WEIGHT GAIN; BLAME YOUR HORMONES

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weight gain

If ever there was a time that created a collective weight gain panic, this is it. For weeks we were sheltered inside trying to get through day after day of feelings including panic, loneliness, sadness, and boredom, amongst others. Zoom saw a boom in bodies sheltered under sweats and jammies. From March 8-March 15, online views for homemade bread increased 342%, how to make banana bread by 171% and how to make sourdough starter-518%. Fat memes became pandemic. Curves fattened before the curve flattened.

SOCIAL DISTANCING FROM THE SCALE

Covid-crisis eating was understandable. As was gaining weight from non-stop snacking and becoming best friends with the Door Dash delivery person bringing you pizza and fattening meals you’d normally never chow down on.  But being overweight is a long-time crisis. The obesity rate in the US now tops 40%. Super-sizing everything has led to super-sizing of the national waistline. Belly fat has bulged beyond historical norms. Toilet paper may have been scarce, but people never stayed six feet away from the ice cream freezer or chips aisles.

SCALING UP DIET AND EXERCISE DOESN’T ALWAYS DO IT

But not everyone threw weight gain caution to the wind. And yet, they too gained weight. And this weight gain conundrum existed long before now.  In 2018, the US weight loss industry was worth a staggering $70.3 billion. This figure included couch potatoes with sour cream, cheese and bacon, but it also included the millions of people for whom diets did nothing to help them lose weight. And they tried every diet there was. Every crazy workout out there. Approximately 45 million adults in the United States (about 14% of the population) are members of a gym. But no number of crunches or miles in spin class led to significant weight loss. What the frustrated never knew was that in packing on puzzling pounds, the real enemy they were battling was unbalanced hormones.

A BIG FAT HORMONE PROBLEM

Unbalanced hormones and weight gain go hand in hand. When your hormones are out of balance, losing weight or maintaining weight is almost impossible. Hormones are important for regulating most major bodily processes, so a hormonal imbalance can affect a wide range of bodily functions. Hormones help to regulate heart rate, blood pressure, sleep, reproductive cycles and sexual functions, growth and development, mood and memory and yes, weight. Hormones cause willpower to go by the wayside and food cravings to call the shots.  The ability to metabolize food for fuel is directly connected to your hormones. Some of the worst weight gain hormone culprits are cortisol, insulin, estrogen, testosterone and thyroid. Even a slight disruption in the levels of any of these hormones can cause the body to put on weight and fight like lard to keep it there.

FIRE UP YOUR HORMONES

The medical professionals at Denver Hormone Health have just what it takes to reset hormone levels that have gone awry. With years of experience treating all types of hormone imbalance issues, DHH professionals are experts when it comes to weight management. At DHH they understand what you have been going through and have developed a novel Hormonal Weight Loss Support Program that has successfully helped patients lose, and more importantly, keep the weight off.  The program includes bioidentical hormone replacement therapy, B6, B12 and lipotropic injections, plus exclusive, highest quality weight management supplements. When combined with healthy diet and exercise—which DHH nutrition and fitness experts are there to help with, patients have reported having more energy, faster metabolisms, better weight loss and stronger immune systems. DHH physicians do a full analysis including simple blood tests that pinpoint your exact hormone levels. This allows them to customize a unique treatment plan tailored to each patient’s individual needs. Call Denver Hormone Health for an appointment now. Struggling with weight gain? Don’t wait a minute more.

STRIVING TO SURVIVE PMS SYMPTOMS

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PMS symptoms how to survive

Let’s Start with the Basics.

PMS stinks. Well that’s about as basic as it gets.  Its symptoms affect more than 90 percent of menstruating women. No woman can avoid it. PMS symptoms generally start five to 11 days before menstruation and typically go away once menstruation begins. It’s a time when certain hormones—most significantly, estrogen and progesterone go haywire.

PMS SYMPTOMS; THEY’RE NO LAUGHING MATTER

“Oh, duh, it’s PMS, it all makes sense now,” she mumbled through chocolate-smeared lips as the house burned behind her. Not funny. “What’s the difference between a woman with PMS and a Pit Bull? Lipstick. Not funny. As women suffer with PMS symptoms the jokes abound. PMS. Psychotic Mood Shift. Puffing Mid-Section. Pardon My Sobbing. Please, More Sweets. Hilarious. But “that time of the month” is a time of suffering that no Flaming Hot Doritos or a heating pad is going to help. The greater the hormone fluctuations, the greater the intensity of the symptoms.

PMS SYMPTOMS CHANGE AS YOU GET CLOSER TO “THE CHANGE”

And while we’re talking about hormone fluctuations, age can have a lot to do with it. In your 20s, PMS can feel like an out of control rollercoaster. You eat like an ox, bloat like a balloon, get cramps that could crumble you. By your 30s, PMS symptoms for most will begin to even out and not feel so extreme. Why?  One reason is that for many women, their 30s are the decade when they become moms, and pregnancy and breastfeeding can provide a reprieve from PMS symptoms. But for women who have been on hormonal birth control through their 20s and go off the pill to have kids, things can actually get worse. The time between going off birth control and before conception is a wild hormonal ride as natural hormones kick in and start the week-by-week fluctuations that can lead to PMS. After 40 (sorry ladies), PMS can return with a vengeance as perimenopause looms ahead. You cry like a river, your moods swing like Tarzan. More of that cyclical hormone havoc.

PMS SYMPTOMS; TREAT THEM TO BEAT THEM

When it comes to treatment for PMS symptoms, there are a bunch of things bandied about out there. Supplements such as folic acid, vitamin B-6, calcium and magnesium are some suggestions. Black cohosh. Huh? Chaste berry. Huh? Can they really help level your estrogen and progesterone levels? Simple answer; NO. You need real help. Medical help. Like the proven help you’ll get from the professionals at Denver Hormone Health. The hormone experts at Denver Hormone Health have had years of experience treating conditions caused by more than 50 different hormones coursing through our bloodstreams. They understand how PMS symptoms can systematically shut you down and they know just what to do about it. Simple tests allow them to monitor your hormone levels and create a treatment plan that will ease the PMS monster that’s held your hormones and you hostage for so long. Call Denver Hormone Health for an appointment now. And get rid of PMS symptoms ASAP.

HORMONES AND HEART DISEASE; GETTING TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER

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HEART DISEASE; ENOUGH TO GET ANYONE’S TICKER TICKING FASTER

Sorry, but it’s a fact:

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men women and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States. One person dies every 37 seconds in the U.S. from cardiovascular disease. But no one has to tell you how scary heart disease is. No one is immune. At almost any age.

IT’S NOT JUST ABOUT BEING HEALTHY

With the threat of heart disease ever looming, people are trying to become more informed about what they can do to avoid it. They think they get it, but do they? Yes, more fruits and veggies, fish, skinless poultry (but the skin’s the good part) lean meat, (wait, burgers are a national pastime) nuts, legumes (how many of you actually do legumes?). Yes, more fiber (who’s actually comfortable even discussing it?) No, not a lot of sugar. (But Ben and Jerry are like family). Not too much caffeine. (Name a decaf that has real taste). 30 minutes of exercise. Both aerobics and strength training. That ought to do it. Right? It’s a good start. (So start, already.)

PUMPING SOME NEW INFORMATION INTO IT          

No matter how well you eat and how much you exercise, heart attacks can attack from a number of outside influences:

  • Heavy physical exertion
  • Furious arguments or gut-churning anger
  • Weather
  • Air pollution
  • Infections
  • Sexual activity
  • Overeating
  • Grief
  • Lack of sleep
  • Mental and work-related stress
  • The use of cocaine and other “recreational” drugs
  • Even the World Cup if you’re seriously into it and lose. (Oh nooooo….)

No joke. But then absolutely nothing is funny about a heart attack.

THE LOWDOWN ON HORMONES AND HEART HEALTH

Wait. Heart? Hormones? What else don’t I know? When it comes to heart health, hormones play a leading role. The way they’re functioning in the body directly impacts the cardiovascular system, the heart and the blood vessels. What does this mean? When they’re working properly, hormones can help prevent heart disease. When they’re out of balance, they can cause it. We’ve got some 50 or so hormones coursing through our bloodstreams signaling every cell and organ as to what they’re supposed to do to keep them all doing what they’re supposed to. And many of these hormones affect how the heart functions.

DAMAGE IN A HEARTBEAT

There are hormones you’ve never-ever heard of (unless you’re a hormone expert) like catecholamines, endothelins, glucocorticosteroids, leptin and PTHrP, that when appearing in excess can increase heart rate. Then there are hormones you’ve most likely heard of like cortisol and adrenaline (fight or flight) that have confirmed ties to abnormal heart rhythms, and can contribute to vessel and structure-related conditions. Thyroid hormones which you probably think have to do with weight, also have direct effects on the heart. Hyperthyroidism increases heart rate and can cause palpitations as well as abnormal heart rhythms. One such abnormal heart rhythm is atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular beating of the heart and can lead to heart failure and stroke. Another example is insulin which too much of can cause type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems — like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and heart disease. Stop! Well, fortunately, you can do something about it.

TAKE HEART

Before your left arm shoots up clutching your heart in a death (ironic) squeeze, fear not. There is someone who has years of experience in the heart-hormone connection; Denver Hormone Health. They have infinite knowledge in the intricate balance between hormones and head-to-toe health, including the heart. Every hormone expert at DHH understands which hormones can be a contributing factor to heart disease. They also know that hormones might not be an issue with you. It could be genetics. Lifestyle. A combination of many things. But it could be hormones. DHH is the place to find out. And do something about it. With simple tests, they can tell which hormone imbalances can be problematic when it comes to heart health. And those tests also let them create a unique treatment plan. So stop stressing (which isn’t good for anyone’s heart) and call DHH for an appointment now. Be still your heart.