Menopause Group Classes for Naturopathic Patients: October 2024 to March 2025

Written by KIHC on April 22, 2024. Posted in Blog.

Menopause Group Classes for Naturopathic Patients at KIHC

6 Thursday classes, each held once a month, beginning October 2024

These small in-person menopause group classes* are designed for current patients of Drs. Hunt, Mirhosseini, and Nobbe, and are intended to facilitate authentic conversation about all things menopause. Participants will leave with an individualized treatment plan (and sometimes homework) pertaining to that class’s main topic of discussion.

For more information or to sign-up, please contact Dr. Hunt directly or speak with her during your next appointment.

Dr. Hunt is the only Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP) in our region. She’s been addressing menopausal concerns in her practice for more than a decade.

*Your class slot is scheduled and billed as a follow-up appointment, which is $105 per session. All KIHC appointment policies apply, including receipts issued for insurance purposes and cancellation policies. Space is limited to 6 participants.

Menopause Group Class Syllabus

Classes are available on Thursdays at either 9am, 3pm or 6pm. Please indicate your preferred time – this will be your same class time for the duration of the 6-month series. Please include your preferred time in your correspondence with Dr. Hunt. This 6-month program will not be offered again until Fall 2025.

Session ONE, October 2024: What’s happening?!

We’ll start by discussing what’s actually happening in a woman’s body throughout the perimenopause and menopause transition. We’ll link these changes to common symptoms such as hot flashes, anxiety, and insomnia, and dispel some of the myths we come up against in our society. Participants will leave with a treatment plan that addresses some of these more common concerns of menopause.

Session TWO, November 2024: Healthy Heart for Years to Come

Did you know that cardiovascular disease kills 1 out of 3 women? Even though cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women, so few women know their own risk factors. Risk factors for various illnesses are all affected by hormone changes during menopause and the heart is an important one. This class explores steps we can take now to protect our heart health.

Session THREE, December 2024: Health for Bones & Your Brain

Two other major systems impacted by menopause are bone health and cognition. Dr. Hunt takes a deep-dive into the literature to explain why these changes happen. The focus of this class will be on prevention and proactive behaviors that keep your bones strong and brain sharp.

Session FOUR, January 2025: Sensuality & Sexuality

Where did my libido go? Changes in sexual desire is a major complaint among women going through menopause. Other common changes and topics of discussion include vaginal dryness and pain during intercourse. This class tackles this topic with a refreshingly open and lighthearted approach. Participants will leave with tangible resources and support.

Session FIVE, February 2025: Emotional & Spiritual Transitions

Menopause involves more than a physical transition. Women often experience significant changes in their life goals and relationships. This is a great space for safe conversations and open dialogue about each other’s experiences. We’ll explore different traditions and cultures’ approaches to the menopausal transition.

Session SIX, March 2025: Embracing Changes

This last class is designed to pull it all together. We’ll circle back and move more deeply into previous topics of most interest to the group, including weight management through menopause, cancer prevention, and mental health.

Myths of Perimenopause

Written by Dr. Angela Hunt, ND, MSCP on March 6, 2024. Posted in Blog.

by Dr Angela Hunt ND

Debunking common myths about perimenopause:

We use the term menopause to mark the end of hormone production by a woman’s ovaries and the permanent end of her menstrual cycle. Perimenopause precedes menopause, and is characterized by irregular periods, hot flashes, mood swings, and various other symptoms related to a decline in ovarian hormone production. Initially, progesterone levels decrease, followed by estrogen. This hormonal shift can make perimenopause symptomatic for many women. Let’s debunk some common myths about perimenopause:

Community is Medicine: Group medicine programs

Written by Dr. Angela Hunt, ND, MSCP on October 18, 2023. Posted in Blog.

By Dr Angela Hunt ND, MSCP

After a decade of 1:1 patient care, I have recently started a group medicine program for women going through menopause. After four months working with these women I have made some discoveries about the power of community and the need for it in our healthcare systems.

Isolation Is Harmful

Spiritual Changes During Menopause

Written by Lisa Sabatini on August 7, 2023. Posted in Blog, Newsletters.

Spiritual Transitions during Menopause Shamanic healers from around the world offer a different perspective of what it means for a woman to transition from a regular menstrual cycle and fertility, through to menopause. I asked our shamanic practitioner, Lisa Sabatini, to share her insight with us.

Why is it important to embrace the spiritual aspects of transition through menopause?

When Is It Too Late To Start Hormone Replacement Therapy?

Written by Dr. Angela Hunt, ND, MSCP on March 5, 2023. Posted in Blog.

Best time for Hormone Replacement Therapy By Dr. Angela Hunt ND, MSCP

I have women come to see me from 40 to 70 years of age asking about Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). Yet, hormones are not the right solution for every woman and not appropriate for all ages. Though every case must be treated individually (e.g. by exploring family history, personal history, and blood work results), there are some general guidelines for initiating HRT.

Menopause Testing: Which Tests Make Sense?

Written by Dr. Angela Hunt, ND, MSCP on March 5, 2023. Posted in Blog.

Menopause testing By Dr. Angela Hunt ND

I have many women arrive at my office asking me to test their hormones in menopause. I often tell them that though I think blood work is a good idea, they may be surprised to learn that hormones aren’t on the top of my list. If a woman is menopausal, meaning it has been a full year without her period, then I can guess with good accuracy what her serum (blood) hormones are currently. Her estradiol (estrogen) and progesterone will both be low and her FSH and LH will be high. In complex hormone cases (e.g. endometriosis, PCOS, early menopause), I will sometimes order a comprehensive urine hormone test to get an overview of a woman’s hormone picture. This test is called a DUTCH test and is a topic for another article, but for most women it is fairly predictable where their reproductive hormones are at in menopause. Let’s break down these hormones for a better understanding.

Hormones at sea – Part 1: peri-menopause, heavy bleeding and fibroids

Written by Dr. Marianne Trevorrow, ND on February 29, 2020. Posted in Blog, Newsletters.

Perimenopause heavy bleeding

As an ND who focuses on women’s health in my practice, it is not uncommon for me to see patients in their late 30s or early 40s complaining of heavy, frequent periods. Often these are accompanied by other frustrating symptoms such as painful cramping, breast tenderness, headaches, insomnia, and irritability. As annoying as these symptoms are, however, heavy bleeding is the one most likely to cause serious problems with anemia or blood loss, and potentially lead to recommendations for uterine ablation or hysterectomy. In the meantime, women may be prescribed hormone replacement therapies such as hormone based IUDs, the ‘pill’ or HRT, which can themselves cause other adverse effects.

Let’s Talk Compounded Bioidentical Hormones

Written by Tarek, Clinical Pharmacist on February 17, 2020. Posted in Blog, Newsletters.

Bioidentical Hormones Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) once seemed the answer for many challenges experienced by middle-aged women. It was thought that HRT could protect against heart disease, osteoporosis, and cancer, while improving a woman’s quality of life. But 20 years of research from clinical trials shows that HRT is not as easy and safe as once thought.

Tag: menopause