Hormone Balance and Blood Sugar, the Secrets to Weight Loss
Diabetes and obesity. The prevalence of both 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 and the critical interplay of messengers such as cortisol, estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, and growth hormone in addition to the hormones insulin and glucagon.
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 receptor 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. Yes, 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.
Another challenge that exists is the issue of stress. Psychological stress, chemical stress, and physical stresses all result in the release of certain hormones. This is done for survival purposes such as retreating from an angry bear in the woods. Stress hormones release glucose from cells to be used for the stress response (running, fighting, etc.). This is excellent when one actually needs to run from a bear in the woods, but strenuous on a body when done day in and day out, several times per day or even constantly. Chronic stress is not something the human body is well equipped to deal with.
Short bursts of intense activity followed by an adequate amount of rest seem to support the activity of the right hormones to cause fat liberation and burn. Exercises such as 50-meter sprints to activity tolerance and several minutes of recovery are a good start. Weight training to improve muscle mass, a tissue that supports proper blood sugar stability, is vitally important.
Getting inadequate sleep has been shown to cause increased waistlines. Seven to eight hours of sleep is often required although some individuals require more, especially when beginning a new lifestyle program. Herbatonin 0.3 mg is safe to take during a long program of lifestyle changes because it utilizes the amount of plant-based melatonin that the body typically makes each night. This is in comparison to high, drug-type dosages that are designed for shift work or jet lag. In addition, research into its antioxidant function and ability to reduce inflammation has considerably increased its benefits for situations like this as obesity and diabetes independently contribute to oxidative stress load.
What remains to be resolved in this weight loss dilemma is still stress. Everyone should be finding their own method of reducing unnecessary stresses or unnecessary responses to stressors. However, in modern living, it is impossible to avoid all excess stress. So, in order to support the stress response and the coordination of the hypothalamus and pituitary with all of the other glands, certain concepts must be accepted.
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.
