Mary Kay Bartlett, MSN, RN, CNSHolistic Women’s Health Care Practitioner
As a Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) in Women’s Health Care I work with women in all phases of life, but my specialty area and passion is working with women transitioning through peri-menopause and adapting to menopause. It is my belief that this transition is a normal growth process. It is a time to review our past and present health and make changes to support and improve our present and future health. I focus on health promotion and risk reduction to help you achieve optimal physical and emotional healing. My goal is to support and guide you in your transition to optimal health for you as an individual.
Hormone changes can begin to occur as early as 35 years of age with PMS, uterine fibroids, irregular periods, etc. The average age of menopause is 52, but symptoms of hot flashes, insomnia, mood changes, increased difficulty adapting to stress, etc. can start several years before and continue for several years after menopause is diagnosed. Menopause is officially 1 year after the last menstrual period (or after a hysterectomy). Risks during this time of life may include bone loss (osteopenia or osteoporosis), cardiovascular disease, cancer, and many other health problems related to changes in hormone levels (particularly estrogen dominance), but also with other changes occurring at this time.
There are many ways to address the discomforts, challenges, and risks of these transitional years of peri-menopause and menopause. I take a mind/body/spirit approach to health and wellness in general as well as to women’s health issues specifically. Lifestyle changes can be life-changing for some women - and those changes can be small or large, both with big rewards! There are many other ways to improve hormone balance and relieve symptoms including nutritional supplements, herbs, hormone precursors, bio-identical hormones, and homeopathy. Monitoring hormone levels to address any imbalances to achieve optimal health and to make changes as needed to prevent risks that can occur with estrogen dominance is achieved using saliva hormone levels.
I believe that each of us is an individual and we each experience life and life changes in our own unique way. When working to improve our health it is essential to explore these issues as they affect us as individuals, and this takes time - so ample time is allowed for each appointment.
The initial appointment may take 1 ½ to 3 hours. We will discuss family and personal health history, current problems and concerns, and current and past lifestyle choices. Any lab work you have done will be reviewed, additional or basic labs may be ordered when needed, and a plan will be developed.
Follow up appointments may take 30 minutes to 1 ½ hours depending on your needs. We discuss any changes you have noticed since the last visit including response to treatment, review any lab results since the last appointment, and discuss and make decisions on any changes in your plan at each appointment. If a physical exam is appropriate for you that can also be done at your appointment.
Women experience special health considerations and challenges as they go through life. I am here to help.
I always wanted to be a nurse and achieved that goal when I graduated from the University of Colorado with a BSN many years ago. My background was originally in Intensive Care (ICU) and Coronary Care (CCU). As an Air Force wife I have filled many roles as an RN, many of which were focused on women’s health care. My love of this field led me to complete my MSN in Women’s Health Care at the University of Texas in San Antonio. I am licensed in Texas as an Advanced Nurse Practitioner, specifically as a Clinical Nurse Specialist.
Practicing and promoting optimal wellness and using more healthy alternative approaches has been a strong interest for me for as long as I can remember. After becoming a CNS I held Joint Appointments on faculty at University of Texas Health Science Center School of Nursing teaching nursing students while filling the CNS role with individual hospitals where much of my focus was on high risk care. These experiences reinforced my desire to prevent high risk situations and to provide healthier options to my clients. I began an in-depth study of complementary approaches to women’s health in my frustration with traditional medicine’s disease approach to normal processes such as menopause and pregnancy and the limited options available to women with traditional western medicine. I have been providing holistic women’s health care at The Center for Complementary Medicine since 1996 where I have a busy practice.
I have been a co-investigator on 2 research projects, the results of which have been presented at national conferences and one of which has been published in Applied Nursing Research, 8/2002. I continue to serve as Adjunct faculty for MSN students with the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Nursing in San Antonio as time allows.
Women's Health • Classical Homeopathy • Bio-Identical Hormones • Clinical Nutrition • Biomedical Testing