Timeless Takeover

Why Balancing Hormones Can Help You Age Gracefully

• Marissa Parchman • Episode 8

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0:00 | 17:15

What Role Does Hormone Therapy Play In Graceful Aging? 

What if graceful aging starts with clearing the noise your body fights all day long? We dive into the real roots of hormonal imbalance—from microplastics and ultra-processed food to caffeine, alcohol, and relentless stress—and show how small, strategic changes can transform energy, skin, mood, and libido. Our conversation blends science, lived experience, and practical coaching so you understand what to do first, what to measure, and how to build momentum without chasing quick fixes.

We unpack what hormone replacement therapy actually is and where it fits. For women navigating perimenopause and menopause, we talk through the latest guidance, why HRT is gaining acceptance, and how to personalize estrogen, progesterone, and androgens with a clinician who listens to symptoms, not just lab ranges. We also address the male side of the equation, why testosterone can be simpler for men, and why detox and lifestyle still set the stage for success. Skin is a recurring theme: stubborn acne often points to systemic issues like insulin resistance, androgen excess, or chronic inflammation, and topical routines can’t win if the internal terrain stays inflamed.

You’ll hear how oral health, PCOS, and fertility challenges connect through shared inflammatory pathways—and why removing disruptors, prioritizing sleep, repleting minerals, and dialing down alcohol and caffeine can stabilize cortisol and bring hormones back into rhythm. We share a candid look at moderation, sobriety experiments, and the reality check many clients need when they ask for a product fix but really need a plan. If you want actionable steps to reduce toxin load, improve adrenal health, and use HRT wisely, this conversation gives you a clear, humane roadmap.

If this helped you see your health more clearly, follow the show, share it with someone who needs a reset, and leave a review with your biggest takeaway.

To learn more about Timeless Skin & Wellness visit:
https://www.TimelessSandW.com
Timeless Skin & Wellness
Denver Metro & Northern Colorado Locations
303-800-1821

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to Timeless Takeover, your no BS guide to lasting anti-aging and longevity solutions. Hosted by Marissa Parchman, founder of Timeless Skin and Wellness, this is your exclusive source for honest anti-aging solutions and elevated wellness. We offer a full scope approach to beauty and vitality because at Timeless, we believe aging is optional. Serving discerning clients across Denver Metro and Northern Colorado. Your transformation begins here.

SPEAKER_01:

Balancing hormones may be the secret to feeling vibrant and youthful well into the later years. Welcome back, everyone. I'm co-host and producer Julie Schwenzer with Timeless Skin and Wellness Founder, Marissa Parchman. Marissa, it's great to chat with you again. Hi, Julie. Yes, it's always great to see you. So we're excited about this question. You're going to answer so many things for so many people out there. What role does hormone therapy play in graceful aging?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, absolutely. So hormones are a conversation that honestly we have been, again, I use the word deprived of the knowledge of how our bodies work and what is really going on in our system when we're seeing signs of, for example, inflammation, acne, signs that our hormones are imbalanced. So hormone therapy would be like HRT, hormone replacement therapy, something like testosterone injections, creams, and hormone pellets. So, first of all, before kind of jumping into hormone therapy, let's talk a little bit about just hormone health. We are living in a world where we are exposed to endocrine disruptors on a daily basis. And unfortunately, this is something that starts at a very, very young age. I always think of a child that is chewing on like a plastic toy. Probably more than 90% of the toys in most of American homes are made of plastic. And the microplastics in our system are a huge, huge problem for hormone balancing. We are just full of toxins. I cannot preach detoxing enough. And I hear a lot of women say things like, oh, well, I know it's just, I'm just gonna deal with hormonal acne, or I'm just gonna deal with these hormonal breakouts, or I drank a lot this weekend and I'm dealing with these hormonal breakouts because of it. And it's like we're kind of aware of what triggers some of these things, um, but we're not really practicing how to elevate our wellness and balance our system. And some of the most common endocrine disruptors are microplastics that are just in so many things that we are exposed to on a daily basis. I mean, I'm drinking uh Starbucks coffee right now out of a plastic lid. Um, caffeine, while we're talking about Starbucks, I really try to stay away from caffeine. And when I am drinking caffeine, I try to do just one cup of coffee a day. Um, caffeine and alcohol stress out our adrenals so much and our body's ability to detox. If our body doesn't have optimal adrenal function, it's going to affect our hormones. So in general, we just need to be more aware of where we are at with our own hormone health. Um, I often think of men that do hormone injections. Men are so much, sorry, testosterone injections. Um, men are so much easier than women. Most of them, they have a little bit of a hormonal imbalance. And don't get me wrong, this isn't every man, but most of them, you give them a little bit of testosterone and it's gonna solve so many issues. And hormone health for women is something that is just now becoming, I think, a more popular topic. Um, a lot of doctors were kind of dismissive when it comes to women's hormone health for hormone health for a very long time. And just recently the FDA pulled the hormone label from sorry, the cancer label from hormones. The cancer warning was recently removed, I think like last month, which is really, really exciting. Um, again, anything in excess or anything done without the right provider can lead to negative side effects. But it's so amazing that now we are looking at hormone replacement therapy for women from a different perspective. And the first step is always working with a practice a practitioner, um, somebody like myself who specializes in detoxing the system. I am a licensed esthetician, so I see a lot of acne. And a lot of people, especially with all, especially with all the things that are going on on the internet, um, people think that you can just heal hormonal acne with skincare, or you can have this crazy result just by changing the things that you're putting on top of your skin. And sometimes that's the case, but often acne is hormone-driven, and things like alcohol, seed oils, caffeine, any of these things in excess, which think about it, if you're doing all three, you're waking up and having coffee, then you're having more coffee, then you're having seed oils and the packaged snack that you're eating, hydrogenated oils that are gonna affect our whole system and our hormones. And then you're going home and having a couple cocktails at night, maybe even another coffee, maybe even seed oils for dinner. So we really are just living in a world of overexposure to toxins, and we need to take control of our health. And hormone replacement therapy is not a quick fix, it is a process of working with a practitioner that is going to point you in the right direction, help you achieve the results that you can on your own without creating too much stress in your life with changing your lifestyle. And using HRT and working with somebody like our nurse practitioner, um, Jacqueline Avila, who is a hormone expert and works with all of our clients who are on hormone replacement therapy.

SPEAKER_01:

And I thank you for bringing up that point about HRT coming to the forefront and being more accepted and doctors incorporating that more so now, and women don't have to just take it, you know, take all the symptoms and just live like that. Um Marissa, you mentioned a lot of the outside, you know, the outside factors and lifestyle habits that we have that can affect our hormones. What about the natural changes to our hormones? Because whenever I think about HRT, and this is and I this is not something that I have tried, but I think of progesterone, estrogen, and like you mentioned, testosterone and all the fluctuations and all the complications that women face more so because you just mentioned it's it could be a bit simpler for men to address what they got going on with hormone therapy. So I guess the question here is like, what about the natural changes? And how do you deal with that when a client comes in and they're like, I got brain fog, I got this going on, you know? Totally.

SPEAKER_02:

Again, I think this goes back to education or the lack thereof education in our society when it comes to our body and how our body is functioning. Um, we look at adolescent teens, for an example, and we say, Oh, they're just going through these changes. Well, they are going through changes, which makes them way more sensitive to these toxins. So when I'm dealing with acne in young adolescents, I'm still, I'm still addressing it the same way as I would in somebody who is dealing with acne in their 30s and 40s. And the number one step is to detox. So then you get into more mature women going through menopause, and it's a completely different story that we know certain hormones are just not going to produce anymore. So we can substitute with certain hormones by, you know, taking an educated guess in that regard. Um, I have so many clients who come to me and tell me that they go to their doctors and female clients and say, I want testosterone. I heard it helps so many of my friends. And the doctors will recommend antidepressants. It is a huge, huge problem. There's a huge disconnect. And we really need to put the intuition back into medicine. And anything that we're doing, FDA approved, non-FDA approved peptides, anything that we are putting into our system, we need to put the intuition back into that. You know, there's so many things that deplete our system, and we're not doing anything to nourish the system and get it back to a hole at the end. And when we're going through these changes, again, the number one thing to do is remove all of the toxins, listen to our body. As a 37-year-old woman who struggled with hormone issues my entire life, I have PCOS, I have cured my PCOS, and now my body doesn't really make a lot of hormones. So I have done all of the proper things, and I'm still struggling. You know, my partner and I have been trying to get pregnant for several years. It's like you spend your whole life trying not to get pregnant, and then all of a sudden we have this huge category of mature women that are trying to get pregnant that can't because we're just the generation of hormone issues, the generation of PCOS, the generation that has been exposed to so many toxins than the generations before us. And the result is infertility in men and women. It is living a life of being confused and detoxing our system, changing the way we live on a daily basis. I'm having to work out more. I'm not dealing as well with alcohol. I'm drinking way less alcohol. I, again, try to drink one cup of caffeine a day. Um, I'm eating way less processed food, and my body can't handle the things that I used to be able to handle in a little, I mean, my the moderation has definitely gone down, you know? So HRT, again, it's not a quick fix. Is it gonna solve so many things when it comes to brain fog and libido and fatigue and all these things that you struggle with when you're going through menopause? Absolutely. But we also need to look at what we can do to optimize our health, to get to a place that we're looking and feeling our best. You know, nobody wants to feel bad. And I know the older I get, when I drink alcohol, I feel terrible. And I feel terrible for a way longer period of time than I used to in my 20s. So for me, it's just it's not worth it. So I'm just drinking less and less. And I haven't had a drink since October, so I'm just kind of rolling with it.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh, congratulations. That's amazing because it's very a hard time too with the holiday activities and so many temptations around us. Um, but I thank you also for sharing um, you know, fertility challenges, that a huge issue now for so many people, and I really appreciate you sharing that. Um, I another question I have for you is, and I'm sorry too, because it's hard. Um, another question I have for you too is when clients come in, they have to do a reality check, right? Is that difficult for them to maybe face the music? Like, I've been living like this, maybe I've been pushing it too hard. And also, here's my medical history and my blood test results. Like, how does it all work when they walk in?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so it's interesting because again, I'm a licensed esthetician. I deal with skin conditions on a regular basis and dealing with issues on my own. I had acne, I was diagnosed with periodontal disease, high cholesterol, all these things that now I understand we're all connected. And I just had a very imbalanced system for a long time. And taking out all those toxins and working out on a regular basis and nourishing my body with vitamins and minerals has changed my life. But for people who come into my clinic, they think I'm gonna sell them skincare and do a few treatments and it's gonna change their skin. So approaching it from a perspective of like, I want to heal your skin, it's they want me to heal their skin. So I'm talking about hormones and all these other issues, and then you uncover that these individuals don't sleep well and that they might be drinking a lot of alcohol and that they're running on caffeine and they're working a 40 to 50 hour work week and they're exhausted. And I'm like, we're just these victims of what society tells us we have to be, and it sucks because I'm fortunate enough to work for myself. And while I do work way too many hours some weeks, I'm very fortunate to be able to just turn it off some days and say, you know, I'm not gonna open my computer and I'm gonna take the weekend or I'm gonna block off a day and not work that day. And I honestly can't imagine working for somebody else like 40 or 50 hours a week, like or even 30 hours a week. Like it's a lot, it's exhausting. And again, all of these things, oxidative stress on the system, cortisol levels, all these things are affecting our body's ability to be at peace and to function properly. So it's challenging. It is a very challenging conversation to look at somebody and say, look, I know you're here because you want me to fix your acne, and you heard of the PRX treatment, but we need to take a step back and we need to look at all the things going on in your system because skin conditions are a precursor for disease. And having really bad acne as an adolescent is a precursor for disease long term, and there are really high correlations with periodontal disease, inflammation of the gum tissue, and PCOS, which is elevated androgen hormones. And I mean, I didn't know that. I was diagnosed with um periodontal disease when I was like 14 years old. I had terrible issues with my gums and cavities and root canals, and then I get this terrible acne. Then all of a sudden I have PCOS. Then all of a sudden I'm like, oh my God, this could have been tackled by the dentist when I was young and had all these dental issues. But unfortunately, the medical system that we are dealing with is not going to address all of our dental issues and say, your child has some serious imbalances if this is what's going on in their gum tissue as a young child. And I really pride myself in being an educator and just turning people on to the idea of living a healthier lifestyle and being able to take control of their health. And people think, oh, well, what do you eat if you're always on a diet? I literally eat everything. I eat everything. And for years I didn't eat gluten, and now I, you know, make sourdough bread. It's something I love to do for my friends and my family, and something I can eat without having issues. And just to make people understand, like, I hear you. I know you're saying that you can't eat gluten, but your skin's still a wreck, and you're not eating gluten, and you're eating gluten alternatives that are probably full of chemicals that are affecting your hormone levels. And it's just the lack of education is the biggest, biggest problem. And so I really just try to provide as much free information as I can for people. Um, I really try to meet people where they're at. And if they're not going to live the clean lifestyle that I have chosen, then that's okay. I still want to help them where I can and make sure that before we're recommending HRT, especially to somebody that is a little younger, doing all of the things and educating them in a way that they can make some small changes, you know. Everything from a generational standpoint is all taught and learned. And there's such a missing piece to teaching your child why they're not gonna get the Starbucks treat if I'm going and getting a coffee, you know? And in my household, they know they don't even ask. The kids know they're not gonna get something with 30 ingredients, and I'm an adult, and I can have one coffee if I choose to. So just taking it back to strong education and letting them know that there is hope. And unfortunately, our medical system and our food system is not there to make us healthy.

SPEAKER_01:

Oh well, thank you so much for that, Marissa. And I know a lot of people who are part of this audience can only hear it because it is being streamed on different podcast platforms. But Marissa looks a lot younger than she is, so it's working. Thank you. Um, but you know, that's about it for our time today. Again, we always appreciate your advice. That was really helpful, and that you take the time to teach your clients as well as, you know, not just do a quick fix. You're there to like really educate them, and that's awesome. Absolutely. Thank you so much, Julie. It's always a pleasure. You too. Thank you for sharing how hormone therapy supports graceful aging as well as lifestyle changes. So thank you.

SPEAKER_00:

See you next time. Invest in the best version of yourself. Call us today at 303-800-1821. Or visit timelessssw.com to schedule a consultation. Discover what it means to age with intention and elegance.