An Interview with Nancy Jurczak, NP at Balanced Wellness, a Functional Medicine Provider

Editor’s Note: Perimenopause and menopause can bring unexpected changes—physically, emotionally, and mentally. This month, we sat down with Nancy Jurczak, a board-certified Nurse Practitioner and functional medicine provider, to explore how functional medicine approaches these transitions with a personalized, root-cause approach.

Select each of the questions below to discover Nancy’s answers.

Nancy: With functional medicine, we look at the interconnectedness of the body and use a root cause approach. I’ve learned that you can’t look at hormones in a bubble. Since we have hormone receptors in every system of the body, a multi organ system approach is necessary. We see women who have seen multiple specialists in conventional medicine for many different symptoms and have been offered numerous medications without any real improvement in symptoms. When we treat the whole picture and balance hormones, many times symptoms among all different body systems resolve. During the perimenopause and menopausal time, hormone imbalance itself can be the root cause of many health issues and a wide array of symptoms.

Nancy: Aside from the well-known symptoms of night sweats, hot flashes and insomnia, women may present with brain fog, fatigue, decreased sex drive, hair loss, joint pain, anxiety, depression, rashes, bowel issues, and urinary issues. The symptoms can be pretty widespread.

Nancy: In the phase of perimenopause, when a woman is still menstruating, she is still producing estrogen however levels of estrogen are going up, down, and all around.  These swings in hormones contribute to hot flashes and night sweats. There are lifestyle strategies that can improve hormone balance and level out those swings in natural ways.   For example, a high fiber diet, stress management, sleeping well, exercising, having good relationships, and some supplements can all help hormone balance. But when someone is menopausal, there is no herb that will bring back the estrogen once it is lost and that is when we would sometimes use Hormone Replacement Therapy.

Nancy: Yes, with the right person, monitoring and education, I think all women should be offered the risks and benefits of taking HRT as well as not taking HRT.  Prior studies that demonized HRT have been debunked.  There have been many studies showing the benefits of HRT in menopause.  It can improve mood, bone health, muscle strength, brain health, and overall quality of life.

Nancy: Find a provider who listens to you and who is well-versed in hormone therapy. Fortunately, there is more talk of menopause and perimenopause nowadays.  The menopause society is also investing more to train new physicians to help women which is great for women as a whole.  At Balanced Wellness, we have sought out and completed numerous programs on the use of HRT which enable us to offer the personalized care that we do.   Many times, when providers shove you off, it is not malicious but rather because they don’t have knowledge in the area.   This is not talked about in standard medical education and some just don’t exactly know how to help you.

Nancy: This time in our lives can be kind of exciting!  Generally, our kids are grown or at least independent.  We have enough life experience that we are confident and start to care less about what other people think. I encourage women to find things that they love and spark joy and interest. Finding purpose, connection and community can help us age with fulfillment.  We love to support women and help them age with grace.

Interested in working with Nancy Jurczak? Visit www.balancedwellnessnp.com. If you register as a patient, she and her partner, Julianne, offer a free 15-minute video or phone consultation to discuss your needs. They provide personalized functional medicine programs for women in midlife.