The Thyroid Fixer

Host: Dr. Amie Hornaman
Episode 590: Blood Pressure Lies You’ve Been Told—And the Thyroid Link No One Mentions
Guest: Dr. Mark Young
Date: December 26, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dr. Amie Hornaman welcomes Dr. Mark Young for an in-depth, myth-busting discussion about blood pressure, hypertension, and the critical, often-overlooked ties to thyroid and hormone health—especially for women in perimenopause and menopause. The show pulls back the curtain on mainstream blood pressure management, explores why hypertension is often a symptom (not a diagnosis), and introduces science-backed ways to support heart health without sole reliance on medication. Dr. Young also explains the science behind the Zona device, positioning it as a foundational, non-pharmaceutical cardiovascular “biohack.”

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hypertension: Disease or Symptom?

Timestamps: 09:28–13:47

• Dr. Young’s Stance: Hypertension is most often a symptom of an upstream health issue rather than a true diagnosis.

  • “Hypertension is a symptom of a deeper problem. It is the downstream to an unfixed upstream, and yet we’re calling it a diagnosis.” (Dr. Mark Young, 09:30)
  • Labeling hypertension as a standalone disease causes the healthcare system to “stop looking deeper.”

• Dr. Hornaman’s View:

  • “Symptoms are literally gifts given to you by your body…hello, let’s pay attention here because something else is happening.” (Dr. Amie Hornaman, 11:01)

2. Root Causes of Hypertension

Timestamps: 11:30–13:47

• Not just age-related—Dr. Young calls “aging” a throwaway explanation.
• Major contributors: stress, disrupted nitric oxide production (even something as benign as mouthwash can cause this!), poor lifestyle habits, diet, environmental exposures, and disrupted sleep (e.g., sleep apnea).
• Blood pressure should not naturally rise with age; lifestyle and “bad inputs” are the true culprits.

3. Conventional Treatment: Medication as a Band-Aid

Timestamps: 13:47–16:50

• Temporary Role of Meds: Dr. Young and Dr. Hornaman both recognize that medication can be lifesaving in acute or crisis situations but should be a bridge, not a lifelong fixture.
  • “The pill should be nothing more than interventionary. It should be the splint that goes on a broken bone that just holds it in place until things go back to normal.” (Dr. Mark Young, 14:34)
  • Lifelong reliance on antihypertensives is likened to “the medical community building a customer rather than fixing a problem.” (Dr. Mark Young, 15:28)
• Side effects of blood pressure meds: loss of energy, reduced quality of life (“those meds will kick your ass”—Dr. Hornaman, 16:21), diminished motivation.

4. Fear, Gaslighting, and Misdiagnosis

Timestamps: 13:47–14:34

• Many feel strongarmed into medication due to fear about heart health; this can be paired with being dismissed or gaslit by doctors (“This is just aging”).
• Dr. Hornaman emphasizes the pervasiveness of medical gaslighting, particularly toward women.

5. How Hypertension Harms the Cardiovascular System

Timestamps: 19:16–24:19

• Analogy: Garden hose analogy—constricted arteries = pressure build-up, extra heart strain.
  • “Imagine that garden hose…pressure buildup happens when there’s too much fluid moving through a limited space.” (Dr. Young, 19:45)
• The real risk: chronic pressure wears out the heart muscle, leading to events like heart attack—not solely stroke.
• Heart damage is largely permanent—unlike liver or kidneys, heart tissue does not regenerate.
  • “A mistake with your heart is a lifetime mistake. Early health…is extraordinarily important.” (Dr. Young, 24:19)

6. Menopause, Estrogen, and Blood Pressure

Timestamps: 25:17–33:49

• Huge spike in women’s cardiovascular risk post-menopause; estrogen is the body’s greatest vasodilator.
• After menopause, women’s risk of heart disease surpasses men’s (“Cardiovascular events [are] 60% more likely than a man”—Dr. Young, 30:10).
• Drop in estrogen impairs the vascular system’s ability to regulate dilation—blood vessels can’t respond as needed (“It’s not even that the blood vessels can’t expand, it’s that they lost the ability to know that they should.”—Dr. Young, 33:49).
• HRT (hormone replacement therapy) can help but isn’t the only solution—lifestyle, environment, and nutrition are still key.

7. The Lifestyle Merry-Go-Round

Timestamps: 27:41–29:26

• Modern Western lifestyles (stress, pollution, poor food, inactivity) are driving high BP rates.
• “Sitting is the new smoking”—sedentary living worsens hypertension; BP medications amplify fatigue and reinforce this cycle.

8. Introducing the Zona Device: The Original 'Biohack'

Timestamps: 35:40–54:15

• What is Zona? A device utilizing isometric handgrip exercise to improve blood pressure naturally.

  • “It is taking what your body already knows how to do and getting your body to…do what it already knows how to do.” (Dr. Young, 37:52)

• Not a basic grip-strengthener; it uses precise, algorithm-driven feedback and targets isometric (not aerobic) muscle endurance.

  • “You’re only holding it for a…portion of your maximum voluntary contraction…like putting your foot on the gas and staying at exactly 70 miles an hour.” (Dr. Young, 40:29)

• How does it work?

  • Isometric hold triggers the sympathetic nervous system, increases nitric oxide (vasodilator) production, which widens blood vessels.
  • Triggers the release of potassium, which softens and improves the flexibility of blood vessel linings (the endothelium), helping normalize blood pressure.

• Anecdotal Results: Dr. Hornaman saw her own father reduce or eliminate BP meds after daily Zona use.

  • “I saw it change his blood pressure on a daily basis…” (Dr. Amie, 35:40)

• Systemic Effects: Helps with nitric oxide production, improved circulation, muscle recovery, sexual health, even hair health (due to better blood flow).

9. Zona in Context: Prevention, Treatment & Beyond

Timestamps: 49:47–55:51

• Zona is safe/preventive even for those with low BP—won’t “overshoot” normal.
  • “It just polishes off your cardiovascular system. It’s just going to make you healthier. Everyone should have a healthy cardiovascular system, regardless what the downstream diagnosis is.” (Dr. Young, 49:47)
• Elite athletes can use it for recovery, performance; supplement-free way to boost nitric oxide, unlike faddish trends that may have counterproductive results (e.g., cold plunges post-workout).

10. Big Picture: Fixing the System, Not the Symptom

Timestamps: 54:15–58:37

• The importance of system-level treatment for lasting change.
  • “I’m a big fan of treating the system and not the symptom…fixing the cardiovascular system…is going to have a systemic downstream to the entire body.” (Dr. Young, 54:40)
• Every organ needs blood flow; improving the cardiovascular system yields wide-reaching health benefits.

Notable Quotes, Moments & Attribution

• “Once we call something a diagnosis, like hypertension, right, we give it a name…that now becomes something permanent rather than causing a more upstream investigation.” – Dr. Mark Young (09:28)
• “Symptoms are signals. It’s like, hello, let’s pay attention here because something else is happening.” – Dr. Amie Hornaman (11:06)
• “It should just be helping your body in a temporary way. But this idea that once we get put on an antihypertensive, this is now what life looks like is an absolute absurdity.” – Dr. Mark Young (00:00/14:34)
• “My dad was hospitalized…races cars, exercises…still running the struggle–but a lot of his is not eating correctly…you can supplement all you want, but your diet sucks.” – Dr. Mark Young (16:50)
• “Estrogen is actually one of the body’s greatest sources of vasodilation…as estrogen goes down…the ability for the body to naturally sense when something is off actually decreases.” – Dr. Mark Young (30:41/33:49)
• “Zona is the OG biohack…it’s just getting your body to do what it does.” – Dr. Mark Young (47:16)
• “If you want to give me a list of the organs that don’t require blood flow…maybe we can strike those from…which are none.” – Dr. Mark Young (54:15)
• “I’m a big fan of treating the system and not the symptom.” – Dr. Mark Young (54:40)

Important Timestamps by Segment

• Hypertension as Symptom, Not Disease: 09:28
• Root Causes, Misdiagnosis: 11:01 – 13:47
• Medication’s Temporary Role & Pitfalls: 13:47 – 16:50
• How BP Damages the Heart: 19:16 – 24:19
• Menopause, Estrogen, and Heart Health: 25:17 – 33:49
• Zona Device Introduction & Science: 37:42 – 54:15
• Broad Benefits and Biohacking Discussion: 54:15 – 58:37

Tone and Takeaways

The tone throughout is frank, energetic, and empowering—Dr. Hornaman is passionate about challenging “recycled” medical advice and clear about her intention to equip listeners to optimize their health. Dr. Young blends scientific rigor with compelling analogies and tough-love honesty.

Final Takeaway: Hypertension is rarely a diagnosis in itself—consider the underlying causes, address lifestyle and hormonal factors, and explore tools that support your cardiovascular health systemically (like the Zona) rather than succumbing to a lifetime of band-aid medication.

Special Offer:
Listeners can use code DRAMIE for $100 off the Zona Plus device (see show notes for links).

Contact:
Questions for Dr. Young: mark@elna.com

Note: Always consult your own healthcare provider before altering your health regimen.