Pt 2 Hormone Black Box Warnings Removed: Should we be concerned?

Hey Welcome in fascinating ladies, super excited to have you join us here for part 2 of our special edition of Label to Table.

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Need to Catch up? Here is part 1

Pt 1 Hormone Black Box Warnings Removed: Should we be concerned?

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In this second half (part two ) of the conversation, Dani and I leave the press conferences and politics behind and walk straight into the real world of women trying to feel better without losing themselves in the process. We unpack compounded hormones versus one size fits all prescriptions, share practical options like Bezwecken and homeopathics, and then zoom out to talk about something much bigger like, who owns your hormone story, how lifestyle changes can shift symptoms, and why questioning the norm is one of the most powerful midlife skills you will ever reclaim.

What is Label To Table

We meet every Wednesday Live to decode the ingredients, read the fine print on what goes on your plate, your skin, and in your space, translate the science, and help you choose with confidence so you can sage with sass and grace every day life. You can join us on my Substack Wednesdays; 9 am pacific, 10 am mountain, 11 am central 12pm Eastern.

Are you curious?

If you have a product or ingredient for us to yay or nay? Leave a voicemail at (656) 222-0848 or message me in the show notes. We would love to hear from you.

What to expect

By the end of this episode you will have a grounded sense of the spectrum of hormone options, from compounded bioidenticals to homeopathics to lifestyle as medicine or at least to help support your choices. You will know which questions to ask before changing or starting hormones, understand why food, fiber, hydration, and movement are not “extra credit,” and feel more entitled to shop for a doctor who actually listens. Instead of feeling like a problem to be medicated, you will see yourself as the decision maker in your own hormone story.

We are not lab rats and we are not a disease. We have to stop handing our power over like we are

Here is the key, midlife does not have to be a blur of prescriptions timed with phone alarms, sleepless nights, and the quiet belief that your body is broken. When you understand how industry, studies, and culture frame menopause as a disease, you can step out of that script and into one that honors your biology, your history, and your season of life. Food, movement, sun, and targeted support may not be as flashy as a new drug launch, but they are the foundations that have carried women through this transition for generations. You deserve options, context, and respect, not fear and hopelessness.

Thank you for joining us

Thank you to those who joined in on this live. I did not get all of your names but here are a few:

Cory, Betty Boldbrew, Alain Hajjar, KJ, Gloria Brewer, Jo Blackwell, and others.

Welcome in

If you are new here, 👋welcome! I do hope you will join me for podcasts, recipes and live interviews to help you sage with sass and grace in every day life. Hit this button below and get everything easily into your inbox and thank you.

Products mentioned

These products can be purchased through my store with your own safe online portal. Free to join.

If you are purchasing through my online store and you have questions, please either message me here on my publication or message me (656) 222-0848 and I can answer any questions you may have. You can also email me hellokarenlangston@gmail.com Or leave me a message (656) 222-0848

Bezwecken (number one): offers a full line of natural and bioidentical support for women in mid-life, including vaginal moisturizers, intimacy suppositories, plant based hormone support like PhytoB-L 4x, and compounded style hormone products such as DHEA and estriol formulas. Their products focus on comfort, moisture, and gentle hormonal balance using ingredients like organic coconut oil and Vitamin E. Search “ Bezwecken” in FullScript for their entire product line.

Professional Formulas: offers homeopathic hormone support designed to gently encourage the body’s own balancing mechanisms. Their lineup includes remedies for progesterone, growth hormone, tri estrogen, testosterone, and pregnenolone, along with other endocrine focused blends. These microdosed, non synthetic formulas aim to support hormonal harmony without acting like direct hormone replacement. Search “ Professional Formulas” in FullScript for their entire product line.

Quicksilver: offers highly absorbable, liposomal and nanoparticle based supplements designed for rapid delivery into the bloodstream. Their formulas focus on detoxification, hormone and metabolic support, mitochondrial energy, and targeted nutrients. Products like their liposomal pregnenolone, DIM, glutathione, and adaptogenic blends are crafted to help the body process hormones more efficiently, clear toxins, and support overall vitality in mid life and beyond. Search “ Quicksilver” in FullScript for their entire product line.

Emerita offers natural, over the counter hormone support for women using plant derived, bioidentical ingredients. Their bestselling products include progesterone creams, phytoestrogen blends, and vaginal moisturizers designed to ease mid life symptoms like dryness, mood shifts, and hormonal fluctuations, all with a clean, body friendly approach. Search “ Emerita” in FullScript for their entire product line.

BioMatrix offers targeted endocrine support using bioidentical, professionally formulated supplements for hormone balance. Their lineup includes adrenal support, pregnenolone, DHEA, bioidentical progesterone creams, and glandular blends designed to help regulate stress hormones, stabilize mood, and support overall hormonal resilience through mid life and beyond. Search “ BioMatrix” in FullScript for their entire product line.

Show Notes

• Compounded hormones are not magic, but they are one step closer to how your body actually speaks hormone

• Why working with a functional medicine doctor, naturopath, holistic nutritionist, or nurse practitioner can be a safer bridge into natural hormone use

• The appeal of bioidentical style options that are closer to what the body naturally produces

• Bezwecken, Professional Formulas Quicksilver (see above) for sensitive women who do not tolerate direct hormone therapies

• Hormone therapy must be individualized and never a source of shame

• Dani’s encouragement to be a critical thinker and not blindly trust regulatory agencies or national guidelines

• Women are not lab rats, not a disease, and must stop handing all their power to rushed doctors

• How insurance, clinic time pressures, and culture in both the United States and Canada shape how women are treated and how much they are allowed to question

• “Fire” a doctor the same way you would walk out of a restaurant that treats you poorly

• Why science is never final and how studies can be designed or interpreted to show almost anything

• Cross cultural research showing much lower hot flash and night sweat rates in Japanese and rural Mayan women

• How urbanization, processed food, high carbohydrate diets, chemicals, and lifestyle changes may be driving more intense symptoms in North America

• The invitation to notice food symptom connections instead of defaulting to “this is just menopause”

• Seed cycling before and after menopause

• Why testing matters so you do not blindly add estrogen when you may really need more progesterone, estradiol, or a different support altogether

• How statins and low cholesterol can undermine hormone production, mood, and energy

What can you do?

• Check in with your doctor

• Geta full urine, spit or blood hormone panel done

• Find out where your nutrients may be failing you and your hormone production

• Open a blank page and write your hormone timeline: first period, birth control use, pregnancies, losses, surgeries, perimenopause, menopause, and any hormone prescriptions. Simply seeing the whole arc of your story in one place can spark new insight and compassion for yourself.

• Choose one lifestyle lever to experiment with for the next seven days: more fiber, more water, less sugar, refined carbs, an earlier bedtime, a daily walk, or time in the sun. Notice, and write down, what shifts in your hot flushes, mood, sleep, and energy

• If you are currently under the care of a doctor or practitioner, write down three questions you want to ask them about your hormones or medications. Bring those questions to your next visit and practice holding your ground until you get clear answers.

• If something in this conversation lit a fire in you, share the episode with another woman who feels like she has been talked into hormones without a real conversation.

• If you are new here, 👋welcome! I do hope you will join me for podcasts, recipes and live interviews to help you sage with sass and grace in every day life. Hit this button below and get everything easily into your inbox and thank you. Part two will be with you next week and effortlessly fall into your inbox so you do not miss it.

Have a great week and we will see you next week for another fascinating epsisode. If you have a question you would like answered, leave me a message or text me on my dedicated podcast line (656) 222-0848 or send me a message:

Have a great week,

~Karen

References

The announcement was made by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH, at a press conference.(HHS advances women’s health, removes misleading FDA warnings on hormone replacement therapy. FDA. November 10, 2025.

Menopausal hormone therapies: too many to list. Here is a list from the FDA along with the risks, and side effects —or should I say “Less serious common side effects”

“Black Box” Warnings from Menopausal Hormone Replacement Therapy Products

Approval for a non-hormonal treatment for moderate to severe vasomotor symptoms, such as hot flashes, associated with menopause.

The term “ménopause” coined in 1821 French physician, and real medicalization of menopause as a treatable condition ramped up in the later 1800s and early 1900s.

Modern standards widely used long before Premarin.

Japanese women in classic studies reported hot flashes at about one-third the rate of North American women.

Rural Mayan women reported very low rates of hot flashes; symptoms were rare unless women moved to urban/Westernized settings. Downloadable PDF

Multi-ethnic sample found combined hot flash, night-sweat prevalence around 18% in Japanese women, 21% in Chinese, 31% in Caucasian, 35% in Hispanic, and 46% in African-American women. Downloadable PDF

Culturally responsive care for menopausal women

The fine print

*The information shared in this post and audio reflects the personal experiences and opinions of the author s and is provided for informational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as medical, psychological, or professional advice. Any tests, products, or methods mentioned are for informational and educational purposes only and are not intended for diagnosis, treatment, cure, or prevention of any disease. This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider regarding any health concerns, conditions, and, or a nutritionally informed physician before making any changes to your health routine, including trying any products, methods, or recommendations mentioned here.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.