Proactive Health: a Naturopathic Clinic

Proactive Health: a Naturopathic Clinic Proactive Health redefines the meaning of health, and provides a refreshing and whole person approach to wellness.

Proactive Health was designed to help people reach optimal health and performance by using the best of traditional and conventional medicine. We specialize in pain management and nutrition, and also help our clients manage the daily stress of life. Our approach involves looking at the whole person and offering a tailored approach to health.

There are many ways to include HRT in a way that doesn’t cause more issues. Our goal may be to be on a specific HRT regi...
09/05/2026

There are many ways to include HRT in a way that doesn’t cause more issues. Our goal may be to be on a specific HRT regimen, but you can start low, increase slowly, back down as needed and use compounded pharmacies to find the sweet spot for progesterone if 100 mg is not enough, and 200 mg or even 300 mg is too much.

If my patient needs estrogen and progesterone, but 100 mg of progesterone is too much as can happen in perimenopause—we slowly increase both in a way that is safe. Sometimes this means we re-evalaute month to month.

What has your journey been like?

09/01/2026

I had a girlfriend visiting last weekend. She spent hours on the phone with her friend who was in the ER—desperate to understand why she was experiencing feelings of fatigue, dizziness, feeling like she is going to pass out, changes in her heart rate, changes in BP etc.

Panic attack, POTS and stress they said.

When I heard the story, learned that her EKG and EEG were fine, that her TSH was an 8.0 (they normalized it 🫠), that she had recently stopped her HRT…and this is when her symptoms started—I said she needs to go back to her doc who prescribed the HRT.

Racing heart, anxiety dizziness, shakiness, shortness of breath, feeling like you might pass out and an adrenaline surge that feels exactly like a panic attack—this is not the first story I’ve heard of or seen in my practice.

In fact, this is exactly what happened to my mom when she was in her 40s. There was a period in my early 20s when I was in the ER with my mom many times.

Don’t get me wrong—going to the ER in these situations to rule out life threatening issues is necessary. Safety first.

But what if we’re missing something?

About 80% of people diagnosed with POTS are women, and many of the symptoms overlap with what women experience during perimenopause.

Estrogen and progesterone interact with the autonomic nervous system, vascular tone and fluid regulation.

Women who have POTS can even experience symptom fluctuations throughout the menstrual cycle—and women in perimenopause can all of the sudden develop POTS like symptoms when estrogen and progesterone can swing dramatically.

Hormonal changes don’t necessarily cause POTS. But they may unmask or amplify underlying autonomic dysfunction that your body was previously able to compensate for.

If you’re a woman in your 40s and 50s, repeatedly ending up in the ER with a “normal” workup, we should also be asking about your cycle and hormones.

From my professional experience, when we include the right form of hormone replacement, many POTS like symptoms improve.

Who needs to hear this today? Let’s help women get the right help.

You don’t have to choose between hormone therapy or keeping your waistline. Comment FIX and you’ll get access to my news...
08/28/2026

You don’t have to choose between hormone therapy or keeping your waistline.

Comment FIX and you’ll get access to my newsletter for next week where I share my favorite herbs and natural ways to get rid off the bloat + support healthy fluid balance.

Not medical advice (you know that). Always talk to your clinician, because that is what this info is here for—to inspire conversation. 🙌

08/25/2026

“I’ve been on the same HRT for years…so why am I suddenly gaining weight?”

Common frustration that you hear from women.

You’ve been on the same HRT for years with the same diet, workouts and lifestyle.

But suddenly, the weight starts creeping up.

Your prescription may not have changed, but your physiology has.

As you move further through perimenopause and menopause:

-Your own estrogen production may continue to decline
-The HRT dose that worked 2 years ago may no longer be optimal
-Thyroid function can shift
-Insulin sensitivity can change
-Muscle mass can decrease
-Sleep and cortisol patterns can change
-Testosterone/free testosterone and SHBG can shift
-Visceral fat can become easier to accumulate

This is why I don’t automatically blame HRT and I don’t tell a woman to eat less and exercise more. A change in exercise and diet is appropriate to accommodate our changing physiology, but a caloric deficit or macro change is not the only solution here.

If something suddenly changes, reassess. Look at hormones including thyroid, check your metabolic markers, look at muscle and body composition.

Your body changes through peri and menopause and your overall plan can change too. What worked 2 years ago may not be relevant today.

Bottom line, it’s not just the HRT driving the weight gain if everything was stable for a while. However, if weight gain started shortly after starting HRT, then the dose and delivery method should be re-evaluated.

I’ll do a post about progesterone weight gain next and how to fix that. Many questions in this topic…

Which one resonates with you? Number eight always fascinates me.
08/21/2026

Which one resonates with you? Number eight always fascinates me.

08/15/2026

I started progesterone after having my son, in my early 30s.

Looking back, I realize I probably needed it even before pregnancy.

When I was younger, I was told my options were birth control or anti-anxiety medication. On the other side, many in the natural medicine world recommended Vitex, vitamin B6, and magnesium.

Those approaches help many women. They just didn’t solve my problem.

Then I started progesterone and thought to myself “no one should have to struggle with this.”

✨ My skin cleared.
✨ I stopped picking pointless fights with my husband.
✨ My hair became healthier.
✨ I felt calmer.

For the first time in years, I felt like myself.

What I thought was simply “my personality” or something I had to push through turned out to be something much more physiologic.

This is exactly why I’m so passionate about individualized hormone care that is done safely and in a timely manner.

Hormone therapy isn’t about putting every woman on hormones. It’s about recognizing when symptoms are signs of changing hormones, and choosing the right treatment for the right woman at the right time.

If you’re constantly being told your labs are “normal,” you’re too young, or that it’s just stress, don’t ignore what your body is trying to tell you.

Sometimes the biggest regret isn’t starting hormone therapy. It’s spending years believing you just had to live that way.

My experience is my own and won’t be everyone’s. Hormone therapy isn’t appropriate for every woman, and treatment should always be individualized.

07/15/2026

Personally, when my estrogen shifted in my 40s, one clue was that my focus and mental sharpness were impacted.

This was based on a true story 😅. I told my son no electronics for a couple of weeks and when he asked me a week later to remind him why, my mind went blank.

Clearly, hormone fluctuations can have a real impact on how your brain function!

Why does brain fog happen in perimenopause?

-Estrogen supports the hippocampus, the part of your brain involved in learning and memory. As estrogen fluctuates, recalling names, words, or why you walked into a room can become more difficult.

-Poor sleep from night sweats, insomnia, or frequent awakenings makes it harder for your brain to form and retrieve memories.

-Progesterone changes can increase anxiety or reduce restorative sleep, making concentration feel like a full-time job.

-Cortisol can become more dysregulated during perimenopause. Chronic stress doesn’t just affect your mood, it affects memory and focus too.

-Thyroid plays a huge role here too. Optimal thyroid levels can protect neurons, help with neuron regeneration, and support communication between the different neurons.

One of the things I ask my patients as part of tracking HRT benefits and progress is how is your memory, focus and ability to recall?

For me, getting my hormones dialed in and using certain peptide support like Dihexa and Semax helps cognitive health, memory and focus—especially when I have mentally demaning days. And when I’m not on top it…well, situations like these happen.

It may be time to pull out the brain puzzles, or it’s actually time to dial in the hormones. 🧩

And if your kid asks, “Wait…am I still grounded?”

Don’t admit you forgot. Just look them straight in the eye and say, “You know what you did.” 😏

Has your doctor told you how you should test your hormones when on a turkey?So many times I see women who tell me that t...
06/28/2026

Has your doctor told you how you should test your hormones when on a turkey?

So many times I see women who tell me that they do a random lab draws without taking timing into consideration because no one talk to them about it.

I’m curious, how do you test your hormone levels if you are on HRT?

Thank you for choosing me as your mama 🐻. The most important role, most cherished, and the role I’m most proud of. I’ve ...
05/10/2026

Thank you for choosing me as your mama 🐻. The most important role, most cherished, and the role I’m most proud of. I’ve climbed many mountains and Mt. Parenthood is by far the hardest and the most rewarding. My husband and I climbed Mt. Hood early spring one year and I was miserably cold. We couldn’t get to the summit and back fast enough. To this day it’s my least favorite climb. When I was in labor, at home, wanting no one near me, my husband asked “how does this compare to Mt. Hood?” It prepared me 😂.

Probably one of the biggest lessons for me as a mom is this:

When I take care of myself, I’m a better parent. And a better wife. Everyone wins.

Wishing moms around the world a Happy Mother’s Day. I hope you are seen, recognized, loved and cherished. ❤️

Women in perimenopause are told they’re too young to start on HRT. We correct nutrient deficiencies, why don’t we suppor...
04/28/2026

Women in perimenopause are told they’re too young to start on HRT.

We correct nutrient deficiencies, why don’t we support declining hormones when it’s appropriate?

Unfortunately, we wait some times until our relationship suffers, we don’t feel like ourselves, and we have to make a choice whether to keep our careers or focus on our health.

And honestly, it’s not our fault. Because our medical system is not built on prevention.

Many women are told that they don’t have to worry about hormones until menopause, and most women are learning about the importance of getting hormones addressed from their hairstylist, their aesthetician, their best friend who’s been on a hormonal journey etc.

Thank goodness that the word is getting out.

I share my protocol because many of you ask how I take my progesterone, what days of the cycle I apply my estrogen, or what kind of thyroid medication I take. My protocol will be different from your protocol…and it will change with time.

I’ve pivoted over the last decade, and I will continue to pivot based on how I feel, where I am in my life, and my labs: just like I help my patients.

If you’re interested in learning more about the importance of estrogen in perimenopause and why I choose biest cream in early stages—check out my earlier posts. I talk about it in detail and include the research as well.

Address

Bellevue, WA

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 10am - 4:30pm
Thursday 10am - 4:30pm
Friday 10am - 4:30pm

Telephone

+12066072708

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Proactive Health: a Naturopathic Clinic posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to Proactive Health: a Naturopathic Clinic:

Shortcuts

Share