Weight gain and sleep?

by Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath

So what's the number one health issue for individuals in the United States? If you have guessed weight gain, you are right on.

So what do so many people do about this? Here is the typical list of weight loss strategies that most follow with consistency.

• Dietary changes
• Eating smaller meals
• Eliminating late night snacks
• Dealing with emotional eating
• Eating at home more often
• Exercise
• Normalize hormones
• Follow anti-inflammatory protocols

What I want to share is that all of these are awesome weight loss strategies, but how many of you have already addressed these yet still do not reach your weight loss goals? This number is likely staggering and here's one significant reason why?

Understand that based on the lives that most of us chose to live, there is truly very little free time. We often find the hours between 9:00PM and 11:00PM as our "catch up" time. You get it, so much to do all day, maybe the kids are finally in bed or one of the many other reasons for this. Regardless of the why, far too many people are getting to bed too late and creating significant deficiencies with their sleep patterns.

Here's the kicker though. If you are not reaching your bodies individual need for sleep, you will likely gain weight or minimally, this will significantly hinder weight loss for you. Did you know that if you do not get enough sleep your body will increase the production of your appetite hormone called ghrelin which is likely to lead to weight gain. Another factor in the lack of sleep in the longer term effect this has on your adrenal function and the production of another hormone cortisol, which is often the cause of that ever so beautiful weight gain around the midsection. I know, yikes!

Now a fascinating new study suggests that the link may be even more insidious than previously thought. Losing just a few hours of sleep a few nights in a row can lead to almost immediate weight gain. I would recommend that you follow this link to an insightful article that addresses this even further. 

One point that I found very interesting in the research is that individuals that are sleep deprived actually burn 111 more calories per day than those that are getting optimal sleep, so what sense does that make? It makes a lot of sense though when you remember that a lack of sleep increases the ghrelin which causes the sleep deprived individuals to eat far more food than those that achieve optimal sleep. Think about how quickly you can consume food to make up that 111 calories. Eating one banana, that most would think is great for weight loss, will make up 105 of those calories, yet the sleep deprived person is going to eat far more than just one extra banana per day. They are actually likely to feast daily. 

The end result? Weight gain!

Throw on top of this that a lack of sleep can age fat cells 20 years and yes I said  20 years. This has an effect on overall metabolism and your body's ability to regulate glucose and insulin properly thus leading to obesity and diabetes.

So if you find yourself as one of those people that is doing everything they can think of to lose weight and it's simply not happening for you, check in on your sleep habits. This could be the missing link for you. 


Regardless of what's causing your sleep problems, it is important to establish and maintain healthy sleep habits. Here are some tips that will help you sleep well:

At night:

• Use the bed and bedroom for sleep and sex only
• Establish a regular bedtime routine and a regular sleep-wake schedule
• Do not eat or drink too much close to bedtime
• Create a sleep-promoting environment that is dark, cool and comfortable
• Avoid disturbing noises – consider a bedside fan or white-noise machine to block out disturbing sounds
• Shut down one hour before bed (no phone, TV or Internet)

During the day:

• Consume less or no caffeine, particularly late in the day
• Avoid alcohol and nicotine, especially close to bedtime
• Exercise, but not within three hours before bedtime
• Avoid long naps, particularly in the late afternoon or evening while a short nap in the afternoon can be beneficial

Some medications can also lead to insomnia, including those taken for:

• Colds and allergies
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Thyroid disease
• Birth control
• Asthma
• Pain medications
• Depression (especially SSRI antidepressants)

So in the end, what's the moral of the story?

Get to sleep!!!

For additional information on sleep visit these past articles.

http://www.askdepkewellness.com/2012/08/whos-not-sleeping-well.html

http://www.askdepkewellness.com/2011/11/why-cant-i-sleep-part-1.html

http://www.askdepkewellness.com/2011/12/why-cant-i-sleep-part-ii.html

Thyroid Treatment...Ridiculous!

by Glen Depke

I see it time after time with clients diagnosed with thyroid challenges.

• An individual has all the symptoms of a thyroid challenge
• Thyroid labs are off
• Medication is prescribed
• Labs are now normal
• Yet all the symptom challenges remain unchanged

Here's another senario.

• An individual has all the symptoms of a thyroid challenge
• Thyroid labs all come back as normal in the reference range
• They are told everything is fine, yet they are still suffering with symptoms

Now do you get while I say thyroid treatment is ridiculous? 

I have not discussed the thyroid much in the past because I generally recognize the thyroid challenges are very often not tied into thyroid function. I truly cannot hold back any longer.


This has to be discussed.


First we will recognize what most doctors are looking at in regard to thyroid function. Most are looking at TSH, T4 and T3. TSH is the thyroid stimulating hormone that is produced in the pituitary gland who's purpose is to communicate to the thyroid how much T4 and T3 to produce. The T4 and T3 are hormones produced in the thyroid to allow the benefit of normal body function. So with this information, many practitioners are making diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction with this information. 
 
Let me show you why this is ridiculous.


Here is the comprehensive way of looking at what is going on with your thyroid.

• Hypothalamus send thyroid releasing hormone (TRH) to the pituitary gland
• Pituitary gland releases thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) to the thyroid gland
• TSH stimulates the thyroid to utilize iodine to create T4 and T3
• 93% of this production is T4 and 7% isT3 (Recognize that the body predominately functions on an active form of T3)
• 60% of your T4 is converted in the liver into  active T3
• 20% of your T4 is eventually converted in active T3 in your gastrointestinal tract
• 20% is converted into reverse T3 which is an inactive form
• Any remaining T4 is converted into active T3 in peripheral tissue

Even with this said, there is even more to understand when addressing thyroid function. Here's more

• One of the most common and often not assessed challenges for the thyroid is and autoimmune thyroid condition
• Another key factor is your (TBG) or thyroid binding globulin which is the protein that acts as the delivery system to transport the active T3 to the cells of your body for use

So what do you test if you are suspecting a thyroid challenge so you can actually address this properly and eliminate your symptoms?

• Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) 
• Total thyroxine (TT4)
• Free thyroxine index (FTI)
• Free thyroxine (FT4)
• Resin T3 uptake
• Free triiodothyroxine (FT3)
• Reverse T3 (rT3)
• Thyroid binding globulin (TBG)
• Thyroid antibodies

Now there's one more key here. It is important to recognize functional ranges rather than the typical reference ranges on the typical blood panel results. Often those outside of the functional or optimal ranges will already be suffering with the symptoms of thyroid dysfunction.


One last topic to mention.


What are the symptoms of thyroid dysfunction?


Here you go...

• Fatigue
• Weight gain despite adhering to your diet
• Morning headaches that wear off as the day progresses
• Depression
• Constipation
• Hypersensitivity to cold weather
• Poor circulation and numbness in the hands or feet
• Muscle cramps while at rest
• Increased susceptibility to colds and other infections and difficulty with recovery
• Slow wound healing
• Excessive sleep required to function normally
• Chronic digestive challenges such as low stomach acid
• Itchy dry skin
• Hair falls out easily
• Dry skin
• Low body temperature
• Edema, especially facial swelling
• Loss of the outermost portion of eyebrows

There you have it. The most comprehensive information I can provide in a short article. I trust that you can use this in some positive manner in your life.


I will be presenting a complimentary webinar on thyroid function coming soon. If you want this update and you are not currently signed up for the Depke Wellness newsletter, click here to register for our weekly newsletter and update on upcoming complimentary webinars.


If you have any comments or questions about this article, feel free to leave this below for me to answer personally.

The Price We Pay for Weight Gain

by Glen Depke

Generally speaking I would be discussing the price we pay for weight gain in respect to your health and happiness but today we are going to look at this from the financial perspective for all of us. The cost of weight gain to ALL of us is really staggering, regardless of weight gain being a challenge for you or not.

In the last 50 years the incidence of obesity in American has skyrocketed from 13% to an estimated 34%. In the same time period, the incidence of extreme or “morbid” obesity has jumped from 0.9% to 6%. While these findings are common knowledge, the costs associated with the epidemic of obesity are eye-opening.

Recent Mayo Clinic studies indicate that obesity racks up over $190 billion in annual medical costs, which is an average of $1,850 more per year for an obese person than a person of healthy weight. The morbidly obese’s average yearly cost was estimated as high as $3,086 per year. Shockingly, the average health costs of the obese were greater than the costs incurred by smoking. Smokers health care costs were generally $1,274 a year greater than non-smokers because of increased mortality, while individuals with a body-mass index (BMI) above 40 were estimated at $5,530 annually. The costs of obesity outside of health care were greater as well. The study noted a $5 billion annual increase in jet fuel over the 1960’s cost to fly heavier passengers and a $4 billion annual increase in gasoline costs for cars transporting the obese.(1)

These are significant costs to all of us!

So the problem seems to be that obese people are taking money out of your pocket?

Not so fast though!

Let's not get into the "blame game" of poor food choices, lack of control or even the victim mentality of genetics. We can also be clear that this is not a war on obesity. We have had a war on drugs and a war on cancer in this country for some time and what do we have more of? Drugs and cancer...

A big part of the problem stems from our cultural patterns. Most of us are over worked, over stressed while under exercised and under nourished. These patterns often set up individuals to fail. The weight comes on a few pounds at a time and before we know it we are living in a state of obesity. Once this state is reached, you will often spin out of control and eventually fall into a state of hopelessness in regard to your weight gain.

This is really an issue for all of us.

So how can we address this?

While I cannot provide the whole answer for everyone here, I can say that it starts with all of us as individuals.

If you are obese, it will be important to take responsibility for your past choices, accept where you are right now and make new choices long term and consistently enough to expose a new level of health for yourself. If you are wondering what you can do to move forward on this level, I would welcome you to view the results of the "More Than Just Weight Loss" 6 week program by following this link.

If you are at a healthy weight, I would still say to look at yourself. I would recommend to offer compassion and understanding to those that are obese. Taking this attitude will be nothing but empowering to yourself as well as those challenged with weight gain. Perhaps compassion and understanding itself could create a significant shift in the health of our culture.

What do you think?

If you have any comments or questions in regard to this article, feel free to leave a post below and I will address this personally.

(1) Reuters. April 30, 2012.

Is Inflammation Killing You?

by Glen Depke

I know that title is a bit extreme, but you know the old saying, when the shoe fits...

I know, we have been discussing inflammation quite a bit recently but sometimes you come across something so earth shattering that you simply cannot wait to share.

Well, this is one of those shares.

Before we get going, I will provide a brief review the inflammatory process and its affects on the body.

First of all inflammation is a positive response of a healthy immune system but this is without the added triggers and the assumption that all the factors tied into pro and anti-inflammatory processes are working properly. With that said, we can recognize that those with chronic illness generally do not fit in this category.

Most of us fit into the inflammatory process discussed here:

• One of the many triggers that stimulate the receptors that initiate inflammation are present. These are some of the main triggers:
• Mental/emotional stress
• Nutritional stress
• Infections
• Chemotherapy
• Obesity
• Addiction
• ...and more
• The receptors initiate an NF-kB state which is a chronic inflammatory state
• This NF-kB state induces an immune system response
• This response can lead to (the more common are bold):
• Cachexia or wasting syndrome which is a loss of weight, muscle atrophy, fatigue, weakness, and significant loss of appetite in someone who is not actively trying to lose weight
• Adipocytes or fat/connective tissue cells that have differentiated and become specialized in the synthesis (manufacture) and storage of fat also known as chronic weight gain
• Anorexia
• Chronic Fatigue
• Depression
• Neuropathic pain
• Anxiety
• Cognitive impairment
• Sleep disorders
• Dellirium
• ...and so much more

For years in my clinics, we have been addressing inflammatory challenges in the following ways:

• Recognizing and removing the triggers that cause the inflammation, whether this be stress, nutritional, infection, obesity, addiction or other
• Supporting adrenal function to allow proper production of the body's natural anti-inflammatory which is cortisol
• Utilizing anti-inflammatory supplements such as omega 3 fatty acids as well as metabolic enzymes

While this and other factors provided a significant benefit for many clients over the years, there has still been that select few that are finding themselves extremely frustrated. These are the clients that are doing everything correct and still find themselves suffering the pain and discomfort of chronic inflammatory states.

Here's the kicker that is a new found knowledge for me.

While I have always know about chronic inflammatory states, better know in the industry as NF-kB states, what I did not realize is the feedback loops that these states create within themselves. Once you are in this chronic inflammatory state, the NF-kB has the ability to basically feed itself even if you remove all the triggers and basically do everything correctly.

There are feedback loops easily tied into weight gain, gut challenges, immune dysregulation, immune cell activation, poor liver function and so much more. Remember, these feedback loops often continue even if you are doing everything correctly and eliminate all your triggers.

OK, so what's a person to do with these chronic NF-kB states. 

First of all it is still very important to eliminate as many of the triggers as possible and create some balance within your adrenal function. From here it is important to use the best available products to push yourself out of the feedback loops of the NF-kB state.

All the research points to two key ingredients to do the job. Those ingredients are curcumin and resveratrol. The resveratrol is such a powerful component within this cycle that drug companies are racing to create a synthetic to this compound so they can charge you and your insurance company the big bucks for what you can use right now for such a small cost.

Don't go running to the store though to pick these up in capsules. 

While there may be a benefit for a select few of you, many that are deep in this state need something more potent that the capsules. There is a company that produces a emulsified liquid version of both the curcumin and resveratrol that is 4 - 6 times more potent than the capsule and understand that taking the combination of these together severely amplify the suppression of the NF-kB state.

Unfortunately this company does not allow me to sell these over the Internet, so there would have to be direct contact with Depke Wellness. If you would like to discuss the inflammatory programs used by Depke Wellness to stop the NF-kB state, you can call the office direct at 949.954.6226. We work with clients in office as well as via phone consultations.

With all this said, can you now understand the title, "Is Inflammation Killing You?"

If you have any comments or questions in regard to this article feel free to post these below for me to answer personally.

The Death of a Woman

by Glen Depke

It is recognized that during the life transition known as menopause, there is a significant decrease in the health and wellness for most women in our culture. This is due to the fact that most women move into menopausal years in a state of adrenal exhaustion. There are many different factors that tie into adrenal exhaustion, which is a subject in and by itself. If the adrenals are not in adequate function moving into this life transition, this leads to the possibility of increase of cardiovascular disease, stroke, osteoporosis, dementia, Alzheimer's disease, arthritis, and autoimmune disease. The typical symptoms initially felt for women that move into menopuase are listed below.

• Hot flashes
• Vaginal dryness
• Changes in skin tone
• Depression
• Poor concentration and memory
• Irregular periods
• Hair loss and thinning
• Pain and inflammation
• Weight gain
• Decreased cognitive function 
• Blood sugar imbalance

When I refer to the drop in health and wellness for women at this time, it is recognized that during a woman's life span, there will generally be a very slow and gradual decline in health known as the natural aging process. But when women enter the transition of menopause without healthy adrenal function, there is a very steep and dramatic drop in the health of a woman during the period of this transition. So there are two ways to address this. Either get your adrenals into optimal health prior to menopause or put out the fire of your symptoms and take the necessary steps balance this neuroendocrine, immunology dysfunction. 

As a woman, if you can move into this transition with a balance of your fundamentals of health and healthy adrenals this can potentially make all the difference in the world. You can continue the slow and steady aging process rather then the steep and dramatic drop off or this "death."

Understanding that once you are in the midst of these symptoms and health challenges created at this time, it is not only a hormonal issue. It truly is a brain, hormone, immune, gut, and adrenal issue. When address properly, you can find your balance once again and live a life of health and happiness.

If you would like to learn more about the Depke Wellness protocols on this subject, feel free to leave a post below for my personal response or call my office (949)954-6226 to set up a COMPLIMENTARY 20 minute phone session.

Putting Out the Fire!

by Glen Depke

If you have followed our newsletter for some time you recognize the focus that we often have on women’s health and hormones. Today we are going to take this a step further for women with premenopausal or menopausal symptoms to assist in taking the necessary steps to put out the fire of your symptom challenges.

Let’s first understand that these symptoms are not linear. Premenopause or menopause is not only an endocrine dysfunction, even though it is often treated as one by conventional and alternative medicine alike. 

These symptoms are a Neuroendocrine Immunological Disorder and need to be treated as such.

During premenopause and menopause years, there is a very steep and dramatic drop in the level of women’s health almost across the board.  During this time, challenges such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, osteoporosis, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis and autoimmune disease are significantly increased. Many of the symptoms that are initially recognized will be hot flashes, vaginal dryness, changes in skin tone, depression, poor concentration, poor memory, irregular periods, hair loss or thinning, pain, inflammation, weight gain, decreased cognitive function and dysglycemia.

What really irks me is the fact that this does not need to happen, yet it continues! 

As many of you that have read my posts in the past, the key to moving through this period with ease is the health of your adrenal function as well as your focus on the fundamentals of health.

If you are already in the midst of these symptoms; I want you to recognize that it is not too late.

If you have already moved into this period of your life with poor adrenal function, you will begin to experience estrogen fluctuations which often lead to hot flashes as well as the other symptoms mentioned above. Due to the loss of hormonal balance, your immune system “winds up” and causes a cytokine rise. This rise leads to inflammation, further immune challenges and eventual neurodegeneration. 

Long term, this can lead to further inflammation, increased cytokine production, a breakdown in the blood/brain barrier, glia cell up regulation in the brain, further fluctuations in hormones, increased HPA axis activity, limbic system imbalances that often lead to anger and rage, and further immune system challenges. I know that some of this may get a bit technical, but get that this is creating challenges with your hormones, immune system and brain function collectively.

Also remember that estrogen deficiency has been shown to enhance the responsiveness of cells towards inflammatory cytokine receptor number and messengers which amplifies the inflammatory effects.

Enough said; it is time to put out the fire!

There is a big question though, “how do you put this fire out?”

The best way to address this is to use a combination of 3 supplements which includes Nitric Balance, Ultra D and Glutathione Recycler. Together these will assist in balancing the immune system function, shift you out of the inflammatory states, increasing blood flow, increasing brain function, stimulating cellular energy production as well as providing the necessary antioxidant properties needed. This along with addressing any gut challenges as well as proper nutrition can and typically does put out this fire so you can continue creating balance as needed.

For women severely challenged with hot flashes, I also recommend a supplement called Estrovite to balance the estrogen fluctuations that lead to these hot flashes. Remember that it is the fluctuation of estrogen that creates the hot flashes. This is why women will often continue to suffer with hot flashes even though they have introduced bio-identical hormones.

Also understand that this can be a roller coaster ride but as you continue to put out the fire and get a deeper understanding of the triggers that lead to your symptoms, you can eventually get your health back and move into your state of balance and happiness desired.

To learn more about the protocols used by Depke Wellness at Impact Health & Wellness, I welcome you to register here for a FREE 20 minute phone consultation to discuss this with me personally.

If you have any comments or questions to this article, feel free to leave them below for me to address personally.