Arcadia Women’s Wellness

08/30/2025

This guy. There is so much bad news out there, I’d like to share a bit of good news.

graduated from a class of 12 in Butte Falls, OR. Valedictorian

Entered the Air Force stationed in Crete, Greece in the cryptography security services to pay for college. Graduated with BS in Chemistry with top honors from .

Graduated medical school, internship year in Boston, and returned for residency in with fellowship in

Worked tirelessly in head & neck trauma in Portland, settling in private practice as a general surgeon taking all patients: no pay, sliding scale, seeing all 3 kids in one family at once, calling patients with biopsy results on Friday nights and over the weekend. He really cared, empathized for his patients.

I know. I was there. This is old school medicine.

“Retired” in 2016 upon our relocation to Az (IYKYK) only to accept a position at the Phoenix VA where he cared for ALL vets, including those from WW2, Korea, Vietnam, all subsequent wars, all military positions. He soon taking over as Chief of ENT and not long after, Chief of Surgery.

Today, he retired for good after nearly 35 years of medical practice. I am happy for him. But I am sad for the vets in Phoenix and medicine in general. Sadly, he represents what is going away in medical care. Sure, I am his wife, but there are decades of patients he helped feel more comfortable, even saved many, many lives. Always with a smile.

08/29/2025

Apropos my earlier post, this from

Do you live in one of the states impacted by this? I do.

Arizona
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
New York
North Carolina
Pennsylvania
Utah
Virginia
West Virginia
District of Columbia

While it might not seem like a big deal to need a prescription, for those with high-deductibles or co-pays it can be the difference in getting vaccinated or not.

& AZ Department of Health Services head Sheila Sjolander please step in to protect Arizona’s citizens’ right to evidence based medicine

For those is other affected states, contact your governor & head of HHS

08/29/2025

What is happening is not normal, safe, or evidence-based

We should all be very concerned.

These decisions could impact those of us with underlying conditions as well as insurance coverage for any vaccines.

To learn more about about the issue listen to The Daily podcast episode with

Please note: the new booster will be available in September from Pfizer & Moderna, updated for the most current strain. You can simply go to your local pharmacy to get it before the CDC and your insurance makes any changes to your coverage.

Other tips, find a doctor you trust who can give you individualized guidance for your specific situation



PS report from a very healthy pt this week that she got new Covid strain and was down, on couch, for a week solid. Her quote “zero stars, do not recommend”.

07/25/2025

The new school year is nearly upon us and as many are shopping for new clothes and school supplies; many AZ students do not have access to safe and affordable menstrual products increasing absences, infections, and psychological distress. No student should have to worry about this.

Prior to moving my practice to 100% telemed, I used to invite patients and colleagues to drop products at my clinic so I could take to a drop off site.

Now, I use the “Tampons On Me” donation button on website to purchase products to be sent directly.

I just put in my order today, join me now by visiting the website and helping them stock up for the coming school year. Link in story

Arizona students deserve access to this basic right.

07/07/2025

Last leg of trip found us in the Hoh rainforest in Washington, the rainforests and beaches of Vancouver Island BC, and the bristle cone pine forest of Great Basin National Park, NV

All told in 3w: 2 countries, 1 province, 7 states and tons of natural beauty and… a bear!

With

06/29/2025

Van trip photo dump #2:
There will be trees. And beaches.
From California to Oregon, breathtaking redwoods and ocean scenery, lots of hiking, seafood, & no rain!
Pepe tolerated his first trip to the beach.
With

06/18/2025

First 5d of 3w camping trip from
AZ—>BC: mono lake & Yosemite.
With

03/16/2025

Lovely, relaxing Saturday
Baking
Botanicals
Belly-busting dinner
With

03/08/2025

Quick 48h for the elusive AZ snow!
A great 3m snowshoe hike this am, zero other people, followed by fish & chips

With

03/07/2025

Using time as passenger heading to flagstaff to post about compounded hormones for menopause.

Ruta Nonacs, MD from perfectly sums up answers to most common FAQs on this subject: a must read for women & women’s healthcare providers.

This topic is on my mind today because last patient I saw before hitting the road & seeing this article is perfect example of problem with physicians who prescribe compounded hormones.

At 55 she has now been receiving menopausal hormone therapy for > 7y. She’s used progesterone, testosterone & estrogen pellets, systemic creams, sublingual lozenges. She’s spent $1000s in recurrent appointments & these prescriptions. Not only did she not feel better, mostly she felt significantly worse.

At no time was she ever offered globally accepted standard of care medical treatment for menopausal symptoms: FDA approved estradiol, testosterone, progesterone, all of which have been shown to be safer, more effective & would’ve been covered by insurance. There is literally no advantage or benefit to using compounded hormones over FDA approved option except in very specific situations which are quite rare.

It is important to remember that while it may be difficult to find someone to assist you w/ menopausal symptoms that are following guidelines, we are out there! A good place to start is provider listing for MSCP designation for certified menopause providers.

Next, be sure to look at websites of providers:
✅check prices before making appointment,
✅ask if you will be able to use insurance or savings options like & .
✅ask about approximate cost of meds w/o insurance, a specialist who does this day in day out knows how much hormones cost.
✅ask about labs (hint typically not needed, if so should be covered by insurance & not $500 )
✅ask about costs if required follow ups; you should not need to see someone every 3-4m indefinitely

As in most situations, buyer beware

03/01/2025

03/01/2025