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Hormones & Holistic Healthcare

DR. McKAY, Naturopathic Endocrinology

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Disruptive Influences on Weight Management

DISRUPTIVE INFLUENCES ON WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

Many chemical messengers* must be properly balanced in order for the body to maintain its own ideal weight. (*Chemical messengers include hormones, neurotransmitters, and cytokines.) Here are a few imbalances that Dr. McKay commonly restores in clinic, in the course of weight loss treatment.

INSULIN: Excess insulin instructs the body to lay down adipose (fat) tissue — and then insulin also prevents this lumpy stored fat from being burned for metabolic fuel (how unfair is that?) The SAD (Standard American Diet) is much too high in dietary sugars and starches, causing habitually high releases of insulin from the pancreas, which re-shapes bodies into the current alarming state of affairs: about two-thirds of Americans are currently overweight or obese. Excess insulin is well-known to reduce life span in all animals, and it induces insulin resistance or hypoglycemia or metabolic syndrome or pre-diabetes, if permitted to continue running its course uninterrupted. Dr. McKay is on a personal, life-long, heartfelt mission to prevent and cure this tragic series, because she has witnessed its health-robbing pain in her own immediate family.

CORTISOL: Excess cortisol generates a spare tire around the midsection and in prolonged cases it creates a fatty pad at the back of the neck as well. The popular press has made this connection well-known in recent years, thank goodness; however, many people still struggle with elevated stress levels, multiple daily stress reactions, and the ensuing cortisol body type that in extreme cases can resemble the Alice in Wonderland characters Tweedledee and Tweedledum with large bellies and skinny limbs. All this can be caused by ordinary, garden-variety stress, which is why stress management, blood sugar control, and adrenal restoration are essential to health, well-being, and weight management.

LEPTIN-GHRELIN: Poor leptin-ghrelin balance leads to lack of satiety, that is, never receiving the bodily cue that it’s time to stop eating. The brain gets de-regulated and cannot sense fullness if it has been over-exposed to fructose, which comprises 50% of table sugar, 50% of maple syrup or honey, 55% of HFCS (high-fructose corn syrup), up to 90% of agave syrup, and a very large fraction of both soft drinks and fruit juices. You read that right: fruit juices, which most people view as healthy, actually contain so much naturally-occurring fructose that they are classified as both appetite de-regulators and inducers of fatty liver disease which can include high blood pressure. (Thank you, Dr. Robert Lustig, for making this so clear in your popular YouTube lecture.)

TESTOSTERONE: Testosterone has roughly opposite effects in males and females (no surprise there!) — including the prevention or induction of abdominal obesity. In men, adequate testosterone is essential to maintain lean body mass, mental drive, ambition, libido, and healthy blood cholesterol levels. However, in women, excess testosterone is associated with abdominal obesity, hirsutism (unwanted facial hair), irregular periods, and insulin resistance or pre-diabetes.

FAT ITSELF: Adipose (fat) tissue is extremely hormonally active. Anyone who is 10 or more pounds medically overweight should view their fat deposits as another endocrine organ, a hormone-producing machine that tries to self-perpetuate. Adipose tissue continuously sends out cytokines (cellular messenger molecules) that cause inflammation throughout the body and brain. Inflammation refers to arthritis, brain fog, allergies, cancer, hardening of the arteries, and many other discomforts. In males, the enzyme aromatase can become overly abundant in adipose tissue; aromatase then turns good masculine testosterone into feminizing estradiol (a type of estrogen) which robs men of vigor, lean body mass, and well-being; in severe cases, actual breast tissue (gynecomastia) can be induced by the enzymatic activity from adipose tissue. How’s that for an unfair reaction to carrying extra pounds?

BRAIN CHEMISTRY: Neurotransmitters are another form of messenger molecules, sometimes overlapping with hormones; together with cytokines, these three types of messengers carry information and instructions from one body tissue to another. Imbalances can range from imperceptible to lethal and everything in between. Imbalanced brain chemistry is epidemic these days; psychotropic (brain-altering) prescriptions represent billions of dollars in commerce — and millions of people with sub-optimal health. Depression and anxiety plague us all to some degree or another, in some cases completely ruining quality of life. And the abilities to regulate appetite, weight, and body composition are all profoundly affected. Dr. McKay prefers to utilize nutrition with real foods, plus nutritional supplements when needed, and stress-management techniques, before resorting to extreme measures such as brain-busting prescription medications. The prescription painkillers in the opiate family (codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone) all have profound, unwanted effects upon digestion, elimination, and even suppression of most hormones.

SELF-MEDICATING: Many, many people are self-medicating their imbalanced and impulsive moods by over-eating or otherwise harming their health. Seeking wise counsel and good-humored coaching can be a life-saving turning point. Please do not allow prescription medications or an eating disorder to ruin your appetite control, your weight, your metabolism, your libido, or your ability to be fully yourself. Seek help sooner rather than later.

ENVIRONMENT: Our social environment with respect to food often aims us in the wrong direction. We are so flooded with advertising and factory-farmed commercial products that we’ve lost sight of Mother Nature. As a nation, we are both over-fed and under-nourished. Eating real food, in healthy portions, which is something we ought to be able to take for granted, has become an arduous project — think of it as swimming upstream, instead of comfortably floating down the river. Although simple, it’s not easy!

DYSBIOSIS: Our digestive tract is an ecosystem with an ever-changing balance of friendly bacteria and other micro-organisms who do much of our digesting for us. When unfriendly bacteria, or even fungi (yeast, candida) grow out of balance, there are profound effects on biochemistry throughout the body. The immune system and the brain may be especially hard-hit, with inexplicably strong urges to consume starchy or sweet foods, or with indigestion and frequent illnesses that just don’t make sense. Correcting the balance of the intestinal ecosystem can clear up bloating, cravings, and many other problems.

Primary Sidebar

Hormone Therapy (BHRT)

Hormone Therapy using BHRT (bio-identical hormone restoration therapy) rebalances the body by using the exact hormone molecules that our own bodies naturally produce
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Clinical Weight Loss Approaches

If you focus on attaining vibrant, whole-body health, then excess pounds just melt away with no particular effort. But if your body is burdened with imbalances (hormonal or digestive or neurotransmitter)
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Testimonials

Thank you for your persistent kindness in what often feels like a sea of unhappy, cranky medical providers…I want to say thank you for all the follow-up information you sent yesterday…I had no idea [sleep] apnea had an impact on blood viscosity.  With gratitude, EL, Lake Oswego
Thank you for your persistent kindness...
Dear Dr. Deb, thank you so much, but I am the one who is blessed… you have helped me to begin to bloom with life again.  You have helped me to feel more like the person that I used to be, heard me when I said that I needed help, and are there for me each step of the way.  I know what you have gone through, that some days are better than others, yet, the care and compassion that you have for others who have been there, the strength that you show, make you the unique and very special person th… Read more
Thank you so much...
Hi Dr. McKay, I have attached the results of my US that you ordered. I am relieved that no full-blown cancer was found. Dr. McKay: 1 Western Medicine: 0 You were the only one who detected a nodule just by checking my neck! Neither my NP or Dr. T. did! See you in a couple of months,
“SD” age 39, Lake Oswego
Dearest Dr. McKay, How are you? I almost want to be sick so that I can talk to you .… Overall, I have no real complaints.… However, you know how I love to eat. It is amazing how much healthy food I have found that doesn’t bother me…. I just celebrated my 59th birthday and plan on getting myself heading back in the right direction again come Monday. I really have no idea how I can ever thank you enough for all you have done for me. I cringe at the thought of going to a regular doctor. For … Read more
“BC” age 59, posted from Japan
Now I Don’t Bonk I just want to thank you because in the four months I’ve been seeing you, I’ve gone from practically crawling through my days to how I am now, which is pretty darn good. My work is physically and emotionally demanding but now I don’t bonk in the afternoons. As a cancer survivor, other doctors were afraid to help me. I’m glad to be back.  
“DP” age 68, Aloha
I just want to write to thank you both for all that you’ve done for me! Dr. McKay, all of your information and education that you give has been so helpful. I always feel listened to. The xxx and yyy root have been amazing additions to my supplements. I’ve been keeping healthy with all the infection ideas you gave me as well. Rick, you are always so organized and helpful. I really feel cared about and have never had such smooth doctor visits as I’ve had with you guys. Your follow up is awesome! I … Read more
“GC” age 43

You guys are the most efficient, well organized, professional and knowledgeable clinic I’ve ever been too and i am sooo glad I found you!!! Thank you for treating me with kindness and such great care I look forward to a long continued relationship to get my health back on track!

I Am So Glad I Found You!
Duuuuuuuude, that stuff  WORKS!  [regarding Rx pain-relieving cream applied 4 hours after ankle surgery]
Brianna, age 25
I am so thrilled to have found Dr. McKay! After several months and attempts to figure out why I wasn’t sleeping, had the chills, was unbelievably moody and anxious at times where it really wasn’t warranted, Dr. McKay nailed it. All I needed was one little progesterone pill – bioidentical of course. I feel grounded, sane, well-rested and ready to take on the new year! Dr. McKay was extremely thorough, uber knowledgeable and quite frankly sensibly scientific!
 
Thank you thank you! I’m going … Read more
Ashley / designer + mom of 2 in Portland
I am feeling soooo much better! Still a bit exhausted, but the pain of my tonsils, throat and sinus pain are gone! THANK YOU!!! Lots of love to your awesome, giving heart …
Belinda Balogh, Personal Trainer; Owner, Boomer Fitness Solutions, Beaverton
Here is my mom’s [information] for tomorrow’s appointment. Thank you so much for everything; she seems to be doing much better!
from Oklahoma (mom flew in from overseas to treat here)
Dr. McKay is extremely knowledgeable and always looking to learn and research more. That’s what I really like about her – she’s not just passing along or dredging up old information. She’s active in always looking for the best way to approach treatment. She’s an excellent communicator, so I always understand the why behind the path we’ve chosen. My health is a real investment for me and I wouldn’t continue seeing Dr. McKay if I wasn’t seeing real results.
J.K., Attorney, Hillsboro
Dr. McKay has made a huge difference in my life. When I talked to the M.D. about what I was experiencing, I was basically told, “Too bad, can’t help you.” Dr. McKay listened intently and got me on the right path using a natural, holistic approach. My energy is back and I’m feeling great. Her treatment is always caring and thoughtful. She’s very passionate about helping people and it shows in the care she provides
S.F., Business Owner, Beaverton
From the start Dr. McKay felt right for me. Her philosophy on health care is in line with my own. She’s warm, sensitive, knowledgeable and very caring. She’s the first doctor I’ve seen who really gives of her time. I never feel rushed or forced into a particular path of treatment. I’ve noticed a dramatic change for the better in my overall health and love that we’re achieving that through natural means!
E.P., Teacher, SW Portland
Dr. McKay takes her time and really listens to me so she can get a complete picture, so her diagnoses are right on. She’s worked wonders for me and made a tremendous difference in my life. I feel more energized, have lost weight and feel better than I have in a long time. And Dr. McKay always makes me feel comfortable because what I share with her doesn’t fall on deaf ears.
D.C., Attorney, NW Portland

Nutrition

Is salt good for me or bad for me? What should I do about my cholesterol? Why do I have indigestion so often? Is it true what they tell us about avoiding fat all the time?
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Dr. D.S. McKay, Licensed Naturopathic Physician / Endocrinology

Hormones and Holistic Healthcare

7516 SW 25th Ave,

Portland, OR 97219

503-549-5550


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