Podcast Summary: The Thyroid Fixer – Episode 576

Title: Are You Biohacking Your Way to Poor Health? Yes—with Peptides Too!
Release Date: November 7, 2025
Host: Dr. Amie Hornaman
Guest: Dr. Donese Worden

Episode Overview

In this candid and myth-busting episode, Dr. Amie Hornaman is joined again by physician and researcher Dr. Donese Worden. Together, they tackle the current craze of biohacking—including the use of peptides, cold plunges, and massive supplement stacks—and question whether this movement is truly leading to better health or inadvertently causing more harm. Both speakers provide clear-eyed, nuanced guidance to listeners—especially women navigating hypothyroidism, hormonal imbalance, and cancer recovery—on how to approach new health tools safely, sanely, and with solid science.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Biohacking Gone Wild: When “Optimization” Backfires

• Pressure to Biohack: Many feel overwhelmed by influencer-led advice to do cold plunges, take countless supplements, and engage in expensive cutting-edge therapies, fearing they aren’t “doing enough” to optimize their health (09:20-10:30).
• The Problem of Supplement Stacking: People are often self-prescribing complex supplement regimens, creating a “clinical trial” on themselves with little knowledge about interactions or longer-term safety. As Dr. Worden warns, “No one can tell you how those all work together, much less how they work within your body.” (10:20)
• Biohackers: The Most Stressed?
  • Dr. Worden observes, “Biohackers have higher cortisol than all of us, and they are just driving their glucose and they're literally driving the growth of cancer cells because of their stressed out environment, their stressed out state that they are in.” (07:16)

2. Common Biohacks: Risks and Research

• The Cold Plunge Controversy
  • Nearly everyone in biohacking circles has tried cold plunges, but few understand the potential risks. Dr. Worden shares:
    “If you have an aneurysm that hasn't been identified, if you have a heart arrhythmia…those cold plunges can work very much against you and actually become so dangerous that they could actually kill you.” (08:55)
  • Emphasizes that no one does baseline safety testing beforehand; documented deaths have occurred due to heart and brain issues (14:00).
• Sauna & Red Light: Evidence and Precautions
  • Saunas: Less abrupt stress response than cold exposure, but individuals still need to know their health status before using intensely (14:30).
  • Red Light: Plenty of supporting studies on reducing inflammation and improving skin, but “if you have a tumor…do not put red light directly over any cancerous tumor cell.” (17:00)
• Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBOT): Useful but requires individualized protocols, especially for those with cancer (16:40).

3. Peptides, Stem Cells, and Regenerative Therapies

• Promise and Peril:
  • Dr. Worden acknowledges that “peptides, PRP, they may end up being fantastic…that’s why I got involved from the beginning. But the more we learn, the more we say we need to caution.” (21:52)
• Risks with Growth Factors and Angiogenesis:
  • Example: TB500 and BPC-157 (popular healing peptides) may promote blood vessel growth (angiogenesis) that is also used by cancer cells, raising long-term safety concerns post-cancer (18:30).
• Stem Cell and Exosome Therapies:
  • “There’s not a single exosome that’s approved in the United States…some were doing peptides, and I said, for what? And for your indication? Do you even know if it's approved for your indication? They just didn't know.” (10:55, 19:12)
  • These therapies are often unregulated, sometimes unsterile, and sometimes contain no active ingredients. “Expensive doesn’t mean better…sometimes it’s not even in the vial.” (23:51)
• Key Quote:
  “Truth isn’t always convenient and can be very unpopular…We need to be a lot more careful.” —Dr. Worden (22:46)

4. Quality, Oversight, and the Supplement Industry

• Supplements: Buyer Beware!
  • The majority of supplements are not tested thoroughly. Many are mislabeled or even counterfeit, sometimes containing only fillers or dangerous adulterants (39:00-42:40).
  • Dr. Hornaman:
    “You’re not saving $10 by buying…on the fake Amazon store at Walmart. You’re wasting the entire amount of that bottle because you don't even know if you're getting the active ingredient in it.” (42:23)
• Testing and Brand Responsibility:
  • Always ask for a Certificate of Analysis (COA) for your supplement’s batch.
  • “If they won’t do that, you should not be taking that product, period.” —Dr. Worden (43:51)
  • Buy only from founders or practitioners with reputations on the line and rigorous quality control (36:20–40:50).

5. Supplement Overwhelm: More Isn’t Better

• Cycle, Pulse, and Prioritize:
  • It's OK—and sometimes beneficial—to “pulse” supplements or therapies, rather than maintain constant use, to avoid adaptation and reduce stress (44:54).
  • “More is not better…Stacking isn’t science, it’s wishful thinking.” —Dr. Worden (27:45)
• Basics Before Biohacking:
  • Focus on sleep, movement, quality food, purpose, community, reducing stress, and basic hormonal/thyroid balance. “The body’s inner pharmacy is the real one.” (34:45)

6. The Hidden Cost: Stress

• Emotional, Financial & Biochemical Stress:
  • The pressure to constantly optimize ironically elevates stress, driving up cortisol and glucose, which can fuel disease processes—including cancer recurrence (48:00).
  • Quote:
    “The pressures of biohacking are going to cause more harm than good. And I can see this coming in the next couple of years.” —Dr. Hornaman (51:16)
• Free Therapies Work:
  “The studies show…a lot of the therapies that don’t cost anything [like exercise, good sleep, sunlight] really work.” (50:36)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Biohackers have higher cortisol than all of us, and they are just driving their glucose and they're literally driving the growth of cancer cells because of their stressed out environment.”
  — Dr. Worden (07:16)

• “No one can tell you how those [supplements] all work together, much less how they work within your body. So they could be causing more harm than good.”
  — Dr. Worden (10:20)

• “Don’t be a bioslacker. That means do your homework, understand what you're putting into your body, what you're taking.”
  — Dr. Worden (12:51)

• “If you have an aneurysm that hasn't been identified, if you have a heart arrhythmia…those cold plunges can work very much against you and actually become so dangerous that they could actually kill you.”
  — Dr. Worden (13:00)

• “We need more science, more behind it, and a price tag isn’t enough.”
  — Dr. Worden (23:42)

• “More is not better. More supplements is not better. Stacking isn’t science, it’s wishful thinking.”
  — Dr. Worden (27:45)

• “Anything you put in your body every day, you better know about it.”
  — Dr. Worden (43:35)

• “The most powerful medicine isn’t what we buy or do, it’s what we understand. And it’s the job. The job is to know.”
  — Dr. Worden (48:00, 43:35)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:00–08:00 – Introduction; Dr. Amie shares her mission and introduces Dr. Worden
• 08:00–12:50 – Biohacker culture, supplement stacking, and use of untested therapies
• 12:50–17:00 – Risks of cold plunge, saunas, red light, and the illusion of "personalized" testing
• 18:00–24:50 – Peptides, TB500/BPC-157, stem cells; risks, unregulated use, and gaps in evidence
• 25:00–30:30 – Growth hormone peptides and the “wolverine stack”, supplement integrity
• 36:20–43:51 – Choosing quality supplements, how to vet for safety, avoiding counterfeits
• 44:22–50:45 – Supplement overwhelm, “pulse” strategies, the impact of stress on recovery
• 51:16–53:12 – Stress as a hidden health cost, prioritizing “free” therapies over expensive tools
• 53:26–End – Where to find Dr. Worden; tease for next episode

Closing Guidance & Takeaways

• Be a well-informed health participant: Always research what you put in your body—don’t blindly “biohack.”
• Vet your supplements: Demand Certificates of Analysis and purchase directly from trusted sources.
• Start with the fundamentals: Prioritize sleep, real food, purposeful movement, social support, and stress management.
• Less is often more: More supplements or “tools” aren’t always better; stacking therapies can lead to negative health consequences.
• Ask three questions before trying a therapy or supplement:
  1. Is it proven for your purpose?
  2. Is it tested for safety and purity?
  3. Is it safe for you, right now?
     (34:06)
• Tune out the hype, trust credible caution: Both Dr. Hornaman and Dr. Worden urge listeners not to feel pressured—or guilty—by the aggressive marketing of extreme biohacks or therapies, especially if they have not mastered the basics of metabolic and hormonal health.

Where to Find Dr. Donese Worden

• Website: drworden.com
• Office Phone: 480-588-2233 (free discovery call for podcast listeners)
• Social media and YouTube: [Linked in show notes]

Next Episode Teaser:
Dr. Hornaman and Dr. Worden will return for a lighter, laughter-filled topic—understanding the differences between the female and male mind, particularly as it relates to health and communication. Stay tuned!

This summary captures the essence, warnings, and nuanced takeaways from this episode, making it indispensable listening for anyone facing thyroid, hormonal, or cancer recovery challenges in today’s “biohacking” culture.