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Herbalist and nutritionist Camille Freeman explains why the term "hormone replacement therapy (HRT)" can mislead patients by implying menopause is a problem to be fixed, and why many practitioners are switching to "menopausal hormone therapy (MHT)."
She urges clinicians to be mindful of their language, clarifies what MHT better reflects about hormonal changes during perimenopause and menopause, and invites listeners to adopt more accurate, non-pathologizing terminology.
Thanks for listening.
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Camille's Helpful Links for Practitioners
WEBVTT
00:00:00.017 --> 00:00:03.777
Hi there. Welcome to In the Clinic with Camille. My name is Camille Freeman.
00:00:04.057 --> 00:00:07.397
I'm an herbalist and nutritionist. And in this podcast, I share little tips
00:00:07.397 --> 00:00:09.797
and tidbits that might be helpful for other practitioners.
00:00:10.457 --> 00:00:16.077
Today, I want to talk to you about naming and words, specifically the words
00:00:16.077 --> 00:00:20.137
or the name that we use for HRT, hormone replacement therapy.
00:00:20.617 --> 00:00:26.977
Now, if you were alive or if you were trained in or before the 90s and early
00:00:26.977 --> 00:00:30.617
2000s, you probably heard a lot about HRT in the news.
00:00:31.417 --> 00:00:35.877
HRT, hormone replacement therapy, is a sort of generic phrase that has often
00:00:35.877 --> 00:00:41.397
been used for folks who are taking hormone therapies as they navigate perimenopause
00:00:41.397 --> 00:00:42.857
or the menopausal transition.
00:00:43.557 --> 00:00:48.117
And it's become kind of a catchphrase. Like we just say HRT and everybody sort
00:00:48.117 --> 00:00:51.797
of knows what we mean in the same way that you might say Kleenex when you mean
00:00:51.797 --> 00:00:57.677
a facial tissue or chapstick when you mean any kind of lip balm or lip salve or something like that.
00:00:57.837 --> 00:01:03.317
So it's become almost a part of universal lingo where even folks who are not
00:01:03.317 --> 00:01:08.297
involved in the medical world or the, you know, integrative health world still
00:01:08.297 --> 00:01:10.257
know what you mean when you say HRT.
00:01:10.817 --> 00:01:14.317
However, the reason I'm making this podcast is because there has been a big
00:01:14.317 --> 00:01:18.037
push to move away from that language over the last, I don't know,
00:01:18.177 --> 00:01:19.677
five to ten years probably.
00:01:20.357 --> 00:01:25.537
And the reason actually has to do with that second word, the replacement part.
00:01:25.937 --> 00:01:32.817
So when we say hormone replacement therapy, the implication is that we are replacing
00:01:32.817 --> 00:01:34.817
something that should be there.
00:01:35.117 --> 00:01:39.917
And in reality, as folks navigate the perimenopausal transition,
00:01:40.177 --> 00:01:44.537
what we're doing is moving from one phase of life where the hormones,
00:01:44.817 --> 00:01:50.297
especially estrogens and progesterone, are at a certain level cycling for most
00:01:50.297 --> 00:01:56.957
people to a different level, the post-menopausal level, which is what we'll
00:01:56.957 --> 00:01:58.137
see at the end of that transition,
00:01:58.457 --> 00:02:02.297
where estradiol, in particular estrogens overall,
00:02:02.717 --> 00:02:06.577
are quite low, and you have a different hormonal profile.
00:02:07.017 --> 00:02:10.837
So the saying that we're going to replace some of these hormones,
00:02:10.997 --> 00:02:16.757
and HRT typically involves estrogens and progesterone, depending on whether
00:02:16.757 --> 00:02:17.857
somebody has a uterus or not.
00:02:18.497 --> 00:02:21.977
So if we're saying we're going to replace those hormones, it's implying that
00:02:21.977 --> 00:02:27.017
they should be there, that the right way to be is the way where you have higher levels.
00:02:27.397 --> 00:02:30.737
In these cycling years, in some ways, it's a glorification of youth.
00:02:31.177 --> 00:02:37.457
In some ways, it is implying that something is wrong with you if you don't have
00:02:37.457 --> 00:02:42.877
high levels of these particular hormones and that you need them to be at a certain
00:02:42.877 --> 00:02:49.017
level in order to be healthy or to fix the problem of perimenopause or being menopausal.
00:02:49.297 --> 00:02:52.697
And in reality, none of those things are true.
00:02:53.539 --> 00:02:57.239
That perimenopause and being menopausal, these are not illnesses.
00:02:57.539 --> 00:02:58.539
These are not pathological.
00:02:58.999 --> 00:03:01.499
Certainly, the transition can be challenging for some people,
00:03:01.499 --> 00:03:04.959
and there's reasons that folks may want to be taking hormones.
00:03:05.359 --> 00:03:10.059
For various reasons, you may want to be doing that during or after that transition.
00:03:10.399 --> 00:03:14.679
But the implication that you're not okay or that the healthy way to be is to
00:03:14.679 --> 00:03:17.619
have a different level of hormones is really just not true.
00:03:18.179 --> 00:03:26.839
So, in order to be more precise and in order to avoid normalizing this concept
00:03:26.839 --> 00:03:29.419
that younger is better and that
00:03:29.419 --> 00:03:32.719
we're replacing something that should be there, we're fixing a problem.
00:03:33.359 --> 00:03:39.359
There's a push to say, instead of HRT, to say menopausal hormone therapy or
00:03:39.359 --> 00:03:40.879
menopause hormone therapy.
00:03:41.199 --> 00:03:48.399
So MHT. So I'm just making this podcast episode to let you know that this is
00:03:48.399 --> 00:03:53.619
afoot and give you a little nudge to maybe start shifting your own language.
00:03:54.039 --> 00:03:59.399
It's very easy, especially if you've been saying HRT for decades.
00:03:59.499 --> 00:04:04.359
It's very easy to just slip into it. In fact, I constantly want to say HRT,
00:04:04.439 --> 00:04:08.819
and sometimes I do say HRT accidentally, and I try to correct myself.
00:04:08.959 --> 00:04:13.599
I try to be clear, especially if I'm talking to a client who also says HRT and
00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:17.819
doesn't really know what I mean when I say MHT, you know, you have to make sure
00:04:17.819 --> 00:04:18.659
that your language is clear.
00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:22.459
But I do think that words are important. And I do think continuing to say replacement
00:04:22.459 --> 00:04:26.939
therapy, hormone replacement therapy, I think it continues to perpetuate this
00:04:26.939 --> 00:04:28.779
idea that we're replacing something that should be there.
00:04:29.299 --> 00:04:36.319
So I'm making a real effort to avoid that term, or at least to cut back on it
00:04:36.319 --> 00:04:38.359
and be conscious about the ways that I'm using it.
00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:45.719
And I'm inviting you to think about doing the same if this is part of your current lexicon, because,
00:04:46.019 --> 00:04:50.119
you know, I think words have power, and a lot of the healing work that we do
00:04:50.119 --> 00:04:54.739
has to do with the words we use, in addition to the herbs and the foods and
00:04:54.739 --> 00:04:57.159
the, you know, the other things that we do with clients.
00:04:57.559 --> 00:05:01.319
So there you go. I hope that's helpful. If you have questions or if you have
00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:04.239
suggestions for other topics, please let me know.
00:05:05.039 --> 00:05:07.639
And otherwise, I'll be back soon, and I'll talk to you then.
00:00:00.017 --> 00:00:03.777
Hi there. Welcome to In the Clinic with Camille. My name is Camille Freeman.
00:00:04.057 --> 00:00:07.397
I'm an herbalist and nutritionist. And in this podcast, I share little tips
00:00:07.397 --> 00:00:09.797
and tidbits that might be helpful for other practitioners.
00:00:10.457 --> 00:00:16.077
Today, I want to talk to you about naming and words, specifically the words
00:00:16.077 --> 00:00:20.137
or the name that we use for HRT, hormone replacement therapy.
00:00:20.617 --> 00:00:26.977
Now, if you were alive or if you were trained in or before the 90s and early
00:00:26.977 --> 00:00:30.617
2000s, you probably heard a lot about HRT in the news.
00:00:31.417 --> 00:00:35.877
HRT, hormone replacement therapy, is a sort of generic phrase that has often
00:00:35.877 --> 00:00:41.397
been used for folks who are taking hormone therapies as they navigate perimenopause
00:00:41.397 --> 00:00:42.857
or the menopausal transition.
00:00:43.557 --> 00:00:48.117
And it's become kind of a catchphrase. Like we just say HRT and everybody sort
00:00:48.117 --> 00:00:51.797
of knows what we mean in the same way that you might say Kleenex when you mean
00:00:51.797 --> 00:00:57.677
a facial tissue or chapstick when you mean any kind of lip balm or lip salve or something like that.
00:00:57.837 --> 00:01:03.317
So it's become almost a part of universal lingo where even folks who are not
00:01:03.317 --> 00:01:08.297
involved in the medical world or the, you know, integrative health world still
00:01:08.297 --> 00:01:10.257
know what you mean when you say HRT.
00:01:10.817 --> 00:01:14.317
However, the reason I'm making this podcast is because there has been a big
00:01:14.317 --> 00:01:18.037
push to move away from that language over the last, I don't know,
00:01:18.177 --> 00:01:19.677
five to ten years probably.
00:01:20.357 --> 00:01:25.537
And the reason actually has to do with that second word, the replacement part.
00:01:25.937 --> 00:01:32.817
So when we say hormone replacement therapy, the implication is that we are replacing
00:01:32.817 --> 00:01:34.817
something that should be there.
00:01:35.117 --> 00:01:39.917
And in reality, as folks navigate the perimenopausal transition,
00:01:40.177 --> 00:01:44.537
what we're doing is moving from one phase of life where the hormones,
00:01:44.817 --> 00:01:50.297
especially estrogens and progesterone, are at a certain level cycling for most
00:01:50.297 --> 00:01:56.957
people to a different level, the post-menopausal level, which is what we'll
00:01:56.957 --> 00:01:58.137
see at the end of that transition,
00:01:58.457 --> 00:02:02.297
where estradiol, in particular estrogens overall,
00:02:02.717 --> 00:02:06.577
are quite low, and you have a different hormonal profile.
00:02:07.017 --> 00:02:10.837
So the saying that we're going to replace some of these hormones,
00:02:10.997 --> 00:02:16.757
and HRT typically involves estrogens and progesterone, depending on whether
00:02:16.757 --> 00:02:17.857
somebody has a uterus or not.
00:02:18.497 --> 00:02:21.977
So if we're saying we're going to replace those hormones, it's implying that
00:02:21.977 --> 00:02:27.017
they should be there, that the right way to be is the way where you have higher levels.
00:02:27.397 --> 00:02:30.737
In these cycling years, in some ways, it's a glorification of youth.
00:02:31.177 --> 00:02:37.457
In some ways, it is implying that something is wrong with you if you don't have
00:02:37.457 --> 00:02:42.877
high levels of these particular hormones and that you need them to be at a certain
00:02:42.877 --> 00:02:49.017
level in order to be healthy or to fix the problem of perimenopause or being menopausal.
00:02:49.297 --> 00:02:52.697
And in reality, none of those things are true.
00:02:53.539 --> 00:02:57.239
That perimenopause and being menopausal, these are not illnesses.
00:02:57.539 --> 00:02:58.539
These are not pathological.
00:02:58.999 --> 00:03:01.499
Certainly, the transition can be challenging for some people,
00:03:01.499 --> 00:03:04.959
and there's reasons that folks may want to be taking hormones.
00:03:05.359 --> 00:03:10.059
For various reasons, you may want to be doing that during or after that transition.
00:03:10.399 --> 00:03:14.679
But the implication that you're not okay or that the healthy way to be is to
00:03:14.679 --> 00:03:17.619
have a different level of hormones is really just not true.
00:03:18.179 --> 00:03:26.839
So, in order to be more precise and in order to avoid normalizing this concept
00:03:26.839 --> 00:03:29.419
that younger is better and that
00:03:29.419 --> 00:03:32.719
we're replacing something that should be there, we're fixing a problem.
00:03:33.359 --> 00:03:39.359
There's a push to say, instead of HRT, to say menopausal hormone therapy or
00:03:39.359 --> 00:03:40.879
menopause hormone therapy.
00:03:41.199 --> 00:03:48.399
So MHT. So I'm just making this podcast episode to let you know that this is
00:03:48.399 --> 00:03:53.619
afoot and give you a little nudge to maybe start shifting your own language.
00:03:54.039 --> 00:03:59.399
It's very easy, especially if you've been saying HRT for decades.
00:03:59.499 --> 00:04:04.359
It's very easy to just slip into it. In fact, I constantly want to say HRT,
00:04:04.439 --> 00:04:08.819
and sometimes I do say HRT accidentally, and I try to correct myself.
00:04:08.959 --> 00:04:13.599
I try to be clear, especially if I'm talking to a client who also says HRT and
00:04:13.599 --> 00:04:17.819
doesn't really know what I mean when I say MHT, you know, you have to make sure
00:04:17.819 --> 00:04:18.659
that your language is clear.
00:04:18.759 --> 00:04:22.459
But I do think that words are important. And I do think continuing to say replacement
00:04:22.459 --> 00:04:26.939
therapy, hormone replacement therapy, I think it continues to perpetuate this
00:04:26.939 --> 00:04:28.779
idea that we're replacing something that should be there.
00:04:29.299 --> 00:04:36.319
So I'm making a real effort to avoid that term, or at least to cut back on it
00:04:36.319 --> 00:04:38.359
and be conscious about the ways that I'm using it.
00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:45.719
And I'm inviting you to think about doing the same if this is part of your current lexicon, because,
00:04:46.019 --> 00:04:50.119
you know, I think words have power, and a lot of the healing work that we do
00:04:50.119 --> 00:04:54.739
has to do with the words we use, in addition to the herbs and the foods and
00:04:54.739 --> 00:04:57.159
the, you know, the other things that we do with clients.
00:04:57.559 --> 00:05:01.319
So there you go. I hope that's helpful. If you have questions or if you have
00:05:01.319 --> 00:05:04.239
suggestions for other topics, please let me know.
00:05:05.039 --> 00:05:07.639
And otherwise, I'll be back soon, and I'll talk to you then.