The Real Secret to Optimal Health

Anthony Galea

• Publisher: G&D Media
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9781722520571
• Subtopic: General Health

World renowned sports medicine physician Dr. Anthony Galea reveals the secret to optimum mental and physical health. With Dr. Galea's background in science he helps the reader understand how their body works and how to reach its full potential. You will learn How to turn back the age clock by understanding how spirituality, diet, and exercise all work together to create the perfect working machine What star athletes such as Tiger Woods, A-Rod, or the Olympic athletes follow in their diet and exercise How to balance your blood chemistry and hormone levels Why diets fail How to develop a perfect eating plan that's easy to follow, effective, and won't leave you feeling hungry What foods that have a positive effect on your body and those you should avoid Exercises you can begin at any fitness level and will only take minutes a day to follow Causes and treatments of common injuries How 10 minutes of meditation a will help give you a more youthful appearance

Part I

HORMONES AND BLOOD CHEMISTRY

CHAPTER 1

What Are Hormones?

Hormones are messengers that are produced by our bodies at specific sites such as the pancreas and the adrenal glands. Released into the bloodstream, they regulate functions like stabilizing blood glucose levels and controlling the amount of body fat that the body produces and stores. Keeping hormones in balance is one of the most important factors in the prevention of premature aging. Without the correct levels of hormones, whether it’s by too little or too much, our bodies don’t get the proper direction and we become more susceptible to disease.

Insulin, glucagon, cortisol, testosterone, progesterone, estrogen, DHEA, growth hormone and adrenaline are just a few of the hormones our body produces in order to function on a daily basis. Without the right amounts we may feel tired, sluggish and not at our best and this may occur for a number of years before a more serious condition develops.

Our hormone system is complex and intricate. Sometimes several hormones can affect one function—for instance, blood glucose is affected by the hormones insulin, glucagon, and cortisol. Other times, one hormone can affect several functions—for example, insulin can affect our blood glucose levels, the amount of body fat we store, and the amount of cholesterol the liver produces.

Hormones can interact with each other, so high levels of one hormone can affect another hormone—for example high levels of cortisol can decrease the level of testosterone. Each hormone has a special way of functioning and just the right amount of hormone must be present.

Aging and Hormones

Baby boomers are more than a little interested in staying healthy and vibrant as they age. They want to stay active physically and continue to look youthful and healthy as they grow older. They want to look and feel at least a decade younger so that “sixty is the new fifty”. The boomer generation is economically and socially powerful. Because of their interest in staying healthy and active, much discussion has taken place and many studies have been done on hormones and how they affect our health.

Many of our hormones, such as growth hormone, testosterone and estrogen decrease dramatically with age, while others, such as dihydrotestosterone and insulin, increase. Time and time again research points to the fact that we will be burdened with diseases that affect the aged if our hormones are not kept in balance.

It’s not only the baby boom generation who should be interested in hormones. More and more, doctors are diagnosing “middle-age” diseases like type 2 diabetes in young people in their teens and twenties due to high insulin levels. Every age group needs to be concerned with their hormone levels.

The good news is that correct hormone balance can often be achieved with only an adjustment to diet and the amount of exercise we get.

We need to take control of our health and take a more individualized approach to our health issues. Sometimes, people accept “feeling out of sorts” as part of the aging process. They feel this way for years not knowing that changing hormone levels are the culprit to their malaise and that their vitality could be restored by simply adjusting these levels.

Not all family doctors have caught up to the research on hormones. Sometimes doctors themselves believe that these changes are just part of the normal aging process. It is essential for your health and well-being to search out a physician who is knowledgeable and is willing to do the regular testing required to keep your hormones in the correct range.

Each person’s blood chemistry is unique and needs to be tested in order to evaluate the proper course of action. Two people of the same age could have very different blood chemistry. Many diseases could be prevented by keeping hormones in a healthy range - as opposed to being given multiple prescription drugs to treat symptoms after years of improper hormone balance.

Bioidentical Hormones

Hormone control can be achieved with the proper diet and exercise by avoiding stress, eliminating smoking and avoiding chemicals. If necessary, bioidentical hormones can be used to replace the natural hormones that we lose as we age. Bioidentical hormones are not synthetic hormones and do not have the same side effects. They are more likely to mimic the natural hormones that we have lost. Unfortunately, not all doctors are familiar with bioidentical hormones and will not prescribe them but will steer you towards drugs and synthetic hormones instead.

For example, some doctors will prescribe the synthetic estrogen/progestin combination to women experiencing menopausal symptoms without doing a blood test. A test of hormone levels would determine if the woman requires more estrogen or if progesterone on its own would be enough to balance her hormones.

Doctors often prescribe based on the studies and recommendations made by pharmaceutical companies. They don’t have time to research each drug that comes on the market so most doctors are influenced by information provided by these companies. The synthetic estrogen/progestin combination is patentable and therefore profitable while bioidentical progesterone is not. Pharmaceutical companies provide doctors not only with literature, but also with free samples to dispense to their patients.

Bioidentical estrogen and progesterone are synthesized from plant extracts such as yams and soybeans. They are designed molecularly to be similar to the hormones in our bodies. These hormones have been used in Europe for many years with great success and minimal side effects.

Drugs can be important for our medical care and they do save lives, but often we are given drugs to alleviate symptoms when we only require a change in our diet and a tweaking of our blood chemistry.

Should Hormones Be Replaced?

A knowledgeable doctor will do the necessary tests to determine your hormone levels before giving you a prescription. Your doctor should also be interested and involved in helping you keep your hormones properly adjusted in the years to come. Each person’s blood chemistry is unique and keeps changing with age. Replacing hormones when needed and keeping the hormone levels in control are important facets of health care.

In the 1950’s, cholesterol testing was just in its infancy. Now, it has been used for years to flag potential heart problems and is completely accepted by the medical profession. Mainstream medicine can take years to catch up with research. For many years now, significant research has been carried out on balancing hormones, and the findings of these studies have indicated positive effects on health and wellness. However, some doctors are wary of the information or do not have time or an interest in finding out about these new medical treatments. It is important to explore new knowledge and benefit from it.

It is crucial to your health to find a physician who is familiar with the benefits of balancing hormones and who can monitor your progress if you decide to replace hormones. There are many doctors who keep in touch with current technology and embrace it.

Understanding the function and importance of some of major hormones and how vital it is to keep them in control will allow you to make a more informed decision regarding your own health.

CHAPTER 2

Insulin and Glucagon

INSULIN

Most of us have heard of insulin, but only a few of us are aware of how just how significant it is to our health. Insulin is a powerful hormone and it is critical to keep the right balance of insulin in the bloodstream to maintain optimal health.

Insulin is produced by the pancreas. It takes the glucose from our bloodstream and moves it into our cells. Once inside the cells, glucose can be used immediately for energy or stored for future use. Insulin is like the courier with the only key to unlock the cells and deliver the glucose; without insulin our cells would starve.

As we age, insulin levels tend to increase and this rapidly accelerates the aging process. An excessive amount of insulin in your system for an extended period of time can disrupt many other hormone systems in the body which can lead to disease.

High insulin levels can increase the risk of:

• High cholesterol
• Stroke
• Excessive body fat

Insulin causes fat to be stored in our bodies until we need it for energy. However, too much insulin will act to prevent the release of body fat from our cells. That means the energy is stored as fat - and will stay in that state.

If insulin levels are stabilized, the stored body fat is released and used for energy during the day. The effects of excessive body fat are serious. Fat deposits in the lining of the arteries. These deposits can cause high blood pressure and eventually clogged arteries.

Inflammation

High levels of insulin create chemicals in the body that can result in inflammation. This inflammation can eventually result in visible aging of the skin. Recent studies have shown that inflammation can also cause more serious degenerative diseases such as heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s. I’ve devoted a whole chapter to talking about inflammation and its effects, and I talk about these studies more in detail in that chapter.

Premature aging

For us to remain youthful and healthy, insulin is the single most important hormone to keep in balance.

What Is Insulin Resistance?

Insulin resistance occurs when the normal amount of insulin can’t open the cells to transfer the glucose from the bloodstream into the cells. In an effort to maintain a normal amount of glucose in the blood, the pancreas then produces more insulin to try to force the glucose into the cells. If this increased insulin can’t transfer the glucose into the cells, then high amounts of glucose remain in the bloodstream and type 2 diabetes occurs. Insulin resistance is common in people who are obese or who have cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure.

How Can You Tell If You Have Elevated Insulin Levels?

Have your blood tested for fasting insulin, triglycerides and cholesterol. Excess insulin stimulates the liver to produce more cholesterol. If you are producing too much insulin, you are more at risk for heart disease and other degenerative diseases. We often are not aware that we have elevated insulin levels and we could go on experiencing symptoms such as increased fat levels, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, not knowing the cause. This is why we need to take control of our health and have the necessary tests done to ensure that our hormones stay in a healthy range.

Low Insulin Levels

Insulin levels can also be too low. The type 1 diabetic is unable to make insulin and must take insulin injections daily or their cells would starve as they have no way of taking glucose from their blood to feed their cells without insulin. Only a small percentage of diabetics are type 1.

Most people who have diabetes are type 2 diabetics; their bodies have produced too much insulin and they have become insulin resistant. The insulin they produce can no longer move the glucose into the cells and high amounts of glucose remain in the blood.

It is possible to push your insulin levels too low by eating a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. If insulin levels are too low, you could develop low blood pressure, loss of muscle tissue, fatigue, irritability, increased hunger and ketosis. Ketosis is a condition where there is an excess of ketones in the body. This is caused when insulin levels drop and the glycogen in the liver is depleted trying to restore glucose levels. The body then begins to break down fats and this process leaves behind a by-product called ketones. Low carbohydrate diets encourage the breakdown of fat and can induce dietary ketosis, which is not a healthy condition.

It is important to note that health risks increase when the levels of insulin are too high as well as when the levels of insulin are too low. Balance is really the key - it is critical to keep this hormone in balance.

How Do You Keep Insulin Levels Balanced?

In most cases, diet and exercise can keep insulin levels controlled. Diet has more effect on our insulin levels than exercise, but the combination of proper diet and exercise is the best way to keep insulin levels in balance.

Aerobic exercise lowers both blood glucose and insulin levels in conjunction with its many other benefits.

Insulin is very much affected by the food we eat. A meal where one third of the plate is protein and two thirds of the plate is made up of vegetables and fruit would be the ideal meal to control insulin levels.

In addition, it is also essential to eat a small amount of a healthy fat at each meal, which you can accomplish by including foods like walnuts, cashews, avocado or oli...

Table of contents

• Cover Image
• Welcome
• Important Notice
• Dedication
• Acknowledgements
• Introduction
• Part I: HORMONES AND BLOOD CHEMISTRY
• Part II: DIET AND NUTRITION
• Part III: EXERCISE
• Part IV: INJURIES
• Part V: SPIRITUALITY
• Afterword
• Newsletters
• Table of Contents
• Copyright Page