St. Charles Functional Medicine

AFTERNOON CRASHES

If you crash every afternoon, it's not laziness.

It may be your body struggling with blood sugar regulation, cortisol rhythm, poor protein intake, poor sleep quality, or inflammation.

That 2–4 PM crash is one of the most common patterns we see in functional medicine.

The goal is not to just push through with more caffeine.

The goal is to figure out why your energy system keeps dropping out halfway through the day.

At St. Charles Functional Medicine, we look at patterns like fatigue, cravings, sleep, digestion, hormones, and labs together so you can stop guessing.

"I'm eating right and exercising but....I can't lose weight!"

That sentence is a clue.

It does not automatically mean the person needs more willpower.

It may mean we need to look deeper at insulin resistance, thyroid function, cortisol patterns, inflammation, sleep quality, gut health, and hormone shifts.

Weight loss is not always a math problem.

Sometimes it is a physiology problem.

That is why we do not just ask, “How many calories are you eating?”

We ask, “What is your body doing with the food, stress, sleep, and hormones you are giving it?”

**PCOS Has a New Name: PMOS**

PCOS, formerly known as **Polycystic O***y Syndrome**, has been renamed **PMOS: Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome**.

Why the change?

Because PCOS was never just about ovarian cysts.

In fact, many women with PCOS do not have cysts at all. The condition is often more connected to hormone imbalance, insulin resistance, blood sugar issues, inflammation, weight-loss resistance, acne, irregular cycles, hair thinning, and unwanted facial hair growth.

The new name, **PMOS**, better reflects what is actually happening:

**Polyendocrine** = multiple hormone systems
**Metabolic** = blood sugar, insulin, weight, and inflammation
**Ovarian** = cycle and reproductive health

This is a step in the right direction because it shifts the conversation away from “cysts” and toward the deeper hormone and metabolic patterns driving the symptoms.

This is exactly how we approach it: looking beyond the label and asking what is driving the pattern.

COLLAGEN SUPPLEMENTS: WASTE OF MONEY?

Everyone is taking collagen right now.

For:
• Hair
• Skin
• Joints
• “Anti-aging”

But here’s the question…

Is it actually doing what people think?

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WHAT IT CLAIMS TO DO:

• Improve skin elasticity
• Strengthen hair and nails
• Support joints
• Slow aging

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WHAT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING:

Collagen gets broken down into amino acids during digestion
→ Your body doesn’t just “send it to your skin”

If digestion is poor → you’re not utilizing it well

If you’re low in key cofactors (vitamin C, zinc, copper)
→ collagen production still won’t improve

If inflammation is high → breakdown > repair

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HERE’S THE REAL ISSUE:

People think:

“Take collagen → build collagen”

But your body doesn’t work like that.

Collagen production depends on:
• Nutrient status
• Gut health
• Hormones
• Inflammation levels

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WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS:

If you want better skin, joints, and recovery:

• Improve protein intake overall
• Support digestion
• Address inflammation
• Ensure proper micronutrients

THEN collagen might help.

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BOTTOM LINE:

Collagen isn’t useless…

But for most people,
it’s not the magic fix it’s marketed to be.