Naturalmins

Healing Brain Inflammation & Anxiety After Lyme Disease

One of the most hopeful things I see in practice is that when we begin addressing chronic infections and lowering inflammation, many patients experience profound improvements in brain health, mood, and overall well-being.

As neuroinflammation decreases, the brain has a greater ability to heal and rebalance. Neurotransmitters involved in calm, focus, motivation, and emotional regulation — including GABA, glutamate, and dopamine — can begin functioning more optimally again.

This is why supporting the brain throughout the healing process is so important. Depending on the individual, that may include nutrients and compounds that support neurological health, such as phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylserine, turmeric, L-theanine, and other targeted therapies alongside a comprehensive treatment plan.

Over the years, I’ve seen many patients experience significant improvements in anxiety, mood symptoms, cognitive function, and quality of life as we address underlying root causes and support the brain’s recovery process.

Healing is possible, and the brain has an incredible capacity for repair when given the right support.

IntegrativeMedicine RootCauseMedicine AnxietySupport HolisticHealth DrJaquelPatterson

Boost Your Brain! Iron, Magnesium & B Vitamins For Mental Clarity with Mark Hyman, M.D.

Nutrient deficiencies are often an overlooked piece of the mental health and chronic illness conversation.

For example, low iron and ferritin levels can impact oxygen delivery and blood flow to the brain, contributing to symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, difficulty concentrating, and low energy.

Magnesium is another key nutrient I frequently evaluate. Many people are deficient, in part because our soil and food supply contain lower levels than they once did. Magnesium plays a critical role in nervous system regulation, stress response, sleep, and mood balance.

And then there are the B vitamins — including B6, B12, and folate — which are essential for brain health, neurotransmitter production, energy, adrenal support, and thyroid function.

Sometimes supporting mental wellness starts with identifying the foundational nutrients the body needs to function optimally.

The body can’t create balance without the right building blocks.

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Unlock Gut Health: Your Immune & Mood Superpower!

🦠 Not sure where to start on your wellness journey? Start with your gut.

The gut plays a major role in overall health, influencing everything from immune function to mood and digestion. In fact, a large portion of the immune system resides in the gut, and many neurotransmitters, including serotonin, are produced there as well.

That’s why comprehensive stool testing can be such a valuable tool. These tests can help identify beneficial bacteria that support health, as well as imbalances or opportunistic microbes that may be contributing to symptoms.

✨ A healthy gut is often the foundation of a healthy body.

Simple steps like increasing prebiotic-rich foods, supporting beneficial bacteria, and understanding your gut microbiome can be a great place to begin.

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Infections Trigger Autoimmune Flare-Ups

One of the most important things we see in functional medicine is how infections and inflammation can directly influence autoimmune disease activity.

I’ve worked with many patients with autoimmune conditions like rheumatoid arthritis who experience significant flare-ups after infections such as COVID or Lyme disease. Often, we’ll see inflammatory markers like CRP and ferritin rise sharply, along with increases in rheumatoid factor, ANA, and other autoimmune antibodies.

But what’s encouraging is this: when we address the underlying inflammation and work on resolving chronic infections, we often begin to see those markers improve.

I’ve seen patients whose rheumatoid factor is no longer elevated, or ANA levels decrease dramatically over time as the immune system becomes more regulated and supported.

This is why identifying and addressing root causes matters. The body is constantly communicating with us through these markers — and healing often begins when we reduce the inflammatory burden driving the immune response.

RootCauseMedicine IntegrativeMedicine ImmuneHealth DrJaquelPatterson ChronicIllness

☕️ What Healing Actually Looks Like ☕️

CallmeKofi ☕️ ➡️ Dr. Jaquel Patterson

What if??? 🤔

After 16 years in clinical practice, I've asked myself this question countless times.

I've cared for thousands of patients with autoimmune disease, chronic infections, hormone imbalances, digestive disorders, anxiety, depression, and complex chronic illness. What I've learned is that people rarely come to my office because they're "missing a medication."

More often, they're looking for answers.

Naturopathic medicine taught me to ask different questions:

Why is this happening? What changed? What is driving the inflammation, immune dysfunction, or imbalance?

Our philosophy has never been about treating a diagnosis alone. It's about treating the whole person—understanding how nutrition, sleep, stress, the microbiome, hormones, environmental exposures, genetics, relationships, and lifestyle interact to influence health.

We believe in prevention before disease, identifying root causes whenever possible, supporting the body's innate ability to heal, and using the least invasive, most appropriate therapies while integrating the best available evidence from both conventional and natural medicine.

After nearly two decades, I don't believe healthcare needs to choose between conventional medicine and naturopathic medicine.

I believe healthcare is strongest when it combines the life-saving advances of modern medicine with a model that prioritizes prevention, restoration of health, and personalized care.

What if this wasn't considered "alternative" medicine at all?

What if it was simply how healthcare was designed from the beginning?

Iron Deficiency: 50+ Symptoms Doctors Miss!

✨ Could Your Symptoms Be a Sign of Low Iron?

I’ve seen patients struggling with fatigue, brain fog, headaches, heart palpitations, and feeling completely unlike themselves—only to discover the root cause was severe iron deficiency.

In some cases, ferritin levels were as low as 3 and iron levels around 10. After proper testing and targeted iron supplementation, the transformation was remarkable.

The surprising part? Many of these patients had previously been told their blood work was “normal” because only a standard CBC was checked. Iron studies, including ferritin levels, were never evaluated.

Iron deficiency can cause a wide range of symptoms, including:
✔️ Fatigue and low energy
✔️ Brain fog and difficulty concentrating
✔️ Headaches
✔️ Heart palpitations
✔️ Shortness of breath
✔️ Dizziness
✔️ Hair loss

Sometimes the missing piece isn’t a complex diagnosis—it’s identifying something that simply hasn’t been tested.

If you’re experiencing ongoing symptoms and not getting answers, it may be worth having a deeper conversation about comprehensive lab testing with your healthcare provider.

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Find YOUR Joy: Why You Stopped & How to Get Back!

One of the most important questions I ask my patients is: What brings you joy?

Not the quick fixes or temporary escapes — but the things that genuinely make you feel alive, connected, and grounded.

So many people struggling with anxiety, depression, burnout, or chronic illness slowly stop doing the things they once loved. Dancing. Hiking. Creating. Spending time outdoors. Connecting with others. Life gets busy, stress takes over, and joy gets pushed aside.

But healing isn’t only about supplements, labs, or protocols. It’s also about reconnecting with the parts of yourself that nourish your nervous system and support emotional well-being.

Sometimes part of the healing journey is helping people rediscover the activities that once brought them peace, purpose, and happiness — and intentionally making space for them again.

Joy is not a luxury. It’s an important part of health.

IntegrativeMedicine AnxietySupport DepressionAwareness DrJaquelPatterson HolisticHealth

5 Simple Ways to Relax 🌿
🧘 Take 5 slow, deep breaths (inhale 4, exhale 6).
🚶 Get outside for a 10-minute walk in nature.
📵 Put your phone away for at least 30 minutes.
🎵 Listen to calming music or a guided meditation.
💛 Practice gratitude—write down 3 things you're thankful for.
Small moments of relaxation throughout the day can have a big impact on your stress, mood, and overall health.