Hormone Imbalance Doctor in Orem, Utah | Functional Medicine
Fatigue that sleep doesn't fix, weight that won't budge, mood swings that come out of nowhere, and a general feeling that something is off. If your hormones have been dismissed as "normal" but you know your body isn't right, Dr. Drussel uses functional medicine to find the imbalance and build a plan to restore it.
Does this sound like you?
If any of these hit close to home, it's not in your head. Hormone imbalances are real, measurable, and treatable once someone actually looks in the right places.
- Exhaustion that hits hardest in the afternoon, no matter how much sleep you got the night before
- Weight gain around the midsection that doesn't respond to diet or exercise
- Mood swings, irritability, or anxiety that feels disproportionate to what's actually happening in your life
- Your sex drive has disappeared and you can't explain why
- Hair thinning, dry skin, or feeling cold all the time
- PMS symptoms that have gotten progressively worse over the years
- You've been told your labs are "normal" but you feel anything but normal
Why your hormones are out of balance
Hormones don't operate in isolation. They work as a connected network where one imbalance cascades into another. Your thyroid affects your metabolism. Your cortisol affects your thyroid. Your gut health affects your estrogen clearance. Your blood sugar affects your cortisol. Treating any single hormone without understanding the full picture is like fixing one leak while three others drip.
The most common root causes Dr. Drussel sees at Integrative Motion in Orem, Utah include:
- HPA-axis dysfunction (adrenal fatigue) where chronic stress has disrupted your cortisol rhythm. Cortisol is supposed to be high in the morning and taper off at night. When that pattern flattens or inverts, everything downstream suffers: energy, sleep, weight, mood, and the production of sex hormones like estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone.
- Estrogen dominance where estrogen is too high relative to progesterone. This isn't always about producing too much estrogen. It can happen because the gut isn't clearing estrogen properly, because stress is stealing progesterone to make cortisol, or because environmental xenoestrogens are adding to the load.
- Low testosterone in both men and women. In men, this shows up as fatigue, low motivation, muscle loss, and reduced libido. In women, low testosterone can mean fatigue, low mood, and difficulty building or maintaining muscle. Conventional ranges are wide, and "normal" on a lab test doesn't mean optimal.
- Thyroid dysfunction that doesn't show up on standard TSH-only testing. A full thyroid panel including free T3, free T4, reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies often reveals problems that a basic screening misses entirely.
- Blood sugar dysregulation where insulin resistance is driving cortisol spikes, increasing inflammation, and making it nearly impossible for other hormones to function properly. This is one of the most overlooked drivers of hormone imbalance.
The key is understanding that hormones are interconnected. You can't fix estrogen without looking at cortisol. You can't fix cortisol without looking at blood sugar. Dr. Drussel traces the full chain to find where the dysfunction starts.
How we investigate hormone imbalances
Dr. Drussel starts with a deep health history, not a prescription pad. Your first functional medicine visit at Integrative Motion covers everything: when you first noticed changes, what your energy pattern looks like throughout the day, your menstrual history, stress load, sleep quality, dietary habits, and every medication and supplement you're currently taking.
Symptom surveys help map how hormone dysfunction is showing up across all body systems, because hormone problems rarely stay confined to one area. The fatigue, the weight gain, the mood changes, and the brain fog are usually all connected.
From there, the investigation may include:
- Comprehensive blood work that goes beyond basic hormone panels. This includes a full thyroid panel (TSH, free T3, free T4, reverse T3, antibodies), fasting insulin, HbA1c, inflammatory markers, and nutrient levels that directly affect hormone production.
- DUTCH testing (Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones) when deeper hormone insight is needed. DUTCH measures not just hormone levels but how your body is metabolizing and clearing hormones, which reveals patterns that blood tests alone can miss.
- Cortisol pattern assessment to evaluate how your stress response is functioning throughout the day, not just a single morning snapshot
- Dietary and lifestyle review to identify blood sugar patterns, nutrient gaps, and environmental exposures that may be disrupting hormone balance
Dr. Drussel is selective about testing. DUTCH panels and advanced hormone testing are powerful tools, but they aren't necessary for every patient. If your health history and basic blood work tell a clear story, he'll start treatment there and order advanced testing only if the response doesn't match expectations. Every test should change what you do next.
What treatment looks like
Hormone balance is not about replacing what's low and hoping for the best. It's about understanding why the imbalance exists and addressing the cause. Sometimes that means supporting the body's own production. Sometimes it means removing what's blocking it. The plan is always personalized to your specific situation.
Depending on what the investigation reveals, your hormone protocol at Integrative Motion may include:
- Blood sugar stabilization through personalized nutrition that balances macronutrients and meal timing. Insulin resistance is one of the most common hidden drivers of hormone dysfunction, and correcting it often improves energy, mood, and weight without touching the hormones directly.
- Adrenal support protocols using adaptogenic herbs, targeted nutrients, stress management strategies, and lifestyle modifications to restore healthy cortisol patterns
- Estrogen and progesterone balancing through dietary changes that support proper hormone clearance, gut health optimization (your gut directly affects estrogen metabolism), and targeted supplementation
- Thyroid support including nutrient optimization for thyroid hormone production and conversion, and coordination with your prescribing provider if medication adjustments are warranted
- Targeted supplementation based on your lab results and symptoms, not a generic "hormone support" stack. This may include vitamin D, magnesium, zinc, B vitamins, DIM, or adaptogenic herbs depending on what your body actually needs.
- Regular monitoring and adjustment with check-ins every 4 to 8 weeks. Hormones respond to intervention, and the plan needs to evolve as your body changes. What works in month one may need adjustment by month three.
This is a marathon, not a sprint. Hormone imbalances develop over years, and restoring balance takes consistent effort and patience. Most patients notice improvements in energy and mood within 4 to 6 weeks, with more significant changes in weight, sleep, and overall function within 3 to 6 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
DUTCH (Dried Urine Test for Comprehensive Hormones) is an advanced hormone test that measures not just hormone levels, but how your body metabolizes and clears hormones. It provides insight into estrogen metabolism pathways, cortisol patterns throughout the day, and androgen metabolism that blood work alone can miss. Not every patient needs it. Dr. Drussel orders DUTCH testing when basic blood work doesn't explain the full picture or when he needs to understand hormone metabolism patterns to guide treatment.
Standard lab ranges are based on statistical averages of the general population, not on what's optimal for you. A TSH of 4.0 is technically "normal" but may be far from where you feel your best. Functional medicine uses narrower optimal ranges and looks at the full picture, including markers that conventional screening doesn't typically include like free T3, reverse T3, fasting insulin, and cortisol patterns. Feeling terrible with "normal" labs usually means the right tests weren't run or the ranges being used are too broad.
Yes, and it's one of the most common root causes Dr. Drussel sees. Chronic stress keeps cortisol elevated, which disrupts the entire hormone cascade. Your body will prioritize making stress hormones over sex hormones (a process sometimes called "pregnenolone steal"). This is why periods of prolonged stress often coincide with changes in menstrual cycles, libido, energy, and weight. Addressing the stress response isn't just a lifestyle suggestion. It's a core part of hormone treatment.
Dr. Drussel's approach focuses on identifying why hormones are out of balance and supporting the body's own production and regulation. This may include nutritional changes, supplementation, stress management, and lifestyle modifications. If hormone replacement therapy is indicated, Dr. Drussel will coordinate with your primary care provider or endocrinologist who can prescribe it. The functional medicine approach and HRT are not mutually exclusive; they often work best together.
Your gut plays a direct role in hormone metabolism, particularly estrogen. A collection of gut bacteria called the estrobolome produces an enzyme (beta-glucuronidase) that determines how much estrogen gets recycled back into your body versus excreted. When gut health is compromised, estrogen clearance is disrupted, often leading to estrogen dominance. This is why gut health is almost always part of the hormone conversation at Integrative Motion.
Most patients notice improvements in energy and mood within 4 to 6 weeks of starting a personalized protocol. More significant changes in weight, sleep quality, menstrual regularity, and overall hormone balance typically take 3 to 6 months. Hormones operate on cycles, so it takes time to shift the pattern. Dr. Drussel monitors your progress at regular check-ins and adjusts the protocol as your body responds. Consistency is key.
Related conditions
Hormone imbalances are deeply connected to thyroid function, gut health, metabolism, and energy. If you're dealing with hormone issues, these related conditions may also be part of the picture.
Start with a Functional Medicine Consultation
Call Integrative Motion in Orem, Utah to schedule your consultation with Dr. Drussel. If your hormones have been dismissed as "normal" but your body says otherwise, it's time someone listened.