Monarch Functional Medicine

Home
United States
Marquette, MI
Monarch Functional Medicine

Call Directions Website Contact the practice

Helping women uncover the root causes of fatigue, brain fog, hormone changes, thyroid issues, gut symptoms, weight resistance, and burnout.

Founded by Julie McDonald, PA-C, FMACP, Monarch Functional Medicine takes a personalized, root-cause approach to .

11/11/2026

To all who have served, and to the families who have supported them along the way, we recognize your dedication, courage, and sacrifice. Thank you for your service.

11/10/2026

If you regularly wake up feeling queasy, even when you haven't eaten anything unusual, there may be more going on. One possible contributor is acid reflux, especially if stomach contents are coming back up while you're lying down. But morning nausea can also be linked to certain medications, migraines, pregnancy, and other digestive or medical conditions.

Does it happen before breakfast? After your morning coffee? Alongside headaches, heartburn, or changes in appetite? These details can help identify what might be contributing.

If morning nausea has become a regular occurrence for you, book a consultation. We can review your symptoms, nutrition, medications, and health history to help determine the next steps.

11/09/2026

Feeling tired, foggy, or lightheaded doesn’t automatically mean you just need more sleep. There are several different reasons these symptoms can show up, including:

🩸 Low iron or nutrient deficiencies
🦋 Thyroid dysfunction
🍽️ Blood sugar fluctuations
🌿 Hormonal changes
🧠 Chronic stress and cortisol changes
😴 Poor sleep quality
💧 Dehydration or electrolyte imbalance
❤️ POTS or other forms of dysautonomia

The important part?

These issues can overlap, and the symptoms can look remarkably similar. That’s why the goal isn’t to guess which supplement you need. It’s to look at your symptoms, timing, health history, and appropriate testing to understand what may actually be contributing.

11/07/2026

Why? Because nutrient status is about more than what is on your plate.

We also look at whether your body is actually absorbing and using those nutrients well.

A few things that can matter:

Intake: Sometimes a person simply is not getting enough of a particular nutrient, especially with restrictive diets, low appetite, or limited food variety.
Absorption: Digestive conditions, reduced stomach acid, intestinal inflammation, or changes in gut function can affect how well nutrients are absorbed.
Medications: Some medications can influence the absorption or metabolism of nutrients, which may become more relevant with long-term use.
Increased needs: Pregnancy, intense training, illness, recovery, and certain life stages can increase nutrient requirements.
Chronic blood loss: Heavy menstrual bleeding or gastrointestinal blood loss can gradually deplete nutrients such as iron.

This is why a low nutrient level should not automatically be interpreted as “you need to eat better.”

The better question is: why is this nutrient low in the first place?

If you keep seeing the same deficiency come back despite eating well or supplementing, it may be worth looking beyond intake and asking what is affecting absorption, utilization, or loss.

11/07/2026

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Ginger + Coconut Milk - creamy, comforting, and perfect for a crisp fall day!

Ingredients:
1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup full-fat coconut milk
½ tsp cinnamon
Salt + pepper to taste

Roast the squash at 400°F for 25 to 30 minutes until tender and lightly caramelized.
In a pot, sauté onion, garlic, and ginger in olive oil until soft. Add the roasted squash, broth, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, then blend until smooth.
Stir in the coconut milk and warm through.

11/05/2026

Diet can influence cholesterol, but it is only one part of the picture.

~𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿. Some people naturally produce or clear cholesterol differently, even with a very balanced diet.
~𝗧𝗵𝘆𝗿𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀. An underactive thyroid can affect how the body processes cholesterol.
~𝗠𝗲𝗻𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀. As estrogen levels change, LDL cholesterol can rise even when your lifestyle has not changed much.
~𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀. Insulin resistance can shift triglycerides, HDL, and other markers that help us understand cardiovascular risk.
~And yes, 𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀. But seeing a high cholesterol result and immediately assuming someone needs to “eat cleaner” can miss important context.

We want to understand the full pattern: your numbers, family history, hormones, thyroid, blood sugar, lifestyle, and overall cardiovascular risk.

A cholesterol result is a clue. The next question is what is driving it. That's why our 12-Week Energy, Metabolism and Hormone Reset looks at 𝘢𝘭𝘭 of these factors.

11/03/2026

It may be tempting to assume it is “just hormones,” but thyroid function can also affect your cycle.

When thyroid hormone levels are too low, it can influence ovulation and the way the uterine lining builds and sheds. For some women, that can show up as heavier or more prolonged bleeding.

If this is a new pattern, especially alongside symptoms like fatigue, feeling cold, constipation, dry skin, or hair changes, it may be worth looking beyond reproductive hormones alone.

Changes in your period can sometimes be one of the first clues that another system needs attention.

If your cycle has changed and you are not sure why, book a consultation with our team so we can look at your symptoms, history, and relevant labs together.

11/03/2026

A new long-term study found that people who drank at least one sugar-sweetened beverage a day had about 2.45 times the risk of developing stomach cancer compared with those who drank them less than once a month.

This does not prove that sugary drinks cause stomach cancer. The study was observational, which means other health and lifestyle factors may also play a role. But this is exactly why we pay attention to everyday patterns, not just isolated symptoms.

Frequent sugary drinks can also affect blood sugar regulation, insulin sensitivity, metabolic health, and overall diet quality. Over time, those small daily habits can add up.

Prevention is rarely about one perfect choice. It is about identifying the patterns that may quietly influence long-term health and making changes early, before they become bigger problems. It's also worth noting that most "diet" or "sugar-free" options are not any healthier for you if they're loaded with artificial sweeteners. Always read your labels closely!

Read more on the study here: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/09/260909005207.htm

11/01/2026

If you’re in perimenopause, your hormones may be part of the answer.

We often think of perimenopause in terms of periods, hot flashes, sleep, and mood. But the hormonal shifts happening during this time can reach much further.

Changes in estrogen can influence how your body processes cholesterol, responds to insulin, stores fat, and supports cardiovascular health. That means an unexpected change in LDL, triglycerides, blood sugar, or other metabolic markers may be worth looking at as part of a bigger picture, and that statins may NOT be the best answer.

Reach out if you are ready to get to the root of the problem, functional medicine looks at the full picture.

10/31/2026

A little spooky, a little sweet, and a lot of fun. 🎃 Happy Halloween!

Address

545 County Road HQ
Marquette, MI
49855

Telephone

+19062730072

Website

https://monarchfm.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Monarch Functional Medicine posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.