Intention Halfway Through the Year

Can you believe we’re halfway through 2025?

I’ve always loved the energy of a fresh start. But there’s something about the middle that invites reflection. A pause. A chance to look at what’s working... what’s not... and what’s calling for attention next.

When this year started, I had 3 big goals:

• Sell our house in Maryland (the one we raised our kids in and lived in for 23 years)

• Fix my front tooth that was dying (6 professionals agreed it needed to come out... or it would eventually break off on its own. 2 dentists, an endodontist, 2 periodontists, and a cosmetic dentist)

• Get my hormones in check and stop 2 symptoms that were driving me crazy... hot flashes and heart palpitations (which I learned are very common when estrogen is low)

The house sold in just 3 days. Over asking. We took that as a huge success.

The dental work is done too. After months of healing and appointments, I’m officially finished. I found an amazing cosmetic dentist in Miami, trained by a specialist from New York who comes in monthly. It wasn’t cheap, but I’m incredibly happy with the results. And the best part? I never had to go around with a missing tooth.

Hormones? That’s where the biggest growth has happened so far this year.

I started working with a lifestyle MD in Boca Raton, Florida, who I found through the Menopause Society. She doesn’t take insurance, but she offered me a free consultation and has been unbelievably thorough from day one. Every time I’m with her, she spends hours. Not minutes. She follows up regularly, contacts me when my lab results come in (before I even open the email from the lab), and genuinely listens to what I’m working on.

It’s the closest thing to concierge medicine I’ve ever experienced. But more than that, I just feel like she truly knows me. What I care about. What I’m trying to improve. And she always brings new ideas to the table. There’s no pressure... just options. I’ve said no to a few things she’s suggested, and that’s totally fine. It’s collaborative.

I began hormone replacement therapy earlier this year, and it’s been helping a lot. My main symptoms... hot flashes and heart palpitations... were signs of low estrogen. So at first, I didn’t understand why I’d need to take progesterone too. But because I still have a uterus, combining estrogen with progesterone is part of the protocol from the Menopause Society. It’s there to protect the uterus, but it also comes with an unexpected bonus... better sleep.

And I feel it. I’m finally sleeping more soundly, and that alone has been a game-changer.

We’ve also been using a symptom questionnaire from the Menopause Society to guide the process. Sometimes you don’t even realize what you’ve been “just dealing with” until someone walks you through it. That’s helped us fine-tune my plan. Right now, we’re keeping estrogen and progesterone levels the same, but we just added vaginal estradiol. One of the key benefits? It helps rejuvenate the skin and tissue down there, which can be a game-changer for comfort and overall health as estrogen levels drop.

And coming soon... I’ve learned that vaginal estrogen cream can be used in other locations too... like your face. Apparently, it can have visible results. I’ll be sharing more about that in a future issue. Let’s just say... I’ve been experimenting. (Please remember I am not a doctor and I am not giving medical advice. I am just your friend Alison sharing what I am doing.)

Based on both my labs and how I feel, we’ve also decided not to add testosterone right now. My levels are slightly low, but not enough to justify potential side effects. So we’re holding off for now.

Working with my lifestyle doctor has opened the door to a much deeper understanding of my health. Some of it is baseline info. Some of it is guiding real changes. Here’s what I’ve done so far:

• InBody scans every 3 months

• DEXA scans twice (I learned I don’t have osteopenia or osteoporosis, which is great news. Early bone loss is common in women my age, and having that info early means I can stay ahead of it with movement, strength training, or treatment if needed)

• NeuroCatch brain scan once as a baseline (it showed my brain processes information quickly... and honestly, the description of what my doctor said to me from my results felt spot-on)

• Specialized blood work twice

• Menopause Society symptom assessments three times

• RMR and AMR/VO2 max testing once (in the process of getting the results)

• Glucose monitoring, which I just started

I’ve also started working with my doctor’s in-house nutritionist. I’ve had one session so far and have 2 more to go in my package. We’re currently focused on lowering my cholesterol, which is a common shift in perimenopause. I didn’t want to completely overhaul my diet, but I’ve been more mindful about cutting back on eggs and red meat. That small shift, combined with the hormone therapy, may be part of why my cholesterol dropped 40 points in 6 months.

We’ll also be using the RMR and VO2 max data to better understand how my body burns calories so we can build a more personalized plan. The glucose data may play a role too. A few puzzle pieces are still coming together.

All of this has been more than I expected... not in terms of cost, but in depth. I didn’t even know half of this testing existed, let alone that I’d find a doctor to guide me through it all. The DEXA scan breaks down muscle and fat by region. The NeuroCatch gave me a snapshot of how my brain is functioning. Menopause and hormonal changes can affect memory, focus, and processing speed. This test helps assess those changes. It’s also often used after a concussion or to monitor cognitive issues like dementia. It feels good to have a clear baseline.

The ongoing support from my lifestyle doctor has been unlike anything I’ve experienced before. She is helping me gather a lot of data and I feel empowered.

So now that those original goals are either complete or fully in motion... I’m asking myself:

What’s next?

What do I want the rest of this year to look like?

What am I growing toward now?

Because I believe that the back half of the year deserves just as much intention as the start.