Diabetes and Obesity on the Rise
The prevalence of diabetes and obesity is rising and the solutions seem complex. Blood sugar challenges cause weight gain and weight gain causes blood sugar challenges. How, does a person get off the proverbial hamster wheel and find the blood sugar/ body weight solution? The hidden answer, which may be surprising, relates to hormone balance.
The Insulin Factor
Blood sugar, more appropriately glucose, circulates in the blood. Its job is to fuel cells by getting inside the cell to the true machinery. The only hormone that can get glucose inside a cell is insulin which works by connecting to receptors on the outside of the cell. Unfortunately, after years of overuse, the receptors become less responsive and more insulin is required. The solution seems to be just adding more insulin. However, excess insulin causes systemic inflammation and weight gain. Weight, specifically fat, is a metabolically active tissue causing hormone disruption and resistance of the cell to accept insulin, a term called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance usually precedes diabetes and is often referred to as prediabetes. However, if someone already has diabetes, excess fat simply makes the condition worse.
Chronic Stress Response
Another challenge that exists is the issue of stress. Psychological stress, chemical stress, and physical stresses all result in the release of certain hormones for a quick fight-or-flight response. This is excellent when one actually needs to run from a bear in the woods, but strenuous on a body in the long term. Chronic stress is not something the human body is well equipped to deal with.
That stress response wears thin in a way similar to the development of insulin resistance. The master glands in the human body, the hypothalamus and pituitary, control all other glandular function. This includes the pancreas which secretes insulin, the adrenal glands which secrete stress hormones, and the thyroid which controls metabolism. Chronic excess secretion of these hormones causes our cells to grow tired of the stimulation and they simply fail to respond. The result is not only insulin resistance and diabetes, but also abdominal weight gain, fatigue, chronic constipation, immune dysfunction, and increased risk of osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease.
Supplements for Hormonal Balance
Femmenessence for women and Revolution for men are effective products to consider for hormonal balance. Femmenessence is actually a family of products, one for each stage of life. Since women may face body weight and blood sugar challenges at any stage, choosing the product specific to the body’s biological age is especially important. Femmenessence MacaHarmony is for a woman from puberty through her reproductive years. Femmenessence MacaLife is for a woman whose cycles are irregular due to midlife changes. Femmenessence MacaPause is for a woman who has reached menopause. These products all support hormone health and the stress response by nourishing the hypothalamus and pituitary and thus affecting the entire cascade of hormone health. In fact, women in clinical trials lost an average of 6% of their body weight during four months of standard dosing of Femmenessence MacaPause.
This was without modifying diet or exercise recommendations. Further, these products support hormone balance including healthy levels of estrogen, testosterone, progesterone and growth hormone which have more complex roles in the stress response, but also muscle growth, bone health, cardiovascular health and optimal weight. All of this happens without introducing hormones from outside the body.
Corey Schuler, MS, DC, CNS, LN the National Educator for Natural Health International. Dr. Schuler is a clinical nutritionist and chiropractic doctor whose practice is dedicated to hormone health and metabolism using integrative medicine. Additionally, he teaches at the School of Applied Clinical Nutrition at New York Chiropractic Colleges and lectures at continuing medical education events.
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