Navigating Wellness Primary Care

05/31/2026

🦠 Bloating? Gas? Food Sensitivities? Brain Fog? It Might Be SIBO.

SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) occurs when bacteria that normally belong in the large intestine begin growing in the small intestine, where they don’t belong. This can interfere with digestion, nutrient absorption, and overall gut health.

🚩 Common Symptoms:
• Bloating (especially after meals)
• Excessive gas or belching
• Abdominal pain or discomfort
• Diarrhea, constipation, or alternating between both
• Food sensitivities
• Brain fog
• Fatigue
• Unexplained vitamin deficiencies (especially B12 and iron)
• Weight loss or difficulty maintaining weight

⚠️ Risk Factors:
• IBS
• Chronic acid reflux medication use
• Diabetes
• Prior abdominal surgery
• Autoimmune disorders
• Motility disorders
• Chronic stress

🔬 How is SIBO Tested?
The most common test is a non-invasive breath test that measures hydrogen and methane gases produced by bacteria after drinking a special sugar solution. Functional medicine evaluation may also include stool testing, nutrient assessment, and investigation of underlying root causes.

💊 How is SIBO Treated?
Treatment depends on the type of SIBO and the underlying cause but may include:
• Prescription antibiotics such as rifaximin
• Herbal antimicrobial protocols
• Dietary modifications (often low-FODMAP or targeted elimination diets)
• Prokinetic therapies to improve gut motility
• Nutritional support and correction of deficiencies
• Addressing root causes such as thyroid dysfunction, diabetes, mold exposure, or chronic inflammation

The key to successful treatment isn’t just eliminating the bacterial overgrowth—it’s understanding why it developed in the first place.

If you’ve been told you have IBS but continue to struggle with bloating, digestive issues, or unexplained symptoms, it may be worth exploring whether SIBO is contributing to your symptoms.

📞 Navigating Wellness Primary Care
Schedule an appointment today to discuss comprehensive gut health testing and personalized treatment options.

05/30/2026

🌸 Menopause Support: You Don’t Have to “Just Deal With It” 🌸

As Dr. Carrie Jones puts it:

“Being a woman in menopause is wild. You’re tired but wired, hot but cold, hungry but nothing sounds good, and deeply irritated by things you used to tolerate just fine.”

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone—and it’s not all in your head.

Menopause and perimenopause can affect nearly every system in the body. Hormonal shifts can contribute to:

🔥 Hot flashes and night sweats
😴 Poor sleep and insomnia
🧠 Brain fog and memory changes
😟 Anxiety, mood swings, and irritability
⚖️ Weight gain and increased abdominal fat
💔 Changes in libido and vaginal health
💪 Joint pain, muscle loss, and fatigue

At Navigating Wellness Primary Care, we take a comprehensive approach to menopause care. Hormone testing can help us evaluate estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA-S, cortisol, thyroid function, and other factors that may be contributing to your symptoms.

Treatment options may include:

✨ Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) – For appropriate candidates, HRT may improve hot flashes, sleep, mood, vaginal health, bone health, and overall quality of life.

✨ DHEA – DHEA is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands that naturally declines with age. In women with low levels, supplementation may help support energy, mood, libido, muscle maintenance, and hormone balance.

✨ Ashwagandha – An adaptogenic herb that may help support the body’s stress response, improve sleep quality, reduce feelings of anxiety, and support cortisol regulation.

✨ Lifestyle and Nutrition Support – Optimizing protein intake, resistance training, sleep, stress management, and metabolic health can significantly improve symptoms and long-term health outcomes.

The good news? Menopause is not the end of feeling like yourself. With the right evaluation and individualized treatment plan, many women experience significant improvements in energy, sleep, mood, weight management, and overall well-being.

📞 Ready to talk about your symptoms?

Schedule a menopause consultation with Navigating Wellness Primary Care and let’s create a personalized plan to help you feel your best during this transition and beyond.

☎️ 407-850-8199
🌐 NavigatingWellnessPrimaryCare.com

05/30/2026

📢 Understanding Prior Authorizations: Why Your Medication Isn’t Always Approved Right Away

One of the most frustrating parts of healthcare for both patients and providers is the prior authorization (PA) process.

When we prescribe a medication, insurance companies often require additional documentation before they will agree to cover it. Unfortunately, many initial denials feel like a “spaghetti at the wall” approach—insurance companies deny first and see what sticks, regardless of medical necessity.

What happens next?

✅ Our team gathers records, lab results, treatment history, and supporting documentation.

✅ We submit appeals and often multiple rounds of appeals.

✅ We may participate in peer-to-peer reviews where a provider must justify the prescription to another clinician working for the insurance company.

The reality is that many medications that are initially denied are eventually approved after the appeals process is completed.

We know waiting is frustrating. We share that frustration. However, unless your medication is critical to life or limb, the best thing you can do is sit tight and allow our team time to work through the process. Calling repeatedly won’t speed up the insurance company’s review timeline, but it does take staff away from working on appeals for all patients.

Please know that we are advocating for you behind the scenes. Every day we fight insurance denials, submit appeals, and push back against decisions that don’t always align with what is medically best for our patients. Courtney spends nearly 30 hours of her work week doing NOTHING but PAs!!

Thank you for your patience, understanding, and trust as we navigate this complicated system together. 💙

05/30/2026

🍃 Rachel’s Functional Medicine Mold Recovery Course – Week 2: Reducing the Incoming Burden 🍃

Welcome to Week 2 of our mold recovery journey.

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make is jumping straight into detox supplements, binders, and aggressive protocols before addressing the factors that continue to fuel symptoms. Before we focus on “pulling toxins out,” we need to reduce what is still coming in.

This week we focus on:

🏠 Environmental Clean-Up
• Prioritize the bedroom
• Check indoor humidity levels
• Improve air filtration
• Remove obvious moldy or musty items
• Wash bedding frequently
• Change HVAC filters and reduce dust accumulation

🥗 Food and Nutrition
• Increase protein intake to support detoxification pathways
• Reduce sugar and ultra-processed foods
• Consider temporarily reducing higher-risk mycotoxin foods such as coffee, peanuts, corn, dried fruit, alcohol, and certain grains if symptoms are significant
• Stay well hydrated with minerals and electrolytes

🚽 Support Elimination
• Daily bowel movements are non-negotiable
• Address constipation before considering binders or detox protocols
• Hydration, magnesium, fiber (if tolerated), movement, and nervous system regulation can all help support healthy elimination

😴 Recovery Foundations
• Prioritize sleep
• Assess ongoing exposures
• Monitor histamine-related symptoms
• Focus on stabilization rather than aggressive detoxification

My message to patients is simple:

“Your job right now is not to detox harder. Your job is to lower the incoming burden and make sure your body can eliminate safely.”

Creating a strong foundation now often leads to better tolerance and better outcomes when deeper recovery work begins later.

Follow along next week as we discuss when and how to begin gentle drainage support and preparation for advanced mold recovery protocols.

05/29/2026

✨ Massage Openings Available! ✨

I have some openings available on Thursday the 4th (in Dexter):

🕗 1:00 PM
🕝 2:30 PM
🕗 4:00 PM

Treat yourself to some relaxation and therapeutic bodywork before the weekend! 💆‍♀️

30min-$35 • 45min-$50 • 60min-$65 • 90min-$95

Message me or call/text to book your spot before they’re gone! 207-717-0173

05/29/2026

Dexter is coming along!!

05/29/2026

CVS Caremark is adding Zepbound, Eli Lilly’s obesity drug, back to its commercial insurance plan formularies, more than a year after it stopped covering it in favor of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy. MORE BELOW⬇️

05/26/2026

Dexcom is urging G7 users to check their lot numbers after stolen scrapped sensors were found being sold on the open market through an unauthorized distributor. Read more: https://www.diabetech.info/p/dexcom-warns-users-of-stolen-scrapped-g7-sensors-on-the-market

05/26/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1EbJSe6aX9/?mibextid=wwXIfr

🧠🔬 New research shows major diabetes drug impacts the brain.

For over six decades, metformin has served as the frontline defense against type 2 diabetes, with its success primarily credited to its ability to suppress glucose production in the liver. However, a groundbreaking study from the Baylor College of Medicine has shifted this paradigm, revealing that the drug's efficacy relies heavily on a direct interaction with the brain. Scientists identified that metformin targets the ventromedial hypothalamus, specifically activating specialized neurons to suppress a protein called Rap1. This neural signaling pathway appears essential for the drug’s glucose-lowering effects, marking a significant departure from previous biological understandings that focused almost exclusively on the gut and liver.

This discovery offers more than just a new perspective on diabetes management; it provides a scientific framework for understanding metformin’s broader health benefits, including its potential role in slowing brain aging and promoting longevity. By isolating the Rap1 protein as a critical mediator, researchers believe they have found the key to developing more precise therapies that mimic metformin’s benefits while potentially minimizing common gastrointestinal side effects. As science continues to map the brain’s profound influence on metabolic health, this finding underscores the hidden complexity of a medication relied upon by millions and paves the way for the next generation of precision metabolic treatments.

It's fascinating how a drug used for decades can still hold so many secrets. What are your thoughts on this brain-metabolism link?

Note: The information presented here is for general knowledge and discussion.

05/24/2026

🌿 Addison’s Disease vs. Cushing’s Syndrome — When Your Adrenal Glands Send SOS Signals 🌿

Your adrenal glands may be small, but they play a HUGE role in your health. They help regulate stress hormones, blood pressure, energy, blood sugar, inflammation, and even weight distribution.

Two conditions we often hear about — but many people don’t recognize early — are Addison’s Disease and Cushing’s Syndrome. While one happens from too little cortisol, the other happens from too much cortisol.

🩺 Addison’s Disease may cause:
▪️ Severe fatigue
▪️ Weight loss
▪️ Low blood pressure or dizziness
▪️ Salt cravings
▪️ Abdominal pain or diarrhea
▪️ Skin darkening/hyperpigmentation
▪️ Muscle weakness

⚠️ Risk factors:
• Autoimmune disease
• Type 1 diabetes
• Thyroid disease
• History of steroid withdrawal
• Adrenal infections, bleeding, or cancer
• Family history of autoimmune disorders

🩺 Cushing’s Syndrome may cause:
▪️ Rapid weight gain (especially belly/face)
▪️ “Moon face” or buffalo hump
▪️ Purple stretch marks
▪️ Easy bruising
▪️ Acne or excess facial hair
▪️ High blood pressure
▪️ Muscle wasting or weakness
▪️ Mood changes or high blood sugars

⚠️ Risk factors:
• Long-term steroid use (prednisone, steroid injections, inhalers, creams)
• Pituitary tumors
• Adrenal tumors
• Chronic uncontrolled stress
• Polycystic ovarian syndrome (can overlap symptoms)
• Diabetes or resistant hypertension

🧪 When should you consider screening?
You should talk to your provider if you have:
✔️ Unexplained severe fatigue
✔️ Significant weight changes without explanation
✔️ Resistant high or low blood pressure
✔️ Frequent dizziness or fainting
✔️ Purple stretch marks or easy bruising
✔️ Persistent high blood sugars
✔️ Multiple autoimmune diseases
✔️ Chronic steroid exposure
✔️ Symptoms that “just don’t feel right” despite normal basic labs

At Navigating Wellness Primary Care, we believe in looking deeper when symptoms don’t add up. Sometimes patients are told they are “just stressed,” “just aging,” or “just anxious” — when hormones may actually be playing a role.

🌿 Listen to your body.
🌿 Ask questions.
🌿 Advocate for yourself.

📞 Navigating Wellness Primary Care
Because you deserve to feel heard, not dismissed.