Newsletter October 2026: Words To Live By: Don’t dismiss what you’re feeling, and don’t accept being dismissed.
Dr. Tapp's Thought's
As we head into October, I’m still thinking about the incredible afternoon we shared at our screening of The M Factor 2: Before the Pause on September 20.
It was so wonderful to see women, and the partners who support them, come together to learn, laugh, ask honest questions, and talk openly about perimenopause and menopause. I’m incredibly grateful to our panellists, our team, and everyone who joined us and helped make the event such a success.
More than anything, the afternoon reminded me why we need to keep having these conversations.
Throughout my years in practice, I’ve met far too many women who knew something had changed in their bodies but couldn’t find answers. They were experiencing disrupted sleep, aching joints, mood changes, heart palpitations, brain fog, body-composition changes, heavy periods, or sexual and urinary concerns, but were often told that these symptoms were unrelated or simply something they had to tolerate.
Somewhere along the way, this work also became personal for me.
I recently turned 40, and over the past year, I’ve started noticing changes in my own joints, body composition, sleep, mood, temperature regulation, memory, and vision.
Apparently, my body received the birthday invitation and decided to bring a few surprise guests.
I’ve watched many women in their late 30s and early 40s experience similar changes, only to be told, “It can’t be perimenopause…you’re too young.”
But perimenopause doesn’t begin at one specific age. It’s a gradual and sometimes unpredictable transition. Symptoms can come and go, change from month to month, or begin well before your periods become noticeably irregular. And yes, for some women, it can begin in their 30s.
We also need to make sure this conversation includes women whose menopause began because of cancer treatment.
Chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and certain medications can bring menopause much earlier than expected, sometimes almost overnight. Yet these women are often left out of mainstream menopause discussions, especially when hormone therapy is complicated, contraindicated, or simply never discussed.
Not every woman can, or wants to, use hormone therapy. But every woman deserves menopause care.
This gap is one of the reasons I created RecoverWell, my program offering individualized, evidence-informed support during recovery from cancer treatment. It addresses concerns that can easily be overlooked once active treatment ends, including the very real physical and emotional effects of medically induced menopause.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women globally, and our cardiovascular risk changes as we move through menopause. Complete menopause care should include conversations about blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, insulin resistance, body composition, movement, muscle mass, sleep, and all the other factors that influence our long-term heart and vascular health.
The goal shouldn’t be to simply help women “get through” menopause. It should be to help them feel well and protect their health for all the years that come afterward.
If there’s one message I hope everyone carried home from The M Factor 2, it’s this:
Don’t dismiss what you’re feeling, and don’t accept being dismissed.
You deserve to enter this phase of life informed, supported, and empowered rather than afraid.
Clinic News
Eczema From Childhood To Adulthood Webinar Replay
Eczema doesn't look the same at every stage of life, and neither should the approach to managing it.
Join Dr. Shantel Simpson, ND and Dr. Kori Macarthur, ND for an engaging and evidence-informed webinar exploring how eczema evolves from infancy and childhood through the teen years and into adulthood. Whether you're a parent navigating childhood eczema, an adult struggling with persistent flares, or someone looking to better understand the root causes behind your skin symptoms, this webinar will provide practical tools and insights you can start using right away.
In this webinar replay, we’ll cover:
Why eczema develops and what drives ongoing flares including common triggers that are overlooked
The connection between skin, digestion, immune function, stress, sleep, and hormones
Daily skincare strategies that support the skin barrier
Nutrition and lifestyle considerations for healthier skin”
When to consider additional testing and investigation
Practical tips for managing itching, inflammation, and recurring flare-ups
Passcode: 4$%uN7LL
An Important Update Regarding IV Therapy Billing
We have recently been made aware of a directive from the College of Naturopaths of Ontario (CONO) requiring additional information on invoices for IVs and injections, including confirmation of who performed the procedure, an ND or a delegate/IV Technician.
As a result of this directive, effective immediately, we will no longer be direct billing insurance companies for IV consult fees or injections. Patients will be responsible for payment at the time of their IV appointment.
We recommend contacting your insurance provider directly to confirm whether IV therapy performed by an IV technician under a delegation from an ND who is present while the IV is being administered is covered under your plan.
If your plan provides coverage, you can submit your invoice directly to your insurance company for reimbursement, where permitted. At this time, we do not know how individual insurance companies will interpret these billing changes or whether they will reimburse the fee.
We understand that this change is unexpected and may be frustrating, and we are disappointed by the impact this directive has on our patients. We have given careful consideration to how we can implement these changes while continuing to provide accessible IV therapy and minimizing disruption to patient care, and we appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this shift.
The Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors (OAND) is advocating for changes to this directive through legal channels and will keep you updated if any changes arise in the future.
Reminder For Those With Extended Health Coverage
Have you checked your benefits lately? With the end of the year approaching, now is a great time to take a look at your remaining health benefits and pre-book your appointments.
If you have coverage for naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, lab testing or dietitian services, don’t forget to use them before they expire! Book your appointment now and head into the new year feeling your best.
October is ADHD Awareness Month, and following our recent screening of The (M) Factor 2: Before the Pause, there is an important part of the conversation I want to continue - The relationship between ADHD and changing hormones during perimenopause.
For many women, ADHD doesn't suddenly appear in their 40s. Instead, perimenopause may make symptoms that were previously manageable much harder to compensate for.
All the strategies we’ve developed over the years suddenly are not enough.
In this article, I will break down the relationship between ADHD and estrogen, share insights into how overlapping symptoms in perimenopause might be confused with ADHD and the proper assessments that are needed, as well as how naturopathic medicine fits into the conversation.
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