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Some say "no pain, no gain." I say: if it hurts, you're probably not doing it right. If you're exercising and it hurts, that can mean serious trouble. If you're experiencing emotional pain in you're life, that can also mean serious trouble. You may know some of these common effects of stress building up in your body and in your life:
These are good to know. They are some of the more apparent results of a stressed out life. But here are some you may not associate with stress:
Now, am I saying that just about everything is caused by stress? Nope. But living a high stress life with little outlet and ability to positively deal with stressful situations sets us up for failure. Our health is compromised, our relationships are strained and our general outlook on life is worse. Many of the above symptoms can be caused by a variety of factors, whether or not stress is present, so be sure to get a full check up and discuss any lab work that would be helpful for you and your doctor to best understand your health issues. A lot can be learned from simple blood tests and saliva tests (yep, pretty much just spitting in a test tube)- it's important to not overlook any potentially serious medical condition when working on balancing your physical and emotional health. I am here to answer any questions you have about this topic- you can comment on this article or email me directly. To your good health,  More articles on stress and you:
Stress: what is it good for? From overwhelmed to overjoyed Stress vs. Well-Being: how do you measure up?
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 So back in my "Nutrition 101" days of my Naturopathic medical education, I learned the commonly taught old school nutrition idea of: "weight loss = more calories burnt than consumed" So that's it, huh? Eat less calories, burn more calories and weight loss will be a sure thing? Well, most of us know it's just not that easy. In fact, many find that they gain weight during and after dieting, even if they increase their activity level. So what's going on?! The fact of the matter is, only 1 in 6 dieters keeping the weight off (after a year). So why can't we all just follow that easy formula and lose those extra pounds?! ...because it just isn't so simple. We are a little more complex than calorie consuming and burning machines (but you probably knew that already). An article published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association provides a little insight into some of those dieting and weight loss complexities. The publishing authors looked at overweight research participant using three different diet and weight loss programs and measured their success.  Hmm, call me skeptical. The three diets were low-fat, low glycemic and low carbohydrate (high protein). Under carefully monitored in-patient hospital settings, the low glycemic dieters burned an average of 200 calories per day more than the low fat. The low carbohydrate dieters lost 300 calories more per day than the low fat dieters but saw an increase in blood levels of inflammatory markers (cortisol and CRP). So what does this all mean?! Just follow the diet where people burned the most calories while being constantly monitored in the hospital? Well, that doesn't sound like a very enjoyable diet program to me. If you're considering a weight loss-focused diet and exercise program, think about getting an expert involved to guide your path to success. If you haven't heard by now, my past 'slim down & happy up' program sessions have provided women (& men) with guided, individualized meal planning, diet guidelines and exercise recommendations. Combined with unique natural formulas that I craft specifically to each participant, this really is my all-in-one tool to address weight loss and stress reduction for long-term success. Registration for our next session opens Monday, August 19th, full details here. Join us for 3 months, and just see what a profound impact you and I can have on your health and quality of life! Yep, I’m anti-grazing. “I need to eat every 2 hours, or I just faint, get grouchy, become homicidal, start eating dirt, etc.” I’ve heard it countless times. I used to say it myself. But where did we ever get the idea that that was normal? Let alone healthy? Feeling like you will pass out or go crazy if you don’t eat every two hours is not healthy. I don’t let that slide. Why? Why do I care so much because you eat kale and grass-fed lamb and organic walnuts every two hours? Because I care about you and your hormones. Yes, it’s back to hormones again. This time, those responsible for the endless grazing cycle loop are insulin and cortisol (and also a dozen other digestive hormones and other neurochemicals). A major part of the grazing addiction is blood sugar instability. Blood sugar roller coasters, lead to off-the-wall insulin responses and set you up to need to graze constantly. A stable, healthier blood sugar response, on the other hand, allows for the best use of calories, including fat burning. That means grazing (and their wacky blood sugar patterns) can actually lead to weight gain- the very thing that grazers often are trying to avoid! As I explain it in ‘slim down & happy up’: insulin excess + insulin spikes = belly fat Guess what else happens when blood sugar responses go from crazy-roller-coaster to nice-and-smooth? Stress goes down because cortisol (the stress hormone) will decline naturally. Wanna learn how to break the grazing cycle and reduce stress? An added bonus just might be losing a little belly fat in the process. Registration is now open for ‘slim down & happy up,’ my way to target weight loss through stress reduction (and get those pesky hormones under control for once!)- so sign up now while you still have time. If you aren’t already on my contact list, sign up and receive a private discount code for this current session. We begin in a few weeks- don’t get left behind! Here’s to helping you de-stress, 
Research just published Sept. 20 in the American Academy of Neurology journal looked at the link between diabetes and the development of Alzheimer's (may be found here). There was over 1,000 research participants of both sex, all age 60. They were measured for the presence of diabetes or pre-diabetes then followed for 15 years. Those who were diabetic were twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's and more likely (1.75x) to develop dementia of any type (Alzheimer's is a specific type which irreversibly forms plaques in brain tissue). So what's the proposed link? Well, in diabetes, glucose remains in the bloodstream for a long time, waiting to be taken into cells but in the meantime floating around the bloodstream. Glucose which remains too long in the bloodstream leads to oxidative damage, hardening of the blood vessels (atherosclerosis) and glycosylation (think candied fruit but with blood vessels instead). All of this directly and indirectly compromises the body's ability to break down proteins, such as the amyloid protein which form the plaques found in Alzheimer's. People with or at risk for diabetes now have one more reason to keep a close eye on their blood sugar levels and do what they can to keep them in healthy ranges. Diabetes is a complex, difficult disease. Bringing about positive change often means significant lifestyle changes and an ever-changing regimen of drugs.
Two positive things have come of this research. One is that those with pre-diabetes did not show as significant a correlation with the development of Alzheimer's, so encourage your friends and family members in this situation to not wait for until pre-diabetes becomes diabetes. The second is that the research authors have already begun follow-up research looking at what Alzheimer's rates they find in diabetics who then control their blood sugar levels and risk factors. I'll keep you posted on the developments. |
I'm Dr. Eloise Cortal, and I want to help you and your joints feel their very best.
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