What if the reason you can't lose weight has nothing to do with your diet?

Dr. Jessica Pearson is a physician, Air Force veteran, and functional medicine provider at Prairie Roots Health in Sioux Falls. In this episode, she breaks down why cortisol is the hormone most people overlook and why addressing it can change everything from belly fat to energy to hormone balance.

In this episode: what cortisol is and why your body releases it even when you don't feel stressed, how chronic stress creates belly fat through an insulin loop, how cortisol steals from the shared production pathway for estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone, why calorie restriction can raise cortisol and make weight loss harder, what caffeine does to your stress response, how to test cortisol the right way, what HRV measures and how wearables like the Oura Ring track it, what perimenopause does to an already elevated cortisol level, and practical ways to lower cortisol that go beyond meditating.

April Special at Prairie Roots Health: Get a complimentary before and after NeuralChek assessment (a $120 value) with the purchase of a Wellness Therapy membership plan. Contact Prairie Roots Health at prairierootshealth.com to learn more.

Dr. Jessica Pearson, MD practices at Prairie Roots Health in Sioux Falls, SD. Find her at prairierootshealth.com.

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