MOOD & BRAIN HEALTH

Mood & Brain Health

Brain health isn’t just about memory or cognition—it’s about how clearly you think, how you process emotions, how well you sleep, and how steady or reactive you feel throughout the day. Your brain is deeply connected to the rest of your body. When inflammation, infections, toxins, or hormone imbalances are present, the brain often feels it first.

Symptoms like brain fog, low mood, anxiety, or fatigue aren’t separate issues—they’re often signals that deeper systems are out of balance.

Common Brain & Mood Concerns We Address:

  • Brain fog or difficulty concentrating

  • Fatigue and low motivation

  • Depression or apathy

  • Anxiety, restlessness, or panic

  • Irritability or emotional reactivity

  • Sleep disruptions or insomnia

  • Post-concussion symptoms and TBI (traumatic brain injury)

  • Mood swings related to hormone cycles

  • Cognitive slowing or word-finding difficulty

  • Sensory sensitivity or overstimulation

  • Mental health changes after mold exposure, illness, or infection

Why Brain Health Is a Whole-Body Issue

Your brain and mood are regulated by multiple systems:

  • The gut-brain axis influences neurotransmitters like serotonin and dopamine

  • The immune system can create inflammation in the brain (neuroinflammation)

  • The nervous system governs stress responses and emotional regulation

  • Hormones—especially estrogen, progesterone, thyroid, and cortisol—impact mood and brain chemistry

  • Environmental toxins, mold, Lyme, and viruses can trigger or worsen brain-related symptoms

  • Sleep, blood sugar, and mitochondrial function all affect mental clarity and stability

When any of these systems are out of sync, it can lead to mental and emotional symptoms that feel hard to explain—and even harder to manage with medication alone.

Our Approach

We look beyond the brain in isolation and explore the interconnected systems influencing your mental clarity, energy, focus, and emotional balance.

We begin by understanding:

  • Your symptom patterns and history

  • Triggers like stress, infections, head injuries, or mold exposure

  • Gut health and digestion

  • Hormonal rhythms (cortisol, thyroid, estrogen, progesterone)

  • Nervous system sensitivity and resilience

  • Sleep quality, blood sugar, and inflammatory load

    • Neurotransmitter markers and nutrient cofactors

    • Cortisol rhythm testing (saliva or urine)

    • Mycotoxin, heavy metal, or chronic infection panels

    • Gut microbiome and permeability testing

    • Inflammatory markers and mitochondrial function

    • Thyroid, sex hormones, and blood sugar regulation

    • Nutrients for brain chemistry (B vitamins, magnesium, omega-3s, zinc)

    • Adaptogens and amino acids to support neurotransmitter balance

    • Gut-healing protocols to restore the gut-brain connection

    • Mitochondrial support for brain energy (CoQ10, PQQ, acetyl-L-carnitine)

    • Antioxidants to calm neuroinflammation (curcumin, resveratrol, glutathione)

    • Mycotoxin binders or antimicrobial herbs when mold or infections are involved

  • Acupuncture helps regulate the autonomic nervous system, improving vagus nerve tone, lowering cortisol, and increasing endorphins and serotonin. It’s often used to support:

    • Anxiety, panic, and emotional dysregulation

    • Insomnia and restless sleep

    • Post-concussion symptoms and focus issues

    • Fatigue and burnout

    • PMS- or menopause-related mood shifts

    • Recovery from long-term stress or trauma

    Traditional Chinese Medicine also addresses imbalances in the Heart, Liver, and Spleen meridians, which correspond to emotional regulation, mental clarity, and groundedness.

  • Our time together is unhurried, thoughtful, and built around seeing the whole picture—not just individual symptoms. We look for patterns, address root causes, and create a healing strategy that’s fully personalized to you.

Whether you’re navigating anxiety, recovering from a concussion, or trying to sharpen focus and stabilize your mood, this approach brings the whole body into the conversation. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Dawna Ara to discuss your unique concerns and to develop a comprehensive and personalized treatment plan for your symptoms.

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