Hormones: The Ultimate Anti-Aging Hack
Why I Believe Bioidentical Hormones Are the Ultimate Anti-Aging Hack (When Done Right)
Let’s start with something everyone intuitively understands.
Why does Richard Gere still look like Richard Gere…
while the Golden Girls looked like the Golden Girls?
This isn’t about vanity.
It’s about biology.
Men continue making testosterone their entire lives.
Women, almost overnight, are expected to function without the very hormones that shaped every system in their bodies.
And then we act surprised when things fall apart.
Hormones Are Not Optional — They Are Instructions
Here’s the part that medicine is finally coming back around to:
Estrogen receptors are on virtually every cell in a woman’s body
Testosterone receptors are on virtually every cell in a man’s body
Hormones are not just about reproduction or libido.
They are cellular instructions.
They regulate:
Brain function and cognition
Bone density
Cardiovascular health
Muscle mass and metabolism
Immune balance
Skin integrity
Mood, resilience, and recovery
When hormones disappear, aging accelerates.
Medicine Got This Wrong — and Is Now Correcting Course
For years, hormone replacement therapy—especially estrogen—was vilified.
This fear came from:
Synthetic (non-bioidentical) hormones
Oral estrogens that increased clotting and inflammation
Poorly designed studies
One-size-fits-all dosing
No attention to detox or hormone metabolism
Instead of refining the approach, medicine abandoned hormones altogether.
Now, allopathic medicine is reversing course.
We understand that:
✔ Bioidentical hormones behave differently
✔ Route of delivery matters
✔ Dose matters
✔ Monitoring matters
✔ Individual risk matters
Hormones weren’t the problem.
How they were used was.
Why I Use Bioidentical Hormones as an Anti-Aging Strategy
When used correctly, bioidentical hormones:
Slow biological aging
Preserve muscle and bone
Protect the brain
Improve sleep and recovery
Support metabolic and cardiovascular health
Dramatically improve quality of life
This isn’t about chasing youth.
It’s about maintaining function.
Aging does not have to mean decline.
The Full Hormone Picture (This Is Where Results Really Change)
Hormone therapy works best when hormones are treated as a network, not individual players.
That network includes:
Estrogen
Progesterone
Testosterone
DHEA
Each hormone plays a distinct but interconnected role in longevity, brain health, and resilience.
Estrogen: The Master Regulator for Women
Estrogen is often misunderstood and unfairly feared.
Estrogen supports:
Brain health and cognition
Bone density
Cardiovascular protection
Skin elasticity and collagen
Immune regulation
Metabolic stability
Loss of estrogen accelerates:
Brain aging
Bone loss
Cardiovascular risk
Inflammation
Mood instability
How I use estrogen:
Transdermal estrogen patches or creams (my preferred method)
Bypasses the liver
Provides stable levels
Significantly lower clotting and inflammatory risk than oral estrogen
Estrogen is not dangerous when used bioidentically, transdermally, and monitored appropriately.
Progesterone: The Missing Calm
Progesterone is a critical neurosteroid, not just a reproductive hormone.
It:
Calms the nervous system
Supports deep, restorative sleep
Reduces anxiety and panic
Protects the brain
Balances estrogen’s effects on tissue
Supports uterine and breast health
Low progesterone often presents as:
Anxiety
Insomnia
“Wired but tired”
Mood swings
Estrogen sensitivity
How I use progesterone:
Topical progesterone to support tissues and balance estrogen
Oral micronized progesterone to cross the blood–brain barrier, where it converts into calming neurosteroids that directly support sleep and anxiety
For many women, this is the hormone that restores a sense of peace.
Testosterone: Not Just for Men
Testosterone is essential for both men and women.
It supports:
Muscle mass and strength
Bone density
Motivation and drive
Cognitive clarity
Libido
Metabolic health
Men experience gradual testosterone decline with age.
Women experience a sharp decline, often earlier than expected.
How I use testosterone:
Topical creams or injections
Easily adjustable
Highly customizable
Excellent long-term safety profile when monitored
Testosterone deficiency often masquerades as:
Fatigue
Depression
Brain fog
Loss of motivation
Loss of vitality
DHEA: The Hormone of Resilience
DHEA is a foundational hormone that declines with age and chronic stress.
It is a precursor hormone, meaning the body can convert it into:
Testosterone
Estrogen
Other downstream hormones
DHEA supports:
Cortisol balance and stress tolerance
Immune resilience
Protection against adrenal burnout
Maintenance of testosterone in both men and women
Energy, mood, and libido
Low DHEA is common in:
Chronic stress
Autoimmune disease
Mold or toxin exposure
Long-standing inflammation
Aging
When replaced thoughtfully, DHEA improves resilience, not stimulation.
Methods of Hormone Delivery (And My Preferences)
✔ Estrogen: Transdermal patch or cream
✔ Progesterone: Topical and/or oral micronized
✔ Testosterone: Cream or injection
✔ DHEA: Low-dose oral supplementation
⚠ Pellets
Pellets are an option—but not one I routinely use.
Why?
Large spike in hormone levels after insertion
No ability to adjust dose
Sensitive patients may feel anxious or overstimulated
You are locked into the dose for ~3 months
Flexibility matters, especially in complex patients.
Monitoring Is Non-Negotiable
Hormone therapy without monitoring is guesswork.
I use DUTCH urine hormone testing to evaluate:
Hormone levels
Metabolites
Detox pathways
Estrogen processing (protective vs inflammatory pathways)
Monitoring schedule:
Every 3 months when finding ideal doses
Every 6 months when stable
At least annually long-term
This approach maximizes benefit while minimizing risk.
The Bottom Line
Hormones are not dangerous.
Neglect is.
When hormones disappear, aging accelerates.
When they are replaced bioidentically, thoughtfully, and monitored, they become one of the most powerful longevity tools we have.
Richard Gere didn’t age well by accident.
Women don’t fall apart because they’re weak.
We simply stopped giving half the population the molecules their cells depend on—and told them it was normal.
It doesn’t have to be.
Bioidentical hormones, when done right, aren’t a risk.
They’re a strategy.
And in my opinion, one of the simplest and most effective anti-aging hacks available today. 💚