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The Hidden Cause of Hormone Imbalance Most Doctors Miss

Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine

Release Date: 03/19/2026

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Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine

You know what would make you feel better—so why is it still so difficult to do? When exhaustion, brain fog, low mood, and overwhelm become your normal, it’s easy to blame yourself for lacking motivation or discipline. Psychologist Dr. Matthew Campbell sits down with Dr. Rob to offer a more compassionate—and actionable—explanation: you may be depleted of five primal needs your body was built to receive. He reveals why sunlight, sleep, movement, genuine connection, and intentional consumption can influence how you feel more profoundly than another complicated health protocol—and how to...

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Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine

What if the way you manage your money isn’t all that different from the way you manage your health? In this episode of Field Notes, host Heather Moon sits down with financial planner Tanner Link for a fascinating conversation about the surprising parallels between financial wellness and functional medicine. Just like chronic health issues rarely start with symptoms alone, financial stress often stems from deeper patterns hiding beneath the surface — impulse behaviors, lack of awareness, misaligned priorities, and operating on autopilot. Together, Heather and Tanner unpack how budgeting,...

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Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine

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Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine

Most athletes spend countless hours training their bodies, but what if the biggest factor holding them back is something they rarely train at all? In this insightful episode of Field Notes, sports psychologist and former Olympic ski coach Andy Liebner reveals why mental performance may be just as important as physical preparation. Drawing from his own journey as an elite athlete, coach, and PhD candidate in sports psychology, Andy shares practical strategies for building confidence, overcoming self-doubt, mastering visualization, and staying focused under pressure. Whether you're a competitive...

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Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine

In this powerful episode of Field Notes, Heather Moon sits down with Jenny Loudon, co-founder of the Alaska Eating Disorders Alliance, for a compassionate and eye-opening conversation about the reality of eating disorders. Jenny explains why these illnesses are so often misunderstood, overlooked, or minimized — especially when someone does not “look sick.” The discussion explores how eating disorders impact the mind, body, relationships, and identity, while challenging many common assumptions around food, weight, and health. From social media pressure and perfectionism to atypical...

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Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine

Season 5 of the Field Notes podcast continues with a thoughtful conversation hosted by Heather Moon, who is stepping into a larger hosting role this season with her signature warmth, curiosity, and whole-person approach to health. In this episode, Heather sits down with returning guest and Alaska-based personal trainer Heidi Cox to explore what fitness really looks like when it’s aligned with real life, changing hormones, injury recovery, mental health, and sustainable wellness. Together, they unpack the importance of individualized care, behavior change, movement as medicine, and why true...

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Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine

What if the headaches, fatigue, brain fog, poor sleep, allergies, or “mysterious symptoms” you’ve been chasing for years aren’t just about food, supplements, or stress… but the environment inside your own home? In this fascinating episode of the Field Notes podcast, Dr. Rob Downey and Joe Rignola dive into the emerging concept of “functional medicine for the home” — exploring how air quality, lighting, EMFs, water, cleaning products, and even the items in your pantry may be silently taxing your body every single day. Dr. Rob shares why he partnered with Clean Elements and...

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Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine

In this fascinating episode of Field Notes, Dr. Rob Downey sits down with Dr. Shawn Talbott to unpack the powerful connection between the gut and the brain—and why your microbiome may have far more influence over your mental fitness than most people realize.  Together, they explore how gut bacteria can affect stress resilience, mood, sleep, motivation, and even cognitive clarity through pathways involving neurotransmitters, inflammation, and the immune system.  What makes this conversation especially compelling is that it stays grounded in both science and practicality: yes, there...

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Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine

In this fascinating episode of Field Notes, Dr. Rob Downey sits down with Greg Lee—a former NASA systems engineer turned acupuncturist and chronic illness specialist—to explore a radically integrative approach to complex health conditions. Drawing from decades of clinical experience, Greg explains how hidden drivers like mold toxicity, stealth infections, nervous system dysregulation, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction can keep people sick even when their labs look “normal.” He walks through the tools he uses to uncover and address these deeper patterns, including advanced...

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Field Notes: An Exploration of Functional Medicine

In this powerful episode of Field Notes, Dr. Rob sits down with Christine Ruch to explore one of the most overlooked pieces of true healing: the nervous system. Christine shares her own journey from being diagnosed with MS and doing everything “right” in the world of diet, supplements, and holistic health—yet still getting sicker—until she discovered that deeper healing required more than a perfect protocol. Together, she and Dr. Rob unpack how unresolved stress, trauma, hypervigilance, and emotional suppression can quietly block recovery, and why embodiment, surrender, and nervous...

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More Episodes

In this powerful Field Notes episode, Dr. Rob Downey sits down with Dr. Jeff Brown to unpack a topic that far too many women have been told to simply endure: painful periods, hormone imbalance, and the deeper systemic issues driving their symptoms. 

Dr. Brown shares his journey from conventional medicine into functional and regenerative care, explaining why he became frustrated with symptom management and was drawn to a root-cause approach that actually helps people heal. 

Together, they explore why women are so often dismissed in traditional medical settings, why common does not mean normal when it comes to menstrual pain, and how conditions like endometriosis can dramatically improve when the body is supported through better testing, nutrition, stress reduction, gut healing, detoxification, and properly balanced hormones. 

It’s an eye-opening conversation that offers both validation and hope for women who are tired of being told to “push through” symptoms that deserve real attention.

Learn more about Dr. Brown here: http://hormonehealthwithdrbrown.com

  • Painful periods are common, but they are not normal and should be seen as a sign that something deeper needs to be addressed.

  • Dr. Brown explains why many women feel dismissed in conventional medicine, especially in rushed, insurance-based models that leave little room for complex root-cause care.

  • Proper hormone testing matters, and timing is key—especially testing during the luteal phase to better understand estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone balance.

  • Healing often requires a whole-body approach, including gut health, inflammation reduction, detoxification support, movement, and nervous system regulation.

  • Dr. Brown shares a transformative endometriosis case that shows how powerful the right functional approach can be in restoring hope, balance, and quality of life.