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Author: Amber Rudd, MSN, FNP-BC

Amber is a Functional Medicine Nurse Practitioner who practices here in Whitefish, Montana. She helps patients locally and virtually. Visit https://www.amberrudd.health for more information.

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Post Menopause

After menopause, cardiovascular and bone health become priorities as estrogen levels drastically decline. (5) Inflammation and metabolic health are the biggest drivers of increased cardiovascular risk and decreased bone density. This is a top priority when working with women post menopause. (6)

I continue to recommend:

These all can help women have a much better experience transitioning through this phase of life. These factors can also help decrease women's risk of cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis.

Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy [BHRT]

Additionally, I find that topical bioidentical estradiol paired with oral progesterone can be extremely helpful. These help with alleviating hot flashes and many other symptoms associated with menopause. Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy can also help with bone, breast, and cardiovascular health. I recommend working with a functional medicine provider who has experience with prescribing these hormones. They can help monitor urine metabolites to be sure these hormones are given safely, and at the correct dose for your body.

Feeling Your Best- At Any Age, At Any Stage

Taking an integrative functional medicine approach can make a huge difference in reducing unwanted symptoms as women transition through each hormonal phase of their lives. By uncovering and addressing the root causes of these imbalances, we can help women feel better now- and prevent unwanted issues in the future. Removing what the body doesn’t want and giving it what it needs brings true health and healing so women can thrive and feel their best.

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The Perimenopausal & Menopausal Years

Ovarian reserves start declining in the late 30s and 40s- this causes hormone output to be more chaotic. For women affected, this can lead to symptoms such as mood changes, hot flashes, brain fog, and disrupted sleep.

For these women, I focus on optimizing metabolic health and decreasing inflammation. Optimizing gut health and identifying food sensitivities can play a big role. This is especially true if inflammation is the primary driver.

As a Functional Medicine NP I recommend:

These can all be game changers.

Additionally, I generally recommend:

These can make all make a huge difference.

Thyroid & Adrenals

Optimizing thyroid function and adrenal hormones is also important. Doing the steps mentioned above, while also emphasizing stress reduction can be extremely helpful.

I recommend working with a provider who will check a full blood panel.
This includes:

It’s during this time that we can start thinking about bringing on some nutraceutical support and/or Bioidentical Hormone Replacement if needed. Before starting Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT), I recommend always checking a full extended blood panel and hormone panel. It's best to work with a Functional Medicine provider who is familiar with interpreting these results.

Next in our series…

Happy Hormones Series V: Post Menopause

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The Reproductive Years

During a woman's reproductive years, cycling hormones like estrogen and progesterone take part in an intricate dance. This interplay helps to regulate the menstrual cycle and prepare the body for potential pregnancy. Unfortunately, many factors can disrupt this beautiful rhythm. As a result, women often struggle with PMS, PCOS, endometriosis, and infertility during these years.

Holistic areas I focus on in this group include:

Gut Health

Addressing inflammation is key- and often stems from the gut. I often recommend my patients do an elimination diet for 30 days. This helps to identify any issues with common food sensitivities like gluten or dairy. Another route is performing a food intolerance test such as Cyrex. I also recommend taking a high-quality probiotic. This can help tune up the gut, decrease inflammation, and improve detoxification. Our gut microbiome plays a big role in how we metabolize and detox everything in our bodies- including our sex hormones.

In this age group, I also recommend:

Environmental Toxins

I also encourage women to minimize xenoestrogens in their environment as much as possible. Xenoestrogens are chemicals that mimic estrogen and disrupt the endocrine system. These can lead to unwanted symptoms such as PMS, heavy periods, heavy cramping, fertility issues, and even cancer. (3) These can be found in plastics, cleaning products, hair products, makeup, lotions, deodorants, sunscreen, dryer sheets, perfume, pesticides, and insecticides. (4) Finding safe natural alternatives can drastically reduce your exposure and help normalize estrogen levels in the body.

Editors note* Haskill Creek is proud to offer such safe and natural alternatives. It is part of our vetting process to eliminate products that contain these Xenoestrogens- and any EDC. (Endocrine Disrupting Chemical). Haskill Cares!

Next in our series…

Happy Hormones Series IV: Perimenopause & Menopause
Happy Hormones Series V: Post Menopause

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Welcome to the next installation in our series…

Here we are taking a holistic approach on how to maintain healthy hormones as we go through life's phases. Let's examine the trying teenage years.

Puberty And The Teenage Years

The transition into puberty is a big one. In biological females, it's a time when estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are all ramping up. Many physical changes take place during this time as well. This includes the two most unwanted symptoms of mood swings and acne. Girls often experience irregular menstrual cycles. This is normal at first and can take several months to balance out. But they can also experience cramping, PMS, and heavy bleeding.

Unfortunately, this is often the time when many girls are put on birth control pills to help control these symptoms. While this may be medically necessary in some cases, there is a better approach. Birth Control Pills can completely shut down their body's natural hormone rhythm. This may mask unwanted symptoms, albeit temporarily. Oftentimes these symptoms will be right there waiting for them (and often worse) when they try to come off it.

Getting To The Root Cause

Diet

To address the root cause- we need to focus on gut health, decreasing inflammation, and helping them get the nutrients they need. A great first step is to be sure kids are eating a nutrient-dense diet with lots of protein. Unfortunately, a large percentage of kids’ diets consist of ultra-processed packaged foods. While we often can’t avoid this completely, we can try to make sure our kids are eating mostly whole foods. This is a great place to start with a big emphasis on quality protein. I like to aim for the 80/20 rule with 80% of foods being whole foods and 20% wiggle room for processed foods.

Lifestyle

Kids need adequate movement and quality sleep daily. I encourage teens to get about 10,000 steps per day. I also encourage them to aim for 8-10 hours of sleep each night for optimal development and well-being.

Stress

Managing stress is another big one – and stress includes screen time. Looking at the blue light on screens and always being “on” triggers cortisol and glucose spikes. It can also alter the hormone signaling of our sex hormones. It’s important to build in screen-free time and engage in fun non-electronic activities, preferably outside.

Nutrient Defiencies

Sometimes it's necessary to fill nutrient gaps and ensure optimal gut health. For this, I recommend getting on a good quality multivitamin and a probiotic- which helps support the gut and detox pathways.

Next in our series…

Happy Hormones Series III: Reproductive Years
Happy Hormones Series IV: Perimenopause & Menopause
Happy Hormones Series V: Post Menopause

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An Introduction to Hormone Health…

“Something feels off, I think it’s my hormones…” is something I hear quite often from my female patients. Many women have some level of hormone imbalance throughout their lifetime. Unfortunately, their symptoms are often dismissed or covered up. When they go to the doctor to explain their symptoms they are often told, “your labs are normal” or “it’s all in your head”. This or they are given a prescription for an antidepressant or the birth control pill.

None of this addresses the root of the issue. It’s when we address the root of the issue, that women can finally find relief. This is when they no longer suffer from the many unnecessary symptoms that come from hormone imbalances.

Yes, women's hormones do have times of natural fluctuation, but outside of that, hormones don’t go out of balance for no reason. When it does, it’s a sign from the body telling us that something is wrong. In this series, we will discuss what normal sex hormone fluctuations are- and the steps we can take to keep our hormones balanced each step of the way.

The Root Of The Matter

Our hormones are signaling messengers circulating throughout our bodies. They allow communication between our brain, thyroid gland, sex organs, adrenal glands, heart, bones, digestive, and immune systems. This hopefully paints the picture that our hormones do not function independently from the rest of our body – it’s all connected!

This is why to address the root cause of hormone dysfunction many things need to be addressed including:

Next up in our series…

Happy Hormones Series II: Puberty and the Teenage Years
Happy Hormones Series III: Reproductive Years
Happy Hormones Series IV: Perimenopause & Menopause
Happy Hormones Series V: Post Menopause

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