Category Archives: Health/Wellness

The Gut-Brain Connection: How Healing Your Gut Can Lift the Fog

By Rosie Moore, DNP, RN, LEHP, LNC, BC-FMP
Functional Medicine Nurse Consultant

Do you ever feel like you’re living in a fog? Trouble focusing, frequent mood swings, low energy, anxiety—or just feeling “off”? You’re not imagining it. And you’re definitely not alone.

As a Functional Health Nurse, I work with individuals every week who’ve been told their symptoms are “just stress” or “all in their head.” But in many cases, those vague but frustrating symptoms are actually connected to something deeper: your gut health.

What Does Your Gut Have to Do with Your Brain?

It turns out, a lot.
Your gut and brain are in constant communication via the gut-brain axis—a powerful two-way highway that links your enteric nervous system (in the gut) with your central nervous system (in the brain).

Think of your gut as your body’s second brain. It houses over 100 million nerve cells and is home to trillions of microbes that influence not only digestion but also mood, memory, focus, and behavior.

When your gut is healthy and balanced, neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA flow more easily—helping you feel calmer, clearer, and more emotionally stable. In fact, about 90% of your body’s serotonin is produced in the gut!

When the Gut-Brain Connection Gets Disrupted

Here’s where things can go off track.
When your gut microbiome becomes imbalanced—due to factors like:

  • Processed food or sugar-heavy diets
  • Frequent antibiotic use
  • Chronic stress or trauma
  • Environmental toxins
  • Food sensitivities

… it can lead to leaky gut, inflammation, poor nutrient absorption, and an overloaded immune system. And that often translates into:

  • Brain fog
  • Mood swings or irritability
  • Fatigue
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Anxiety or depression
  • Trouble concentrating

You might feel like your brain is “glitching” or that your emotions are on a rollercoaster—but really, your gut is sending distress signals.

The Good News: Your Body Wants to Heal

The best part? Your gut is resilient.
When we start working to heal the gut, many clients are amazed at how quickly their brain fog lifts, energy returns, and mood becomes more balanced. Even small steps like:

  • Adding probiotic-rich foods (fermented veggies, kefir, yogurt)
  • Reducing sugar and processed foods
  • Getting better sleep
  • Managing stress with calming techniques
  • Taking targeted supplements or healing herbs

… can help restore harmony between your brain and your belly.

How I Can Help

If you’re tired of feeling off and ready to uncover the root cause of your symptoms, I invite you to schedule a Functional Health Session with me.
We’ll take a personalized, whole-person approach—looking at your lifestyle, labs, nutrition, gut health, hormones, and emotional stressors—to design a plan that helps you finally feel like yourself again.

🩺 Initial Discovery Session: just $25
👉 Click here to book now

Let’s listen to what your gut has been trying to tell you—and start your healing journey from the inside out.

Dr. Rosie Moore, DNP, RN, LEHP, LNC, BC-FMP
Functional Medicine Nurse Consultant
📍 Serving Central Florida & Nationwide (Virtual Options Available)
📞 407-760-1662
📧 rosie@jrmnurseconsultants.com
🔗 www.jrmnurseconsultants.com

World Kindness Day

Too often, we hear stories of people committing suicide due to bullying, whether online or in person. Bullies are often struggling with their own unresolved issues, but that does not excuse harming others. Today, let’s commit to a new wave of kindness and respect—regardless of race, socioeconomic status, gender identity, marital status, or even health choices.

The National Centre Against Bullying defines bullying as “an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical, and/or social behavior that intends to cause harm.” This can occur individually or in groups, and it can affect anyone who feels powerless to stop it.

As a healthcare provider, I respect patients’ personal choices, even when I may not agree with them—whether it’s vaccination, smoking, alcohol, or elective procedures. Autonomy over one’s body is a principle we must honor. Today, we can practice that same respect in everyday interactions by being kind and considerate to others, even when we disagree.

Healthcare professionals also take oaths that emphasize respect, compassion, and removing personal bias. Nurses take the Nightingale Pledge, and physicians now follow a revised oath that asks them to eliminate bias, combat misinformation, and uphold the dignity and rights of all patients. These commitments remind us that respect and kindness are core to our profession and daily life.

On World Kindness Day, let’s be mindful of how we treat others, including respecting personal choices in healthcare, diet, or lifestyle. A small act of kindness can make a huge difference in someone’s day.

Watch this inspiring video by Ikea: Ikea Kindness Video

COVID-19 Should I Be Concerned

There is a lot of stress and fear globally regarding the COVID-19 and what we are supposed to be doing to protect ourselves.  The media, friends and family, popular theme parks, businesses including airlines, cruises, and places of attractions, all have something to share about the COVID-19.  This is a household word that gets used in households on a daily basis probably more times than we want it to be.  Should we be concerned? That is an outstanding yes!! Why?  Well, first of all, let’s dissect what is happening, fear ( false evidence appearing real).

There is a lot of things that we are uncertain of and many times people will provide us information that may not be accurate.  They are not telling us to be mean, but they themselves are scared because they do not have all the facts.  Our healthcare professionals are leaning on the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization ( WHO) to provide them the latest facts.  I am sure there are doctors who specialize in microbiology ( that famous petri dish that I hated in college) to do a battery of tests on this organism.  They learn something new each day.  There is not a specific cure as the virus has not been here long enough to develop a vaccine against it.  This is what causes the fear of not having a cure, not knowing if you contract it what will happen to you, your family, and your job, not to mention your friends.  So now that we dissected what the real issue here is fear, let’s see if we can put your mind at ease while we let the professionals figure out how to eradicate this virus.

“First of all Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a respiratory illness
that can spread from person to person. The virus that causes
COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that was first identified during
an investigation into an outbreak in Wuhan, China.”

“The virus is thought to spread mainly between people who
are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet)
through respiratory droplets produced when an infected
person coughs or sneezes. It also may be possible that a person
can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has
the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or
possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main
way the virus spreads.”

The symptoms are Fever, Cough, and Shortness of breath.  Pretty common symptoms that can be overlooked for many upper respiratory infections.  These symptoms can manifest themselves at any time in the 2-week window after becoming infected.

The way to protect yourself and others from catching the COVID-19 is to practice washing your hands for 20 seconds with antibacterial soap before eating, after eating, after using the bathroom, after touching your nose, eyes, or mouth.  You should also wash your hands after coming from the grocery store or any other public place that is not your home.  If you do not have access to soap and water right away uses the antibacterial right away.  If you shake hands with someone, do not be afraid to use your antibacterial.  I know people may frown at that and think you are germophobic, but really it is okay if questioned a simple explanation stating that you want to practice good infection control and want to be certain that you do not compromise them or your family is enough stated.

Always wash your hands after preparing food and serving or taking care of others ( no matter age).  Avoid contact with people that are sick and if you feel sick, stay home.  do not try to go to church, restaurants, activities, school, or any public spaces with multiple crowds and pawn it off on allergies. Everyone knows allergies are not contagious so many people who cannot afford to stay home because they do not get paid for being out, tell everyone that they have allergies.  Yes someone may have allergies but until this is verified by a doctor or nurse practitioner, stay home!

Be sure to clean surfaces with antibacterial wipes or household disinfectants as the virus can live on surfaces and if touched it can cause someone to get the virus.  When you come home from the outside, take your shoes off outside clean the bottom of the shoe and do take a shower at night before bed or if possible as soon as you come home from work.

I know this all may sound excessive, but if you follow good infection control, it will help decrease the stress that the media is causing you by playing the news 24/7.  Limit the times that you watch the news so that you are able to function on a day to day basis.  Have a cup of chamomile tea for bed to allow your mind to relax and get rest.  Start your day with something positive such as a daily devotion, prayer, or if you do not do any of the latter, watch a tv show that brings laughter to you.  Listen to the news midday or afternoon, this will give you at least what happened in the evening and the morning and not bombard you.

Sick Woman Cold

 

I hope that this has brought you some comfort.  For specific updated information go directly to one of these sites:

CDC/Center for disease control

WHO/World Health Organization

OSHA/Occupational and Safety Health Administration

As a nurse, I have to practice above and beyond the CDC, WHO, and OSHA rules so that I can protect myself and my patients.  So I understand and get everyone’s concerns right away.

Be blessed and be safe.