The panic attack hit me while I was standing in line at the grocery store. My heart raced, my palms got sweaty, and I felt like I might faint right there between the cereal aisle and checkout counter. This was the third one that week, and my doctor had just told me my hormones were … Read more
The nutritionist looked at my food diary with a puzzled expression. “Your meals look perfectly balanced,” she said, “but you’re only getting about 12 grams of fiber per day. The average American woman needs at least 25 grams, and you’d probably benefit from even more.” I stared at her in confusion. Fiber? I was religiously … Read more
The alarm went off at 6 AM and I felt like I’d been hit by a freight train. Again. I’d been in bed for eight hours, but my body felt like it had run a marathon while I slept. My muscles ached, my brain was wrapped in fog, and the thought of facing another day … Read more
The joint pain started in my knees during my morning runs. Nothing dramatic, just a persistent ache that made me wince getting out of bed. Then came the afternoon brain fog that left me staring at my computer screen, unable to remember what I was supposed to be working on. My skin broke out like … Read more
The scale hadn’t moved in three weeks despite eating salads that looked like rabbit food and doing cardio until my legs felt like jelly. Meanwhile, my coworker ate pizza for lunch, never set foot in a gym, and somehow maintained the energy of a hummingbird while I felt like I was trudging through quicksand by … Read more
The green juice cost $14 and tasted like liquid grass mixed with regret. I was three days into a “cleanse” that promised to reset my entire system, flush toxins, and give me the energy of a caffeinated gazelle. Instead, I felt like I’d been hit by a truck, my brain was wrapped in cotton, and … Read more
The email arrived at 8:47 PM on a Tuesday. Nothing urgent, just a routine work question, but my heart started racing like I’d been chased by a tiger. Within minutes, my stomach was churning, my jaw was clenched, and I couldn’t focus on the TV show I’d been enjoying moments before. One email had hijacked … Read more
My medicine cabinet used to look like a supplement store exploded. Rows of bottles promising energy, better sleep, clearer skin, hormone balance, improved focus, and basically everything except the ability to fly. I was spending over $200 a month on pills and powders, convinced that the right combination would finally make me feel amazing. Meanwhile, … Read more
My friend Sarah texted me at 11:47 AM: “I’m literally shaking at my desk and I don’t know why.” I asked what she’d eaten for breakfast. “A banana and coffee,” she replied. “Same thing I have every morning.” And there it was: the missing piece of the puzzle. Sarah had been wondering why her energy … Read more
Three weeks into what should have been the happiest time of my life, I was crying in my car after a grocery store meltdown because they were out of the specific brand of yogurt I wanted. Not similar yogurt. Not a better brand. This exact yogurt, or apparently my entire world would collapse. My husband … Read more