I’ve got a Friday Round-up of Topics, none of which seem connected, but since all of them have to do with health, weight, and mood, or in other words, our well-being, they are:)

First, I’ve had a few questions about Male Testosterone.  Hormones are a VERY complex subject, it’s not cut and dried like diabetes T2, which is easy; so I don’t have great, definitive explanations, but I do have some information.

Testosterone levels are decreasing – drastically – WORLDWIDE.  They’ve literally plummeted in the last 20 years.  The CDC says the average middle aged man now has the testosterone levels of a much older man from 20 years ago.  Babies, boys, teenagers, and young men ALL test lower.  This has DRAMATIC consequences, as low testosterone causes:  triglycerides and small, dense, cholesterol to increase;  coronary artery dilation diminishes (= high blood pressure); insulin output increases; central abdominal fat increases; ESTROGEN levels increase (associated w more stroke, heart attack, and cancer); blood becomes sticker/more fibrinogenic; decreased HGH (human growth hormone); less bone mass and more bone fractures.  I could go on, as this is a VERY short list.  The links between low T and brain health ( or lack there-of) are HUGE.  The whole “oh, too much testosterone makes men violent and crazy” – that’s not happening here, at all.  We’re talking about the average man being way below normal.  Did you know the human heart has more testosterone receptors than any muscle in the whole body???

If your testosterone is low, PLEASE, find a good doctor WHO SPECIALIZES IN HORMONES, preferably someone who thinks outside the Standard Box, and get help.  Try PrimalDocs, or PaleoPhysicians, or FunctionalMedicine.org for starters.  Dr. Eugene Shippen has a great book called The Testosterone Syndrome.  Here’s a GREAT podcast which contains a ton of information on testosterone by Dr. Ty Vincent.

Become informed and take charge of your own health.  Learn as much as you can, no matter what you’re dealing with.

Next up, more cholesterol news:  Jimmy Moore’s Cholesterol Clarity Book is finally out and it’s FANTASTIC.  He interviews 29 MAJOR experts in cholesterol, lipids/fats, and heart disease – literally the cream of the crop and the most breaking of breaking news.  He’s running interviews of these researchers and doctors on his podcasts, and here’s one from MIT lead researcher, Dr. Stephanie Seneff – this is a MUST listen to if you’re interested in your health.

Read, listen, learn:  become Invested, Involved, and In Charge of your OWN health.

Switching gears again,  did you know your brain uses more energy when you’re doing something you don’t like/don’t want to, i.e., exerting WillPower, than when doing anything else?? Isn’t that interesting?  The problem with that?  You can feel exhausted and weak;  in other words, using WillPower leaves you more vulnerable to falling off any wagon you’re on.  Obviously, WillPower can be used for many things: work, shopping, being lazy, procrastinating, exercising, etc, but I’m referring to healthy eating habits.   Want to use LESS willpower?  Fill your mind with Biological Facts about food, nutrition and your body!  It’s SO MUCH easier to make healthy choices when your decisions are guided by facts and not feelings.  This goes back to me saying make Health your priority, as opposed to Weight Loss.  If you think processed, refined foods are the devil, you won’t eat them.  If you just think they’re kind of high in calories, but you can make-up for that later, you’re sunk.

Lastly:  if you’ve been to any of my talks, you know that I love to talk about Digestion; specifically, that the pH of our stomach should be between 1.5 and 3.5, which means HIGHLY ACIDIC.  This is optimal because the acidity of our stomach is a line of immune defense against bacteria, virus, and pathogens, and because that high acid triggers digestive hormones and enzymes to break down our food to the barest little molecules for our body to use.  Gas, bloat, GERD, reflux – these are all signs of NOT ENOUGH ACID as opposed to too much.  Seriously.  If you’re on an acid suppressor, you’re in trouble.  I do long talks on this, but quickly,  know that if your stomach has INsufficient acid, you’re not getting the nutrients you need from your food, no matter how great your diet is.  Also, the parietal cells that produce the acid also produce Intrinsic Factor, which is the ONLY thing that allows our body to use Vitamin B12.  Low/No B12 means HIGH homocysteine.  High homocysteine is a leading factor in Heart Disease.     Low stomach acid also means minerals like Zinc are much LESS available;  zinc is a major mineral needed for Testosterone production.    Low stomach also also inhibits proteins from breaking down to Amino Acids.  Amino Acids are CRUCIAL for building Neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, GABA, etc) which promote good brain function – like having plenty of WillPower.

We’re not just a bunch of independent symptoms.  We’re a Whole Part.  Start thinking of your health and your body as Completely Connected, because it is.  Any questions?