Menopause

Hill Park Medical Center > Menopause
Integrative Medicine, IV Vitamin Therapy, Menopause, Naturopathic Medicine, Peri-menopause, Vitamin Injections, B12

NAD+ The Essential Fuel for Energy, Longevity, and Cell Repair

Revitalize your health!

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is an essential coenzyme found in every living cell. It plays a critical role in energy production by helping the body convert nutrients into usable fuel at the cellular level. It is also involved in DNA repair, cell-to-cell communication, and the regulation of gene expression. This is uniquely important for longevity, health regeneration, and disease prevention.

Additionally, NAD+ has shown promise in supporting neuro-protection and cellular regeneration, helping the body better manage stress and recover from the damage of everyday life.

One of the primary functions of NAD+ is supporting the mitochondria, often referred to as the “powerhouses” of the cell.

A practical way to think about NAD+ is as a key component of your body’s energy delivery system.

Just as a vehicle cannot operate efficiently with an empty fuel tank, your cells cannot function optimally without adequate NAD+ to support energy production. When NAD+ levels become depleted, the body may struggle to maintain energy demands, making daily activities more challenging.

Not only do NAD+ levels naturally decline with age, but the aging process itself increases the body’s demand for NAD+. Reduced NAD+ availability has been associated with fatigue, decreased mental clarity, cognitive decline, and other age-related health concerns, making NAD+ replenishment an important focus for supporting long-term wellness and vitality.

Getting started!

Hill Park offers various therapies to help restore and maintain healthy NAD+ levels. These therapies optimize mitochondrial function—the foundation of energy production within your cells—while also supporting metabolic efficiency and cellular repair.

Increased NAD+ availability may promote improved mental clarity, enhanced brain function, reduced inflammation, and sustained energy levels, while also contributing to a healthier aging process. Alternatively, when NAD+ levels are insufficient, cellular performance may decline, creating a domino effect that can impact overall wellness and vitality.

There are many ways to help restore your body’s NAD+ levels. There are oral forms but these forms have to pass through the GI tract which affects potency and effectiveness. At Hill Park, we offer alternate therapies to help support and replenish NAD+ levels more efficiently.

NAD+ Shots

NAD+ nutrient injections (‘NAD Shots’) provide a convenient way to deliver this important cofactor directly into the body. Injections are available on a walk-in basis or by appointment and can be administered alone or combined with other vitamins and nutrients for additional, customized support.

NAD+ Infusions

For those needing a deeper replenishment due to more significantly depleted stores, NAD+ IV therapy delivers a larger amount of NAD+ directly into the bloodstream. This approach may provide enhanced support for energy production, cellular repair, and overall mitochondrial function. This can be especially useful for those recovering from long-COVID, chronic complex illness, EBV Re-activation or CIRS, chronic fatigue, or overall depletion from chronic stress or prolonged health issues.

If you are interested in NAD+ IV therapy, we invite you to schedule a brief 30-minute intake appointment. During this visit, our team will review your health goals and create a customized IV formula plan tailored to your individual needs.

There are many ways NAD+ may support your lifelong wellness. For more information about our NAD+ therapies or to schedule an appointment, please contact our office.

Alternative Cancer Care, Chronic Illness, Healthy Goals, Hormone Balance, Integrative Medicine, Menopause, Oncology, Peri-menopause, Uncategorized, Women’s Health

The Hill Park Approach to GLP-1 Therapy

We have been supporting our patients’ use of GLP-1 receptor agonist medications such as Tirzepatide and Semaglutide for nearly two years and have acquired key clinical insights on the safest, most effective, and sustainable approach to using these medicines.

The Basics of GLP- 1 Medications:
GLP-1 receptor agonists mimic glucagon-like peptide-1, a natural hormone that regulates blood sugar and appetite. Originally designed to treat Type 2 Diabetes, they are now widely used for weight loss due to their effects on insulin, fat storage, delayed gastric emptying to keep you full longer, and signaling the brain to reduce cravings and “food noise”.

The elimination of “food noise”, which can especially be in the form of emotional eating or “thoughtless” eating, has been remarkably liberating for many of our patients, but especially women in peri-menopause/menopause that tend to have hormone driven cravings.

Emerging research on GLP-1–based therapies continues to expand beyond weight management, with potential benefits in areas such as metabolic health, inflammation reduction, support for neurocognitive conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s, addiction behaviors (including food, alcohol, and gambling), and post-viral syndromes such as Long COVID and chronic fatigue syndrome (CIRS).

Low Dose Tirzepatide
We are seeing uniquely remarkable results with low dose Tirzepatide in Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and chronic pain and inflammation due to complex chronic illnesses such as Tick-Borne Illness and endometriosis.

Longevity Impact of GLP-1 Outcomes
The cardiometabolic effects are profound; it is very common that we are reducing or eliminating statin use, metformin dependence, augmenting medications that have been controlling metabolic health once the body adjusts to its new weight, new metabolism, and greater cellular health.

The health effects of dramatic improvement of lipid profiles, hypertension, and glucose management are profound enough that research indicates this use across most specialties, but especially oncology for reduction of remission risk by dramatic improvement of health.

These therapies can support healthy weight loss, reduce visceral fat, and help regulate cravings; however, long-term success depends on integrating sustainable lifestyle changes. Our practitioners are committed to guiding, educating, and supporting you throughout the process to ensure both safety and long-term success.

Troubleshooting the Weight Loss Plateau
A GLP-1 weight loss plateau can actually be a normal phase of our body’s adjustment to a new metabolic baseline with weight loss; it’s not necessarily a failure, but a time to pivot the plan. The insight of clinical expertise can help to walk you through workable solutions, returning to forward momentum.

Additionally, some folks have encountered challenges throughout the use of these medications on their own or with online services. Our unique, individualized approach allows our patients to navigate their journey sustainably.

Let’s begin the journey!
To get started, we would set you up with a brief 30-minute intake appointment with Dr. Gabrielle Klein, who leads our Tirzepatide program. At this visit she will start with comprehensive baseline lab work to assess your overall health and inform your treatment plan.

She will also discuss the complex drivers of weight gain and how they can impact your weight loss journey by assessing and discussing the phenotypes that embody them: metabolic dysfunction (PCOS, Insulin Resistance, T2DM), the hungry brain (food noise, constant preoccupation with eating), the hungry gut (large meal capacity and difficulty feeling full quickly), the hedonistic eater (stress eating, rewards-driven eating), or a combination.

Ongoing care includes regular check-ins to monitor progress, track body composition, manage any side effects, and quarterly reassessment of labs to track physiological progress. Additionally, we bring on nutritional support to protect lean muscle and bone mass, minimize the medication’s side effects, and ensure you are meeting your goals.

If this sounds like the right direction for you, or you would like to learn more about the process, you may email or call Arlene at 707-861-7300, or schedule online.

BioIdentical Hormone Therapy, Chronic Illness, GI Health, Hormone Balance, Integrative Medicine, Menopause, Natural Allergy Treatment, Naturopathic Medicine, Peri-menopause, Women’s Health

Welcome Meghan Kemnec, ND to Hill Park Integrative Medical Center

We are very excited to announce a new addition to our medical team, Dr. Meghan Kemnec, ND.

Dr. Meghan Kemnec is a naturopathic doctor, functional medicine expert, and pediatrician. She is passionate about improving the health of the entire family, knowing that the wellness of our children begins with our health before conception. She teaches you how to take charge of your health with lifestyle changes and a blend of both natural and conventional therapies.

Dr. Kemnec specializes in pediatrics and women’s health from preconception to menopause. Her clinical interests include balancing hormones, immune health, digestive disorders, and endocrine disorders including diabetes and hypothyroidism, as well as respiratory health. She is trained in IV nutrient therapy, Perineural Injection Therapy, and PRP.

Dr. Kemnec holds a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine (ND) from Bastyr University and a BS from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD. After graduating with her ND, Dr. Kemnec completed a competitive family practice residency at the Bastyr Center for Natural Health in Seattle, WA. She is also a Diplomate of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.

When she is not at practice, she enjoys spending time hiking and at the ocean with her family.

Please contact our staff at 707-861-7300 or office@hpimc.com to schedule an in person or telemedicine appointment or book an appointment through the website.

BioIdentical Hormone Therapy, Chronic Illness, Detoxification, Environmental Medicine, Hormone Balance, Integrative Medicine, IV Vitamin Therapy, Menopause, Naturopathic Medicine, Peri-menopause, Women’s Health

Dr. Denise Cooluris, ND – Conditions Treated

Dr. Cooluris, Clinical Director of Hill Park, specializes in women’s health, integrative family medicine, complex medical issues, hormone health, and environmental medicine. She provides advanced management of bio-identical hormone therapy, IV Nutrient Therapy, and diagnostics for complex medical concerns.

Many of our patients are familiar with her care and presence at the center, which includes individualized diagnostic skill combined with a depth of clinical integrative medical knowledge.

Conditions Treated
Women’s Health
Perimenopause/Menopause
Endometriosis
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
Vaginal Health
Vaginal Atrophy
Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus
Acute & Chronic Vaginitis
Abnormal Uterine Bleeding
Hormone Imbalance
Thyroid and Adrenal Health including Hashimoto’s
MCAS
Mold
Environmental Toxicity
All general acute and chronic family medicine concerns

BioIdentical Hormone Therapy, Hormone Balance, Low Testosterone, Menopause, Peri-menopause, Women’s Health

Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy

Most women associate hormone replacement therapy (HRT) with menopause, but it actually has many more uses to correct hormone concerns that arise throughout a lifetime. Naturopathic and functional medicine doctors use a special class of hormone replacement therapy, called bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), to treat not only menopausal women, but, also perimenopause, fertility, PMS, PCOS, anxiety, insomnia, and even men who are having issues with low testosterone.

Bioidentical hormones are derived and modified from natural sources, such as the Wild Mexican Yam, and are structurally identical to the hormones our bodies naturally produce. Therefore, we can expect similar results from them.

Bioidentical hormones differ from synthetic hormone replacement therapy in several ways. Synthetic hormones are chemically foreign from the hormones we produce, so, they often behave a little differently than our natural hormones. One significant difference is that synthetic hormones have been shown to bind more tightly to the receptors in our bodies, which makes the receptors work overtime and have a much more potent effect, sometimes more than what we want.

A good example of synthetic hormones hijacking the normal processes of the body is birth control. Hormonal birth control is made up of synthetic hormones that bind very tightly to the body’s estrogen and progesterone receptors and “trick” the body into thinking it’s pregnant. This can happen even in relatively low doses. In this way, we can use the synthetic hormones to our benefit for family planning, but, we don’t necessarily need this effect in our hormone balance regime.

Bioidentical hormone therapy offers several options for delivery and personalization. Bioidentical hormones are often compounded, which provides more flexibility in customized dosing and delivery form for your personal needs. The forms of bioidentical hormone therapy generally include transdermal cream or gel, lozenges, capsules, or suppositories.

Some benefits of bHRT include:

  • Lowers cholesterol and increases HDL (the good fat)
  • Maintains collagen in our skin and connective tissues
  • Improve cognition and protect brain tissue
  • Improve sleep
  • Improve mood and alleviate anxiety
  • Mitigate thermal regulation (warm rushes and hot flashes)
  • Improves cardiovascular health
  • Stabilizes bone health

At Hill Park Integrative Medical Center, we have several doctors who specialize in the prescription of bioidentical hormones for many different clinical applications. We treat both according to symptoms and labs and have had great success in hormone treatments across many patient populations, including reproductive age women, men, fertility, and post/perimenopausal women.

We don’t think that bioidentical hormone therapy is the only hormone balance regime – there are many solutions to hormone imbalance with the use of herbal medicine, targeted nutrient therapy, acupuncture, and many other resources. For moderate to severe concerns, bioidentical hormones can be very effective, especially in combination with other natural therapies, to correct hormone balance and are safe when applied correctly by an experienced doctor.