Peak MD

10/17/2026

10/16/2026

We love celebrating the moment someone finally gets it.

But what we don’t always see are the dozens of attempts that came before. The falls. The frustration. The tiny adjustments. The decision to try just one more time.

Watching my daughter learn something new reminds me that progress rarely looks graceful while it’s happening.

And maybe that’s something we adults need to remember, too.

You’re allowed to be a beginner. So am I.

10/15/2026

MENOPAUSE | Episode 11: Your Menopause Roadmap — The Final Episode

Eleven episodes. A lot of hormones. And hopefully, a little less confusion.

When I started this series, I shared something that still surprises me: I learned almost nothing about menopause in medical school.

And then I became a woman in my forties.

I’ve spent this series talking about what we know, what we don’t know, and what women deserve to understand about their own bodies.

But if there’s one thing I hope you take away, it’s this:

Menopause isn’t a disease we need to fix. And it isn’t something we should just suffer through.

It’s a transition. And an opportunity.

An opportunity to take inventory of your health. To understand your cardiovascular and metabolic risks. To protect your muscle and bone. To have informed conversations about hormone therapy. To stop dismissing symptoms that affect your quality of life.

And maybe, most importantly, to ask yourself some bigger questions.

How do I want to feel at 60? At 70? At 80?

What do I want to still be able to do?

And what can I start doing today to make that possible?

Because longevity isn’t just about adding years to your life.

It’s about remaining strong enough to live the life you want.

I don’t want women afraid of their hormones. I don’t want them sold treatments they don’t need. And I don’t want them told that feeling miserable is simply the price of aging.

I want women informed, capable, and empowered to make decisions about their own health.

Thank you for following along with this series. I hope it helped you feel a little more confident navigating this chapter.

Here’s to everything that comes next. ❤️

10/14/2026

Did someone post on here offering head shots?

10/12/2026

Ladies, when was the last time you had a chance to sit down with a physician and ask your questions about breast health?

Not during a rushed appointment. Not while scrolling through conflicting advice online. Just an honest, evidence-based conversation.

Tomorrow evening at Daybreak, we’re welcoming Dr. Caroline Cook of Marigold Clinic for To the Breast of Health — a relaxed evening talking about breast cancer screening, risk factors, prevention, and what women should actually know about their breast health.

We’ll have mocktails, snacks, good company, and plenty of time for questions.

It’s completely FREE, and you don’t need to be a Daybreak member to attend.

Bring a friend, your mom, your sister, or just yourself. We’d love to see you.

📍 Daybreak Recovery Spa | Sisters, Oregon

📅 Tuesday, October 13

RSVP at https://peakmdhealth.com/event-list — or just come!

Because good health starts with good conversations. 💗

10/08/2026

MENOPAUSE | Episode 10: What Happens to S*x?

Let’s talk about s*x. Because menopause can change a woman’s s*xual health in ways that have very little to do with testosterone.

Painful s*x. Vaginal dryness. Changes in sensation. Exhaustion. Stress. Body image. Relationship dynamics.

And sometimes, simply a change in how desire works.

One thing I wish more women understood is responsive desire—the idea that desire doesn’t always come before intimacy. Sometimes it develops during intimacy, when you feel comfortable, connected and aroused.

That’s normal, too.

Yes, va**nal estrogen can be incredibly helpful for menopausal va**nal symptoms.

And yes, testosterone may have a role for some women with persistent, distressing low s*xual desire.

But here’s what I really want women to hear:

Not every woman who wants less s*x has a hormone deficiency.

And not every woman who has less desire has a disorder that needs treatment.

The question isn’t whether your s*x life looks like someone else’s definition of normal.

It’s whether you’re comfortable, fulfilled, and experiencing the s*xual health you want.

That’s what individualized menopause care should look like.

Next → Episode 11: After everything we’ve discussed about menopause, what should you actually DO? A practical roadmap for the next 30–40 years.

10/07/2026

Nineteen years of ER shifts taught me to treat rest like a reward. You finish the charts, clear the board, make it through the night, and then maybe you get to sit down.

My body never agreed with that deal. Your nervous system doesn't check whether you were productive enough today before it lets you recover. It just needs the signal that you're safe, and dim warm light with nothing asked of you is one of the oldest signals there is.

So tonight the overheads are off and the plan is this fire.

What does rest look like at your house when nobody's keeping score?

10/06/2026

TO THE BREAST OF HEALTH 🎀

There’s a lot of noise around breast health. Let’s talk about what the evidence actually says.

Join us at Daybreak for an evening of conversation about breast cancer risk, screening, breast density, prevention, survivorship, and the practical things women can do to support their health.

I’m thrilled to welcome Dr. Caroline Cook, DO, founder of Marigold Survivorship Medical Clinic, to join the conversation and share her perspective on breast cancer survivorship and whole-person care.

Tuesday, October 13 | 5:30–7:00 PM
📍 Daybreak Recovery Spa | Sisters
Free + everyone welcome

🥂 Mocktails + snacks provided. Bring a friend.

Space is limited, so please RSVP:
peakmdhealth.com/event-list⁠

Come with questions. Leave with better information. 🎀

10/06/2026

MENOPAUSE | Episode 9: We Need to Talk About Vaginal Estrogen

It’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so let’s talk about something that often gets left out of the conversation:

va**nal health.

As estrogen declines, the tissues of the va**na, v***a and urinary tract change.

That can mean dryness. Burning. Painful s*x. Urinary urgency. Recurrent UTIs.

There’s actually a name for it: genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM).

And here’s what I really wish more women knew:

Unlike hot flashes, GSM often doesn’t simply get better with time. It can persist or worsen.

Fortunately, we have very effective treatment—including low-dose va**nal estrogen.

And va**nal estrogen is NOT the same thing as systemic hormone therapy.

The doses are very low, treatment is local, and systemic absorption is minimal.

Even a history of breast cancer does not necessarily mean va**nal estrogen is automatically off the table. Nonhormonal treatments are generally tried first, and for persistent symptoms, low-dose va**nal estrogen may be considered through an individualized conversation—particularly involving oncology when appropriate.

That nuance matters.

Because fear of the word “estrogen” shouldn’t leave women quietly living with painful s*x, recurrent UTIs, or significant va**nal symptoms without knowing there may be effective treatment.

And if nobody has asked you about these symptoms?

Bring them up.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month should be about helping women live well, too. 🩷

Next → Testosterone in women: what do we actually know—and what don’t we know yet?

10/05/2026

Monday rounds look a little different when your co-pilot has four legs. 🐾

Walking a log isn't just fun. It's balance training. Balance starts slipping in our 40s, and it's one of the strongest predictors of how well we'll move, and how independently we'll live, decades from now.

The good news? It's trainable. Uneven trails, logs, rocks, standing on one leg while you brush your teeth. Small reps add up.

Add fresh air and a happy dog, and it's the easiest prescription I'll write all week.

Can you stand on one leg for 10 seconds? Try it today and tell me how it went 👇