I could spend hours talking about my favorite natural remedies for easing anxiety and depression in
perimenopause and menopause...but these are just a few of my favorites!

Have you tried any of these before?

As always, opinions are my own and this does not qualify as official medical advice. Please consult with your provider before starting any new medications or altering your current pla

Women are waiting too long to talk about their hormones. ⏳

The most common mistake I see as a lifestyle medicine doctor? Thinking hormone health only matters at 40, 50, or 60.

Hormone imbalance can show up in your teens, 20s, and 30s. Painful periods, PMS, depression or anxiety around your cycle, trouble conceiving, or PCOS are not always "normal." They`re signals worth understanding.

And as perimenopause and menopause arrive, you may notice brain fog, mood swings, hot flashes, mental fatigue, and even joint pain and inflammation.

Start the conversation early and keep having it. Check your labs. Ask questions. You deserve answers.

👉 Follow Dr. Melissa for more on women`s hormone health.

Cortisol is still one of the buzziest topics in the health world right now, and pinning down what actually “spikes” it can feel like a never-ending spiral.

But sometimes I feel like we give a bit too much attention to what could possibly lead to high cortisol, and not enough attention to the aftermath of truly living with it.

Screenshot this list if any of these resonate with you, and comment NEWSLETTER if you want me to create a free guide all about reducing cortisol in my next email!

In honor of Mental Health World Day and those who passed away from suicide. We are sorry as a medical community that we can`t always detect and prevent suicide. Let`s come together and bring awareness
@docfluencermdo

Each year in the U.S., roughly 300 - 400 physicians die by suicide;

In the U.S., suicide deaths are 250 - 400% higher among female physicians when compared to females in other professions;

In the general population, males complete suicide four times more often than females. However, female physicians have a rate equal to male physicians;

Medical students have rates of depression 15 to 30% higher than the general population. Depression is a major risk factor in physician suicide. Other factors include bipolar disorder and alcohol and substance abuse;

Women physicians have a higher rate of major depression than age-matched women with doctorate degrees.

It`s important to check your risk factors for suicide and mental illness. See a health provider sooner or call 411.

A few simple upgrades can go a long way:

Instead of flavored yogurt → choose plain Greek yogurt and add berries. You`ll cut back on added sugar while getting more protein and polyphenols that support your gut microbiome.

Instead of grabbing a protein bar every afternoon → pair real food. Try an apple with almond butter or roasted edamame. Whole foods usually come with fewer additives and keep you fuller for longer.
Instead of bottled dressings → make a quick olive oil + lemon vinaigrette. Extra virgin olive oil contains
polyphenols with anti-inflammatory properties, and you`ll avoid many of the emulsifiers and added sugars found in heavily processed dressings.

If you want even more tailored guidance, comment POWER to get access to my Plant-Powered Mind course where I help you understand how nutrition, lifestyle, and environment influence mood and emotional resilience!

Mental health matters and an integrative approach help fill the gaps traditional medicine does not. I`m so thankful to share my passion and book with @immhconference and learn and see the legends of root cause medicine @dr.felicegersh @healthykids_happykids and love my community @cfip.physicians

To the women in my audience who have entered the perimenopause season and are wondering what’s going on with their hormones, this one is for you.

Estrogen and progesterone are 2 of the main hormones impacted during this time of change–and it can feel like a lot of change.

I hope this helps explain some of what you’re feeling, but as always if you’re looking for more support, reach out and I will be more than happy to help. 🤍

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. ✨