Wired and tired isn't a personality trait. It's a cortisol pattern.

Back in March of 2022, I was suffering from a host of chronic health issues, the most critical being insomnia. At one point, I had stayed awake for over 36 hours. The condition of my health was impacting every aspect of my life. I had reached a breaking point. I was desperate. I didn’t want to experience life as I had been anymore. I wasn’t sleeping, I couldn’t lose weight, I had no energy, and I was constantly feeling anxious. I felt as if my life was spinning out of control and I had no way to stop the momentum. I knew that a holistic approach (working with my body naturally) was in my best interest. I did an initial search online to find the best naturopathic doctor that specializes in the needs of women taking into account our hormones, and how stress impacts our bodies. That is when I found Dr. Purcell. Her holistic approach to look at hormones, stress, diet, exercise, lab work, and also provide mentoring, support and coaching was invaluable to me. After my initial meeting with Dr. Purcell, I felt I had finally met a doctor who really listened to me, she understood just how emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausting my situation had been. She was compassionate, direct, and empathetic to my experience. She reassured me that any and all questions are welcomed for me to finally have a better understanding of my body, how it worked, and why I was experiencing the symptoms I had been having for the majority of my adult life. To have an hour dedicated for one on one attention to ask ALL of the questions is something I never thought I’d find. I’m so grateful I did. I view my relationship with Dr. Purcell as a partnership, a trusting and vulnerable collaboration. By being very honest with her about ALL of the things I am experiencing in my life (changes in career, home, relationships, etc.) opened up the conversation for us to be transparent on how those stressors are impacting my health and how that may change the protocol to my treatment plan. As a result, I have lost 20 lbs and maintained the weight loss, been able to have better sleep, have a better understanding of how my hormones impact my health, and most importantly gave myself permission to do what MY body needs to heal and become healthier. My friends have commented on the difference they see in me, even to the point of having more confidence in my body, and others commenting on the fact they see me glowing! I cannot state enough how critical and invaluable the relationship Dr. Purcell has created with me in my journey to optimal health. I will talk about Dr. Purcell and her team to anyone in my network, and highly recommend her to any woman looking to FINALLY get answers and start on the path of healing and optimal health and vitality.

I came to Doctor Purcell because I had exhausted all roads with my GP. I was feeling terrible and thought my thyroid medication was not working. I had no energy and was not sleeping well and my diet was below average because I felt awful and had no motivation to eat better. Through her guidance I stopped the thyroid medication for 7 weeks to get accurate reads on my levels. We determined that I was hypothyroid and I started taking Naturethyroid. We then looked at diet and I went on a 21 day cleanse that really put me in a powerful space of knowing what was not working in my diet. We determined that gluten was a problem even though I did not have celiac. It has changed my life in terms of energy levels. Dr. Purcell listened carefully to all of my concerns and really put together a very personalized plan that has truly enhanced my energy levels, changed my motivation for self care and all around just made me feel better. I am truly grateful to her for really listening to me and not going on the cookbook recipe path for treatment. I feel terrific!

I am now officially of my OCD meds! It took 7 months and I’m glad we did it gradually and I’m feeling better than ever! When i first went to see her, I was so tired, i was napping twice a day. Couldn’t make it through the work day without sleeping. I also would go home and lay in my bed until 10pm because i was soooo tired. I couldn’t walk my dog or clean or do anything. I was an exhausted lump. We identified i had chronic fatigue from epstein barr virus. With the help of vitamins, I’m up and around and not like that anymore. I have basically changed my diet, and am learning to cook for the first time ever. I’m eating mostly vegan foods, just to experiment. I’m an animal lover so it’s my choice not Dr. Purcells, but she has a great cook book that I just started to cook recipes out of!

I’m hoping this posting will help at least one person out there. If it helps more, then I will have accomplished my good deed of the day or year!. Here’s my story…it’s a long one…I was tired of going to medical doctors and being told that I was “fine,” that my lab results were “normal” or “within range,” or that if I just took a bunch of different medications, I would be fine. They all made it seem like I was just crazy or whining. I would get so frustrated because I felt so horrible & they all just shrugged me off. When doctors just meet with you for 10 mins, is that really enough time to get to the root of the problem? Not at all. Ten minutes, for me, was not even enough time to go over all my symptoms. Well, I discovered, that I was not “fine”, that there were other options out there, and that there are doctors who do care and will spend plenty of time listening to your health issues. Dr. Purcell took plenty of time to listen to all my problems. I am not kidding when I say this, my first consultation took about 2 hours! I had all sorts of problems, but my main problems were migraines and thyroid. For the last 10+ years I have suffered from horrible migraines. I was missing so much work because I was getting them very often & very intensely. I simply could not function at work, or anywhere for that matter. I tried virtually every medication out there. All had side effects and solved absolutely nothing. One medication sent me to the ER because I felt like I was going to have a heart attack at 20 something!! I went from doctor to doctor and none would find anything. I would just hear the usual, be given medication(s) and be sent on my way. She showed me how to follow a “migraine diet” which has made all the difference in the world. It showed foods that I was supposed to eat and those I was supposed to avoid. There were things on the list that I identified right away as my triggers but there were tons that I had no clue about. I had never heard of them, even after spending years researching. You just never know how something so simple, like food, could cause such grief. She also has recommended several supplements, vitamins & IV treatments. All natural stuff – no side effects (unless you consider feeling good a side effect :)). As far as my thyroid issue, she recommended a more natural thyroid medication and WOW, it has made such a difference. I have practically crossed off all my symptoms from my list, a very long list I must say. Overall, I feel magnificent, have had virtually no migraines, and have gained almost all my energy back. I highly, highly, highly (did I say highly?) recommend this Nathuropathic Clinic. If you want to take a more natural approach, have someone listen to you and look into ALL the potential reasons for your health problems, then you must go here. You will notice how they try to solve the PROBLEM, not just treat your symptoms which is what medical doctors do, IF they do anything at all. Oh and the office manager is great. She is very nice, always returns your calls or emails, and stays on top of things when it comes to your supplement orders. There is another doctor on staff who seems great. Both doctors are very knowledgeable, experienced, and can treat practically anything the natural way. To Dr Purcell, thanks so much for all you have done for me so far. I’m so blessed to have found you. You have made such an impact on my life. Thank you!!!

I just started seeing Dr. Purcell about a month ago. I am having a lot of issues with fatigue, horrible PMS, anxiety, and trouble sleeping. Prior to seeing Dr. Purcell, I had blood tests taken by several medical doctors and they just flat out told me everything was because of my insomnia and wanted to solve the solution by prescribing me sleeping pills. The first appointment with Dr. Purcell went well. I didn’t feel rushed and she spent an entire hour with me as I vented about how poor my health condition was. The next appointment she set up a plan to have a saliva test done (which I have never heard of) and also made a point to check my hormone levels (my primary care refused because I was only 31 years of age). She already had some guesses as to what could be causing all these symptoms. I am really looking forward to my follow up visit to get feeling better quickly. Also, her office staff is efficient and get back to you at a timely manner so that is a plus as well 🙂

I’ve been working with Doctor Purcell for five years on my health issues. She has helped me with my hormonal imbalance, weight loss and detoxification. I have experienced dramatic results in all of these areas, and therefore trust and rely on her with all my health concerns. On the topic of detoxification I was slightly overwhelmed at first. The thought of having to cleanse from so many different toxins was exciting, however the reality of having to cut out so much from my daily diet was a tough thing to wrap my head around, I figured why not give it a try. I used the month of January as my start date thinking it would be a great time to rejuvenate my body and mind with hopes of going into the new year with a fresh start. The program was well organized and clearly laid out for me making it easy to gather food and supplies needed for the cleanse. In fact I looked forward to each days planning guide and diet diary. Giving up coffee and sugary foods was the hardest for me and I had a caffeine withdrawal headache for the first three days. It was uncomfortable but it passed, and only made me realize how bad it must be for my body as I had been drinking up to five cups daily for years. The foods, soup and protein drinks were very tasty and you could eat as much as you wanted. After completing the cleanse I no longer craved sugary foods and caffeine. My skin was clear and bright my energy level was boosted. I did loose eleven pounds although this was not the intention. I had a overall feeling of clarity in my body and mind. I felt recharged and ready to continue a healthier lifestyle going forward. I do this detoxification twice a year and would recommend this to anyone looking to improve their health.

Just wanted you to know that we love the cookbook! Especially the desserts. the cookies were a hit even though I forgot the applesauce, (Got interrupted by a poopy diaper). Mike says you have nice almond butter balls. Alexandria can’t have nuts yet so I used sunflower butter instead. Delish. I brought the pie to a party today and it too was a big success. We also have been making double batches of the carrot ginger dressing for salads.Now in all seriousness, your book inspired me to get back to very basic, simple meals and eliminate as many processed foods as possible, as well as reduce refined flours, sugars, and cut out dairy again since I have a sensitivity. We have been eating “clean” for 2 weeks. Mike has lost 6 lbs and my skin has cleared up. I have a ton of energy and feel great! Alexandria loved the swiss chard egg scramble too!” -Roberta Z. * (For more information or to purchase “Feed Your Cells, 7 Ways to Make Health Food Fast, Easy and Gluten Free

Just wanted to send a note and report my experience on round 3. I completed round 2 last July 09. I managed to say within my goal weight of 125-128 until Xmas, and then started to eat my way into 2010 with every homemade cookie that came though the door. I own a hair salon and during the holidays the clients are very generous bringing wonderful treats. By mid Jan. 2010 I was 135. Dr. Andrea agreed that I had fat to loose and I started round 3 HCG Jan 25. Round 3 for some reason seemed harder and 1 and 2. I did have good energy and did take spin class 3 times a week during HCG. I do not cheat ever on HCG. I lost 10 lbs, however, I can see it wasn’t about the weight this time. I burnt fat in my stomach and thighs to a very noticeable degree. Doc said this would happen. I can see the change in myself since last April 09 when I started my first HCG at 157 lbs. I am enjoying fitting into my daughters clothes with my new body and can honestly say that I do not have that midlife look any more. Just wanted to add my measurements for anyone that might be interested. Doc measured me last week and we discovered that I lost 8 inches on my belly, 4 on my hips, and 1 1/2 on my upper arm. This is truly amazing and just wanted to add it to my blog. Thank you so much again. Could have never done this without you.

It has now been 7 months that I have been seeing Dr Purcell and I honestly could not have imagined I could have felt this great! Dr Purcell has been able to adjust her plan to suit my needs as they have come up. I have much more energy and my pain is very rarely an issue. I have even started having regular periods, which is something I have never had. It may sound simple, but it is wonderful when I can go to the grocery store, come home and put away all of the food, and then have energy to do a couple loads of laundry, plus make supper for my family. With each passing month, I feel substantially better. I know the future is bright and I will continue on the path to being even more healthy. I no longer have to accept chronic pain and fatigue as a part of my life.