You're not imagining it

A message for women who've been told "everything looks normal"

Written by Dr. Naomi Dongelmans
August 2025. Portugal

Great! Here you are again.

3 PM, staring at your computer screen while your brain feels like cotton wool. Wrapping your cardigan tighter - that ridiculous cold no one else seems to feel - wondering when that third coffee will finally kick in.

Your belly? Already so bloated the elastic in your pants is cutting into your skin. Just like yesterday. And the day before.

"Eat healthy," they said. Well, you've been doing that for bloody months.

You're the type who's tried everything they threw at you:

• Those green smoothies that made you nauseous ✓
• Ditching gluten (goodbye, beloved sourdough) ✓
• €60 worth of probiotics gathering dust in your cabinet ✓
• Meditation apps that somehow made you more anxious ✓
• A "detox" that cost you a month's salary ✓

And what did you get in return?

"Your labs look perfectly fine." "Maybe try managing your stress?" "This is normal for your age." And my personal favorite: "Have you considered cutting carbs?"

sigh

Let me guess: By now, you're feeling like a hypochondriac. Like you're making a fuss about nothing. Or worse - like you're losing your mind.

But here's what 18 years as a doctor has taught me: Women who think "something's off" are usually spot-on.

You're not crazy. You're not "just getting older." And you are absolutely. not. alone.

In fact, you're one of the brave ones. One of the women refusing to accept "meh" as their new normal.

That's why you're here.

When modern medicine falls short

I'm Dr. Naomi, and my journey into gut health didn't start in medical school.

It started in my childhood home, a place that could have doubled as an allergy clinic. Every surface held some kind of remedy: asthma inhalers scattered across countertops, antihistamines in every drawer, windows flung open in the dead of winter to "clear the air."

Add to that a family history decorated with cancer and Alzheimer's, and my own personal collection of antibiotic prescriptions, and you might say health challenges were my first teachers.

But it wasn't until I put on that white coat that I really saw it: How the system I believed in was failing the women who needed it most.

Every. Single. Day.

They'd come in with stories I can now recite in my sleep:

• The lawyer hiding in bathroom stalls during crucial meetings because of her IBS.
• The mother of three prescribed antidepressants for her "postnatal blues" (which turned out to be thyroid dysfunction).
• The yoga instructor whose belly looked 6 months pregnant by 4 PM.

But no matter who they were or what they felt, the answers were always the same tired script:

"Your labs look normal."

"It's probably in your head."

"Just get more rest."

"Here's a pill to take the edge off."

And every time I wrote another band-aid prescription, knowing very well it wouldn't fix the root cause, something inside me screamed: "This is BS. There has to be a better way."

So I made a decision that changed everything: Not to abandon medicine, but to completely reinvent how I practiced it.

What followed wasn't pretty. Years of additional training, countless sleepless nights diving into:

• The actual science of functional and integrative medicine (not the Instagram version)
• Cutting-edge gut health research that never makes it to regular practices
• The mind-blowing connection between your gut and, well, everything

Today? I bridge the gap between conventional medicine and what actually works. Not by throwing science out the window, but by digging deeper than most doctors ever bother to go.

Here's the kicker most physicians won't tell you (because half of them don't even know): Your gut isn't just about digestion. It's running the whole show.

These aren’t fringe theories.

They’re well-documented factors I see in almost every client I work with. And once you address them? The dominoes start falling the other way.

The uncomfortable truth

Those "random" symptoms that make you feel crazy? They're about as random as a carefully planned heist.

• That afternoon crash isn't because you're "getting old"
• Those mood swings aren't "just hormones being hormones"
• That brain fog isn't because you're "too busy"
• That bloating isn't "just something you ate"
• Those extra pounds aren't because you're "lazy"

They're all connected. And the connection point? That "second brain" in your gut that nobody taught your doctor about in medical school.

When everything finally makes sense

Let me share something that might surprise you: Your body isn't broken. It's not betraying you. And it's not "just getting old."

It's trying to tell you something. And once you learn to listen, really listen, everything begins to shift.

The patterns I see every day

After working with so many women, I've discovered something fascinating: The path to healing often follows a similar pattern, but it's not the one you've been taught to expect.

Pattern #1: The relief of recognition

When women first discover what's really causing their symptoms, there's often tears. Not of sadness, but of relief. Because finally:

• The random pieces start fitting together
• The "unexplained" symptoms make sense
• The years of frustration have a reason

Pattern #2: The surprising connections

Did you know:

• That sugar craving at 3 PM? Direct result of what happened in your gut at breakfast
• Those weird sleep issues? Your gut bacteria are working the night shift (poorly)
• That stubborn weight? Could be more about inflammation than calories
• Those mood swings? Possibly triggered by what's happening in your microbiome

Pattern #3: The ripple effect

When you start healing your gut, something magical happens. Other symptoms, ones you thought were unrelated, often begin to improve:

• Brain fog lifts (like someone finally cleaned your windshield)
• Energy stabilizes (goodbye, 3 PM crash)
• Sleep deepens (actual sleep, not that fake stuff)
• Weight balances (without crazy restrictions)
• Mood steadies (no more emotional roller coaster)

These women didn’t just “feel better.” They got clarity. A plan. A sense of control.

And perhaps most importantly: they started trusting their bodies again.

What's actually possible

• Waking up without feeling like you've been hit by a truck
• Eating without playing Russian roulette with your digestive system
• Looking in the mirror and recognizing yourself again (instead of wondering who that bloated stranger is)
• Making decisions from a place of clarity (not brain fog)
• Finally trusting your body instead of fighting it every day

This isn't just possible.

With the right approach, it's probable.

A different kind of conversation about health

If you're still reading, you're probably tired of:

• Instagram "gut health experts" selling you overpriced supplements
• Doctors dismissing your symptoms because they don't fit in a neat box
• Endless supplement lists

What you need is clarity. Understanding. A path forward that makes sense.

You don’t need to figure this out alone

Maybe you’ve felt dismissed. Or overwhelmed by contradicting advice. Or like you’re doing everything “right” and still not getting answers.

I get it. I've been there. Both as a patient and as a doctor.

"I believe in your body's ability to heal. I believe in your right to understand why. And I believe this is just the beginning of your transformation."

Straight talk and real solutions,

Dr. Naomi

PS. I mail often. Always with purpose, never with pressure. Stay as long as it serves you. Unsubscribe anytime.