Bioidentical Hormone discussion with Dr. Karen Kaufman, board certified OB/GYN. Karen Kaufman, MD is a board-certified Obstetrician/Gynecologist who has been practicing in Boulder, Colorado since 2003. Her medical school training was at Case Western reserve in Cleveland, Ohio followed by OB/GYN residency at Northwestern University in Chicago, Illinois.

While practicing conventional medicine in Boulder, Dr. Kaufman became aware that patients needed and wanted more than what they were receiving from traditional Western Medical healthcare. She observed that while traditional medicine had its role, many of her patients symptoms and issue weren’t being addressed with this approach. She pursued the idea of functional or integrative medicine and then completed fellowship training with the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine where she honed her skills using bioidentical hormones.

We will be discussing:

1. Bioidentical hormones do NOT increase breast cancer risk. If estrogen causes breast cancer then why don’t 25 year women, bubbling with estrogen get breast cancer?

2. VAGUE language creates confusion – HORMONES – ESTROGEN. We discuss the actual names of bioidentical hormones such as estradiol and distinguish it from drugs such as birth control pills or Premarin.

3. Birth control pills, Premarin and Provera are not hormones. They are drugs. Drugs are useful but dangerous and are never a part of “Bioidentical hormone replacement”.

4. Bioidentical means it is identical to the hormones you have made your whole life and need forever if you intend on having a vital life.

5. Top 4 benefits derived from using BHRT: Reduce risk of heart attack by 50%. Brain protective and reduces risk of Alzheimer's by 30-60%. Bones stronger and reduced risk of osteoporosis. BEST first line treatment for bone density. Longevity: mice studies show 19% increase in lifespan.

6. Why doesn't my OB/GYN offer BHRT? Hormones are not “drugs” so it is not taught in traditional western medicine. The vast majority of OB/GYN physicians know next to nothing about true bioidentical hormones or how to use them.

Upfront summary - KEY points we will discuss:

1. Stillness – what is it and WHY I should develop this skill. Medical research using MRI’s and other technology have proven that stillness & meditation: Slows the rate of aging, Protects the brain from Alzheimers disease, Lowers blood pressure and slows heart rate, Reduces the occurrence of heart attacks, Brain repair BDNF (Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor), Reduces stress and enhances cognition

2. Your thinking brain should be a tool that use and then put away. You are addicted to your thoughts, and you never allow your brain to rest.

3. Your Ego lives in your brain, your mind, and creates 100% of the stress you feel every day. NO ONE can give you stress – you GENERATE IT – 100%

4. Here are 5 clues that you are stressed: always irritable, life is HARD, feel drained, poor sleep, crave junk food.

5. MEASURE your stress: Blood pressure, Heart rate & Heart Rate Variability.

6. Two Part Podcast – send us your questions or challenges that you have faced in your stillness attempts, and we will answer them in our next podcast. Email us at help@huberpm.com

Punchline up front – conclusions we will arrive at today:

1. Dementia is not a genetic issue. Genetics may increase risk but are not a big factor.

2. Lifestyle is more significant than genes. Lifestyle is POWERFUL.

Lifestyle is the biggest determinant: higher risk if obese, high carb diet, smoker, stressed. Overweight and high blood pressure will TRIPLE your risk.

3. You can reverse it if you catch it early.

4. 5 biggest risk factors / interventions: plastic, diet, hormones, thyroid, weight loss.

Don’t overlook your thyroid and hormone levels.

5. You can test for it with a simple blood test - p-Tau-181 protein and your ApoE gene.

Also test CRP, Insulin, hormones and the whole Alzheimers panel.

See HippEvoShop.com to get a discounted panel.

https://hippevoshop.com/

P-Tau-protein lab – assess risk: https://hippevoshop.com/product/p-tau-181-483745/

6. High end treatment includes Hyperbaric oxygen & Stem cell therapy is here today and has been studied and shown effective in treating dementia.

Stem Cell Webinar: https://www.hippevo.com/articles/stem-cell-webinar

Easy first steps

1. Fasting – engage a regular fasting habit.

Intermittent Fasting - https://www.hippevo.com/articles/intermittant-fasting-for-weight-loss

2. Change diet to reduce carbs and sugars and increase “healthy” fats

3. Sleep is critical for repair and long-term health. Value the quality of your sleep.

Sleep Hygiene - https://www.hippevo.com/articles/sleep-hygiene-how-to-cultivate-better-sleep

Road Map to Longevity

Podcast #1 – Longevity: exploring its definition and an approach to extending your vital, meaningful life.

What gets measured gets done so the point of this podcast is for you to have tools for measuring your “rate of aging”. Using a simple questionnaire, some fitness measure and some lab measures you can gain keen insights to your rate of aging and more importantly engage steps to slow it down. Future webinars will explore exact action to engage and why these actions send youthful signals to your cells. First . . . measure it.

We spoke of the Stevens study looking at numbers from the National Health and Nutrition Examination which showed that only 12% of Americans even qualify as being metabolically healthy. That is a sad fact but also a statistic that you easily avoid with proper lifestyle change. Beyond this we discussed the 2018 study in JAMA that compared 11 prosperous countries with good health care systems and showed that even though Americans smoke and drink less alcohol than many other countries, we ranked dead last in longevity!! Ouch!

But wait . . . it gets worse. In 2023 the Centers for Disease Control in the U.S. reported that life expectancy had continued to DECLINE and our average life expectancy was now down to 76.4 years while Japan and other European countries continued to show gains in longevity.

I have developed our own “Aging Score” based on an even deeper and more exacting exploration into labs and other lifestyle habits that offer a broader scope and so a more meaningful measure of your rate of aging. This questionnaire and aging guide can be seen on HippEvo.com by looking in the LEARN section under ARTICLES. https://www.hippevo.com/articles/aging-score

Taking Action:

It all starts by getting a baseline measure to see where you are. Your body wants to heal and can definitely get younger but how do know where to start if you don’t have a line in the sand. So make the decision that want to be in control of your health journey rather than a victim of it. Get some labs done – I recommend starting with a look at some detailed labs.

If insurance will cover your labs then that's great but if not then don’t get robbed – use discounted lab option through HippEvoShop.com where you can order labs on a cash pay basis and save a ton. You need an NMR lipid panel, HgbA1c, Glucose (chem14) and insulin, and a CRP-hs as a good start point. Add to this your sex appropriate hormone test panel that includes testosterone and SHBG.

Yes, there is more that can be measured but this is a good start. If you want to order all of the labs seen in the “Aging Score” questionnaire then contact Liz at HippEvo.com (Phone 513-366-2100) and request the Longevity full panel which includes: NMR lipids, Insulin, Chem14, HgbA1c, Testosterone, DHEAS, Thyroid, CRP, ApoE gene, Omega 6:3 ratio, Lp(a), Glutathione, Vitamin D, SHBG. The price is $699.00 but there isn’t a cheaper more inclusive panel to be found anywhere.

Then measure your fitness as outlined on the “Aging Score” sheet. This is when reality sets in but that's a good thing. No more mystery. We are filling in facts and details to arrive at a statement of health. You are putting yourself in the driver seat by laying claim to your reality. More importantly, once measured you can begin to sculpt a different result. Don’t be American – Age slowly.