The Wellness Advice That Broke Me—and What I Invented to Fix It

By Lauren Scott Dovey, founder of Heat Healer and CEAN

We’re told that feeling good is a formula: eat clean, train harder, push through. But what if that advice is exactly what’s making so many women feel worse?

In my twenties, I did everything I was told to do. I worked out six days a week, I tried fasting, I cut out carbs, sugar, and dairy—and even participated in those insulin-crashing juice diets that promised to reset everything. I was chasing that sense of control, of lightness, of being healthy. But instead, my body pushed back. I felt constantly inflamed, swollen, and heavy no matter how much discipline I applied. I would finish a workout and feel more drained than revived. It wasn’t adding up.

What I didn’t know then was that I had PCOS, a hormonal and cardiovascular condition that makes the body respond to stress differently. The more I pushed, the more it held on. I had been unknowingly creating a state of survival in my own body, confusing it with all the mixed messages of modern wellness.

No doctor had ever explained that to me. In fact, no one had ever really explained PCOS at all. I was put on the birth control pill as a teenager to “regulate things,” and for nearly a decade it masked the underlying issues. Before my wedding, I came off the pill, thinking it would help me lose a few kilos and feel lighter in my skin. Instead, it sent my hormones into chaos. My skin broke out, my moods crashed, and I felt so unlike myself that I panicked and went straight back on. I told myself I would deal with it later.

Eventually, I did. The symptoms got louder. My energy was unpredictable. I had fluid retention, varicose veins, constant puffiness, and a deep feeling that something in me was out of rhythm. Eventually, the tests came back with high testosterone and inflammation markers. The specialist looked at me and said, "I’m not sure if you should be overweight with hair where it shouldn’t be, or an elite athlete," which somehow made me feel worse. I didn’t want labels or judgment. I just wanted someone to tell me what was wrong and how to fix it.

And guess what one of the most prominent symptoms of PCOS is? Anxiety. Which is only made worse when you feel unwell and have no clear diagnosis. That uncertainty, that lack of clarity, feeds the cycle.

So I started finding my own ways to feel better. The sauna was one of the first things that made sense. I didn’t know the science yet, but I knew it made me feel human again. Heat helped calm the inflammation and release the heaviness. Later I learned that supporting the liver helps clear out excess hormones, and that was exactly what my body had been craving.

Compression wear and lymphatic massage followed. The moment I felt that gentle pressure and release, I understood what relief really felt like. Moving my lymph improved everything, from energy and mood to circulation and clarity. It became my non-negotiable.

Around that time, the wellness world was obsessed with more—more intensity, more fasting, more control. But with PCOS, all of that backfires. When I over-exercised, I swelled. When I fasted, I gained weight. I once did a 72-hour fast with a male friend. He felt amazing. I felt broken. PCOS sees stress as danger. It holds on to everything.

That experience became the foundation for what I create now. The Heat Healer sauna blanket was my way to bring that same restorative heat home—to support the liver, clear hormones, and help the body rest. The Body Belt became my hormonal cocoon, something I could wrap around myself when my body felt out of balance, or to zap period aches in their tracks. And the wearable lymphatic pieces grew from that same need, designed to help women move fluid, improve circulation, and feel lighter in their bodies every day.

Now, with three daughters ages eight, eight, and eleven, I want them to understand their bodies sooner than I did. I want them to know that the signs our bodies give us aren’t random. Being well isn’t about punishment or perfection, but connection.

Because the truth is, you can’t fix what you don’t understand. And once you understand it, you stop fighting your body. You start listening to it. You start living in flow.