Hormone Nurse

03/09/2026

We talk endlessly about “balancing hormones.”

Estrogen. Progesterone. Testosterone. Cortisol.

But one of the first things I want to know is:

What is your insulin doing?

Because metabolic health IS hormonal health.

Insulin isn’t just about diabetes or blood sugar. It’s a powerful metabolic hormone, and when insulin is chronically elevated, the downstream effects can influence your entire hormonal picture.

High insulin can:

→ increase ovarian androgen production
→ lower SHBG, meaning more free circulating s*x hormones
→ promote inflammation and fat storage
→ contribute to fatty liver and metabolic dysfunction
→ alter the environment in which your liver has to metabolise and clear hormones

And this is where I think we get hormone health backwards.

We keep trying to ADD things to “balance hormones” without asking whether the body is metabolically equipped to process them properly.

Your liver is doing an enormous amount of hormone metabolism — but it’s also processing nutrients, medications, alcohol, metabolic by-products and everything coming from the gut.

Add insulin resistance, visceral fat and fatty liver into that picture and simply throwing another detox supplement at the problem isn’t necessarily the answer.

I want to improve the metabolic environment the liver is working in.

This is exactly why my 12-Week Hormone Nurse Intensive doesn’t start and finish with estrogen and progesterone.

We look upstream.

Insulin. Cortisol. Gut. Liver. Bile. Nutrition. Movement. Sleep.

Then we look at what your s*x hormones are doing within that bigger metabolic picture.

Because sometimes the question isn’t:

“Which hormone do I need to fix?”

It’s:

“What is stopping my body from handling my hormones properly in the first place?”

And very often, insulin deserves a seat at that table.

Metabolic health is hormonal health. 🔥

02/09/2026

Jaw clenching is one of those symptoms we keep trying to explain from the neck down.

Parasites. Gut issues. Magnesium deficiency. Hormones.

And yes — those things can contribute. But sometimes, after you’ve worked on the gut, replaced the nutrients and supported the hormones… the jaw is still tight.

Because the jaw is also deeply connected to the stress response.

When you spend your days biting your tongue, swallowing what you really want to say, holding everything together, pushing through resentment, or staying composed when internally you’re furious — your body can carry that tension.

And one of the places it can show up is the jaw.

Chronic stress and heightened nervous-system arousal increase muscle tension, and clenching or grinding can become an unconscious pattern — particularly during sleep.

So after I’ve looked at the gut, nutrients, hormones and the physical drivers, I want to ask another question:

What are you clenching that you’re not expressing?

Sometimes supporting the body isn’t about adding another supplement.

Sometimes it’s creating safety to say no.
To set the boundary.
To have the uncomfortable conversation.
To stop swallowing the anger.

Your symptoms deserve a physical investigation — but your nervous system deserves a seat at the table too.

The gut matters. The hormones matter. And so does what you’re holding in.

— Hormone Nurse

29/08/2026

26/08/2026

FATTY LIVER ISN’T JUST ABOUT ALCOHOL 🍷🚫

One of the biggest misconceptions I hear is that fatty liver means someone drinks too much alcohol.

But metabolic fatty liver can develop even in people who barely drink.

Here’s the mechanism 👇

When insulin remains elevated, your body receives a strong signal to store energy rather than release it.

More circulating glucose → more insulin → increased delivery and production of fatty acids in the liver.

When the liver receives more fatty acids than it can oxidise for energy or export as triglycerides, fat begins accumulating inside liver cells.

This is called hepatic steatosis — fatty liver.

But there’s another layer I look at clinically: the gut–liver axis.

Everything absorbed from the gut travels through the portal circulation directly to the liver.

If there is intestinal dysbiosis, excessive microbial fermentation or impaired gut-barrier function, the liver may be exposed to greater amounts of microbial products such as endotoxin (LPS).

This can contribute to:

→ hepatic inflammation
→ oxidative stress
→ worsening insulin signalling
→ altered lipid metabolism
→ progression of metabolic fatty liver in susceptible people

And here’s the important part:

Your liver enzymes can be normal while liver fat is already accumulating.

So when I see a fatty liver, I’m not only asking:

“How much alcohol do you drink?”

I’m also asking:

What is driving the metabolic load?

Insulin resistance.
Visceral fat.
Triglycerides.
Dietary energy excess.
Movement and muscle mass.
Sleep and circadian rhythm.
And where appropriate, gut health and the gut–liver axis.

Because fatty liver is often not an isolated liver problem.

It can be a metabolic warning sign.

And understanding why the liver is storing fat gives us a much better place to start.

— The Hormone Nurse