those who had a hard fall or cruel sickness. They had to fight for their health solutions in order to LIVE. Living takes endurance, grit, and community. In order to get the impossible you go to DO the possible! 💥

See my friends and tribe @jj.virgin @healthykids_happykids @lee_acupuncture @dr.jenniferroelands @doctorsanjaymd @drkellymccann @drpooja.chopra @thegirlfrienddoctor @dranamariatemple @heatheraardema

No two patients are exactly alike, so neither is my approach.

When working with autoimmune disease, I like to use these 5 pillars to establish a general baseline of where we’re starting from. This helps me get to know your body and your system, which helps me create the right care plan more efficiently for you!

Comment MEMBER if you’d like both me and Dr. Yu @myautoimmunemd in your corner when it comes to your health plan.

Did you know that women are nearly 50% more likely than men to experience both anxiety and depression?

These are separate conditions with separate triggers, but they often come hand in hand.
In a study of midlife women, researchers found that comorbid anxiety and depression was common enough to study as its own group, reflecting how frequently the two conditions coexist in women during the menopausal transition and beyond.

That`s why my first question is usually, "When did this start, and what else was changing in your life around the same time?"

I spend a lot of time looking at the whole picture before jumping to conclusions, because treating the symptom and understanding why it`s happening aren`t always the same thing. 🤍

People are surprised when I tell them how simple (and time-saving) the habit is...and it’s just a default meal.

My healthiest patients have essentially created a foolproof meal “formula” for themselves for the days they want something easy, familiar, and nutritious.

Here’s the formula for you to steal:

When your meals start with protein and fiber, your blood sugar tends to stay steadier throughout the afternoon. You`re usually fuller for longer, which means you`re less likely to spend the next three hours looking for snacks.

Adding raw vegetables brings in texture, hydration, and a different mix of fibers that help feed the microbes living in your gut. The more variety your gut bacteria get over time, the happier they tend to be.

Comment POWER and I’ll send you the framework I use in my plant-powered mind course designed to improve your nutrition and lifestyle!