Metabolic Syndrome

Do you have….

• High blood pressure?
• High cholesterol?
• High blood sugars?
• Belly fat?
• Do you feel tired?
• Joint pain?

You may be experiencing metabolic syndrome.

What is metabolic syndrome?

Metabolic syndrome is very common in people between the ages of 40 and 60 years old.  It’s the result of poor eating habits, lack of exercise and too much stress!  What you are experiencing is actually insulin resistance.

Your body is made up of many cells that form systems in your body.  They all work together.  Poor eating habits, inactivity and stress can cause your cells to become tired and out of balance. Your body depends on blood sugar and fatty acids to survive. You have insulin receptors on your cells that help pull blood sugars into the cell for energy.

Receptors are kind of like a lock and key system  As you place too much stress on your insulin receptors by eating erratically and eating too many refined and processed foods, especially in large amounts, you exhaust the receptors and this blocks out the  blood sugar.

You experience high blood sugar. Your body compensates by excreting more insulin from your pancreas.

The exhausted insulin receptors can not utilize the insulin well, which means your cells are not getting the sugars it needs for energy. This is called insulin resistance. This creates high levels of insulin which then signal the release of cortisol (from the adrenal glands).

Cortisol is responsible for releasing fatty acids into the blood stream.  These fatty acids are very high energy fats or lipids.

These systematic responses are normal in situations of high stress, such as running from a bear in the woods or fighting a tiger.  What would naturally follow is the lowering of these hormones back down to a stable state.  In modern times, we are not typically fighting lions, tigers or bears.

We are leading stressful lives through worries and fears with very little physical activity and very poor eating habits.  These lifestyle choices are leading to sustained levels of high cortisol, high blood sugar and high insulin.

Excessive levels of cortisol leads to excessive levels of fatty acids in our blood stream.  Oxidation of fatty acids is a natural part of the bodies immune response, but when we have excessive amounts, we cause an over reaction of our immune response, and attack our own tissues.

This causes an inflammatory state in our bodies.

These excessive fatty acids oxidize and lead to a build up of fatty tissue. This build up leads to plaque and “fatty streaks” as well as calcification.

This is why cardiovascular disease and hardening of the arteries is a major result of metabolic syndrome.  Consequently, when the cell isn’t converting blood sugar for energy, it’s converted to fat for storage.

Fat cells are responsible for hormone synthesis and storage of toxins.  Our environment is full of toxins from chemicals, detergents, pollution, drugs, food additives, pesticides, etc.  When our fat cells get too big, they leak these toxins back into the blood stream.  These toxins also inhibit the insulin function of the cells and stimulate inflammation.

Belly fat is also a predictor of insulin resistance.  Belly fat, also known as visceral fat, has the highest amount of cortisol receptors.  Visceral fat is found around the organs.  This fat is a power house for immune function.

This high immune type of tissue is critical for keeping viruses, bacteria and other foreign bodies out of our vital organs. High levels of cortisol from insulin resistance creates a high level of fatty acid release around these organs.

Subsequently, more oxidation occurs and this causes a large immune response, sending out white blood cells to destroy the invaders.  This causes the body to be in a constant state of inflammation which can lead to the attack of all types of tissues in the body.

Osteoarthritis is one of the results of metabolic syndrome. We used to believe osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis were caused by age, genetics and normal wear and tear.  We now know, the cartilage and tissue surrounding it is actually being attacked by our own immune response from all the oxidation and toxins in our blood stream.

Another consequence to this metabolic imbalance is the exhaustion of the adrenal glands.  Adrenal glands are responsible for the synthesis and release of cortisol and other sex hormones, such as androgen.  Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is linked to metabolic syndrome due to the low levels of androgen and other factors.

Oxidative stress from these imbalances are also linked DNA damage.  DNA damage is related to increased risk of cancers, especially colon and prostate cancer.

So, as you can see…..these diseases are not isolated illnesses.  They are all connected to a metabolic imbalanced created by our poor lifestyle choices.

You can fix it, we can help!

Diet is critical for regulation of blood sugars. By eating foods high in antioxidants, you can reduce oxidative stress to your tissues.  Eating an appropriate balance of protein, carbohydrates, and fats can help with improving cellular structure and integrity resulting in the slowing down of the aging process and ultimately reducing your risk for disease and illness.

Exercise is critical for improving insulin sensitivity, improving the utilization of glucose and fatty acids for energy, and preserving vital protein stores to fight illness and disease.  It also aids in lowering stress hormones such as cortisol.

Stress management is also critical in reducing harmful levels of stress hormones and improving overall health.

Nutritional supplements can aid or boost the healing of the cell and insulin receptors and improve cellular function.  They can help normalize hormone production and reduce the risk of disease along with a healthy diet and exercise.

All of these components help bring our bodies back into balance.  They help fight disease, rid our bodies of toxins and improve the quality of life.

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Lifestyle choices are your FIRST LINE of defense.  Wait, don’t take those drugs!….try this first.

Try FirstLine Therapy.  We can help you learn how to make healthy lifestyle choices to improve your quality of life. Stop the pain, stop being tired, stop the medications! Take control of your health and your life!