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Niki Smith Niki Smith

From Symptoms to Strategy: Why I Start With Labs

This is one of the most common frustrations I hear in practice. And it is exactly why I do not start with protocols. I start with labs. Not because labs are trendy or because more data is always better, but because guessing, even educated guessing, often leads people further away from relief instead of closer to it.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

Why PMDD Doesn’t Always Improve With Age or Menopause

PMDD is often framed as a hormone problem. But the reality is more complex. For many individuals, PMDD is not driven by abnormal hormone levels. It is driven by how the brain and nervous system respond to normal hormonal shifts. That distinction matters, especially as we move through different life stages.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

Why Lab Timing Matters More Than Supplements

For ADHD, Hormonal Symptoms, and Chronic Stress. This experience is frustrating, and it is also incredibly common. It often leads people to assume that supplements do not work, or that their body is unusually sensitive or resistant to support. In most cases, neither is true. More often, the issue is timing, physiological context, and unmet demand, not the supplement itself.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

Vyvanse, Supplements, and “Safe” Nutrients

Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) is one of the most commonly prescribed stimulant medications for ADHD. It is also FDA approved for moderate to severe binge eating disorder in adults. For many people, it plays an important role in improving focus, task completion, impulse control, and daily functioning. But there is a major gap in how this medication is typically discussed.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

Vitamin B3 (Niacin)

Vitamin B3, also known as niacin, is rarely part of conversations about mental health. When it is mentioned, it is usually framed as a cholesterol-lowering nutrient or the vitamin known for causing uncomfortable flushing at high doses.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

How Gut Dysbiosis Affects ADHD Symptoms: What the Science Really Shows

If you’ve ever noticed that your (or your child’s) ADHD symptoms flare with digestive issues, inflammation, or after antibiotics, you’re not imagining it. A growing body of science shows that gut dysbiosis—an imbalance in gut bacteria—can directly influence ADHD traits like impulsivity, hyperactivity, emotional dysregulation, reward-seeking, and even anxiety.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

Rosemary: The Herb for Focus, Gut Health, and Antioxidant Power

Rosemary has been celebrated for centuries for sharpening memory and awakening the senses. Today, research confirms that this piney Mediterranean herb supports brain health, gut balance, and antioxidant defense — three pillars I focus on in my work with ADHD, fatigue, and hormone imbalance.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

Functional Lab Testing for PMDD

If you live with PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder), you already know it’s not “just PMS.” PMDD can feel like your hormones and emotions are waging war against you—every single month. Mood swings, fatigue, irritability, and low motivation can make it hard to focus, work, or even feel like yourself.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

Tired, Foggy, and Unfocused?

If you’ve ever felt like your ADHD symptoms flare with fatigue, brain fog, irritability, or even depression, you’re not imagining it. Research increasingly shows that low iron levels and anemia can both mimic and amplify ADHD symptoms, affecting focus, energy, and emotional balance.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

ADHD in Women

This is why ADHD in women is so often misunderstood. For decades, research focused on young boys. Girls and women slipped through the cracks, misdiagnosed with anxiety or depression, told to “just try harder.” Meanwhile, their ADHD symptoms were actually being supercharged by estrogen changes and inflammation.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

Why Impulsivity Isn’t Just “Bad Behavior”

Have you ever found yourself blurting something out and regretting it right away? Or maybe you made a purchase you couldn’t really afford, snapped at your partner, or grabbed junk food even when you swore you’d eat better? Most people chalk these up to “bad habits” or “lack of willpower.” But research is uncovering something shocking: inflammation can literally rewire how your brain makes decisions — pushing you toward impulsivity and poor self-control.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

Vitex and PMDD

If you’ve ever felt like your hormones hijack your life every single month, you’re not alone. For women with PMDD (premenstrual dysphoric disorder), those days before a period can bring crushing mood swings, irritability, depression, and physical symptoms that feel impossible to manage. While conventional treatments often focus on birth control or antidepressants, many women are searching for natural options that address the root cause. That’s where Vitex (Vitex agnus-castus), also known as chasteberry, comes in.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

PMDD and Progesterone: What’s the Catch?

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is more than “bad PMS.” It affects up to 29% of women of reproductive age and can completely disrupt daily life. PMDD symptoms often appear in the two weeks before a period and may include rage, depression, brain fog, exhaustion, and even suicidal thoughts.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

PMDD, Histamine, and the Bigger Picture

If you’ve spent time in PMDD support groups or scrolling through TikTok lately, you’ve probably seen people talking about histamine. Some women say that popping an antihistamine like Benadryl or Zyrtec takes the edge off their luteal phase symptoms. Others swear by natural antihistamines like quercetin or vitamin C.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

Lead and ADHD

If you have ADHD, or parent a child with ADHD, here’s a truth bomb you probably haven’t heard from your pediatrician: Heavy metals, especially lead, can make ADHD symptoms up to 20% worse.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

Why Choline Deserves a Spot in Your Child's ADHD Care Plan

Choline is a water-soluble nutrient often grouped with the B-vitamin family. It’s critical for brain development, neurotransmitter production, and maintaining healthy cell membranes. In fact, it’s a key building block for acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that influences memory, attention, and muscle control — all areas that kids with ADHD may struggle with.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

How Nervous System Support Transforms ADHD + PMDD Care

When we think about attention challenges and emotional regulation, we often jump straight to executive functioning, focus hacks, or brain chemistry. But in my clinical practice, especially with complex cases involving attention issues and cycle-related conditions like ADHD or PMDD, I see another piece of the puzzle show up over and over again: nervous system dysregulation.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

Neurotransmitters in ADHD: What You Should Know

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that transmit signals between neurons (nerve cells) and other cells in the body. These tiny but powerful compounds help regulate everything from mood and focus to sleep, energy, digestion, and even immune response. The human body has around 100 neurotransmitters, and over 40 of them are active in the brain and nervous system.

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Niki Smith Niki Smith

Is It ADHD... or PMDD? Understanding the Overlap Between Hormones & Executive Function

PMDD stands for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, a severe hormone sensitivity that causes significant emotional and physical symptoms in the luteal phase (the 1–2 weeks before your period). While PMS can cause some mood changes, PMDD is debilitating and often misdiagnosed as anxiety, depression, or in many of my clients’ cases—just "worse ADHD."

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Struggling with ADHD or PMDD and tired of being told to just deal with it”?

This group is your safe space to finally get answers. Root Cause Relief for ADHD & PMDD goes beyond surface-level fixes to uncover what’s really driving your symptoms, nutritional imbalances, gut health, hormones, and more.

This community offers evidence-based strategies, holistic tools, and compassionate support. If you’re ready for clarity, calm, and real relief, you belong here.