Posts in Articles
Healthy hormones takes (healthy) guts- literally

Literally and metaphorically. We tend to think of the main systems involved in making hormones as the thyroid (makes thyroid hormone, our metabolism), and our reproductive organs, responsible for sex hormones like estrogen and testosterone. So much so that if we do experience hormone imbalance, treatments are targeted to replace or limit these hormones, sometimes directed at said organ systems like thyroid medication and birth control.

Read More
Sex drive not quite full speed ahead? How to change all that!

This was probably the most G rated quote too! While the quote may elicit a chuckle or some type of amusement, in all seriousness, low libido is very common and may have many different reasons. While many concerns tend to involve solely us, libido issues may involve how we feel with other people, or sometimes we feel guilty that we have these issues if our partner(s) are awesome people so then why should we feel this way??

Read More
What blood pressure reveals about your hormones

Many times I hear from patients and people alike they’re going to different -ologists in order to get their physical/yearly blood work, or perhaps they’ve had a recent diagnosis of blood pressure that was too low or too high, or perhaps too ‘all over the place’. Perhaps along with feeling tired, can’t get a good night’s sleep, or have bursts of energy only to crash.

Read More
How your adrenals hold the key to weight loss & sanity

Have you ever felt tired but wired? Or perhaps you exercise, eat right (or along those lines), live a pretty healthy lifestyle, and still your weight is not budging or you’re not really feeling that much better? Or all of a sudden in the past few days, or weeks, you’re just not feeling yourself, want to sleep all the time (and can’t fall and/or stay asleep), craving carbs/sugar/fats (or find yourself eating them more than usual), and wondering what in the heck has changed??

Read More
The ONLY fast track to weight loss

Fasting has been around since ancient times, well over 1000 years old, as it was utilized by Plato. Hippocrates (father of medicine) and later on Benjamin Franklin, also used this technique to heal. Fasting is also seen in various religious and spiritual practices with the notion that when the body is not using resources to digest, it diverts those resources to heal whatever may be going on inside our body.

Read More
Why stress can HELP your hormones (and improve your life)

“I’m so stressed out!” “Stress is the cause of all disease!” “I’m seriously so f’ing stressed all the time. I have no idea what I’m doing- I can’t sleep, I can’t lose weight, my mind is racing 24/7.” Usually followed by “I need a drink/chocolate/snack or a vacation - or all of it at once.” Deep breath (seriously, 4 counts in through your nose, hold for 1, out for 8 counts through your mouth).

Read More
"But it's (weight) just diet and lifestyle right?"

Pretty much sums it up. Except change is hard. We can eat those veggies, the grilled chicken (or beans, depending on preference), eat super clean, and then little by little the foods that got us to this place where we realized we wanted to lose weight are back in our diet plan. Or maybe they’re not but now we’re just miserable. We feel like we can’t go out with friends, enjoy a single bit of _____ (fill in your desired food here), or we’ll get bloated/can’t sleep/gain weight, etc.

Read More
How you can change your DNA to lose weight

Do you look like your family? Do they have the same health concerns? Well to some extent you can blame mom and/or dad for those cravings, body shape, difficulty in losing weight, etc. At conception, we receive either a X or Y chromosome from the father, and a X from the mother to determine if we are male or female, respectively.

Read More
Those few extra pounds will respond to THIS change

We are the only species that can make the decision as to our identity, and in the case above, an elephant has been conditioned since they were little to comply even though with their size and strength, they can easily tear down the tent. However, in humans, because we are the only ones to understand the unconscious and conscious mind, we can also have a lot of ‘stuff’ in our way.

Read More
Have cravings? Or cravings have you..?

Tough love, I know, and we may have been there at some point, whether it’s the mid afternoon ‘pick me up’, end of the day decision fatigue where we just don’t give two hoots anymore, stress eating, eating because we’re bored, or someone orders something and we haven’t had that in forever.. And I’m sure there’s more scripts running through our heads (I already thought of a few more because I’ve been there too).

Read More
3 lifestyle habits to jumpstart your metabolism

In other words, age and genetics to some extent play a role in our metabolism, but it doesn’t mean it has to be an excuse of why we can’t lose weight! It just means we may need to work a little harder in the meantime to change old habits that got us to this place, and truly understand/listen to how our body works. And truth be told… everyone is different.

Read More
Why weight goes to our abdomen & what to do

Weight is so much more than calories in/calories out- it plays a role, but that in conjunction with potentially may other things going on, can seem like an uphill battle. And it kind of is. Chances are you didn’t just wake up one morning however many pounds heavier, but it was over a period of time where you did wake up one morning, and your clothes didn’t fit right, you felt lethargic/not good, thought the scale was broken or that higher number is actually muscle (if you’re working out- oh I’ve been there too!), or wondered why it could went to your abdomen instead of _______-> fill in the blank with desired body part.

Read More
Must-have markers on your labs

If you feel like you’re getting shuttled through a system, or that you’re being told you’re fine when you feel like something is off, or wondering if you’re fine why you’re on medication or being recommended supplements, or - and last one - nothing seems to be getting better (i.e. can’t lose weight, not sleeping right). Maybe you got a thorough work-up, or basic yearly bloodwork, and then all the numbers still come back in range. Or they’re slightly off but not enough to warrant medication, but let’s watch and wait.

Read More
What hormone type therapies all have in common

Logically, if something is low, like oil in a car, just fill it up to replace it. If only the body was that simple.. we know it’s not, but we may not always grasp its complexities as that’s why whenever a medication or supplement is offered to solely replace, other problems still occur. The endocrine system is comprised of at least 7 different organs + fat cells (yes, our fat cells secrete hormones and signals too) with at least 3 different messages that go to certain organs.

Read More
What extra weight is trying to tell you

Weight is a symptom- not a disease, an imperfection, something to be shamed, or beat yourself up about. I can relate because in the middle of medical school I gained 20 pounds in 4 months, and just told myself I was bloated and the clothes shrank in the drier. Amazing how defense mechanisms kick in.. In any case, what really happened was that there were many more concerns going on that had to be healed, because clearly this did not happen overnight, but through a culmination of many processes that went unnoticed until well, they were.

Read More
Are your symptoms as vague as that 'check engine' light in your car?

The check engine light in a car is one of the worst lights to come on in the car because it's so vague. It can mean literally anything. Super comforting too when thinking about all the different parts in the car..-> sarcsam. So we may google or post on facebook or ask friends (kind of sounds like that show, 'Who wants to be a millionaire') to see if anyone has experienced the same thing and what we should do.

Read More
How high cholesterol may be a sign of imbalanced hormones

Cholesterol is the building block of hormones such as testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, cortisol (stress hormone), and aldosterone (responsible for our salt/water balance). Cholesterol is comprised of a number of particles that each serve a function such as:
-LDL ('bad' cholesterol; but not really bad because it delivers cholesterol to cells. The real question is 'what predisposes it to oxidizing in a way that causes damage'- more on that later).
-HDL ('good' cholesterol; transports cholesterol molecules to liver to get metabolized. Yet over 75 is not so good as elevated levels can be an inflammatory marker).
-Triglycerides (a marker of sugar/carbohydrate intake, as it's energy for later use). 
There are a few more cholesterol markers, but these are the main ones. 

Read More
Are you working with or against your body type?

We know we're different than the next person, yet there's so much advice that seems generic that it's can be difficult to differentiate what's right for you, and can even include some trial and error (hopefully not much of the latter). Just like the blood type diet offers insight on eating right for our type, we also have a body type that helps guide our nutritional intake and fitness motivation. Especially when it comes to weight, it's an uphill battle as our fat cells are their own endocrine organ that tend to mess with our already probably somewhat off balanced hormones. 

Read More
Lose weight & detox all at the same time with this class of veggies

Cruciferous vegetables.. some of the most nutrient-dense vegetables on the planet are in the form of broccoli, cauliflower, bok choy, cabbage, collards, watercress, brussels sprouts and arugula. They are incredibly high in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and can help us lose weight, detox, and protect us against cancer and heart disease-related conditions. They are best cooked in coconut oil, or sauteed in olive oil, or other healthy fats, as they also have a high content of fat-soluble nutrients that are best absorbed when cooked in fats. 

Read More
Sitting is not quite the new smoking, but could throw off your hormones

As humans we are meant to move, live, love, laugh, and enjoy life- yet as one of the most developed species, we also have a wide range of emotions (thank you Mercury in retrograde for emphasizing these- it's when communication and technology can go wonky) that can also make us appreciate those joyful moments. And to hone in on the first characteristic, movement is incredibly important to our health, allowing optimal blood flow (carries oxygen for additional energy), lymphatic movement, and nutrients to circulate to our cells, improving digestion, detoxification, metabolism, sleep, and memory/thought processes. 

Read More