What is Glow Health and Wellness?

Glow Health and Wellness is a functional medicine and wellness clinic focused on whole-body, patient-centered care. We offer personalized services including hormone therapy, functional medicine, peptide therapy, IV therapy, medical weight management, and aesthetics through both in-clinic visits and telehealth.

Who can benefit from functional medicine care?

Functional medicine is ideal for individuals seeking a root-cause approach to health rather than symptom-only treatment. Many patients come to us for support with hormone imbalance, fatigue, weight concerns, inflammation, brain fog, digestive issues, and overall wellness optimization.

What hormone therapy services do you offer?

We provide comprehensive hormone therapy for women and men, including bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Treatment plans may address estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, thyroid health, and metabolic balance based on labs, symptoms, and individual goals.

Do you offer peptide therapy?

Yes. Peptide therapy at Glow Health and Wellness is used to support cellular health, recovery, metabolism, and healthy aging. All peptide care is guided by a medical provider and tailored to each patient’s unique needs.

Is telehealth available?

Yes. We offer telehealth consultations for many services, including hormone therapy, functional medicine, and peptide therapy. Glow Health and Wellness currently serves patients in Florida and Alabama through secure virtual visits.

Do you accept insurance or HSA/FSA?

Glow Health and Wellness operates on a self-pay model, allowing us to provide more personalized and comprehensive care. We do accept HSA and FSA funds for eligible services.

Where is Glow Health and Wellness located?

Glow Health and Wellness is located in Destin, Florida. We serve patients locally at our clinic and remotely through telehealth, offering a supportive and welcoming environment focused on whole-body wellness.

Unlocking the Root Causes of Persistent Fatigue, Mood Swings, and Unexplained Symptoms Through Personalized Holistic Care

Why Your Labs Are ‘Normal’ but You Still Feel Terrible: The Functional Medicine Lens on Women's Health

Imagine walking out of your annual checkup with lab results stamped "normal," yet every day feels like a battle against exhaustion, irritability, or that nagging sense of not being yourself. This disconnect is a reality for countless women, where standard medical evaluations miss the subtle shifts in hormonal and thyroid function that disrupt daily life. At Glow Health and Wellness, we specialize in functional medicine, emphasizing women's hormone therapy and thyroid health to bridge this gap. Our approach goes beyond surface-level numbers, examining how these systems interact within your body to cause symptoms and implementing targeted therapies to restore balance and energy.

The Thyroid: Your Body's Energy Regulator

The thyroid gland produces hormones that control how quickly your cells make energy, affecting everything from your metabolism and body temperature to your mood and hair quality. Many women experience classic signs of low thyroid function like fatigue, dry skin, thinning hair, brain fog, and difficulty losing weight, even when TSH (the most common test) comes back normal. The issue is that TSH only measures the signal from your brain to the thyroid; it doesn't show whether your body is actually converting inactive T4 into the active T3 hormone that cells use, or if inflammation is blocking that process. Stress, nutrient shortages, or autoimmune responses can quietly impair this conversion long before labs flag a problem.

How Thyroid Issues Show Up in Everyday Life

When thyroid hormones are suboptimal, your entire system slows down. Mitochondria, the energy factories in your cells, don't get the fuel they need, leading to that heavy, exhausted feeling even after a full night's sleep. Digestion becomes sluggish, causing constipation or bloating. Temperature regulation falters, leaving hands and feet cold. Mentally, focus and motivation dip because thyroid hormones support neurotransmitter production. Women often notice these changes gradually, attributing them to aging or busyness, but they stem from the thyroid struggling to keep up with life's demands.

Women's Hormones: A Delicate Monthly Dance

Estrogen and progesterone rise and fall in a precise rhythm each month. Estrogen builds energy and sharpness in the first half of the cycle, while progesterone calms and supports sleep in the second half. When this balance tips, perhaps from stress stealing progesterone to make cortisol, or from estrogen fluctuating wildly in perimenopause, symptoms like anxiety, irritability, heavy periods, breast tenderness, or insomnia appear. A single blood draw might catch these hormones in a "normal" moment, missing the overall pattern that's disrupting your well-being.

Perimenopause: The Transition That Catches Many Off Guard

Starting in the late 30s or 40s, ovarian production becomes less consistent, causing estrogen to spike one month and drop the next, while progesterone often declines steadily. These swings trigger hot flashes, night sweats that soak the sheets, sudden mood changes, and deepening fatigue as sleep quality suffers. The body interprets these fluctuations as stress, ramping up cortisol and further suppressing thyroid function. Many women feel like they're losing control of their body during this phase, yet routine labs rarely capture the full picture of this hormonal turbulence.

The Hidden Connection Between Thyroid and Sex Hormones

Thyroid hormones and sex hormones influence each other deeply. Estrogen increases the protein that binds thyroid hormones, potentially leaving less free hormone available for cells. Low thyroid function slows the liver's ability to clear excess estrogen, creating a feedback loop that worsens both issues. This interplay explains why symptoms often overlap: low energy from thyroid slowdown combines with mood volatility from hormone imbalance, making daily life feel overwhelming even when individual tests appear fine.

Stress and the Adrenal Impact on Thyroid and Hormones

Chronic stress prompts the adrenals to prioritize cortisol production, which directly competes with progesterone (since both are made from the same building block) and suppresses the conversion of T4 to active T3. Over time, this leaves women feeling wired yet tired, with poor recovery from exercise or minor illnesses. The cumulative effect amplifies thyroid and hormone symptoms, turning manageable fluctuations into persistent struggles.

Gut Health's Surprising Role in Hormone and Thyroid Function

Your gut converts inactive thyroid hormone into its usable form and helps eliminate excess estrogen to prevent reabsorption. When gut motility slows (common with low thyroid or low progesterone), bacteria can overgrow, producing toxins that inflame the thyroid or disrupt hormone clearance. Simple digestive complaints like bloating often accompany hormonal or thyroid issues for this reason.

Inflammation: The Quiet Amplifier of Symptoms

Low-grade inflammation, triggered by stress, poor sleep, or food sensitivities, can block thyroid hormone from entering cells and push estrogen toward more aggressive forms. This creates a state where the body is working harder but achieving less, resulting in fatigue and mood instability that no standard lab panel detects.

Nutrient Shortfalls That Quietly Sabotage Balance

Modern diets and increased demands often leave women low in key nutrients: iron from monthly blood loss, magnesium for relaxation and progesterone support, selenium for thyroid conversion, and vitamin D for immune regulation around the thyroid. Even "normal" levels on basic tests may not be optimal for energy and mood.

Sleep Disruptions in the Hormone-Thyroid Cycle

Night sweats from estrogen dips or high evening cortisol from stress fragment sleep, preventing the deep restorative phases needed for hormone repair and thyroid recovery. Poor sleep then worsens daytime fatigue and hormone sensitivity, creating a challenging cycle.

Reclaiming Your Energy and Balance

Feeling terrible despite normal labs doesn't have to be your reality. Many women discover profound relief once the underlying thyroid and hormone patterns are properly identified and supported. Personalized care that looks at the full picture—cycles, conversion, clearance, and lifestyle—can restore the vitality you deserve.

At Glow Health and Wellness, we specialize in getting to the root of these issues through advanced functional medicine testing and individualized treatment plans focused on women's hormone therapy and thyroid health. We use comprehensive hormone mapping, detailed thyroid panels, and targeted support ranging from nutrient optimization and lifestyle guidance to bioidentical hormones when appropriate to help you feel like yourself again. If you're tired of hearing "everything is normal" while struggling daily, we're here to listen, investigate deeply, and guide you toward lasting wellness.

Explore how we can support you with our comprehensive services:

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8 Comments

Jan 6, 2026, 2:24:05 PM

Angie Davis - You are so very welcome! No more struggling!

Jan 6, 2026, 2:23:28 PM

Angie Davis - Thank you Gregg!

Jan 6, 2026, 2:21:58 PM

Angie Davis - Thank you!

Jan 6, 2026, 2:11:08 PM

Sierra - Very informational ❤️!!

Jan 6, 2026, 1:52:19 PM

Gregg - Excellent information and really ties everything together that my wife has been experiencing.

Jan 6, 2026, 1:50:33 PM

Amanda - Such great information. I have struggled with not feeling myself and have been told everything is “normal”. Thank you for this insight!

Jan 6, 2026, 11:57:15 AM

Angie Davis - Thank you so much Sarah! We hope it helps you!

Jan 6, 2026, 11:56:23 AM

Sarah - Such great info! Thank you!!!

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