theconnectionsnj.com HEALTH & WELLNESS PAGE 39 Call our center at 908-252-0242 for a consultation to see how NMR can assist you in reaching your health and wellness goals. NMRNJ.com | (908) 252-0242 | 399 Campus Drive, Somerset • Menopause & Perimenopause Care • Integrative Bone Health • Women's Health • Integrated Medical & Lifestyle Support • Comprehensive Testing NMR helps women regain clarity, strength, and whole-body balance through fully integrated medical and lifestyle care. NOT FEELING LIKE YOURSELF? SCHEDULE YOUR PERSONALIZED WOMEN'S HEALTH CONSULTATION TODAY! Dr. Claudia Tamas, NP-C, DPT, CSCS Certified Women's Hormone Therapy Specialist Certified Integrative Bone Health Provider therapy, when appropriate, is valuable but works best as part of a broader plan, not as a stand-alone solution. Your Heart Is at Stake Cardiovascular disease risk rises sharply after menopause. Estrogen protects blood vessels, supports healthy cholesterol, and dampens inflammation. Treating vasomotor symptoms-hot flashes and night sweats-is not just about comfort. Emerging evidence links untreated vasomotor symptoms with significantly higher cardiovascular risk, making proactive treatment an act of long-term heart protection. Your Bones Cannot Wait Bone loss accelerates dramatically around menopause, yet most women are not screened until their sixties, long after significant loss has occurred. A baseline bone density scan during the perimenopausal years is a critical, frequently missed prevention window. Osteoporosis and fractures are not inevitable when caught early. The consequences of missing that window, particularly with hip and spine fractures, are life-altering. Perimenopause is not something to endure silently. A thoughtful, integrated approach, including lifestyle, nutrition, strength training, and medicine when indicated, can transform this transition and protect your health for decades ahead. There are answers. There is support. It is never too early to ask for both. Dr. Claudia Tamas, DPT, AGPCNP-C, CSCS is Director of Women’s Health & Integrative Bone Health at Natural Medicine & Rehabilitation. She is the first U.S. clinician to use and teach the ONERO® program and is a Certified ONERO® Provider. For more information visit www.NMRNJ.com, or call 908-252-0242. hinning hair, brain fog, new joint aches and pains. You’re waking at 3 a.m. feeling inexplicably anxious. Your waist is larger. Your eyes, skin, and intimate life feel dry and different. These symptoms seem completely unrelated-yet if you are a woman in your late thirties, forties, or early fifties, they may all be speaking the same language: perimenopause. One of its most overlooked signs is making multiple doctor visits for seemingly unrelated complaints-a diagnosis of frozen shoulder, new allergies, or yet another UTI. Each addresses one piece of a puzzle that, taken together, points to a single transition. If this sounds familiar, it may not be a coincidence. What Is Perimenopause, Really? Perimenopause is the transition preceding menopause and can last a decade or more. Estrogen does not simply decline. It becomes increasingly volatile, swinging dramatically, sometimes within a single day. Progesterone, a calming hormone, can be absent due to anovulation. Testosterone, involved in energy and libido, quietly declines and stays low. Crucially, you can have perfectly regular periods and still be in perimenopause. Cycles can arrive like clockwork while symptoms are fully present. Other signs include loss of libido, vulvovaginal pain, mood swings, depression, heart palpitations, sleep disruption, urinary urgency, or frequent UTIs. It Starts With a Conversation Perimenopause is largely a clinical diagnosis built on a thorough health history, not a single blood test. Laboratory work adds critical context-thyroid function, blood sugar, inflammation markers, and hormone levels help identify metabolic drivers and guide a care plan that is truly personal. An Integrated Approach Is Essential Managing this transition requires more than one intervention. Lifestyle is the foundation-strength training and resistance exercise support metabolism, regulate blood sugar, stabilize mood, and protect bone. Adequate protein is equally critical; most women undereat protein as they age, accelerating muscle loss. Sleep hygiene, stress management, and anti-inflammatory nutrition complete the picture. Hormone HEALTH HOTLINE Not Feeling Like Yourself? By Dr. Claudia Tamas, DPT, AGPCNP-C, CSCS T
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