Dr Elise

09/21/2026

Weekend herbal kitchen projects 🌿🍯🔥

I started two of my favorite traditional herbal preparations this weekend: fermented garlic & herbal honey + fire c***r.

These are the kinds of simple remedies I love having in the kitchen as we head into cold and flu season — made with warming, pungent herbs traditionally used to support the respiratory, digestive, and immune systems.

🍯 Fermented Garlic & Herbal Honey
• Raw local honey
• Fresh garlic
• Fresh ginger
• Fresh oregano
• Fresh thyme

The garlic and fresh herbs are submerged in raw honey and left to ferment and infuse. Over time, the honey becomes thinner and takes on all that garlicky, gingery, herby goodness. Honey itself is wonderfully soothing for a scratchy throat and cough, while the fresh herbs bring their own aromatic plant compounds.

🔥 Fire C***r
• Apple c***r vinegar
• Fresh ginger
• Onion
• Garlic
• Lemon
• Cherry bomb red peppers 🌶️

Fire c***r is an old-school herbal tonic: spicy, sour, warming and definitely wakes you up! Once it’s ready, I’ll strain it and keep it in the fridge to take by the spoonful or add to hot water, salad dressings, marinades, etc.

One of the things I love about herbal medicine is that it doesn’t always have to be complicated. Sometimes it’s simply taking plants we already use as food and preparing them in a way that lets us keep them on hand all season.

Now they sit…and we wait. 🌿

I’ll share the finished versions — and how I use them — when they’re ready. PS. I was listening to the new Madonna album as I recorded this on my new iPhone. And it recorded the song as I made the video 😜 ***r

07/23/2026

I was honored to be featured in Morning Person, Leslie Stephens’ Substack newsletter with more than 50,000 subscribers, for a conversation about one of my favorite topics: hormones.

In Issue #255: “Why We Should All Be Paying Closer Attention to Our Hormones,” we explored how hormones influence so much more than our menstrual cycles. We discussed the fascinating connections between PMDD, histamines, inflammation, mood, and overall well-being—and why these links are often overlooked in women’s healthcare.

If you’ve ever wondered why your symptoms seem to change throughout your cycle, or whether your hormones could be contributing to anxiety, headaches, allergies, mood changes, or inflammation, I think you’ll find this conversation both validating and informative.

I’m grateful to Leslie for creating space for thoughtful conversations about women’s health and for helping bring these important topics to a wider audience.

🎧 If you listen or read the interview, I’d love to hear what resonated most with you!

Women’sHealth Hormones HistamineIntolerance FunctionalMedicine NaturopathicMedicine HormoneBalance Women’sWellness PortlandND

04/21/2026

Interpreting labs shouldn’t feel like guessing—or worse, missing the bigger picture.
If you’re a healthcare provider who’s ever thought:
• “These labs are technically normal… but something’s off”
• “I know there’s a pattern here, I just can’t quite connect it”
• “I don’t have time to go layer by layer through this”
This is exactly where I come in.
I offer collaborative lab interpretation for providers who want a deeper, more functional lens—whether it’s hormones, GI, cardiometabolic markers, or complex, multi-system cases.
You don’t have to figure it out alone.
Sometimes it just takes a second set of trained eyes to make the pattern click.
DM me or reach out if you want details on how this works.

03/17/2026

03/13/2026

Guess the song? If you remember this one, you are one of my people ❤️. Also, hit me up with any questions you have about libido in midlife and beyond. It doesn’t have to suck!

09/14/2024

Some of my summer hikes! My total is 33. Will I make to 50 before December 8th? The sprint it on!! menopause

06/12/2024

Watch the full interview on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTNCvzKDDUQ

06/10/2024