Dr. Stephanie Cowie

Dr. Stephanie Cowie Naturopathic Doctor, Certified Nutritional Practitioner, Contributing author, Certified Life Coach, and Former Holistic Psychotherapist.

I take women from bloated and burnt out to fiercely confident and energized!

Most people I see with mood swings, irritability, low energy and weight retention or weight gain aren’t eating until mid...
07/30/2026

Most people I see with mood swings, irritability, low energy and weight retention or weight gain aren’t eating until mid morning or later and then consuming most of their food before bed. They’re also not eating nearly enough protein which means carbs pick up the slack which leads to further anxiety, irritability and weight gain.

Eating proper protein rich meals is key for optimizing mood, energy, hormones and weight.

Proper protein rich meals with fasting between meals allow for insulin to rise and come back down so you can burn your fat for fuel. When you snack all day or all night insulin remains high and doesn’t come down and you remain in a fat storing state.

Eating a protein rich breakfast closer to when you wake up is key for energy, mood and metabolism. Breakfast should include a minimum of 30g -50gprotein and 20g fibre to set the glucose tone for the day and stabilize your blood sugar. If you start your day with skipped meals and coffee or a carb laden meal you’re setting yourself up for a blood sugar roller coaster ride and increased mood swings, snacking and weight gain.

Most people will tell me they’re not hungry in the morning but a lot of that is because they are eating their dinner and lots of snacks too close to bed causing their blood sugar to remain elevated all night and into the morning. We want breakfast close to waking and fasting close to bedtime.

How long are you willing to endure anxiety, irritability, weight gain, sleep struggles from avoiding high protein breakfasts? I had one patient fight herself on this for 8 years until she finally to committed to high protein breakfasts within 1 hr of waking, and couldn’t believe how long she unnecessarily struggled w exhaustion, anxiety, and weight.

If you’re in your late 30s or 40s w trouble sleeping, low mood, anxiety, irritability, fatigue, brain fog, vaginal changes, or bloat -& want to feel like your empowered self again- book a free clarity call (link in bio) to become a patient.

Progesterone can start to become erratic for women when they reach perimenopause due to declining ovulation. Deciding wh...
07/27/2026

Progesterone can start to become erratic for women when they reach perimenopause due to declining ovulation.

Deciding whether you need progesterone comes down to evaluating your symptoms, health history, & menstrual cycle tracking (or lack thereof).

While both the birth control pills and hormonal IUDs contain synthetic progestins which can help reduce heavy menstrual bleeding, protect the uterine lining & prevent unwanted pregnancy, they don’t come with the benefits to sleep, mood, inflammation and disease prevention like bio-identical progesterone does. Thus ensuring that we chose the right hormonal support for a woman’s goals becomes key. We also know that if we introduce progesterone in a woman who has low estrogen it can reduce the amount of receptors available to estrogen worsening her symptoms so we need to ensure she has both estrogen and progesterone support for her to feel her best. If a woman with a uterus is on estrogen therapy then she needs adjunctive progesterone support (either bio-identical progesterone or a hormonal IUD) for protecting the uterine lining.

Many women find cyclical or continuous bio-identical progesterone very helpful for their symptoms in their late 30s, 40s, and 50s. Bio-identical progesterone comes in oral (capsule or troche), compounded cream, or suppository form.

Hormone therapy isn’t the only answer for perimenopausal concerns. It’s a big helpful tool but it can’t outrun high stress, weekly alcohol, dehydration, nutrient deficiencies, blood sugar imbalances, constipation & gut inflammation, lack of exercise, overeating, diet high in processed foods- this is why a customized step by step plan addressing all health areas is key.

Many evidence based solutions exist. The good news is don’t suffer when you don’t have to!

If you’re a women who also feels lost in perimenopause/menopause and craves a supportive approach to address your anxiety, irritability, brain fog, exhaustion, digestive bloat, sleep struggles, libido, vaginal discomforts, hot flashes - so you can feel empowered and like yourself again- book a FREE clarity call (link in bio).

Hormone therapy isn’t well understood by so many practitioners. And if they’re not up to date on research they end up re...
07/21/2026

Hormone therapy isn’t well understood by so many practitioners. And if they’re not up to date on research they end up relying on outdated information and misguiding you.

I prescribe a lot of hormones in my practice because they are a form of preventative medicine that boosts a woman’s quality of life and reduces her disease risk.

I believe when women get the health support they deserve they change the world.

Keep in mind, what your friend or mom or colleague did or didn’t do with regard to their hormone health doesn’t apply to you. You all have different health histories, risk factors, genetics & need differing prevention strategies. It’s worth having a personalized hormone discussion with a practitioner well versed in hormones to know your options.

We have receptors throughout our body and on just about every tissue for estrogen. It’s vital to optimal health. And when it declines we see discomforts and disease soar!

Hormones are also not the holy grail to all symptoms. While they are incredibly helpful there are lots of other pieces to women’s health that need to be addressed. We also have to manage and support gut health, liver health, nutrition, lifestyle habits, movement/exercise, hydration, mitochondrial & immune supports as well as working on her nervous system and stress response.

I do a thorough health history, lab work, risk calculation, risk and benefit analysis and review the most up to date research with each patient to ensure they are a suitable candidate for hormone therapy.

If you’re a women between 35-65 who feels lost and craves a supportive approach to address your night sweats, trouble sleeping, low mood, anxiousness, fatigue and persistent bloat - so you can feel empowered and like yourself again- book a clarity call (link in bio)

Statin users report significantly worse menopausal symptoms than non-users.😩Makes sense when you look closer, a lot of s...
07/16/2026

Statin users report significantly worse menopausal symptoms than non-users.😩

Makes sense when you look closer, a lot of statin side effects overlap almost perfectly with menopause symptoms. Muscle aches, fatigue, brain fog…good luck telling those apart.

Blumel et al. looked at 1,184 postmenopausal women across nine Latin American countries, and: women on statins were 56% more likely to have severe menopausal symptoms than women who weren’t, and that held up even after adjusting for other variables. They were also 65% more likely to be at risk for sarcopenia, aka accelerated muscle loss. Because it’s a cross-sectional study, it shows correlation, not causation, we can’t say statins directly cause this. But it’s still a wake-up call.

I’m not anti-statin at all. But I don’t agree w the knee jerk prescribing of them when hormone health and lifestyle haven’t been addressed first in otherwise healthy women.

Cholesterol will rise as estrogen starts to decline. So it’s important to look at her cholesterol through the big picture lens of her hormones, blood sugar and insulin, liver health, diet and lifestyle, familial history, smoking & alcohol consumption, sleep, risk factors, health history, and other cardiovascular disease lab predictors: apoB, l(p)a, uric acid, hbaA1c, fasting and fed insulin, TGs, CRP and waist circumference.

If you’re in your late 30s or 40s w trouble sleeping, low mood, anxiety, irritability, fatigue, brain fog, vaginal changes, or bloat -& want to feel like your empowered self again- book a free clarity call (link in bio) to become a patient.

Most of these items were around in the 1980s-early 90s so to have been old enough to use them back then would be women ...
07/12/2026

Most of these items were around in the 1980s-early 90s so to have been old enough to use them back then would be women who are now in their late 30s onwards.
Perimenopause occurs as ovulatory function declines leading to inconsistent ovulation and eventual anovulation (no ovulation). So while perimenopause is not defined by having been old enough to use the items above in their hayday 😂😉 or by age it usually affects women between their late 30s and early 50s and lasts for 10+ years.

Not knowing what the symptoms of perimenopause are or when to expect it leaves you open to being hormonally hijacked. Meaning all these changes start happening and you don’t why or how to resolve them. Unfortunately, most medical providers have minimal training in perimenopause and menopause and thus your symptoms get further downplayed or ignored.

Most commonly reported symptoms:
▫️Exhaustion and lack of motivation
▫️Night sweats
▫️Hot flashes
▫️shorter or longer menstrual cycles w lighter/heavier bleeding
▫️Trouble falling and or staying asleep (night time waking, waking long before alarm)
▫️less tolerance for things, snapping, rage
▫️low mood
▫️anxiousness with racing heart
▫️Vaginal burning, dryness, irritation, pain with s*x
▫️Brain fog, forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating
▫️new belly w no change to diet or exercise
▫️ Muscle/joint pain
▫️headaches

lab testing can show inconsistent patterns during perimenopause.
However usually we see:
▫️FSH -elevated
▫️Progesterone -low or suboptimal
▫️Estradiol- can be elevated (as cycles start to stack on each other), fluctuating all over the place or plummeting
▫️cholesterol changes
▫️blood sugar & insulin changes
▫️possible increase in antibodies associated with new onset auto-immune conditions related to hormone changes

If you’re a women between 35-65 who feels lost and craves a supportive approach to address your night sweats, trouble sleeping, low mood, anxiousness, fatigue and persistent bloat - so you can feel empowered and like yourself again- book a clarity call (link in bio)

Anxiety is multifaceted and deserves a multi-targeted approach.When it comes to just how linked food is to anxiety…skipp...
07/09/2026

Anxiety is multifaceted and deserves a multi-targeted approach.

When it comes to just how linked food is to anxiety…
skipping meals back fires every time.

The longer you underestimate the impact of this the longer you will be held back.

It slows down your metabolism leading to repressed metabolic syndrome where you hold onto weight. It causes irritability, mood swings, low mood, exhaustion, brain fog and worsens food choices later on.

We want to front load our days with 30g protein rich meals and put fasting close to bedtime. You nail this down -everything changes regarding your mood, energy, mental clarity and weight.

Way too often women are experiencing anxiety, mood swings and fatigue as a result of not eating the right foods, in the right amounts, at the right times.

We need to evaluate your diet & lifestyle (sleep, hydration, bowel elimination) and labs first to see if dysregulated blood sugar & insulin, inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, hormone imbalances, & gut microbiome imbalances is the cause of your discomforts. Because without addressing these things anxiety will always be at the forefront and feeling calm out of reach.

Therapy (EMDR, hypnotherapy, talk therapy, somatic therapy), tapping, journaling, time in nature, taking breaks - are always helpful and they work really well when you are also addressing the diet, lifestyle and internal imbalances pieces.

If you’re a 35-65 yr old woman who’s ruled by hot flashes, night sweats, trouble sleeping, anxiety, irritability, fatigue, mood swings, brain fog, bloating & or vaginal dryness- and you crave feeling like your empowered self and love the way you feel - book a FREE clarity call (link in bio)

Supporting one’s liver consistently in perimenopause and beyond is imperative if you want to;* manage your weight with e...
07/06/2026

Supporting one’s liver consistently in perimenopause and beyond is imperative if you want to;
* manage your weight with ease
* have healthy skin
* feel energized & not exhausted
* feel more calm, not the snappy, irritated version of yourself
* feel mentally clear
* lower inflammation & pain
* feel more uplifted
* be able to sleep better

the keys to optimal liver health:
* avoiding alcohol
* avoiding inflammatory foods- industrial seed oils, artificial dyes, gluten, dairy, sugar
* sleeping 8hrs/night
* drinking half your weight in ounces of water per day
* having 2-3 fully formed daily bowel movements
* moving your body daily- steps, weights, sweating
* hot and cold therapy
* reducing stress & building resilience
* liver loving foods- protein, herbs, vegetables, fruits
* high fibre to bind and eliminate toxins
* liver supportive supplements- necessary but varies depending on patient health history, symptoms, labs & needs

When looking at labs related to liver health the following are important and often missed:
* insulin glucose challenge
* hba1c
* liver enzymes
* CRP
* ESR
* Urate
* Free fatty acids
* B12
* Iron panel
* Ferritin
* Full thyroid panel
* Auto immune panel

I requisition extensive labs for every patient. And then I create a custom gut and hormone strategy for them to feel like themselves. Each treatment plan is varied in terms of liver support but each one has it as a critical component. Patients who aren’t’ consistent w their liver support don’t see nearly the same results as those that are consistent.

If you’re in your late 30s, or 40s and experiencing trouble sleeping, low mood, anxiousness, irritability, fatigue, brain fog, and or new onset belly- and want to feel like your empowered self again-book a free clarity call (link in bio) to become a patient

I will tell you a story. A 70 yr old female pt had been suffering w vaginal atrophy since her mid 40s, causing burning, ...
07/03/2026

I will tell you a story. A 70 yr old female pt had been suffering w vaginal atrophy since her mid 40s, causing burning, dryness and so much pain with s*x that she told her husband they could separate if he needed physical intimacy but it was just too painful for her. For 25 yrs not one physician offered this woman vaginal estrogen. It could have given her back her comfort & ease her relationship 25 years prior. Sadly I was the first doctor in a long list of ppl she had seen to finally offer her this 😢

S3x should never be painful. If it is, that needs to be treated.

All women should care about their vaginal health in the same way they care about any other body part. Caring for parts of us isn’t dictated by whether or not we are in a relationship or s*xually active. It’s based on self love. You don’t avoid flossing & brushing your teeth just bc you aren’t kissing someone. Same goes for your vaginal health.

No one needs to suffer.

All of my patients on vaginal estrogen have found it transformative. Many of them started it preventatively. I have women in their 30s up to elderly patients on it.

If you’re in your late 30s, or 40s and experiencing trouble sleeping, low mood, anxiousness, irritability, fatigue, brain fog, vaginal changes and or new onset belly- and want to feel like your empowered self again-book a free clarity call (link in bio) to become a patient

Bones don’t ask for attention until they’re literally broken.By 30 you’ve already hit peak bone mass - the most you’ll e...
06/30/2026

Bones don’t ask for attention until they’re literally broken.

By 30 you’ve already hit peak bone mass - the most you’ll ever have. After that, you’re in a slow withdrawal phase whether you like it or not. And here’s the part nobody tells you: it speeds up hard in perimenopause bc estrogen is one of your biggest bone protectors, and when it drops, bone loss can hit up to 20% in those first 5-7 years post-menopause.

No, this isn’t fear mongering. It’s math. 1 in 2 women over 50 will fracture a bone bc of osteoporosis - that’s more than heart attack, stroke and breast cancer combined. And a hip fracture isn’t just “ouch, inconvenient.” Up to 30% of women who break a hip die within a year. The ones who survive often lose their independence completely.

So let’s talk about the difference between that outcome and the one where you’re dancing at your kid’s wedding at 68 or traveling in your 70s:

→ Weights - bone is living tissue, it gets denser when you load it. Walking isn’t enough. You have to lift.

→ Estrogen therapy - one of the most evidence based tools for preserving bone density and so underused

→ Vitamin D - without it your body can’t even absorb the calcium you’re eating

→ Calcium - 1000-1200mg/day depending on your age, and most of us aren’t close

→ Sleep - your skeleton literally rebuilds itself overnight. Skimping on sleep is skimping on bone repair

None of these things are optional add-ons. They’re the whole game.

The choices you make in your 30s and 40s are quietly deciding whether your 60s and 70s look like independence or assisted living. I’d rather be the woman trampolining at her granddaughter’s birthday than having her granddaughter visit them in assisted living.

Share w a friend who thinks bone health is a “later” problem. It’s not.

If you’re in your late 30s, or 40s and experiencing trouble sleeping, low mood, anxiousness, irritability, fatigue, brain fog, and or new onset belly- and want to feel like your empowered self again-book a free clarity call (link in bio) to become a patient

If you’re in your 40s and you’re not thinking about insulin sensitivity yet -this is your sign to start.Here’s what most...
06/27/2026

If you’re in your 40s and you’re not thinking about insulin sensitivity yet -this is your sign to start.

Here’s what most women don’t realize: estrogen is actually protective against insulin resistance. It helps your cells respond to insulin properly. So when estrogen starts fluctuating and declining in perimenopause, your metabolic health takes a hit whether you feel it or not.

And the consequences aren’t subtle.

Stubborn belly fat that wasn’t there before. Energy crashes after meals. Brain fog that you’ve been blaming on sleep. Mood swings that don’t match your circumstances. These aren’t just “hormonal”, they’re often metabolic.

Poor insulin sensitivity in perimenopause also sets the stage for type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cognitive decline down the road. The window where we can intervene matters enormously.

The good news? Insulin sensitivity is one of the most modifiable things in your health picture. Resistance training, protein prioritization, sleep quality, stress management, and strategic nutrition can move the needle significantly, with or without medications.

You don’t have to be diabetic for this to matter. You don’t have to have a family history. You just have to be a woman in midlife.

This is foundational. Don’t skip it.

If you’re in your late 30s, or 40s and experiencing trouble sleeping, low mood, anxiousness, irritability, fatigue, brain fog, and or new onset belly- and want to feel like your empowered self again-book a free clarity call (link in bio) to become a patient

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