If you feel exhausted, low or on edge in ways you can’t fully explain, or you’re not sleeping, in chronic pain, or feel tense and anxious most of the time, I can help.
Stress shows up differently for everyone. Some of it is physical, some of it is shaped by how you respond to people and events in your life. If you’ve reached the point of needing support, you’re not alone, thousands of people find themselves here every year. If you’ve already been to your GP and are on medication, you may still need additional support if it isn’t giving you full relief, or if the side effects themselves are hard to live with.
What the evidence actually points to
Mood and biochemistry are linked, not separate
Low mood and anxiety aren’t purely psychological events happening independently of your body, and they’re not affected by biochemistry alone either, the two interact constantly. Nutrient status, thyroid function, blood sugar regulation and inflammation are well documented contributors to how you feel, alongside the psychological and circumstantial factors in your life, and a biochemical driver can look identical to a purely psychological one from the outside.
Chronic stress changes the nervous system
Prolonged stress affects your HPA axis, the communication loop between your brain and your adrenal glands, and can leave you stuck in a heightened stress response long after the original trigger has passed. This produces measurable physiological changes, it is a physiological state, not a character trait or a failure to cope, which is why addressing the psychological side alone often isn’t enough on its own.
Where I see people get this wrong
The most common mistake is treating mental health as purely psychological and never checking the biochemistry, thyroid, iron, B12, vitamin D and inflammatory markers all affect mood and are rarely tested as standard.
Another issue is not accounting for the medication itself. SSRIs can cause a drop in blood sodium, particularly in older adults, which is a recognised effect worth monitoring for rather than a rare one. Where appetite is affected in the early weeks of a new medication, or with longer term use of sleep medication, I look at whether overall nutrient intake needs support alongside it. Psychiatric medications cause numerous nutrient depletions that can then exacerbate symptoms of anxiety and depression which the medications are supposed to be treating, so it becomes a vicious cycel.
The second is treating stress management as a nice-to-have rather than a physiological necessity. If your nervous system is stuck in a stress response, willpower and better time management won’t resolve it on their own.
The third is stopping at medication when it isn’t giving full relief, rather than asking what else is driving the picture.
How I work with mental health and stress
I work alongside your medication and your prescriber where you have one, not instead of them, and I’ll never suggest you change or stop medication yourself. I assess where the imbalance is showing up, physical, biochemical or psychological, or a combination, so I can tailor recommendations, make referrals where needed, and identify what needs further investigation. I look at the function of your neurotransmitters, your stress resilience and adaptation response, and the possibility of neuroinflammation.
I use a combination of diet, herbal medicine, targeted nutraceuticals, lifestyle strategies, stress management tools and coaching exercises, alongside therapies such as frequency specific microcurrent, red light therapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and ear acupuncture where relevant. If I think a therapy I don’t offer myself would help, such as talking therapy, I’ll make that referral.
If this sounds like where you are, apply for a 15 minute consultation and let’s work out the best way forward.
