I have practiced hormone, weight, health, and mind optimization for over forty-three years. As we age and or become chronically inflamed, our hormones become disrupted, making us feel out of sync, overweight, sickly, and negative. Our internal chemistry, our hormones, governs the way we feel and look. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter on how to optimize our lives by optimizing our hormones.
FCO - An Enjoyable Way to Optimize Your Hormones and Weight
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FOR CLIENTS ONLY PURIFICATION PROTOCOL STRAND - HEALTH OPTIMIZATION SAUNA THERAPY We are working on the Third Strand of HOPE in today's newsletter. In this strand, we are working on optimizing our livers. An optimized liver is essential for optimizing our hormones and weight. The healthier your liver, the less time it will take to do both. Recall from earlier newsletters that the liver…
In the previous newsletters, you’ve learned several tools to help optimize your liver.
The following liver optimization tool is one of my favorites. SAUNA THERAPY “Sauna Therapy doesn’t directly optimize the liver. It makes the liver’s job easier. When you sweat, you remove toxins from your body via your skin. These removed toxins no longer have to be filtered, burned, and flushed from the body by the liver.” SAUNA THERAPY DEFINED Sauna Therapy releases toxins via your skin by sitting in a heated room, which causes you to sweat profusely. Sweating in a sauna can help flush heavy metals, pesticides, and other environmental pollutants from your body. THE IDEAL SAUNA TEMPERATURE The ideal sauna temperature will make you sweat but also relax you. If the temperature is too high, you will sweat more, which may also cause too much stress on your body. Recall that I define stress hormonally. “If cortisol elevates, you are stressed. When cortisol elevates, insulin is released, which puts you in a fat-storing state.” Elevated cortisol signals the body that we either need to beat up on something or to run as fast as possible away from that something. Elevated cortisol causes insulin to be released, which allows us to rapidly feed our muscles glucose (fuel) and survive. If you don’t beat up on something or run away from that something, your cells are stuck with the glucose. The glucose is converted to fat and stored in our fat pantries, breasts, bellies, and hips. “We want our time spent in a sauna to lower cortisol. We want the temperature to be just right, just like we want our weight to be just right.” THE SYMPTOMS OF BEING PAUSED (ESTROGEN DOMINANCE) Recall that the initial symptoms of being “paused” are:
Let’s look at these symptoms and see if Sauna Therapy has been shown to help with these adverse effects of being in our “Third Act.” WEIGHT LOSS AND SAUNA THERAPY The primary concern of paused women and men is weight gain. Most of us gain weight when paused because of our hormones. I have taught you that after forty-four years of practicing health optimization, I have found only one menu that will cause a paused person to lose weight: a menu I call The Meso Menu. My clients lose weight rapidly when they tame estrogen dominance and consume The Meso Menu. But, of course, we all want to know how to do both even more quickly. The best way to optimize your hormones and weight even more rapidly is to optimize your liver function. As I mentioned, saunas indirectly help optimize the liver, and by taking some of the burden off the liver, saunas become a weight loss tool. “Saunas may offer short-term weight loss through the loss of water weight. The heat can also raise the heart rate, which can help burn more calories.” WEIGHT LOSS RESISTANCE, FATTY LIVERS, AND SAUNA THERAPY Most of my clients suffer severely from weight loss resistance. They have cut their calories, joined a gym, hired personal trainers, and even gone to boot camps, and no matter what they do, they can’t lose even a pound. I have found that the primary cause of weight loss resistance is hormonal, but we can introduce hormones, and weight loss resistance remains. I have found that fatty livers are the primary cause of hormone resistance. If you suffer from fatty liver disease, you most likely suffer from insulin resistance, the primary cause of modern-day diabetes. Weight loss resistance is strongly associated with insulin resistance. “It has been shown that NAFLD (Fatty Liver Disease) is closely associated with insulin resistance, as 70%–80% of obese and diabetic patients have NAFLD.” National Library of Medicine “People with fatty liver disease may have difficulty losing weight due to metabolic differences. However, studies have shown that weight loss can improve liver health. The typical treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is weight loss, with a goal of losing at least 10% of body weight. A sustained weight reduction of 7–10% can improve liver fat content, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), and fibrosis.” National Library of Medicine “A study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that regular sauna use could improve liver function in patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).” SISU ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND SAUNA THERAPY Saunas help reduce anxiety and depression. The heat from a sauna can help you relax and release stress and tension, which can help reduce depression symptoms. Saunas can also help reduce anxiety by reducing cortisol production, a hormone associated with anxiety. (If it’s not too hot) Additionally, saunas can improve mood by releasing endorphins, natural mood-boosting chemicals. According to a study, spending time in a sauna can help improve all six mood factors used in testing mental health, including:
Saunas can trigger a fast and robust antidepressant effect after a single session. “…passive heat therapies such as Waon therapy, infrared saunas, and whole-body hyperthermia (sauna) have also been shown to relieve stress and improve the symptoms of psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety.” LOSS OF INTEREST IN BEING INTIMATE AND SAUNA THERAPY Saunas have been shown to benefit sexual health, especially when it comes to erectile dysfunction. Nitric oxide helps dilate critical blood vessels supplying the penis. That’s how Viagra works. Enjoying a sauna session is a natural Viagra. Other research indicates that saunas can improve women's sexual health through the release of dopamine and beta-endorphin, which can enhance the body’s ambiance associated with sex. One study found that men who used a sauna four times a week for three months had significantly higher testosterone levels than those who didn't. And elevated testosterone elevates sex drives. Saunas increase blood flow and circulation throughout the body, which helps cardiovascular health, which is important for sexual health. Sauna use has been shown to help reduce muscle soreness and joint pain. Therefore, it makes you feel younger and healthier, which also helps this department. LOSS OF SOCIABILITY AND SAUNA THERAPY Yes, saunas can help people be more social. The heat and sweating in a sauna can release endorphins, hormones that improve mood and make people more receptive to social interactions. The sauna's tranquil environment can also help people feel more relaxed and open to conversation. Spending time in a sauna with others can help people connect more deeply and feel less lonely. “Social connection, sharing with friends, and feeling a part of a community, as well as the personal nature of the conversation that is fostered in the sauna, all play parts in the cultural validity of group sweating that has existed in so many cultures over time.” The North American Sauna Society HOW TO DO SAUNA THERAPY Avoid using Sauna Therapy as a weight optimization tool for the first two months of The HOPE Protocol. When optimizing hormones, weight, health, and minds, it doesn't matter what type of sauna you use: dry, steam, or infrared. As long as it makes you sweat, you are assisting the liver to detox your body. You should start with 5-10 minutes in a sauna and make sure you're well-hydrated before and after. As you become acclimated to sauna heat, you can increase the time. I prefer a 25-minute session. I usually do three sessions a week. I love to sit in the sauna after my yoga and pilates classes. People with certain health conditions should not use a sauna, so if you are under the care of a physician for any condition, you should first get her approval. Sitting in the sauna is a great way to relax to a whole different level. You can do your Tame Stress Exercise, a meditative technique taught in previous newsletters. If you have a meditation exercise, try it in the sauna. And remember, IT'S ALL ABOUT OUR HORMONES! "We are nothing more than reflections of our hormones." As you know, I only accept new clients that have been referred. Thank you for the referrals I received this week. We are changing lives. If you know someone who wants to optimize her or his hormones and weight, do a three-way text to introduce them, and we will take it from there. We gift you a free month of maintenance coaching for every referral who enrolls. THIS WEEK'S US-IE Vicky and I were in Florida enjoying our three oldest grandchildren, but we found time for ourselves. We were looking for something to do together, and we decided to do the one thing we always said we were going to do but never did: Here we are. 🌴 Doc © 2024 | Doc Mac Coaching The FDA has evaluated none of the statements on this website. Furthermore, none of the statements within this post should be construed as dispensing medical advice or making claims regarding the cure of diseases, nor can these products prevent disease. You should consult a licensed healthcare professional before starting any supplement, dietary, or exercise program, especially if you are pregnant or have any pre-existing injuries or medical conditions. The Food and Drug Administration has not evaluated these statements. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent diseases. |
Hi! I'm Doc Mac.
I have practiced hormone, weight, health, and mind optimization for over forty-three years. As we age and or become chronically inflamed, our hormones become disrupted, making us feel out of sync, overweight, sickly, and negative. Our internal chemistry, our hormones, governs the way we feel and look. Subscribe to my weekly newsletter on how to optimize our lives by optimizing our hormones.
THE SLEEP HORMONE "Doc, since I went into menopause, a good night's sleep has become nearly impossible. I've tried many different remedies, but none have worked. What the heck happened?" "Menopause is caused by not ovulating." When you no longer ovulate, your ovaries no longer produce progesterone or testosterone. This is when all the trouble begins. PROGESTERONE It's The Calm Hormone "I call progesterone the 60s hormone. It's all about peace, love, and flower power." Women with healthy...
THE SLEEP HORMONE "Doc, since I went into menopause, a good night's sleep has become nearly impossible. I've tried many different remedies, but none have worked. What the heck happened?" I am sorry, but I need to repeat myself. "Menopause is caused by not ovulating." When you no longer ovulate, your ovaries no longer produce progesterone or testosterone. This is when all the trouble begins. Let me first remind you what progesterone does. "The main function of progesterone is to prepare the...
MENOPAUSE AND SLEEPING I was about twelve years old when someone broke into my house and shot me. I was lying on the floor, and I realized that I had been shot in the arm. I couldn't move my arm. With my arm paralyzed, I couldn't get myself up off the floor. I started screaming for help. HELP! HELP! HELP! The next thing I felt was someone shaking me. Wake up! Wake up! My eyes opened, and Mom seemed perturbed with me. "What?" She turned around and left the room. I tried to get up, but I...