If you have ever had your testosterone checked and been told the number was “normal,” or “too high,” or “out of range,” there is something important you were probably not told.

The blood test is not measuring what most women think it is measuring.

It is measuring one slice of testosterone. A small one. And the lab range printed next to that number was built for a different purpose than guiding hormone treatment. Once you understand what the test actually shows, the whole conversation about dosing, safety, and “normal” levels changes.

If you have been told that endocrine therapy, such as tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor, is the only answer after breast cancer, you are not alone. Many women leave oncology visits with a treatment plan, a prescription, and very little discussion about anything else.

What you eat, how you move, how you sleep, your metabolic health, your stress levels, your muscle mass, your inflammation, your alcohol intake, your insulin levels, your relationships, and your overall internal environment are often barely mentioned, if they are mentioned at all. Lifestyle is rarely presented as part of cancer biology in a meaningful way. It is even more rarely discussed as part of recurrence prevention.

That's what I want to talk about. The neighborhood. The terrain.

If you have spent any time in the menopause corner of the internet, you have probably heard it by now. Several well-known voices on social media and popular podcasts are promoting the use of Duavee for women to prevent breast cancer, for women with DCIS, or for women who simply want to stay "safe." And just like that, a quiet little pill becomes the next thing every woman is told she should be on to prevent breast cancer.

Today I want to zoom out even further.

Because here's the truth I keep coming back to in my work. Cancer cells don't just go rogue. They don't drop out of the sky. A cancer cell is a cell that finally couldn't keep up. It couldn't repair itself, couldn't make enough energy, couldn't keep its signaling clean. And it lived in a body that, for many reasons, had stopped being a healthy place to live.

That's what I want to talk about. The neighborhood. The terrain.

Every week, I hear from women who have been told some version of the same sentence:

"Your cancer was ER-positive, so estrogen caused it."

"You can never go near estrogen again."

"Stay on this anti-estrogen drug for the next five, ten, or fifteen years, or your cancer will come back."

I understand the fear behind those statements. I really do. But the more I read the science, the more I see that this story is incomplete. And women deserve the full story.

If you have been told that "the pill is safe," or that the hormonal IUD is just a tiny, local dose, you are not alone. Most women hear some version of this. And for some women, the pill or the IUD really may be the right tool. But there is a longer conversation that does not always make it into the visit.

No one knows for sure what causes breast cancer to develop, although cancer stem cells (a kind of cell that has nothing to do with estrogen) are thought to play a role. Cancer causes are complex and related to many issues including inflammation, stress, exposure to radiation, viruses, chemicals, and other factors. 

Peptides are rapidly emerging as a major tool for healthy aging. While I’m not a peptide expert, I care deeply about how we can proactively stay healthy, strong, and clear-minded as we age. The core idea here is not just to live longer, but to use targeted therapies—like peptides—to live better by replacing what our bodies lose with age.