You should be aware that hormonal imbalances can contribute to or perhaps be the entire cause of weight gain and loss issues if you are gaining weight quickly and finding it difficult to lose it. In extreme cases, hormonal imbalances can make losing weight completely difficult.
Many people attempt various diets and fitness regimens in an effort to lose any extra weight. When results are slow to come, it can be disheartening and cause people to give up completely. Many people are unaware that there may be underlying health problems that prevent successful weight loss. In addition, together with a bad diet and insufficient exercise, these very same problems may be the root of the weight increase itself.
Unbalanced hormones and other deficits may be the cause. Patients who are in need of assistance frequently call us because they feel helpless to stop the weight gain. Unfortunately, a lot of individuals have gone to their doctor for assistance only to be told that they should simply eat less and exercise more. This can be quite discouraging and causes emotions of humiliation as well as helplessness.
In addition to situations where hormones impact weight loss, other variables including Candida (an overgrowth of yeast in the stomach) and lack of sleep can also prevent weight reduction. Let’s first talk about the hormone problems.
Millions of Americans suffer from the disease of insulin resistance, and many of them are completely unaware of it. The pancreas produces the hormone insulin, which is released whenever we eat. Its major function is to open the cells as a key, allowing glucose (blood sugar) to enter and provide us with energy from our food. Blood sugar levels are also regulated by insulin.
As a result, the cells themselves develop an inability to properly utilize insulin and become resistant to it. Due to the body’s inability to digest lipids, this results in blood sugar levels staying high (up to 7 times higher than normal) in the bloodstream, which affects your metabolism.
A diet rich in processed foods and carbohydrates and a lack of exercise are the two main causes of insulin resistance. In addition to contributing to obesity, a bad diet disturbs the balance of the gut flora.
Syndrome X, commonly known as Metabolic Syndrome, can result from insulin resistance. When a person has high blood pressure, excessive blood sugar, abnormal cholesterol, and extra belly fat, this happens. If these problems are not resolved at their source, they are a formula for sickness and will almost likely result in a life of ill health and an early death. Insulin resistance also called “fat cell fertilizer” is a term used by best-selling author and director of functional medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Mark Hyman.
Exercise and dietary changes are the simplest ways to reduce insulin resistance. Exercise not only aids in calorie burning for weight loss, but it also makes muscles more insulin SENSITIVE and opens up cell receptors for glucose. It is not necessary to follow fad diets or calorie-restricted diets in order to overcome resistance; rather, processed meals and foods high in sugar must be avoided, and physical activity must be increased. Simply doing these two things will significantly improve your health.
As part of our regular lab testing, our providers always check our insulin levels. Other healthcare professionals often merely check a patient’s A1C, which determines whether or not they have diabetes, and blood sugar levels. Because we are aware of the impact that insulin resistance can have on both general health and weight reduction, we now test for those things in addition to insulin. Since blood sugar levels may not be raised with this illness, the only lab test that can definitively identify Insulin Resistance is a measurement of the amount of insulin in the body.
Another typical hormonal imbalance that affects weight loss is one involving thyroid hormones. In the United States, hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid gland, affects one in five women and one in ten men. Weight gain, exhaustion, hair loss, anxiety, depression, and other symptoms are among them. The fact that more than half of people with hypothyroidism go misdiagnosed is particularly alarming.
Often, people are eating well, exercising, and otherwise taking good care of themselves, but if their thyroid is underactive, their entire metabolism slows down, increasing their risk of weight gain—often rapidly. Even with a healthy diet and regular exercise, hypothyroidism makes it considerably more difficult to lose weight.
Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) is tested routinely by the mainstream medical community during lab work, but there are additional thyroid issues that this test will not detect. We receive hundreds of calls each month from people who have either been prescribed T4 hormone in the form of Synthroid or Levothyroxine but are not feeling any better OR who have been informed they do not have a thyroid problem because their TSH levels are “normal.”
The hormone released throughout the body by the thyroid gland is called T4. T4 must, however, be changed into T3 hormone in order for the cells to work properly and produce energy. Not everyone is able to convert T4 into T3; in fact, this is a rather typical issue. No amount of Synthroid or Levothyroxine will be able to treat an underactive thyroid in this situation.
In addition, a disorder known as Hashimoto’s Disease is a frequent cause of hypothyroidism. This autoimmune condition causes the thyroid gland to degenerate as a result of antibodies attacking the gland. As a result, the thyroid eventually becomes incapable of producing enough hormone to meet the body’s requirements.
A thorough thyroid panel test will ALWAYS be performed by our medical professionals at Rejuv Medical to pinpoint the specific source of the issue and enable the most appropriate course of treatment. Patients start to feel better within a few weeks and their metabolism returns to normal after the underlying cause of the issue is found and the treatment procedure is started.
Cortisol is yet another hormone that can be out of balance and impact weight loss. The adrenal glands produce cortisol, which is also known as the stress or “fight or flight” hormone. Undoubtedly, our forefathers required this to survive. Cortisol and adrenaline levels would rise in the presence of danger or impending death. Due to the need to battle for survival or flee for one’s life, the heart, lungs, and muscles received all available energy. Blood flow to the digestive system slows down when the “fight or flight” response is activated, and your body begins to store fat.
The issue is that in the current world, when we worry or are afraid that something will happen, our brains experience the same stress reaction. You can have a demanding profession that necessitates multitasking and tight deadlines. Your child may be experiencing issues in school or a family member may be ill. The body is stressed by physical ailment, ongoing bad health, or trauma.
The adrenal glands cannot distinguish between being pursued by a lion and having a demanding work; they interpret both as danger, which can cause the body to remain in a near-constant state of “fight or flight.” While this is typical in the short term, long-term stress and high cortisol levels can lead to high blood pressure, raised glucose levels, increased belly fat, and even muscle loss. If we don’t know how to control our stress levels, our adrenal glands will produce less and less cortisol, which will result in adrenal fatigue, a condition that slows down our metabolism over time.
In addition to having an impact on the overall endocrine system, adrenal fatigue reduces our resilience, makes us more vulnerable to illness, and makes it difficult to deal with day-to-day life events. To find out whether you might have adrenal fatigue, click here
Although many people identify the hormone testosterone with men, women also require it, albeit in smaller amounts. Low testosterone can be brought on by a variety of conditions, including obesity, drunkenness, and age. By the time we are fifty, levels are roughly half of what they were at their peak. Levels start to decline for both men and women in their late twenties to early thirties.
There are numerous uses for testosterone. It is in charge of preserving and enhancing skin tone and muscular mass. Low levels cause noticeable changes, including the dominance of fat over muscular mass and the sagging of the skin. It’s been suggested that testosterone keeps us healthy and provides us “pep in our step.”
Another important function of testosterone is that it aids in the activation of insulin. As a result, low testosterone levels can contribute to insulin resistance problems, which, as we’ve already covered, result in an increase in belly fat.
For more information about the symptoms of low-T, click here.
Another hormone imbalance that affects weight loss and can happen at any age is estrogen. Estrogen Dominance is a disorder that develops when the balance between the hormones estrogen and progesterone is askew (more estrogen, not enough progesterone). If progesterone levels are really low, it is also possible to have low estrogen levels and still have estrogen dominance.
This is typical, particularly for women who are approaching menopause when they reach their forties (also referred to as perimenopause). Since progesterone often wanes first, there is an imbalance between the two hormones. Weight gain, especially in the abdomen, is one of the signs of estrogen dominance. Additionally, keep in mind that abdominal fat increases insulin levels and can lead to Insulin Resistance.
The body searches for alternative sources of estrogen as we approach menopause and the ovarian synthesis of estrogen decreases. The fat cells are one place where estrogen is stored. In response, our bodies increase the amount of calories that are converted to fat in order to store more estrogen. Just like testosterone, declining estrogen levels also lead to a loss in muscular mass, which increases body fat. Find out whether you might have too much estrogen by clicking here
Although it is not a hormone, candida can contribute to weight gain. It’s a fungus that typically develops in the gut, vagina, mouth, and on the skin. To thrive, it needs a consistent supply of sugar and carbohydrates. An overgrowth of candida is characterized by intense sugar cravings.
A person may also be more vulnerable to candida infections if they consume a diet heavy in sugar and/or refined carbohydrates, abuse alcohol, have diabetes, use antibiotics frequently or for an extended period of time, or have a compromised immune system. These toxins are released into the body when candida builds up in the gut and causes alterations to the gut wall, which compromises the barrier. The liver, which is in charge of removing toxins from the body, can easily become overworked and unable to keep up, so it stores the extra candida to be filtered later. Sadly, the fat cells around the stomach are where the “storage area” is located.
The adrenal glands are more susceptible to the toxins produced by candida, and as a result, they produce even more cortisol in response, which creates a pattern of storing body fat rather than utilising it as fuel.
Both sleep deprivation and poor sleep quality result in weight growth. The National Institute of Health has conducted various investigations on the relationship between the two. According to one study, “short duration sleepers” are 88 percent more likely to be fat than those who obtain the recommended amount of sleep.
Chronic sleep deprivation has a negative impact on every biological system in the body, which can result in disease and early death. It also influences obesity levels. It has also been demonstrated that someone who has been up for more than 16 hours is just as impaired when they get behind the wheel as someone who is under the influence of alcohol.
Based on your lab findings and symptoms, we provide informed discussions about how to get better sleep to help you find solutions that are tailored to your needs.
Our medical professionals are aware of how hormonal abnormalities impact shedding pounds and general wellness. To help you look and feel your best, we use a science-based, holistic approach to your health and treat you as an individual.
We can help you find answers and remedies if you’re having weight problems so that you may get your health back and resume living a full life. Our meetings with you last an hour so that we can give you the high-quality help, direction, and resources you require to succeed.
For more information about Hormone Balancing click here
The health and safety of our staff and patients is a top priority for all of us at the office of Katerina Helmn, FNP-C. We are offering both virtual appointments and in-clinic appointments, whichever you prefer. If you are coming in to see us in person, keep in mind that we main the highest of standards when it comes to the safety of our patients. We sanitize rooms between patients and shared surfaces such as door handles, etc. throughout the day.
Should you choose to have a telemedicine appointment, you will still be able to see your provider, just as if she were standing in front of you in the office so that you’ll still get the same “connection” as if your appointment was in the clinic. Additionally, we have mobile phlebotomy services available if you do not want to go to a public lab.
Our providers at Rejuv Medical are devoted to understanding our patients’ health concerns and symptoms. We use scientific-based protocols to find the root cause of hormonal imbalances, thyroid dysfunction, nutritional deficiencies, and more. We believe that spending quality, personalized time with each patient provides the necessary foundation to help you achieve optimal health and wellness. Our system incorporates provider consultation, comprehensive health assessment, and laboratory testing in a warm and caring environment.
Contact our Patient Coordinator for a Free Phone Consultation. She can explain our protocols and fees in more detail, answer any questions or concerns you have, and explain how our approach can help with hormonal balance, anti-aging, and disease prevention so that you can enjoy a vibrant and healthy life! For more informaition call us at 415 712 1937.
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