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YOU CAN THANK THANKSGIVING FOR YOUR HORMONES GOING HAYWIRE

Thanksgiving…we wait 365 days for the opportunity to eat ourselves into a food coma. Today, Thanksgiving has become the Super Bowl of eating like a horse, unable to ever rein it in. “Unbuckle Our Belts” has become the Thanksgiving Day anthem.  The bar flies open. We eat before we eat. Platters of calorie-laden treats tempt us even before we even pull a chair up to the table. And that’s where the real feast begins; ta-da…the main event. An obscenely huge turkey with its everyone-will-fight-over greasy, crisp turkey skin. Thick, thick creamy gravy; a virtual bacchanalia of butter. Bowls of sugar laden cranberry sauce. Mounds of potatoes. (Oooo those tiny little marshmallows) Gobs of green bean casserole. But wait, oh wait, don’t stop there. Dessert! Caramel apple snickers cake, chocolate bourbon pecan pie, triple cream pumpkin cheesecake (be still, my stomach.) all topped with endless mounds of whipped cream. Oh happy day. Right? Thanksgiving might be something you celebrate, but for your hormones, it’s a yearly hard-core smorgasbord of gastric misery.

WHAT’S GUT GOT TO DO WITH IT?

The gut is the body’s largest hormone-producing organ, releasing more than 20 different peptide hormones. These gastrointestinal hormones (or gut hormones) constitute a group of hormones secreted by cells in the stomach, pancreas, and small intestine that control various functions of the digestive organs. Is there a link between hormones and heaving food uncontrollably into your body? Without question. And how they link up is enough to make you want to give the whole binging thing up. But, of course, who would ever even consider such a thing? Thanksgiving really gets you in the gut in endless ways. At some point of packing it in, your gorge gauge explodes releasing levels of these hormones that can make you nauseous and make your body work harder, the digestive overload requiring the heart to pump more blood to the stomach and intestines. It’s a digestive disaster.

A NICE BIG HEAPING OF HEARTBURN. (AND WORSE)

After about 1,500 calories (and the average for a typical Thanksgiving meal is 3,000) the gut hormones go wild. Imbalances of these hormones can influence the movement of food through the intestines—some by speeding the process up, causing diarrhea, gas (gross) and abdominal pain; and others by slowing things down, causing bloating and constipation. And that burning that seems to crawl up your esophagus and out of your mouth in a belch that’s more like a roar? That’s acid reflux and it is not a comfortable condition. This acid reflux or Gerd as it is often referred to can actually make people feel like they’re having a heart attack and send them rushing to the hospital. On Thanksgiving, there’s an emergency room overload.

KEEPING YOUR HORMONES HEALTHY IS GRAVY

If you’re like most people, it’s a good chance that you’re going to regret what you shoveled in. That’s why it’s a smart idea to make an appointment ahead of time to see the hormone professionals at Denver Hormone Health. No one in the Denver area knows more about the effect unbalanced hormones can have on your body.  Their skill and expertise match their care and understanding (which is something you’ll appreciate when it comes to discussing your holiday carb-o-bliss and fat-frenzy.) With simple tests, the hormone specialists at Denver Hormone Health can tell where you where your hormone levels stand and what exactly you should do about it. With their help Thanksgiving can be a fabulous feast instead of something you just can’t stomach. Contact Denver Hormone Health now. It’s something you’ll be more than grateful for.