How to Reverse Your Biological Age: Dr. Janette Gray on Balancing Hormones for Longevity

Hormones are not just about hot flashes, libido, or aging, they can shape your energy, mood, recovery, brain fog, and how well you perform in everyday life.

Dr. Kelly Hopkins speaks with Dr. Janette Gray, an internal medicine physician, hormone and longevity expert, author, and founder of Perfect Balance Health. They cover how hormone balance, lifestyle, and prevention fit together, plus how Dr. Gray applies the same principles in her own life through pickleball, peptides, and a practical wellness framework.In this episode, Dr. Gray shares why she moved beyond a purely traditional medical model, how her background shaped her patient care, and what she sees as the real foundation for healthy aging. 

She also explains her own hormone regimen, preferred peptide strategies, and the eight-part wellness wheel from her book, The Truth About Sex Hormones.

Together, Dr. Kelly and Dr. Gray break down:

• Why testosterone matters for women and men far beyond sex drive, including confidence, focus, muscle, and bone health
• The peptide stack Dr. Gray uses for recovery, skin, hair, and energy, including GHK copper and BPC-157
• How her “tests don’t guess” approach uncovers root causes like thyroid issues, anemia, and metabolic imbalance
• The wellness wheel she uses to connect hormones, sleep, exercise, mental health, nutrition, and chemical exposure
• Why strength training, protein, and better sleep are foundational for healthy aging, not optional extras

Dr. Gray exemplifies the power of combining traditional medicine with integrative practices. Her insights into hormone balance and holistic health are invaluable for those seeking to enhance their quality of life.

If you’re curious about how to optimize your own health journey, consider exploring the full episode for deeper insights and personal stories from Dr. Gray.

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CONNECT WITH DR. GRAY!

Website: https://perfectbalance.health/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/janettegraymd/
https://www.instagram.com/perfectbalance.health/

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-janette-gray/  https://www.linkedin.com/company/perfectbalancehealth

Get a copy of Dr. Gray’s Book: The Truth About Sex Hormones https://a.co/d/0e2ziZK1

About the Podcast:

Hormone Heroes with Dr. Kelly Hopkins brings inspiring patient stories and expert conversations about hormone health. Each week, Dr. Hopkins, a functional medicine practitioner and hormonal wellness specialist interviews men and women whose lives have changed after bio-identical hormone therapy, along with leading functional medicine practitioners

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare provider.

Transcript

Tests Don’t Guess Mindset

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I really believe in tests don't guess, you know, so I think that ideally patients get their labs they just go to a local lab core, get their labs drawn, that include the hormones, thyroid, you know, uh checking for anemia, cholesterol, diabetes, you know, because you don't wanna just assume everything is hormone imbalance, right?

Meet Dr. Jeanette Gray

SPEAKER_01 0:24

Welcome to Hormone Heroes, where I share testimonials from real people who have experienced bioidentical hormone therapy. Men and women share the symptoms they have experienced and the difference proper hormone replacement has made. I'm your host, Dr. Kelly Hopkins, and I have been in the functional medicine space for over 30 years, with a focus on hormones for 20 years. Please keep in mind this podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Please consult with your physician or practitioner for medical advice. Let's get started with today's guest. I'm extremely excited to have Dr. Jeanette Gray. She is living in San Diego and was born and raised in California. She is an internal medicine physician. She is a hormone and longevity expert. She's an author, a speaker, and the founder of Perfect Balance Health. And she has over 25 years of experience in hormone medicine. And she helps patients address fatigue, weight gain, brain fog, libido, poor recovery, and other symptoms that are often dismissed as normal aging. And she loves to play pickleball. So welcome, Dr. Gray.

SPEAKER_00 1:40

Thank you. And so it's great to be on your show. I appreciate it.

From Traditional Medicine To Integrative Care

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Yes. So give us a little of your history growing up in San Diego.

SPEAKER_00 1:50

Yeah, well, you know, we're right by the border, and that's a big reason why my grandpar I grew up with my grandparents primarily. My mom was around, but they were our my primary caregivers, and and my grandma didn't speak Spanish, so I was her unofficial translator, and we went to Mexico all the time, played that my grandfather loved gamble and high alive. And so the reason I think it's significant is because I really did learn how to communicate, listen well, because I had to translate for my grandmother. And and I I really think that that has lent itself tremendously to my ability to connect with patients, listen well, and therefore, you know, help them as much as possible on their health journey.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

Yeah. And tell us a little bit about how you got so focused on hormones and metabolic concerns.

SPEAKER_00 2:44

Yeah, no, that's a good question. I, you know, I had traditional training at UCSF and residency at UCSD and internal medicine. And, you know, the medical model is very much based on diseases and treatments and not necessarily on quality of life and and the holistic approach. And when I worked, I think it was like my first or second job out of residency, I worked at a place where they had an acupuncturist, and I became friends with him, and and patients would tell me what things they, you know, what conditions they would go to him for, and it just came became clear to me that traditional Western medicine was not the entire answer, and it certainly was not the solution for everybody for their health concerns and and needs. And so after that, when I went into my own practice, I pretty pretty quickly created an integrative medical practice, which integrated things like naturopathic medicine, acupuncture, chiropractic, mental health, and then primary care, where I did, you know, that part of the practice. I didn't try to be everything to everybody. I focused on in my swim lane. And then pretty much after that, within my swim lane, I started going to longevity and anti-aging conferences and learning about bioidentical hormones. And I I just saw that in order for women in particular, but men as well, to feel their best, their their hormones had to be balanced, you know, and not only quality of life, but then as it became clear that prevention of many medical diseases like heart disease and osteoporosis and being overweight, which led to diabetes and cancer. So it became a more holistic approach, and that's where my passion has been for the last 25

Her Personal HRT And Peptides

SPEAKER_00 4:38

years.

SPEAKER_01 4:38

And you yourself, you mentioned you've been on your own hormone journey for about 12 years. Tell us a little bit about that.

SPEAKER_00 4:47

Well, you know, when I was in perimenopause, starting to have hot flashes and maybe not sleeping as well, you know, I started uh well, I have to say I've always I don't want to call experimented, but I always use myself as my own test subject. And, you know, I learned all this, and then when I was going into into perimenopause and menopause, I said, well, I need to do it too, because I want to walk the talk and I want to feel as well as I can and age as well as I can. You know, I've I've made it to the uh ripe age of 63, and you know, I'm I'm still playing pickleball, you know, four or five times a week and competing, and and I think it has made a difference in my not only my quality of life, but my aging process.

SPEAKER_01 5:35

Absolutely. Do you mind sharing with us what your personal regimen is?

SPEAKER_00 5:41

Yeah, well, the hormonal regimen is estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. I think testosterone is a hormone that most people think is a male hormone, and they think of it as mostly a sex hormone, and it does so many more things in terms of it works in your brain for confidence and focus, it works in your muscles and your bones, and it works in the genitals for you know better arousal and sexual health. So it's a great hormone. And then I also do peptides, you know, there's a bunch of them. I could go off on a tangent on that, but yeah, you know, there's a lot of peptides that can help stimulate natural growth hormone release, help with skin and hair, help with energy recovery, all those things. So I pretty much do it all.

SPEAKER_01 6:30

Which peptides you prefer for uh skin and hair?

SPEAKER_00 6:35

Oh, I think hands down is the GHK copper, and that one is, I mean, I used it because I was having a little bit of, you know, hair loss, genetic recession there, and I could not believe after about five weeks my well, my hairdresser noticed it first. I had little hairs coming out the top of my head, and then I noticed the recession filling in. So I've been very impressed with that.

SPEAKER_01 7:00

Uh yes, that is a great peptide, and a lot of times it's mixed in a combination called glow.

SPEAKER_00 7:07

Glow or glow, yes. Yeah, and I actually do the glow because I figure once I'm getting inject I'm injecting myself, I w I might as well get the most of all of it. So then the BPC 157 and the TB500 for recovery and repair come with the GHK copper. So it's a great stack.

SPEAKER_01 7:29

Yes. And for growth hormone, what's your favorite? Do you use morlin?

SPEAKER_00 7:34

I do SURMORIN. Okay. But you can do Ipmorlin and Tesmorlin. There's a lot of different morlins, and some of them have little nuances that may be beneficial for one person versus another.

SPEAKER_01 7:48

Yes. So uh how do you administer testosterone to yourself? What method do you use?

SPEAKER_00 7:55

You know, I do an injection once a week, uh, but I have used the cream. There is an oral form, but that's like twice a day, and it's just it's not absorbed as well. So I do the injection, but creams are perfectly fine as well for most people.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

Yes. And then how do you administer your estradiol?

SPEAKER_00 8:15

Yeah, I personally do an oral estrogen progesterone pill at night for simplicity. Okay. You know, to remember because I I take so many different things sometimes, you know, I have to kind of put my night my nighttime regimen together and my morning regimen. Uh-huh. But a lot of women will do transdermal estrogen either in a patch or a cream.

SPEAKER_01 8:37

Okay. Yeah, we we offer all those options as well. We also do some hormonal. Pellets as well. Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 8:43

Pellets are done. And that can work for a lot of people too. So it really, I just I tell people here are all the options and what what makes sense for you.

SPEAKER_01 8:53

Yeah. So now you work with men and women for hormone balance and longevity. Can you tell us a little bit about your process?

Delivery Methods And Patient Options

SPEAKER_01 9:04

You you see people in person, you have a brick and mortar clinic in San Diego, and then you are also available for virtual consultations as well.

SPEAKER_00 9:15

Absolutely. Yeah, and I I really believe in tests, don't guess, you know, so I think that ideally patients get their labs, they just go to a local lab core, get their labs drawn, that include the hormones, thyroid, you know, uh checking for anemia, cholesterol, diabetes, you know, because you don't want to just assume everything is hormone imbalance, right? I mean, if they've got anemia, if their thyroid is not optimal, you need to address underlying causes. So it's a very holistic approach, nuanced. And as an internal medicine doctor, of course, I'm looking to make sure that we're preventing heart disease and Alzheimer's and cancer and diabetes, because what's the point of feeling great if you know you die of a heart attack on the pickleball court at 53? You know, so you've gotta look at the whole person and then fine-tune it.

SPEAKER_01 10:16

That's right. Yes, and you're you're strong on the pickleball court, you pickleball how many days a week?

SPEAKER_00 10:24

Yeah, about four times a week, probably two to three hours per session. And yeah, I I mean I don't get tired, I'm able to go and you know, until I drop or don't drop, and I compete in tournaments. I do singles, which you know most people find a little too grueling, but I I feel really strong and good. So I of course I'm only one person, but I I definitely feel like I can walk the talk.

SPEAKER_01 10:51

Absolutely. And uh we spoke about how I have a friend that is so addicted to pickleball that we hardly see her anymore. It's just it's a fantastic sport for for people that haven't ever actually been a tennis player or a racquetball player or things like that.

SPEAKER_00 11:11

There's actually it brings people together too. I mean it it has all the elements of I think a perfect activity. You have fitness, you have friendship and community, you know, and it just uh addresses so many aspects of life.

SPEAKER_01 11:26

So you found that in working with patients for over twenty-five years that you've really discovered not to do band-aid approaches. You really get to the bottom, the root cause of of That's the goal. Why someone's aging. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:44

Now, granted, you know, how deep do you dig, right? That's always the question. And if you're a naturopath, for instance, you may dig a hole in another area of the garden that maybe looks a little bit more at uh the microbiome of the gut or you know, certain minerals in your diet. And although I feel that that is very important, I focus mostly in my area with the hormones, peptides, weight loss as well.

SPEAKER_01 12:15

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 12:16

And then complement that with a naturopath or acupuncturist, somebody that can complement what I do in an

Whole-Person Longevity And Root Causes

SPEAKER_00 12:24

even more holistic way.

SPEAKER_01 12:26

That's wonderful. And you're you're one of the small percentage of a traditionally trained medical doctor that is open to see and understanding how the other side works and how it can complement each other.

SPEAKER_00 12:43

Right. Yeah, and that goes way back to my first job and meeting that acupuncturist that kind of you know set the stage for this. So I'm grateful for that.

SPEAKER_01 12:52

Yeah.

The Wellness Wheel For Healthy Aging

SPEAKER_01 12:53

So you mentioned that oh, you work off a wellness wheel that has eight different aspects. Can you kind of walk us through those eight aspects or spokes?

SPEAKER_00 13:04

Yeah. In in my book, The Truth About Sex Hormones, or I'll plug my book, I discuss the wellness wheel, health and wellness wheel. And it's not a unique concept, you know, the health and wellness wheel, but the difference is that I included hormone replacement therapy as one of the segments of that wheel. And I just believe that disease management, where, and that means interfacing with the Western medical model, getting your PAP smear, your mammogram, your colonoscopy, you know, all the things that are preventive in nature are very important. Again, we're back to if you miss a breast cancer, what's the point of sleeping great, right? So we have to prioritize.

SPEAKER_01 13:48

Right.

SPEAKER_00 13:48

And the idea of the wellness wheel is also that there are many aspects of your health and your aging that you can address individually on your own. You don't need anyone to help you. Like diet, you know, are you eating enough protein to maintain muscle mass? Are you eating whole grains, whole foods, and avoiding highly processed foods, right? And then we have exercise. And exercise as we learn more, strength training, weight-bearing exercise for women to maintain muscle mass and bone density, so important, right? And then we have sleep, very, I think, often underappreciated its significance, right? Because we if we don't sleep enough hours, we don't heal our body. And that's when the body is doing so much of its healing and detoxifying in essence, right? The liver is making more cholesterol at at night because you know it it every hormone comes from cholesterol. So it's very, it's very busy. Our brain is, you know, very busy cleaning stuff up, and so you've got to give it the sleep it deserves.

SPEAKER_01 14:56

Right.

SPEAKER_00 14:57

And then mental health, it can't be ignored. If you're depressed or anxious, you may not prioritize your health like you should, you know, for again, longevity and healthy aging. So dealing with if if you know, I example, a patient who say, gosh, I'm I've gotten anxious and I'm irritable or depressed or more depressed, and they go to a doctor and they go, Oh, well, here's Prozac because you're, you know, you're depressed. And they don't look at possibly the hormones being out of balance. And what what do you know? You balance the hormones and now the mood and the sleep improve.

SPEAKER_01 15:32

Right.

SPEAKER_00 15:33

Right. And let me see, make sure I'm not forgetting sleep, mental health, the hormones. I mentioned that, the exercise, and then of course, uh avoiding chemicals, you know, and and it doesn't mean you have to be um a monk, but certainly be aware, right, of alcohol and its neurotoxic effects and other effects and tobacco and and other drugs, you know. And I'm not here to say what moderation is or how much is good, but you know, it's a it's a part of the wheel. And in the book, I talk about you know the different uh barriers to actually accessing optimal health. And sometimes there are some of these, you know, and and if you feel like, God, I don't I don't have the money or the time to do these things. Well, you save money if you don't smoke and drink, so right there you save money, you know. And if you're sleeping better and you have more energy, you actually may be more productive, you know. So I kind of I go through the wheel and and explain why I think that it's a healthy way. And and the and a bigger point may be that you can incrementally chip away at these areas and move, progress, progress towards a healthier lifestyle. It doesn't have to be all or nothing right away. It's a process.

SPEAKER_01 16:57

And uh what we find is that doing the hormonal balance, getting thyroid optimized, peptides, all that piece is easy to administer. The hard part is what people do at home, like everything you just mentioned.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

And it's foundational. Your lifestyle choices is if you don't have you know a a good soil, how can you expect the plant to grow healthy, right? That's what I'm saying. And that's what I see these things as foundational.

SPEAKER_01 17:26

So thank you for showing us your book, The Truth About Sex Hormones, and that's available

Books, Pickle People, And Finding Care

SPEAKER_01 17:33

on Amazon. Uh where else?

SPEAKER_00 17:35

Yeah, it's uh I'm going through a little transition on changing who's publishing it. So it may not be on Amazon, I'm not a hundred percent sure, but it'll be back on very soon. Okay.

SPEAKER_01 17:47

And then you're also writing a book called The Truth About Pickle People, is that right?

SPEAKER_00 17:52

Yeah, yeah. I I call the pickleball players pickle people.

SPEAKER_01 17:56

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 17:57

And I I drew these little characters that I call the pickle people, and they have a body that's a pickleball, so they're not very healthy looking, but they're cute.

SPEAKER_01 18:05

I love it.

SPEAKER_00 18:06

Yeah, and I interview different people and I I basically just talk about how pickleball in particular has transformed people's lives. Uh-huh. And so it's a fun read. It's not uh, you know, super deep, it's just kind of fun and inspirational.

SPEAKER_01 18:23

Yes, that would be a great gift for anyone that loves pickleball. Just to reiterate, to find Dr. Gray, it's perfectbalance.health.

unknown 18:32

Correct.

SPEAKER_01 18:33

And that is her website, and that is where you can contact her in her office and you can book an appointment with her or book an online consultation.

SPEAKER_00 18:43

And we're also on Instagram and some of the other social media. I think my handle's uh Jeanette Gray M D. Wonderful or Instagram, yeah. And yeah, it's not wonderful to be able to share this and and get the word out, you know. Social media is a tremendous tool for that.

SPEAKER_01 19:01

Yes. And uh all your socials, all everything, all your taglines, all that will be in the show notes. So we will make it very easy for anyone listening to find you. And thank you. You very much are a hormone hero, Dr. Gray. Is there any last thoughts you'd like to leave with us?

SPEAKER_00 19:20

Well, I really want people to advocate for themselves and educate themselves, and that's partially why I wrote the book. You know, you need to know that, you know, one size does not fit all, that normal is not necessarily optimal for you.

SPEAKER_01 19:38

That's exactly right.

SPEAKER_00 19:40

Menopause medicine, longevity medicine has a lot of nuance to it, and you really do want to work with somebody that has a good a a significant background on in the whole area. Yes. Longevity.

SPEAKER_01 19:56

So for men and women, Dr. Gray would be a wonderful advocate for you. And she's in San Diego, but available globally, I guess, aren't you?

SPEAKER_00 20:07

Yeah, well, now with the internet, I guess we're all uh world renowned. Yeah. I'm famous in the world.

SPEAKER_01 20:15

That's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 20:17

In my own mind, especially.

SPEAKER_01 20:18

And hey, isn't that all that matters?

SPEAKER_00 20:22

Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:22

All right, Dr. Gray. Well, I will uh let you get to the pickleball court. And uh I so appreciate you coming on with us today and sharing your valued experience with our listeners.

SPEAKER_00 20:34

Yeah, well, thank you, Dr. Kelly. I appreciate the opportunity.

SPEAKER_01 20:38

Yes.

Advocate For Yourself And Closing CTA

SPEAKER_01 20:39

Thanks for listening to Hormone Heroes. Take a moment to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss the next episode. While you are there, help us spread the word by leaving a rating and a review. If you would like to share your bioidentical hormone story or need help finding a physician in your area, please email us at drkelly at hormoneheroes.org. That's D-R-K-E-L-L-I at H O R M O N E H E R O E S dot org. We want you to be a hormone hero.