Are Hormones Wreaking HAVOC In Your Body??

Part 1

Altered moods, hunger cravings, depression, weight gain, loss of muscle mass, suppressed immunity, inflammations that increase pain… These are among just a few of the symptoms that can riddle your body when your hormones are out of balance. With so many hormones engaging in such a complex web of interactions to keep your body functioning, the domino effect of hormonal imbalances can wreak such havoc in the body that the source of many health problems become difficult to identify!

So how do you make sense of it all?

An interesting thing about all this is that the cascade effect between hormones works both ways…while certain hormone imbalances can throw other hormones out of whack, restoring balance to certain hormones can drive others to follow suit. Once the driving hormones are balanced out, many of the other hormones become much easier to balance.

Each article in this 3-part series will focus on one of the 3 MAJOR hormones that most require balance. You’ll learn how to manage the Big 3 to find balance and drive the other hormones throughout your body to fall into alignment.

In this article, we address the ONLY hormone in the human body we have DIRECT control over: Insulin.

“Insulin is the most important hormone for nutrient storage. Insulin is responsible for putting nutrients (proteins, fats, and sugar) into cells. This process of unloading sugar and other nutrients from the bloodstream into cells is vital for two reasons. As nutrients are put into the cells, the body is replenished and refueled, and blood-sugar levels are balanced, thereby protecting the brain. Also, insulin tells the liver that too much sugar has entered, and the liver reacts by increasing fat production from that incoming sugar.” (Schwarzbein, Diana. The Schwarzbein Principle. Pg 120)

Since the pancreas secretes insulin based primarily on carbohydrate consumption, you can control your insulin levels by watching your carbohydrate intake, paying attention to both the type of carbohydrates and the amount that you eat.

Finding the “ideal” carbohydrate intake can be a bit tricky. That is because each of us has a unique tolerance to carbohydrates. Based on body typing systems such as Bill Wolcott’s Metabolic Typing, each of us has unique biochemical individuality, which means we all have differences in our metabolic rates and our abilities to process certain nutrients. Understanding your unique metabolic type is a big step toward finding out the right balance of carbohydrates for you, as it allows you to identify the types and quantities that best work for your body.

Other factors that can contribute to imbalances in carbohydrate metabolism and insulin include:

• Chronic stress: Elevation of stress hormones impairs your ability to process carbohydrates

• Insulin Resistance: Approximately 25% of the population is resistant to insulin. This means that muscles are no longer receptive to the hormone, which leads to chronic elevation of insulin levels, potentially increasing the risk factors for Syndrome X or diabetes.

• Gut dysfunction: A malfunctioning gut with low enzymes, stomach acid, parasites, etc. can impair proper carbohydrate breakdown and absorption of essential nutrients.

Insulin resistance is HIGHLY correlated with an increased risk factor for:

• Coronary heart disease

• Stroke

• Polycystic ovary syndrome

• Colon and breast cancer

• Cognitive decline

• Elevated triglycerides

• Elevated blood pressure

Insulin problems are also connected with excessive bodyfat accumulation around the abdominal wall and “spare tire” area.

How does insulin relate to pain?

If your insulin levels are constantly elevated you will also have increased cortisol levels, thereby stressing out your adrenal glands. The more stressed out your adrenal glands are, the more inflammation there will be in your body.

When your system is in a state of inflammation (chronic fight-or-flight status), your perception of pain will be much higher.

Tips on how to balance insulin levels:

1. Eat right for your Metabolic Type: Knowing your metabolic type can assist you in figuring out which types of carbohydrates are safe for you to consume and in what ratio versus your protein and fat intake.

2. Avoid drinking caffeine on an empty stomach: Caffeine stimulates your adrenal glands to secrete cortisol, which also increases blood sugar. Eat your breakfast before consuming your morning coffee.

3. Decrease your stress levels: Constant stress of any form, whether chemical, mental or structural, can stimulate excess amounts of cortisol, again contributing to increased blood sugar.

4. Eat frequently: Eating frequently decreases the chances of getting a blood sugar crash. A good rule of thumb is to eat BEFORE you get hungry. I recommend eating 3 meals per day, plus 1-2 snacks, all including the right balance of carbs, proteins, and fats based on your metabolic type.

5. Avoid processed juices and low fat products: Juices and low-fat products do NOT contain sufficient amounts of proteins and fats in order to slow down how fast sugar hits your blood stream. Always remember, liquid carbs mean increased blood sugar in a hurry!