In Podcast 61, I sit with Dr. Karen Hurd to discuss HRT.
Episode Focus: Re-examining the risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) in light of new scientific rhetoric, The biological mechanism of hormonal damage, and the power of lifestyle in navigating menopause.
1. The Core Scientific Risk: DNA Damage
Dr. Hurd challenges the idea that "bioidentical" hormones are inherently safer than synthetic ones.
- The Mechanism of Action: Hormones (both endogenous/innate and exogenous/prescribed) are very small molecules known scientifically as nuclear receptors.
- Crossing Barriers: These molecules are so tiny that they can bypass normal cellular defenses by diffusing directly through the cell membrane (plasma membrane) and the nuclear envelope.
- The DNA Barrage: Once inside the nucleus, the hormone-transcription factor complex randomly attaches to the DNA3. This is not a one-time event; a daily pill or patch creates a constant barrage on the nuclear envelope.
- Mutating Genes: If this random attachment occurs at a critical site, such as the P53 gene (often affected in nearly 50% of hormonally receptive cancers) 5, it can disable the cell's stop mechanism (stop codon)6. The damaged cell then reproduces daughter cells carrying the same mutation, leading to tumors.
The Power of Diet and Lifestyle
- The Natural Menopause: Menopausal symptoms (bone loss, brain fog, hot flashes) are often the result of entering menopause in a non-healthy state
- Estrogen Drivers: Hormones are naturally produced, but their excess can be driven by lifestyle. Caffeine is a more powerful driver of estrogen production than sugar.
- Adrenal Role: The adrenal glands are meant to take over producing weaker, protective estrogens after menopause16. Stressing the adrenals with caffeine, sugar, and over-exercising diverts resources away from hormone production, leading to symptoms like vaginal atrophy and hot flashes.
- The Bean Protocol Solution: Eating soluble fiber (like beans) does not stop innate hormone production; rather, the fiber acts by carrying out what the liver dumps into the gut.. This prevents the excessive recycling (up to 72 times daily) of hormones, allowing the body to naturally bring elevated estrogen levels back down to a safe, post-menopausal level
You can learn more about working with Karen Hurd at www.karenhurd.com
and you can learn more about my courses and working with me at www.youregreat.com
Wishing you well on your human journey.
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