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Blog posts about Women's Health

Wellness Beyond the Brain

Our practice focuses on health of all parts of our bodies, and in my patients, that largely means attending to brains, bones, and hearts. Or as Paul Simon said, “Hearts and Bones.” Because taking proper care of hearts and bones will cover much of brain …


Precision Medicine & IntellxxDNA

Have you ever wished your body came with an owner’s manual so you could finally understand what is going on? Let’s be honest: much of conventional medicine can feel like educated trial and error. Get some tests — which are likely “normal.” Try this med …


Connection & Longevity

In my office at Northwest Wellness Center, you will see a series of abstract art framed on my wall. I painted these several years ago, inspired by the joy and beauty of connection and how it is an essential part of our human experience. While I didn’t …


Second Thoughts on Progesterone

Taking a step back, I have been an advocate for biological hormone replacement for menopausal women for more than 25 years—back when there were only a few compounding pharmacies and no conventional pharmacy preparations that were safe. There were no co …


Let’s Talk About Sex and Matters of the Heart

No, not that kind of sex (though we do love to talk about sexual health here at Northwest Wellness Center). Today, we’re talking about the other kind — biological sex — and how it affects your heart. Get ready, because what you’re about to learn might …


Let’s Talk Hormones: A Diatribe (But a Useful One)

Okay, I’m confessing right up front: I have a few axes to grind. If you bear with me, I promise to share some solid information in a more balanced tone as well! I’m inspired to write by articles like the recent one in American Family Physician, titled …


Brain Pearl #4: Brains Love Estrogen

Brains Love Estrogen (Yes, Even Male Brains) Here’s a fun fact: your brain—regardless of gender—loves estrogen. Brains of all kinds have estrogen receptors, and while there’s some genetic variation, our brains are well-fed by estrogen throughout our li …


The Metabolic Impact of Hormone Health

Why Estrogen (and Its Hormonal Sisters) Matter More Than You Think As women transition through perimenopause and into menopause, there’s more at stake than just hot flashes or irregular periods. The decline of hormones—especially estrogen, progesterone …


Optimizing Women’s Health Through the Menstrual Stages

Health is not just the absence of disease—it’s energy, vitality, focus, resilience, and joy. While biomarkers like cholesterol or glucose provide important insights, our experience of health is deeply personal and evolves throughout life—especially for …


Bone Health Thoughts

I have recently re-remembered one of my favorite bone-building tips… one kind of non-obvious bone-building food, a simple exercise, and a comment about lab tests. Bone-Building Foods Building bones starts with protein and—if you tolerate dairy—calcium- …


HIGH PROTEIN & NUTRIENT DENSE WAYS TO START YOUR DAY

If you follow the suggestions of DrDeborahMD, you know that she often recommends prioritizing a high protein diet. Her general recommendation is to have 1 gram of protein for every kilogram of your body weight daily. Many of our patients use resources …


Breast Cancer Prevention

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it has been a few years since we have devoted a newsletter to the topic.   Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in US women, and by far the most common form of cancer other than skin cancers. …


Wise Sleep Solutions

As I mentioned in Sleep Comes First, wise sleep solutions are the first step to solving any health problem related to inflammation or hormonal imbalance, and the first step is a good assessment. Are you sleeping 8-9 hours nightly, including at least 60 …


COLOSTRUM for newborns and … adults?

Imagine a newborn baby, suddenly exposed to the outside world after a completely protected life growing in their mother’s womb. Not entirely on their own, new babies are strengthened to interact with the world by a special food in early breast milk: Co …


CreatinG Health with CreatinE

Creatine is probably the most overlooked—yet absolutely essential—supplement to include in any plan focused on getting or staying healthy, especially if you are a vegetarian*. Spoiler alert: you should only read on if you want to be smarter, have bette …


Precision Nutrition and Your Multivitamin

When I was first applying my thoughts about nutrition and human physiology to my practice of medicine, it was called “Integrative Medicine”…but I just think it should be called “Medicine!” We did learn physiology in med school, though—must admit—not m …


Bone Health

We don’t often think about them, but we can’t do anything without them. Our bones pretty much take care of themselves up to the age of “peak bone.”  Throughout our lives, our bones are constantly “remodeling” – clearing out the old parts and replacing …


Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) & Alzheimer’s Disease

In response to your great suggestions, we’ve decided to address the most frequently mentioned common thread: Hormone Replacement Therapy and Alzheimer’s, Both At and After Menopause. This is a huge topic, we’ll piece apart a few threads, pertinent to s …


Feed Your Bones

A shopping list for bone health Throughout our lives, our bones are working hard to be the best bones possible for the ease, comfort and strength of the entire body.  Bone repair and rebuilding is an energy-demanding task that changes in intensity over …


The Fountain of Youth

In honor of our virtual operations manager, Rachel Lee (well-known to many of you, who moved to Florida but luckily has stayed connected with our practice), let’s talk a minute about Florida. Old Florida of course had an indigenous presence long before …


Pre-eclampsia and dementia

Pre-eclampsia and dementia

A study just released showed that women with a history of pre-eclampsia (hypertension, edema, and protein in the urine during pregnancy) have a marked (350%!!!) increased risk of dementia. The risk is primarily for vascular dementia, which is not stric …