Sabrina Yoder NP

We all have bad days, bad news, bad sleep… one thing you can do immediately for free is ridiculous
Gratitude

Gratitude isn’t just a mindset—it can influence your nervous system, hormones, and immune response.

✨ Immune health: Helps reduce chronic stress signals that can suppress immune function.

🔥 Inflammation: Shifting out of “fight-or-flight” may help calm inflammatory pathways.

🦋 Autoimmune health: Supporting the parasympathetic nervous system may help regulate an overactive stress response.

⚡ Energy: Less stress means your body can devote more resources to repair and metabolism.

🧘‍♀️ Pain: Positive emotional states can influence the brain’s perception and processing of pain.

😊 Mood: Gratitude is associated with healthier dopamine, serotonin, and stress-response pathways.

There is ALWAYS someone worse off than you. Be grateful for what you have!

A few moments of genuine gratitude each day may be a simple way to support your whole-body health. 💜

**There is no magic hormone number. And I wish more women knew that.**
I see a lot of conversation online about hormone replacement therapy that goes something like this:
“Your estradiol should be ___.”
“Women feel best when their level is around ___.”
“Ask your provider to increase your dose until you reach this number.”
And then there is another side of the conversation that can sometimes go too far in the opposite direction—suggesting that hormone levels don't matter at all.
**The truth, as I see it clinically, is much more individualized.**
Major menopause guidance does not establish one universal serum estradiol level that every woman should reach for symptom relief. Instead, hormone therapy is generally individualized based on symptoms, clinical response, safety, stage of menopause, and the woman's individual circumstances. [The Menopause Society]
And after nearly two decades of caring for women, this makes sense to me.
I have seen women who feel absolutely wonderful at an estradiol level of 80...
…and women who still feel miserable at 80.
I've seen women feel significantly better at a level that another woman would find uncomfortable.
**There isn't necessarily one “right” number because there isn't one standard woman.**
And estradiol doesn't work in isolation.
How you feel can also depend on the **relationship between estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone**, along with things like thyroid function, sleep, stress physiology, nutrient status, metabolic health, inflammation, medications, and the underlying reason your hormones changed in the first place.
Your hormonal history matters, too.
A woman who has been cycling naturally for decades has a very different hormonal history from a woman who has spent years on hormonal suppression.
A woman in early perimenopause is different from a woman who is several years postmenopausal.
A woman whose ovaries were surgically removed is different from the woman whose ovaries are still producing some hormones.
So when I look at hormone therapy, I'm not asking:
**“What number should I get her to?”**
I'm asking:
**“What does this woman need?”**
What were her symptoms?
What were her hormones doing before treatment?
How has she responded to different doses?
What is her progesterone doing in relation to her estrogen?
Does she have a uterus?
What are her risks?
What does her clinical picture tell us?
And, importantly, **How does she actually feel at this level?**
How did she feel at her previous higher or lower level?
That doesn't mean lab values are useless. They can be extremely helpful—especially in certain clinical situations and when we're trying to understand absorption, adherence, unexpected symptoms, or whether levels may be outside a physiologic range.
Testosterone is a good example: expert guidance recommends keeping levels within the physiologic premenopausal range and avoiding supraphysiologic levels, rather than treating women to some universally “optimal” testosterone number.
**Your friend's perfect dose may not be your perfect dose.**
Your favorite influencer's “optimal” estradiol level may not be your optimal level.
And your lab value alone doesn't tell me how your body is responding to that hormone.
Hormone optimization isn't about chasing a number.
**It's about finding the right balance for YOUR body—with a knowledgeable provider who looks at the whole picture.**
Don't ask, *“What number should I have?”*
Ask, **“What level is right for me?”**
That's a very different question. ❤️

— Sabrina Yoder, APRN
Fireweed Functional Medicine

🍄 Chicken of the Woods: The Wild Mushroom That Looks Like Chicken
It’s a wild polypore mushroom commonly called chicken of the woods (Laetiporus) — named for its surprisingly meaty, chicken-like texture when cooked.

Wild mushrooms contain a fascinating collection of compounds that you don’t get in most plants or animal foods:

🌿 Beta-glucans & other polysaccharides
Mushrooms contain complex polysaccharides, including beta-glucans, that can interact with the immune system and the gut microbiome. Research suggests potential immune-modulating and metabolic effects, although these effects vary considerably between mushroom species and preparations.

🧬 Ergothioneine
Mushrooms are one of the most important dietary sources of ergothioneine, a sulfur-containing antioxidant that accumulates in tissues and helps protect cells from oxidative stress.

⚡ B vitamins & minerals
Mushrooms can contribute riboflavin, niacin, folate, B6, copper, selenium, potassium, phosphorus and other micronutrients while providing relatively few calories.

☀️ Vitamin D — under the right conditions
Mushrooms contain ergosterol, which can be converted into vitamin D₂ when exposed to UV light. UV-exposed mushrooms have been shown to increase vitamin D status in humans.

🦠 Gut health
Their indigestible polysaccharides and fibers can act as substrates for gut microbes, which is one reason mushrooms are being investigated for effects on gastrointestinal and metabolic health.

❤️ Metabolic & cardiovascular health
Research on edible mushrooms has found associations and potential mechanisms involving glucose regulation, lipid metabolism, blood pressure and metabolic health. Much of this evidence is still emerging, so mushrooms are better thought of as a nutrient-dense food than a treatment.

🛡️ Antioxidant activity
Mushrooms contain numerous antioxidant compounds, including phenolics and other bioactive molecules. Their antioxidant capacity varies considerably by species and preparation.