Ashwagandha and Liver Safety: What You Need to Know
A clear, evidence-based look at emerging safety concerns with ashwagandha, including liver injury reports, who should avoid it, and warning signs to watch for.
By Dr. Kirsten Smith ND
Blog
Explore articles and resources to find your pathway to hormonal balance. A place to understand what’s changing — and why Women’s health is complex — shaped by hormones, lifestyle, stress, environment, and life stage. The purpose of this space is to bring clarity to that complexity without adding overwhelm. Here, I share evidence-based insight and thoughtful perspective to help you better understand what’s happening beneath the surface — so health decisions feel informed, grounded, and personal.
BLINDSIDED: A Man’s Field Guide to Perimenopause
A reflective essay on science, spirit, and the unseen parts of healing - and what an octopus dream revealed about transformation.
By Dr. Kirsten Smith ND
Octopus Dreams and the Mysteries of Transformation
A reflective essay on science, spirit, and the unseen parts of healing - and what an octopus dream revealed about transformation.
By Dr. Kirsten Smith ND
The Cortisol Loophole: Why Midlife Stress Mimics and Multiplies Menopause Symptoms
Understanding the missed biochemical link behind stubborn midlife fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, and weight changes.
By Dr. Kirsten Smith ND
From Neglect to Dogma: What Happened to Menopause Care?
Women went from being gaslit to being catapulted into a polarized, highly emotional landscape of competing certainties.
By Dr. Kirsten Smith ND
Remembering Wonder
There is intelligence all around us: in forests, storms, grief, love, and the quiet signals of the body. This piece is a reflection on wonder, midlife, nervous system depletion, and the many forms medicine can take when we remember to notice.
By Dr. Kirsten Smith ND
Ozempic May Be Changing More Than Appetite: a Question About Progesterone Absorption
Ozempic may be changing more than appetite. In this article, I explore a clinical question emerging in menopause care: could GLP-1 medications affect how well oral progesterone is absorbed, and what might that mean for women using hormone therapy?
By Dr. Kirsten Smith ND
The “Test, Don’t Guess” Trope: What We’re Getting Wrong About Hormone Testing
Hormone testing has become shorthand for “good” menopause care, but more testing does not always mean better treatment. I break down when hormone testing is useful, when it is not, and why we often need to treat symptoms, function, and quality of life rather than chase a number
By Dr. Kirsten Smith ND
Like, Forever?
Long-Term Menopausal Hormone Therapy: Clarifying the Evidence
By Dr. Kirsten Smith ND
Our Daughters, Ourselves
Today’s girls aren’t “broken”—they’re under-fueled, over-stimulated, and swimming in stress and chemicals. This post shows how a foundations-first plan—protein-forward meals, better sleep, screen limits, targeted nutrients, and low-tox swaps—transformed a 15-year-old’s acne, cram
By Dr. Kirsten Smith ND
Courage in the Crossroads: My Journey into Medicine
This is the story of a leap of faith — leaving the familiar behind to pursue medicine, purpose, and a mission to change how women experience care today.
By Dr. Kirsten Smith ND
Testosterone Therapy in Women: Separating Facts from Myths
Testosterone isn’t the hormone that “crashes” in menopause—and it’s not a cure-all for mood, muscle, or brain fog. Still, just because estrogen and progesterone get most of the airtime doesn’t mean testosterone should be sidelined—especially if you’re dealing with low libido (hyp
By Dr. Kirsten Smith ND