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Monday, April 2, 2007
Metabolic Disorders, Part 2
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last week, I wrote about the metabolic disorders of PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and metabolic syndrome. This week is the sencond part:
3. Hypothyroidism- Hypothyroidism is usually caused by a disease that directly attacks the thyroid. The most common disease is Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which actually destroys thyroid tissue. When this happens, you will produce less thyroid hormone, which has an impact on many functions in your body.
Symptoms associated with hypothyroidism are sluggishness, thinning hair, brittle nails, inability to tolerate cold, and weight gain. When it comes to hypothyroidism, the symptoms may occur slowly. If you suffer from this condition and you try to exercise, not only will you find it difficult to lose weight, you’ll find it difficult to muster the energy.
The most common treatment of hypothyroidism is using Synthroid to replace the needed thyroid hormone. Though you may be told that you can get your weight back under control using Synthroid, it is slow coming. However, it is not impossible if the right components are in place. Hypothyroidism — Topic Overview
4. Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT’s) and Other Drugs- Before I start talking about medically supervised drug therapies, I have to say that I am in no way suggesting that you should stop using prescribed medications. What I will tell you without getting into a lot of detail is that certain drugs make it difficult for you to lose weight.
The most common drug classification are HRT’s. An HRT is an estrogen-progesterin combination usually used for women after menopause. Besides headaches and nausea, taken an HRT can cause you to gain weight and makes it even more difficult for you to lose weight. You see, estrogen is a fat-“causing” hormone. As with most natural processes in your body, there is something that is stimulated by the production of a hormone. In the case of taking a hormone externally, that process does not work as well.
To make things worse, a lot of times HRT’s are combined with mood altering drugs like Prozac. Interestingly, antidepressants like Prozac are also associated to weight gain. Antidepressants alter the hormone serotonin, which in turn can have an impact on other hormones. And, if you are like a lot of the American population today, you could be taking high blood pressure medication or other medications that cause water retention.
When you start to combine all of these medications together, you have one big elixir of weight loss inhibiting drugs. However, I’m not telling you not to take the drugs. What I will tell you is three things.
1. Educate yourself about ALL of the side effects of your medications. Your doctor will mention side effects, but they rarely mention weight gain or weight loss difficulty.
2. If you do have to take these medications, then you need to focus on health verses weight loss. Remember, weight is nothing more than gravity pulling an object toward Earth and it is not a measure your self worth or health.
3. When you are involved in exercise and nutrition programming, inform your doctor. Let them know your intentions to lose weight and get healthy by exercise and proper nutrition. You will see that your doctor will probably be ecstatic, however, they don’t talk about it much because most patients don’t display any interest.
If you want more information about any of the topics I mentioned, I highly suggest going to WebMD.com and other resources to learn more. Interestingly, you will find that proper nutrition and an exercise program consisting of resistance training and cardiovascular exercise is always suggested.
