#444
January 20, 2026

Following the Tides: A Personal Journey with Hormone Replacement Therapy
Mark T. Brinson, DOM, AP

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NEOCLASSICAL ACUPUCNTURE - 1

There comes a time in midlife when the body’s signaling becomes a bit disordered. Energy dips without explanation. Sleep thins out. Recovery takes longer. It’s not that the system has failed—it’s that the signals aren’t as attuned as they used to be. Something in the conversation between stress, hormones, and resilience has gone a little quiet.

In this conversation with Mark Brinson, we explore what happens when hormone replacement therapy and Chinese medicine are used to complement one another. Mark shares both clinical and personal insight into how modern, well-monitored HRT has evolved—and why, when used thoughtfully, it doesn’t override the body so much as restore missing information. From a Chinese medicine perspective, this opens the door for acupuncture and herbs to once again regulate, refine, and integrate, rather than constantly compensate.

Listen into this discussion as we explore hormonal signaling and receptor responsiveness, why balance can sometimes reach a ceiling without additional support, how acupuncture can smooth the transition into HRT, and what it means to practice medicine that restores communication rather than chasing symptoms. This is a grounded, nuanced look at aging—not as decline, but as a shift that asks for better listening and a more open mind about how, and when, to intervene

 

In this episode, we discuss:

  • Hormonal signaling breakdown in midlife and what it actually feels like in the body
    How fatigue, poor sleep, weight changes, and slower recovery often reflect disrupted communication rather than isolated symptoms.
  • The limits of regulation when hormones themselves are no longer available
    Why acupuncture and herbs can stabilize symptoms up to a point, but may stall when core signals are missing.
  • Modern HRT versus outdated fears and legacy misconceptions
    How current, well-monitored hormone therapy differs fundamentally from the protocols that gave HRT a bad reputation.
  • Restoring physiological signaling rather than overriding natural processes
    Reframing HRT as information restoration, not forceful correction or stimulation.
  • Receptor responsiveness and why hormones don’t work without receptive terrain
    Why the body must be able to receive and interpret signals for any intervention to succeed.
  • How Chinese medicine prepares the body for more precise interventions
    Using acupuncture and herbs to reduce noise, regulate stress, and improve signal clarity before adding replacement therapies.
  • Sequencing care: when regulation comes first, and when replacement becomes necessary
    The clinical importance of timing—knowing what to do first, and what not to rush.
  • Cortisol, stress load, and their quiet interference with hormonal balance
    How chronic stress distorts hormonal feedback loops and blunts recovery even when labs look “normal.”
  • The role of peptides as signaling triggers rather than replacement substances
    How peptides act as prompts that ask the body to respond, rather than supplying the end product directly.
  • Acupuncture as a stabilizer during hormonal and metabolic transitions
    Supporting adaptation, smoothing side effects, and helping the system integrate change.
  • Why “feeling better” isn’t about stimulation, but about coherence
    Shifting the goal from boosting energy to restoring steadiness, resilience, and continuity.
  • Clinical discernment: knowing when to support, when to supplement, and when to stay out of the way
    Practicing medicine that listens closely and intervenes only as much as the body truly needs.

When interviewing/Intaking a new patient, Always be very clear with your expectations.  In my intakes I always say “We are going to use Acupuncture, Herbs and Hands on techniques to get you better as soon as possible. This is typically 3 to 8 sessions where you will be better, or so significantly improved that you will see a clear path to resolution.

Mark T. Brinson, DOM, AP

I am a Doctor of Oriental Medicine with over 30 Years clinical experience.

I started as a trainer specializing in Rehab, then a massage therapist in rehab then physical therapist. I have over 900 hours of Osteopathic and 600 hours of chiropractic training and finished my 3000 hour, 4 year Doctor of Oriental Medicine training in 1999.

Now, most of my time is devoted to my Evil Bone Water topical business. We started on the porch 6 years ago and are now in over 1900 clinics and grow every day.

Our wholesale business model is designed to grow the whole profession.

Links and Resources

While it may not adjust your hormones, Evil Bone Water is good for all kinds of other things that ail you.

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