LabsMost people think of diet and exercise as the main components to weight loss. No doubt, making good food choices, optimizing nutrition, and exercising are important factors. Still, they aren’t the only considerations for obtaining a lean body. In reality, exercising more and eating less (and/or eating low quality “diet” foods) can lead to weight gain. This is because it can cause hormonal imbalances, increased inflammation, and a slower metabolism.

Therefore, besides diet and the right type of movement, the way to an ideal body weight and vital life has many other factors to consider. These factors move beyond the latest diet trends and consider the current state and makeup of the individual.

The following should all be addressed when considering plans for optimizing weight:

Stress

Hormones

Blood sugar

Neurotransmitters

Gut function & microbiota balance

Toxic exposure and the genetic variances in detoxification enzymes

Yeast infections

Genetic differences in enzyme function for fat burning

Blood type

..and more

Thankfully, functional medicine testing can help make sense of the biochemical soup and assist to individualize a protocol that will work for those with “weight-loss resistance”. It may not be as sexy or easy as the hottest dietary trend that features the latest villain (fat, carbs, protein, ect.), but it does explain why one diet isn’t right for everyone. It also ends the mystery of why your carb-loving honey is bone thin, but you may have a little more squish in the love handles on the same pasta-pizza diet of your significant other.

An ideal body type or a healthy life doesn’t end with manipulating biochemical pathways. Even with the perfect diet and optimizing metabolic functions, there’s more to consider.

Many scientists are still trying to narrow down the major foods, nutrients, or phytochemicals responsible for the Mediterranean diet’s powerful heart-healthy findings. They are also busy evaluating all the mechanisms behind a high (healthy) fat diet on brain, cardiovascular, and blood sugar health outcomes.

All of these detailed studies are important for our understanding and optimizing health protocols. (They also make this naturopathic doctor very happy in geek-heaven down biochemical yellow-brick roads!) However, researchers are now also getting behind the importance of mind-body practices and our social connections to be just as important in determining our health and waistlines!

 

Mind-Heart Connection

The following are a few examples of how the mind affects our biochemistry, specifically in regards to heart health.

The first evidence is compiled by Harvard researchers’ in systematic review and meta-analysis which demonstrated a strong link between anger and cardiovascular health. Specifically, they reported that there exists a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, or other cardiovascular events in the 2 hours following an outburst of anger (1).

Furthermore, Dr. Mercola recently summarized some of the latest research behind attitude and heart disease. He reported on the connection between a positive outlook and the lowering of the risk of cardiac-related death and extending life (2-3).

Finally, a study on how long-term stress has a powerful effect on our physiology was demonstrated in 135,000 older veterans suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The authors reported an association between PTSD with vascular disease and heart attack (4).

 

Find Out Who Your Friends Are

It’s not just what you eat, how you move, your biochemical predispositions, and what you think, there’s more!

It’s who you’re thinking with. I’ve discussed in the past how isolation is the number one predictor of death from cardiovascular disease. This means the role of social connections could be just as important as the quality, wholesome, nutrient dense foods of the Mediterranean or the Paleo diets?

It’s true Europe doesn’t allow GMOs and loves olive oil, but let’s think more about this. The skinnier Europeans have a society that honors meal times, slows down, has less stress, and dines in groups.  They also take glorious long-breaks in mid-afternoon. Tea anyone?

To put it another way, who you spend your time with and if you enjoy them, could be the most important predictor of your health. In fact, connection to others and our food could be one “secret” to lowering obesity rates in our culture. This means less “Family Ties” by the television and more “Family Times” at the dinner table.

A recent blog by functional medicine guru, Dr. Mark Hyman, discusses some evidence on how social ties are one of the biggest predictors of obesity. He states:

Our social connections have an enormous influence on our health. You are more likely to be healthy if your friends are healthy and more likely to be overweight if your friends are overweight. More striking is you are more likely to be overweight if your friend’s friend (who you may not even know) is overweight (5).

Furthermore, a longitudinal study that was part of the Framingham Heart Study and consisted of 12, 067 people from 1971 to 2003 evaluated if weight gain in one person was linked to weight gain in his or her friends, siblings, spouse, or neighbors. This article in New England Journal of Medicine concluded that this is the case (6).

 

The Basics of Health and Weight Management:

So, a weight loss plan that only focuses on the physical is doomed to fail if the same choices and influences around food preferences and lifestyle don’t change. Although it’s important to make sure you are paying attention to foundational basics of health with:

As mentioned, the mind-body and relationship connection is paramount. In fact, it could be the most important determinant of the size of your jeans. This doesn’t mean you have to dump all your friends for skinner ones, but it could allow for a conversation for more satisfying connections and nurturing lifestyle choices.

The next level of health care practitioner should be asking you to consider more. Lissa Rankin, MD, ignited a Whole Health Medicine Institute for this reason.

She explains on Tedx for Women what she feels is the most important thing in health:

Read Lisa Rankin’s 20 whole-health questions here.

 

What About Access to Foundational Nutritional Support?

Sure, many want to eat healthy, but what if one can’t?
Nearly one out of three people in America may struggle with optimizing their nutrition due to financial concerns. Read my follow-up blog about simple steps to increase accessibility to wholesome foods and what you can do as an individual to help others.

 

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The Power of Minty Smells for Pain

I was researching wintergreen for my pain article and wanted to share with you some of my geek-feast findings. 🙂

Here’s an article reference on the power of peppermint and wintergreen for low back pain relief and how HIGH QUALITY wintergreen oil is found to be safe: http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/acm.2013.0313

I’ll be learning more on how to incorporate therapeutic essential oils in my practice when I travel to hear Gary Young speak in mid-April. This means the office will be closed April 11th-April 15th.

Don’t worry, I won’t be forgetting you!

I’ll be jotting down notes for my beautiful clients and BreakFree friends!

 

References:

1. Paddock, C. Heart attack risk rises after anger outbursts. Medical News Today. March 4, 2014.

2. Mercola, J. Risk for Heart Attack or Stroke Increases After Anger Outburst. Mercola.com. March 20, 2014.

3. Yanek LR1, Kral BG, Moy TF, Vaidya D, Lazo M, Becker LC, Becker DM. Effect of positive well-being on incidence of symptomatic coronary artery disease.  Am J Cardiol. 2013 Oct 15;112(8):1120-5. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2013.05.055. Epub 2013 Jun 28.

4. Brauser, De. Late-Life PTSD Linked to Specific Types of Vascular Disease. Medscape Medical News-Conference News. March 24, 2014.

5. Hyman, M. Is Obesity Contagious? drhyman.com. March 20, 2014.

6. Christakis NA, Fowler JH. The spread of obesity in a large social network over 32 years. N Engl J Med. 2007 Jul 26;357(4):370-9. Epub 2007 Jul 25. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMsa066082. Available at: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMsa066082

7. Lissa Rankin at TEDxFiDiWomen, December 5, 2011.

8. Rankin, L. A Quiz That Predicts Your Longevity. Chopra.com. March 31, 2014

Images courtesy of istockphotos: istockphoto.com