Conscious Choice: Take Command of Your Metabolism...To Heal Yourself!

April 2004

Take Command of Your Metabolism...To Heal Yourself!

by James B. LaValle

You see it all the time. Someone you know is taking different medications for two, three, four, even five separate conditions or diseases. It could be a family member, it could even be you... .

The truth is, nearly all chronic health problems, including stubborn weight gain, unbeatable fatigue, intestinal distress, high blood pressure, creeping cholesterol and high blood sugar (leading to diabetes) are not found in simply one organ, but in several parts of the body. This is the result of years of slow, subtle challenges to your metabolism, which is as unique as you are and calls for unique approaches. Your diet, lifestyle habits, stress level, prescription drug use and relationships, along with your environment and the genes you inherit — in effect, the sum total of your life experiences, determine your personal metabolism and, in turn, your current state of health.

Too often people see their weight gain as the problem. They might try to reduce their calories and increase activity, getting modest or no results. Then, they might hear about a low-carbohydrate diet approach and try that. Again, they may realize only modest, if any, results. These approaches alone will not correct the underlying problem of the slow, steady shift in your body chemistry altered by the forces you’ve faced during your lifetime.

Our bodies work as integrated machines — so it’s vital to know how each of the various body systems is functioning. For instance, if you’re feeling exhausted all day, low thyroid function may be the culprit and by balancing it with natural means, you could recover renewed energy and fat burning potential. Or by balancing your adrenal glands, you’d relieve cravings, low energy, memory loss and insomnia. The same goes for your pancreas, liver, intestines and so on. There are natural means to promote healthier functioning for all the systems.

Body Breakdown

So, the first step to reclaiming your metabolism is discovering where it’s breaking down. I recommend questionnaires that assess the status of various body systems (for instance see the thyroid function survey below). The second step is determining what you can do to correct your metabolism and making your plan for change; this will involve lifestyle choices and starting a nutritional supplement regime that targets the various body systems that need support. There are numerous well-researched supplements including vitamins and minerals, herbs, digestive enzymes and other nutrients vital to the function of various organs that can be put to work.

Health is determined by what our genes tell our cells to do. Our lifestyle, however, has a tremendous impact on our genes. So while your genes may make you somewhat more susceptible to certain diseases, your lifestyle can make the difference as to whether they actually develop. That’s why lifestyle choices can be so powerful in helping us to prevent diseases. If there is a family history of heart disease, diabetes or cancer, those genetic switches will be the most likely to get turned on when our metabolism becomes stressed. In other words, there are proactive approaches to fortify and guard your body against those diseases to which you are genetically prone.

Mysteries of the Thyroid

Here is one of the questionnaires I give my patients. This one often reveals disturbances in the thyroid that don’t show up in conventional medical testing. A high score likely means low thyroid function, which suggests specific approaches for getting it running optimally.

1. Do you feel exhausted from morning to night?

2. Do you have trouble getting up in the morning?

3. Are you stiff in the morning?

4. Do you have dry skin, brittle hair or nails?

5. Do you have cold hands and feet?

6. Is your short-term memory failing?

7. Do you go to pieces easily or dislike working under pressure?

8. Do you have difficulty losing weight no matter what diet or exercise plan you follow?

9. Are you depressed?

10. Are you constipated?

11. Do your muscles feel weak as if they can’t generate energy?

12. Is your cholesterol over 200?

13. Do you have PMS or menstrual difficulties?

14. Have you had trouble conceiving a child?

15. Is your first morning under arm body temperature less than 97.8 degrees F? (There’s a well-known specific method for measuring this.)

A typical plan of action for someone who scores high would be to start cooking with coconut oil (as it promotes healthy thyroid function). Depending on how high the score is, there are other suggested dietary supplements such as guggul, Coleus forskolii or thyroid glandular. Recommendations for even higher scores include cleaning up the adrenals and looking at environmental toxins to which one might be exposed.

A health care professional experienced in natural therapies will be able to provide guidance and support in these approaches.

James B. LaValle is a hybrid integrative medicine practitioner who’s a pharmacist, a naturopathic physician and a certified clinical nutritionist. His newest book is Cracking the Metabolic Code: 9 Keys to Optimal Health (Basic Health Publications, Inc., 2004). Dr. LaValle lives and practices in Cincinnati, Ohio.

GET CRACKING

Crack the metabolic code and you can find out what may be influencing

your metabolism and therefore your health. Then, take precise steps to accelerate the means to weight loss and optimal health by improving body chemistry. I encourage you to seek out a health care professional experienced in natural therapies who can guide you back to the path of vitality and health by addressing the components of your metabolism. — JBL

THE NINE KEYS TO CRACKING YOUR METABOLIC CODE*

Key 1: Balance Your Blood Sugar

Key 2: Balance Your Thyroid (overcome fatigue & start burning fat)

Key 3: Balance Your Adrenals (relieve symptoms of chronic stress, including cravings, low energy, memory loss & insomnia)

Key 4: Detoxify Your Liver

Key 5: Detoxify Your Intestines

Key 6: Detoxify Your External Environment

Key 7: Understand Diet & Getting the Most from What You Eat

Key 8: Understand Your Need for Water (the most essential nutrient)

Key 9: Understand the two sides of Oxygen (breath of life or harbinger of

aging, inflammation & disease)

*from Cracking the Metabolic Code: 9 Keys to Optimal Health by James B. LaValle, R.Ph., N.D., C.C.N.