NEW PATIENT INFORMATION
If you have been putting off making an appointment because you are not sure what will happen, or because you have left other appointments feeling unheard, this page is for you.
At Alpenaura Holistic Health, a first visit looks different from a routine annual exam. There is no rushing through a checklist. There is no looking at a chart while you talk. There is time — enough time to understand what is actually going on, ask real questions, and leave with a clear picture and a plan.
A Different Kind of Appointment
Below is a walkthrough of the entire process, start to finish: how to prepare for your appointment, what the consultation itself looks like, how labs and treatment planning work, and what happens after your visit. Nothing here is a mystery, and nothing is a sales pitch. It is simply how a first visit at Alpenaura Holistic Health works, laid out step by step.
Whether you are coming in for perimenopause symptoms, hormone questions, metabolic concerns, or just the sense that something is off, the structure of your visit is the same: your story first, then a plan built around it. Read through what follows, and if a question comes up that this page does not answer, reach out before you book — we are happy to talk it through.
Jade’s practice is built for women who are navigating something that does not fit neatly into a 10-minute appointment. That includes:
If you are looking for routine annual GYN care without broader hormone or integrative evaluation, we can often accommodate that as well. If you are unsure whether your situation is a good fit, reach out — we are happy to help you decide before you book.
Preparing For Your Visit
A little preparation makes your first visit more productive for both of us. Here is what to gather if you have it — none of it is required, but all of it is helpful.
Think through what you have been experiencing and roughly when it started. You do not need a formal timeline or a written list — just a general sense of what has changed and when. The more specific you can be, the more we can cover in the time we have together. Some things worth noting:
Bring a current list of everything you are taking — prescription medications, over-the-counter supplements, vitamins, herbs, and hormones. If you have a pharmacy printout, that works well. If not, a photo of your bottles is fine.
If you have never had hormone labs, or if your most recent results were a basic TSH or a single estrogen reading, that is completely fine — we will order what we need at or after your visit.
If you still have periods, it is helpful to know your current cycle pattern: how long, how heavy, how regular, and whether anything has changed in the past 1–2 years. If your periods have stopped or changed significantly, note approximately when that happened.
Your Consultation Experience
A new patient consultation at Alpenaura is typically 45–60 minutes. Here is how that time generally flows.
We start with you — not your chart, not your chief complaint, not a symptom checklist. Jade will ask open-ended questions about what you have been experiencing, how long it has been going on, and how it is affecting your life.
This conversation is not rushed. You will not be interrupted after 90 seconds. Take your time.
Beyond your current symptoms, Jade will ask about your broader medical history, family history, reproductive history, medications, supplements, sleep patterns, stress, nutrition, movement, and anything else that might be relevant to the picture.
Hormonal health is influenced by many systems — this context matters.
After hearing your history, Jade will share what she is seeing and what she thinks may be contributing. This is a conversation, not a verdict. You will understand her clinical reasoning — not just the conclusion.
If something does not make sense or you disagree, say so. Your input shapes the plan.
Depending on your history and what labs you have already had, Jade will discuss what she recommends ordering and why. Labs are not always needed at the first visit — sometimes we can start with clinical assessment alone.
When labs are ordered, she will explain what each one tells us and what she is looking for.
By the end of your visit, you will have clarity — either a starting plan, a clear next step, or both. In some cases, we will wait for labs before finalizing recommendations. In others, we can begin right away.
Either way, you will not leave without knowing exactly what comes next.
The Next Steps
What happens after your appointment depends on your individual situation. Here are the most common paths.
Most lab results are available within a week. Once results are in, Jade will review them in the context of your full symptom picture — not just the flagged values — and you will have a follow-up visit to discuss findings and finalize your plan.
This is where the “your labs are normal” experience is different at Alpenaura. We look at where values fall within range, not just whether they are technically in range.
A TSH of 3.8 and a TSH of 1.2 are both “normal” on a standard report — but they do not represent the same thyroid function, and they do not feel the same in a body.
“Normal” does not mean optimized.
Most treatments take 4–12 weeks to reach full effect.
Hormone therapy, thyroid optimization, and metabolic interventions all require time and follow-up.
Jade will build a monitoring schedule into your plan so that you are not left wondering how things are going — there will be a structure to track progress and adjust as needed.
Jade’s goal is not to see you forever for the same problem — it is to get you stable, feeling well, and able to maintain that with appropriate support.
Some patients need regular quarterly check-ins; others need significantly less once a plan is working.
That varies by condition and individual.
Practical Information
45–60 minutes. Please plan for the full hour, especially for your first visit.
Please provide at least 24 hours’ notice for cancellations so we can offer your time to another patient. Details are in your confirmation email.
Initial lab review follow up visits generally are around 45-60 minutes, as this is where we review labs, determine a treatment plan, and discuss next steps in depth.
Subsequent follow up visits are generally around 30-45 minutes for most follow-ups.
Lab review visits may be shorter if straightforward.
Jade accepts the following insurance providers:
Alpenaura Holistic Health is located at 2275 NE Doctors Drive, Ste. 1, Bend, Oregon. Our full address and parking details are als included in your appointment confirmation.
If your plan includes prescription medications, Jade will send them to your preferred pharmacy. For compounded medications, she will provide a compounding pharmacy referral.
Telehealth visits are available for patients in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and California. The visit format is the same as in-person — video consultation through a secure, HIPAA-compliant platform.
Lab orders will be sent electronically.
You can have labs drawn at a location convenient to you.
• Photo ID
• Insurance card if applicable
• Medication and supplement list
• Any recent lab results
• Your questions
Virtual Care Across Multiple States
Jade is licensed to practice in Oregon, Washington, Alaska, and California, and offers telehealth visits for patients in all four states.
If you are not in the Bend area, or if getting to an in-person appointment is not practical, a telehealth visit is a fully equivalent option for most new patient consultations.
Telehealth visits at Alpenaura are not a lesser version of in-person care. The conversation is the same, the evaluation is the same, and the follow-up plan is the same.
Labs can be ordered to a draw location near you. Prescriptions are sent to your local pharmacy. The only difference is that you are on a screen instead of in the room.
For patients who require an in-office procedure — such as a pelvic exam, colposcopy, or in-office tattooing — we will discuss the best path forward and coordinate with local providers if needed.
The Alpenaura Difference
This is a question we hear often, especially from patients who have had the experience of feeling dismissed, rushed, or told their labs are fine when they clearly do not feel fine. A few things that distinguish how Jade practices:
Lab reference ranges are built for population averages. They do not account for how you feel, how your values have shifted over time, or where in a “normal” range your body actually functions well. Jade looks at both. Labs inform the clinical picture — they do not replace it.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Every woman’s health journey is unique. Here are answers to some of the most common questions about our approach to women’s health, hormone care, treatment options, and personalized care at Alpenaura.
Yes. “Normal labs” and “feeling well” are not the same thing, and many patients who come to Alpenaura have been told their results look fine while they clearly do not feel fine. Jade reviews labs in the context of your full symptom picture, and she orders a more comprehensive panel than a standard primary care or GYN workup when clinically appropriate.
Most patients do not need a referral. However, some insurance plans require one for specialist visits. Check your plan’s requirements before your appointment. If you are self-pay, no referral is needed.
Yes, and this is common. Many patients continue to see their OB/GYN for routine annual care and cervical screening, while working with Jade specifically on hormone health, perimenopause, integrative evaluation, or metabolic concerns. The two types of care complement each other well. Jade can communicate with your GYN when appropriate and with your consent.
Yes. Identifying and evaluating perimenopause is one of the most common reasons patients come to Alpenaura. Perimenopause is a clinical diagnosis — labs alone do not confirm or rule it out — and the conversation about symptoms, timing, and history is often more informative than any single lab result.
That is completely reasonable. Our website has detailed information about each service area, a blog with in-depth articles on hormone health and perimenopause, and a research and resource library with evidence-based reading. If you have a specific question before booking, you can also reach out through our contact page and someone will get back to you.
Breast cancer survivors deserve thoughtful, individualized care for genitourinary, sexual, hormonal, and quality-of-life symptoms. Jade has experience working with patients in this situation and takes a careful, evidence-informed approach to each case. Hormone decisions after breast cancer are highly individual and depend on cancer type, receptor status, treatment history, current medications, and symptoms. Please let us know your history when you book so we can plan accordingly.
Typical patient wait time varies depending upon Alpenaura’s volume. The best way to find out is to call and ask for an appointment.
Please provide at least 24 hours’ notice for cancellations or rescheduling. Because new patient visits are longer appointments, last-minute cancellations are difficult to fill on short notice. Full details are in your booking confirmation.
YOUR CARE STARTS HERE
Stop guessing about your symptoms. Comprehensive testing, honest answers, and a plan built around you — with Jade Carboy, NP.
YOUR CARE STARTS HERE
Stop guessing about your symptoms. Comprehensive testing, honest answers, and a plan built around you — with Jade Carboy, NP.
