What is Leptin Resistance?   The body has an elaborate hormonal mechanism to regulate appetite and hunger. One of the major hormones is leptin, which is a satiety hormone produced by our fat cells in response to a meal.   Once released, leptin signals an area of the brain called the hypothalamus. This signaling turns off the appetite, so someone will stop eating. As time goes on, leptin will decrease and hunger will increase, thus eating another meal.   This hormonal system, when balanced, helps the body maintain a normal weight. When someone gains considerable weight, the fat cells release more and more leptin.   As a result, the brain stops responding to the increased leptin signal. This can lead to feeling hungry all the time, with an exaggerated appetite, leading to more weight gain. This full but still feel hungry phenomenon has nothing to do with willpower. It is referred to as leptin resistance.   This process sets ups a vicious cycle that is very hard to correct. Simply cutting calories is not going to work over the long term. It has more to do with what you eat as opposed to how much you eat.   Focus on low glycemic load foods, such as protein, vegetables, nuts and seeds. This will help lower insulin, which will in turn help to lower leptin and break the vicious cycle.       The post What is Leptin Resistance? | PYHP 013 appeared first on .

Generally speaking, hormones control how the body either loses or gains weight. Stress has a major effect on hormones, which also contributes to weight gain. Thus, cortisol, which is often referred to as the ‘stress hormone,’ plays a major role in this process.  Cortisol is a glucocorticoid,’ because its effect on blood glucose. For example, if you go to bed hungry and skip breakfast in the morning, cortisol will increase. This rise in cortisol stimulates the liver to produce glucose. This process is gluconeogenesis, which prevents your blood sugar from dropping too low. Due to this rise in blood glucose, the pancreas will release insulin. Remember, insulin is the only fat storage hormone in the body. The next time you eat a meal, the pancreas secretes even more insulin on top of the insulin that was already there. Overtime, this can lead to a vicious cycle and continuous weight gain. Many of us are emotional eaters, so add stress and some comfort-food together and you will gain weight. The take home point is if your stressed, cortisol is going to increase. This will make your blood sugar increase, which cause a release of insulin. So, stress and worry can make you fat. It is important to keep cortisol (stress) levels in a proper balance so you don’t gain weight. If you would like to be part of our Insulin Testing Group, please visit progressyourhealth.com/it The post What Does Cortisol Do? | PYHP 012 appeared first on .

The body spends a great deal of energy to balance blood sugar with a very specific hormonal mechanism.  The two main hormones are insulin and glucagon. Insulin an incredibly important hormone in our bodies. It is released in response to glucose in the body and allows the glucose to enter the cell to supply energy.  Without insulin, blood sugar would rise to unhealthy levels, and would diagnosed as Diabetes Type One. On the other hand, insulin is also considered a energy (fat) storage hormone.  Which means, too much insulin can result in too much fat storage, weight gain.   Remember insulin rises only in response to glucose. Carbohydrates eaten are converted to glucose in the bloodstream which in turn signals insulin to be released from the pancreas. The more sugar, refined or processed a carbohydrate food is, the higher/quicker the blood glucose rise, hence the higher the insulin secreted. Over years, the more processed, high glycemic carbohydrate foods we eat, the the higher the glucose response and in turn the higher the insulin levels. This is the reason we can eat a cheeseburger, french fries and a milkshake when we are young and not gain a pound, but eat that when we hit our 40’s, an assured 5 pounds are tacked on. High levels of insulin over time increases our ability to store fat.  The slower metabolism everyone describes as we get older, is not due to age, but due to metabolic hormones, especially insulin and its fat-storage capabilities.  Again, the goal of any weight loss program needs to reduce and reset the levels of insulin secreted by the body. Glucagon is also a hormone released from the pancreas, but it is counter-regulatory to insulin.  That means that when insulin is low, glucagon is high and vice versa.  Glucagon is responsible for mobilizing glucose to keep our blood sugar maintained when we haven’t eaten for a while. For example, if you have not eaten for several hours, glucagon is released from the pancreas and which signals your liver conduct glycogenolysis.  Glycogenolysis mobilizes glucose from the liver which creates glucose (sugar) even though you have not eaten. Glucagon is important to help promote the process of maintaining your blood glucose levels so you do not pass out and die. If you would like to join our insulin testing group, you can visit progressyourhealth.com/IT The post How Does the Body Balance Blood Sugar? | PYHP 011 appeared first on .

Familial Adenomatous Polyposis Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, which is abbreviated to FAP, is a genetic condition resulting in a mutation to the Adenomatous Polyposis Coli (APC) gene. The APC is a tumor suppressor gene located on the 5th chromosome. Mutations to this gene result in an increased risk of developing colon and other types of cancers throughout life. In addition to classic FAP, there are also three subtypes called attenuated FAP (AFAP), Gardner syndrome, and Turcot syndrome. Classic FAP is an inherited condition in which the genetic mutation is passed from family member to family member. A child of a parent with FAP has a 50% chance of inheriting the mutation.  However, approximately 30% of cases are de novo, which means it develops independent of previous family history.   FAP is typically diagnosed through genetic testing when there is a positive family history, or when a person develops more than 100 adenomatous colon polyps found on a routine colonoscopy. People with FAP typically begin to develop polyps in the mid-teens. By the age of 35, more than 95% of people with FAP will have multiple colon polyps. Unfortunately, if FAP is not diagnosed and treated, there is almost a 100% chance that a person will develop colorectal cancer before they reach 50 years old.   Less than 1% of all colorectal cancer is thought to be due to FAP. Most colorectal cancer are due to environment and lifestyle factors, which can lead to spontaneous genetic mutations and is not related to FAP or other known inherited genetic changes. Ref: cancer.net/cancer-types/familial-adenomatous-polyposis/1 FAP Case Study: 42 year old female, previously diagnosed with Classic Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) as a young adult.  She was tested and diagnosed due to her father being diagnosed with FAP and unfortunately passing away from colon cancer at 41 years of age. Prior to becoming a patient almost 3 years ago, she had a colonoscopy, which should no sign of cancer, but confirmed hundreds if not thousands of polys all throughout her colon. The only treatment option offered to her was of course a Colectomy, which is a surgical removal of the colon.  This would have resulted in her having a colostomy bag, which she did not want so she was putting off the inevitable.  There are no conventional pharmaceutical treatment for this condition.  The intention is to prevent the formation of colon cancer, so surgery is the only option. This Patient was referred to me by a family member simply to discuss possible treatment ideas.  After conducting some research on FAP, a protocol consisting of hormones prescriptions, specific nutrients, botanicals and probiotics were started. The patient had followed the protocol consistently with very little changes for roughly 2.5 years until her most recent Colonoscopy, which was in December 2015.  The colonoscopy showed no evidence of any colon polyps.  After 2.5 years she completely polyp free, which more importantly means she still does not have cancer. At the age of 42, she has over a 90+% chance of having cancer by now, but she is still completely polyp free, which makes her cancer free, at least for the moment.  The disappearance of her colon polyps is not supposed to happen.  Anyone with Classic FAP like her, are supposed to develop cancer in 100% of cases typically in the early to mid forties.   The post Familial Adenomatous Polyposis – A Genetic Miracle Case Study | PYHP 010 appeared first on .

For women, testosterone is not a reproductive hormone.  Obviously, estrogen and progesterone are the main reproductive hormones.  Testosterone is an androgen produced by the ovaries, adrenal glands and peripheral tissues.  However, testosterone acts as more of an adrenal hormone, similar to DHEA, so the symptoms of low testosterone in women can mimic that of adrenal fatigue. Symptoms of Low Testosterone in Women: Tired Low motivation Mental fatigue Loss of muscle mass Loss of Strength Slow recovery after exercise Low libido. What causes low testosterone levels in women?  For younger women, birth control can easily lower testosterone levels.  As a woman enters into perimenopause and menopause, the inevitable hormone decline can lead to low testosterone; however the most common cause of low testosterone for women of all ages is of course a high stress level.   Similar to men, as cortisol levels rise in response to stress, overtime testosterone levels will decline.  Due the higher demand for cortisol, the body will divert production to maintain cortisol, leaving less for testosterone.  Career demands, taking care of children, insomnia, reduced calorie diets and even over exercising are all types of stress on the body. Benefits of Testosterone for Women: Increased motivation Better decision making More energy Increase muscle mass Improved fat loss Increased strength Improved bone density Improved recovery Increased libido The benefits of testosterone therapy for women can have a positive impact on both body and mind.  The benefits can be an increase in motivation and overall sense of wellbeing, to a higher sex drive and maintenance of bone density.  The overall impact of testosterone therapy is varied and specific to the woman. Types of TestosteroneReplacement for Women: Transdermal cream Injections Pellets There are a few different types of testosterone dosage forms for both women and men.  Transdermal creams tend to be the most common and the form we prefer to use with our patients.  Recently, injections and pellets have become very popular; however, we do not use or recommend testosterone injections or pellet implants for either men or women. Women respond very different to testosterone.  Some women can tolerate a higher level, whereas other women are sensitive to even small doses.  For a woman, a little testosterone goes a long way and we have found that lower doses tend to be more effective overtime.  The dose of testosterone administered can be easily controlled using transdermal creams. We recommend applying cream to inner thigh or back of knee because testosterone cream can cause some hair growth and a darkening of the hair on the area of application.  For this reason, we discourage you from applying cream to wrists or forearms. Symptoms of Excess Testosterone: Acne Hair growth – coarse, dark hair on chin and jaw Hair loss – temples and apex of head Anxiety Irritability Aggressive Water retention Weight gain Both injections and pellets flood the body with too much testosterone, which can lead to a some of the symptoms listed above and a down regulation of receptors, which is referred to as “receptor fatigue.”  This down regulation of receptors is a compensatory mechanism of the body to protect against too much stimulation from excessive hormone levels.  As this occurs, there is a reduction in response to testosterone, thereby losing any potential benefits over time. Reference Range for Women: Total Testosterone  2.0 – 45 mg/dL Free Testosterone 0.1 to 6.4 mg/dL Ideal Range for Testosterone for Women: Total Testosterone 45 – 65 mg/dL Free Testosterone 2.5 to 4.5 mg/dL If you have questions, please feel free to leave a comment below, you can contact us directly.   The post Testosterone Replacement Therapy for Women | PYHP 009 appeared first on .

Over the past few years, testosterone has become very popular.  There have been countless ads for prescriptions, herbal products and clinics all over TV and the internet.  This begs the question, does testosterone really live up to all the hype?  Is testosterone the panacea as it has been claimed?  The answer to this question is both yes and no.   There is certainly a low testosterone epidemic in the United States.  According to some research, it is estimated that 1 in 4 men over the age of 30 have low testosterone levels.  Clinically, we have seen men of all ages with low testosterone levels, so it more than just an aging issue.   The typical American lifestyle of too much sugar, a lack of sleep and chronic stress contributes to the across the board decline of testosterone for men of all ages.  There is an inverse relationship between testosterone levels and insulin.  As insulin secretion goes up due to diet and lifestyle, then testosterone production goes down.   This is important to understand because Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) should be age appropriate.  A young man in his 20’s or 30’s should not be receiving testosterone as a treatment.  This will only compound the problem over time and make it harder to correct.  The underlying cause for the low testosterone needs to be further investigated and identified.  There are of course exceptions, but our minimum age limit for TRT is 40 years old. There are many types or dosage forms of TRT.  Below are the main types of prescriptions available in descending order. Forms of Testosterone Replacement Therapy: Bioidentical testosterone rhythmic dose transdermal cream Bioidentical testosterone static dose transdermal cream – same dose everyday Conventional testosterone static dose gel Testosterone injections – weekly or bi-monthly Testosterone pellets – implanted under skin With our patients, we only use bioidentical rhythmic dosing, which is referred to as the Wiley Protocol.  This protocol was originally developed for women by TS Wiley.  We have found the male testosterone protocol to produce the best results over time compared to the other forms of TRT.  In fact, we strongly discourage men from getting testosterone pellets and injections, as these forms can lead to later problems as a result of the therapy. If you have questions, please feel free to leave a comment below, you can contact us directly. The post Testosterone Replacement Therapy for Men | PYHP 008 appeared first on .