Many people are aware that Rachael Ray has been struggling with weight and other health issues. She is best known as a celebrity chef and daytime talk show host. She is 48 years old and is having symptoms suggestive of the onset of menopause.
Evidently she has gone to numerous doctors seeking relief of her issues. These issues include, in addition to excess weight, night sweats and migraines.
In reality, Rachael Ray is a classic example of what is wrong with our medical system. I do not know this woman, but I have had many patients with her identical issues. The tragedy is that she is not complicated. However, to doctors who have never been trained to treat the underlying cause of illness, I can see where she would represent an enigma to them.
People are not aware that doctors receive very limited information about hormones during their training. Surprisingly, this is especially true of gynecologists. And this is in spite of the fact that every system in the body is controlled by hormones. So let me address how one might approach a person with Ms. Ray’s concerns.
When dealing with excess weight, night sweats, and “migraines,” my first thought would be that there is an issue with excess adrenaline. Ms. Ray is definitely a creative type person, and creative people are the one’s with the most adrenaline. Interestingly, excess adrenaline is probably the number one cause of weight gain, a fact that is totally unrecognized. It is also a frequent cause of night sweats and hot flashes. In addition, I suspect that the migraine headaches that she complains of are not actually migraines. It is likely that she has occipital neuritis, a condition which can cause excruciating headaches that often radiate into the back of the eye. They arise from the occipital nerve sheath located at the base of the skull on either side, and are caused by muscle tension surrounding the sheath created by excess adrenaline.
I realize that for most people it would be counterintuitive to think of adrenaline as a cause of weight gain. Obviously, an explanation is in order. Consider this, the body releases excess adrenaline basically for one of two reasons. The first reason is when there is danger. Most people are aware that adrenaline is the fight-or-flight hormone. However, this is a short-lived phenomenon, because danger usually lasts a short time. The second reason is to raise sugar levels for the brain by a process called gluconeogenesis.
The brain uses more sugar per weight than any other tissue in the body. When sugar levels drop in the brain, the brain falls asleep (i.e. hypoglycemia). Some people get hypoglycemic after eating, because food in the mouth stimulates insulin release, some people get sleepy between 3-4 pm when insulin levels peak, and some people get sleepy in a car – either as a driver or as a passenger. Hypoglycemia always stimulates the release of adrenaline in order to raise sugar levels back up.
Adrenaline released at night causes people to toss and turn, or have RLS, or grind their teeth or tense their jaw, or get up to urinate. It also creates stress. The body responds to stress by releasing cortisol to deal with the stress. The first thing cortisol does is to raise sugar levels to help with stress using a process called glycogenolysis. So now there are two hormones raising sugar levels, both stimulating the release of insulin which puts any sugar not burned up into fat cells for storage as fat. It does not matter if you eat sugar or if the body makes sugar, if it is not burned up it is turned into fat.
Obviously, Rachel Ray is not the only celebrity prone to weight gain, etc., from excess adrenaline. Oprah Winfrey is another extremely creative person who has had weight issues. Those of you who know me are aware that I specialize in dealing with issues caused by excess adrenaline. My book called “Adrenaline Dominance” provides all the information needed to control adrenaline naturally and quickly, and my website has an excellent progesterone cream with the exact strength required to block adrenaline.
My website is http://www.plattwellness.com and the cream is called PlattPro 5%.
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