Grace Integrative Medicine

06/12/2026

Grace has a sister platform called GeneKind.

It’s where I write, coach, and get a little nerdy about things like food sensitivities, genetics, MTHFR, stress, and the patterns that influence how we feel.

It’s another healing space, but not a clinic.

This post touches on something that shows up in both healthcare and wellness spaces: shame.

Because healing is hard enough without carrying the belief that every setback means you’ve done something wrong.

I thought some of you here might appreciate this one.

Happy Friday!

Have you ever noticed how much shame and guilt can live in the wellness space?

Which is a little wild, honestly, because shame is not exactly fertile ground for true healing.

There is always another rule about how to eat, when to move, what to think and then...try harder.

And when your body still doesn't comply?

It's so easy to assume you did something wrong.

Over the past few years, I’ve started thinking about this differently.

If there are no rigid rules at the center, there is no way to fail at them...and less opportunity for shame.

That doesn't mean your choices don't matter because they do.

It doesn't mean you ignore what your body is telling you because there is a ton of wisdom in that body.

It DOES mean you stop turning every health decision into a pass/fail test.

Instead, you have permission to ask: Does this make sense for my body right now?

If you are someone who has spent a lot of time in environments where rules were important, strict, or tied to whether you were “doing it right,” this may take practice. I've been there, too, so I get it.

But it is worth playing with.

Because the goal isn't to become perfect at someone else’s wellness rules.

The goal is to make decisions that actually make sense for you.

06/11/2026

Most of us know when something feels off, and usually long before the "something" is a full blown problem or symptom.

Needing more caffeine to get through the day.

Foods that used to be fine suddenly feeling questionable.

Aches that move around.

Brain fog that sneaks in, making simple things feel oddly hard.

That quiet sense that your baseline has shifted, even if you can’t point to one obvious reason.

It's easy to shrug little things off and say it's just because I'm stressed or a certain age. Maybe life is just busy.

But those smaller shifts and changes are just as meaningful as the big things.

At Grace, we pay attention to patterns, especially those that show up as whispers.

Because your body may be trying to tell the truth before it has to get louder.

If something in your body feels off and you’re not sure where to start, these are the kinds of conversations we have at Grace.

06/09/2026

Merriam-Webster says normal means “conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern.”

At the core, that’s what medicine often looks for - patterns.

I look for patterns a lot here at Grace, too. But it’s also important to look beyond the numbers on the page and listen to the person sitting at the table.

Just because lab numbers fit the expected pattern and appear “normal” does not mean you feel well.

It may mean we need more curiosity and better questions.

And sometimes a different way of looking for the pattern.

If your labs keep coming back “normal” but your body still feels off, these are the kinds of conversations we have at Grace.

06/05/2026

Some weeks the body tells the truth before the calendar does.

Something feels off. Your energy dips. You’re more tender than usual. You wonder, “What happened?”

I’ve become very aware of anniversaries.

The days that roll by and feel off for no obvious reason, until you look back and remember, oh. This was the day *that thing* happened.

Tired is not always laziness.

Tired can be low vitamin D.
Low iron.
Thyroid shifts.
Blood sugar swings.
Inflammation.
Poor sleep.
Grief.
That anniversary.

And sometimes it’s several of those at once, because bodies are not filing cabinets.

That’s one reason I like testing when it makes sense.

Not because every symptom needs a lab.

But because the right test can help us ask a better question.

If you’ve been pushing through tired for a long time, you’re not weak and you’re not lazy.

You may just need someone to help you listen to what your body has been trying to say.

06/02/2026

You might as well know it - I'm a nerd for labs. Vitamin levels are worth knowing about...and we're talking vitamin D today because I keep seeing levels way below the standard minimum of 30. Like 17 and 19. (And I really like to see levels closer to the 50–80 range!)

Vitamin D plays a role in immune function, inflammation, muscle function, mood, hormones, and overall resilience.

High levels matter, too. Vitamin D can become toxic if you take too much, so supplementing without testing is not my favorite game.

To reduce the guessing, Grace now has a simple self-order vitamin D test option through Fullscript Journey. You can order the test yourself, pay through Fullscript, and schedule the blood draw through Quest.

You do not need to be a current Grace patient, and you can be anywhere in the country as long as Quest testing is available near you.

These labs are not ordered by me, and using the link does not create a physician-patient relationship. Fullscript provides an interpretation that I review before it is released.

Sometimes the first useful step is just getting the number.

Link:

Our health panels go beyond routine labs. They're designed to optimize your health with expert-interpreted results and a personalized wellness plan.

05/28/2026

One of the more fascinating things about humans is how quickly the nervous system adapts to whatever environment it lives in most often.

After enough time, stress can start to feel normal.

Always being “on” feels normal.

Watching every movement and facial expression in a room feels normal.

Running on adrenaline feels normal.

That becomes the baseline.

And sometimes slowing down or feeling calm can actually feel uncomfortable…or even unsafe at first.

I see this all the time in clinic. I've lived it myself.

You can often feel it before anyone says a word:

The person who walks in tightly wound.
Holding their breath without realizing it.
Moving fast.
Talking fast.
Apologizing for existing.
Completely exhausted but unable to settle.

And on the flip side, you can physically watch someone’s face change when they finally exhale a little and realize they’re safe enough to stop bracing for a moment.

This isn’t weakness.

And it’s not “just stress.”

It’s physiology.

The body adapts remarkably well to survival mode. Until eventually it starts waving little flags asking for support.

Not because the body is broken.

Because it has been trying to protect you the best way it knows how.

05/26/2026

When someone sits down at my table, I’m listening to the symptoms they describe, of course.

But I’m also listening for the overall pattern.

Because timing matters. Context matters. The sequence of events matters.

Many of us have had the experience of trying to describe symptoms almost like disconnected body parts floating through space.

But the body usually tells a more connected story than that.

So I start asking questions like:

What was going on when this started?

What changed around the same time?

Do certain symptoms seem to flare together?

Do you remember a time when you felt more like yourself?

Can you help me understand what this actually feels like?

Because sometimes the clues are not hidden in the symptom itself.

Sometimes they’re hidden in the rhythm of the story.

And often, simply having someone slow down long enough to really listen changes the conversation completely.

05/21/2026

A lot of women have sat in an exam room and heard:

“Everything looks normal.”

Meanwhile, they’re exhausted. Not sleeping well. Anxious. Foggy. Overstimulated. Having cycle changes. Feeling unlike themselves in ways they can’t fully explain.

When I review labs, I use the brain they gave me in med school first.

Meaning: I absolutely look for obvious disease, dangerous pathology, and things we should not miss. That part matters.

But then I use the brain I’ve developed over years of actually listening to patients and watching patterns.

The more nuanced stuff.
The gray areas.
Micronutrients.
Stress physiology.
Inflammation.
Hormones.
Nervous system overload.
The subtle ways bodies compensate until they can’t anymore.

Sometimes labs really are normal.

And sometimes “normal” simply means we need a broader lens and a deeper conversation.

That’s usually where the interesting clues start showing up.

05/21/2026

What are your plans for Memorial Day? ☀️

Grace will be closed next week for a little self-care, paddleboarding, and time to reset. We’ll reopen Monday, June 1st.

If you need to schedule, online booking is always available while I’m away.

Wishing you a safe, healthy, and restful holiday week.

05/19/2026

One of the foundations of osteopathic medicine is this: the body is a unit.

Not a bunch of separate pieces somehow snapped together like Legos.

Which means our emotions and mental well-being are not magically separated from the rest of the body.

Consider how Grief, Trauma (or "little t" trauma), Chronic stress and Isolation affect the body.

And yes, practical things like nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, sleep disruption, hormones, blood sugar swings, or nervous system overload can absolutely influence anxiety and depression, too.

That does not mean every mental health struggle can be solved with magnesium and sunlight. Humans are more complicated than that.

But I do think many of us have been handed overly simplified stories from both directions.

Either:
“It’s all biochemical.”

Or:
“It’s all mindset.”

Usually it’s biology and lived experience interacting together in real time.

And honestly, very few of us heal through one magical intervention.

Most of us need support from multiple directions over time. Good therapy. Thoughtful medical care. Better boundaries. Better sleep. Safe relationships. Space to recover.

Healing tends to work better as a team effort than a solo performance.

So maybe one useful question is: Who or what is missing from your team right now?