Comprehensive Holistic Well Women’s Exams
Conducted by Dr. Ari Weiner, NMD include annual exams and pap smears, screening for sexually transmitted infections, breast exams, mammography or thermography referrals, birth control education, as well as menopause support. In addition to wellness, we address common conditions affecting women such as infertility, PCOS, endometriosis, cervical dysplasia, fibrocystic breasts, and more.
What to expect:
A one-hour office visit in a warm, comfortable, and quiet setting.
The visit starts with a conversation that consists of a thorough assessment to review your female health history, family history, diet and lifestyle, as well as other risk factors for common diseases. Based on the individual needs and desires of the patient, other frequent topics include:
Contraception options
Fertility awareness and conception planning
Hormone balancing: including everything from menopause, perimenopause, PMS, PMDD (Premenstrual dysphoric disorder), PCOS, estrogen dominance, etc.
Hormone replacement options: including bio-identical hormone replacement therapy as well as nutritional, botanical, and nutrient therapies for hormone balance.
Recurrent UTI’s/cystitis
Thyroid function
Anxiety and depression
Sexual health and wellbeing: we offer a nonjudgmental environment where women are free to discuss their sexual health concerns.
The second part of the visit includes physical screening exams. Crucial to any intimate exam, patients are assured that they will feel respected and heard in voicing their previous experiences and concerns. Safety and comfort is of utmost importance. This is also a great opportunity to discuss any questions or concerns about physiologic changes of tissue or function, either normal variants or worrisome changes.
Clinical breast exam:
Comprehensive breast evaluation and referral for breast imaging if necessary. We discuss the risks and benefits of various breast imaging techniques, including mammograms, thermograms, ultrasounds, and MRI, and jointly decide on which screening(s) are fitting for the individual woman.
Pelvic exam:
This includes a pap smear, palpation of the uterus and ovaries to rule out/assess for uterine fibroids or ovarian cysts, and determine if reproductive organs are healthy. We also test for sexually transmitted infections if appropriate and understand the sensitivity surrounding these tests for our patients.
A pap smear is performed by using a brush-like device to collect cells from the face of the cervix that are then sent for evaluation, looking for abnormal cellular changes that might reveal dysplasia or cervical cancer.
HPV testing: this means testing for high-risk strains of the human papillomavirus virus, which are associated with abnormal cellular changes, cervical dysplasia, and cervical cancer. “HPV positive” does not mean cancer cells are present. Knowing HPV status will indicate if and how aggressively treatment is needed.
Assessment of yeast or bacterial vaginosis infections is done if patients are experiencing symptoms such as pain, itching, or change in odor or discharge
If pap smear shows abnormal results, we have a course of naturopathic treatments to aid in the transition back to health.
Choosing a naturopathic Physician versus A conventional gynecologist:
The part versus the whole:
We treat the whole person. We provide comprehensive, patient-focused medicine that is educational, empowering, and successful in restoring health and vitality. We are passionate about patient care and acknowledge the importance of listening and creating a space for healing to begin. Our goal is to identify and heal the cause of dysfunction, rather than just treating symptoms.
Testing:
Although we strongly rely on conventional labs and testing, our focus is on prevention-based therapies and integrating diet and lifestyle modifications alongside a treatment plan deemed appropriate. Testing for women’s wellness visits most commonly include a pap smear, vaginal swabs for yeast, BV, or STI’s, and reproductive hormone testing.
Treatments:
At Coeur d’Alene Healing Arts, our treatments for a unique woman’s health conditions include nutrition, lifestyle support, counseling, botanical medicine, nutritional supplements, homeopathy, bio-identical hormone replacement therapy and more.
We work with all women, including young women with pre-menstrual symptoms, pregnancy-related concerns, headaches, stress, etc. and women in mid-life with needs relating to perimenopause, osteopenia, and hormone imbalances (both thyroid and reproductive hormones), as well as anxiety and depression.
The Importance of Women’s Wellness Exams:
These types of examinations are easy to put off or avoid completely based on previous challenging experiences, discomfort, and fear. At Coeur d’Alene Healing Arts, not only are safety and comfort paramount to our practice, but respect and empowerment of women to make personal, educated decisions regarding their bodies and health are a priority and honor.
Knowledge is power, and early detection can often mean early intervention, so do not delay! Naturopathic medicine particularly shines when it comes to prevention and supporting vibrant health. When issues do arrive, however, naturopathic medicine offers an armamentarium of natural, gentler therapies that often carry less risk of long-term side effects. Regardless, if a health concern needs to be addressed, full scope of treatment options will be discussed, including pros and cons of each treatment, and shared decision making between provider and patient will guide the course of action appropriate for each individual.
You are important, make your health a priority!