Women's Health

Dr. Tim “Doc Rocket” Lightfoot
Lighten The Load

Scene: A dark alley; steam rising from manhole covers. Several street lamps are burned out leaving most of the alley in shadows. A recent rain has left the ground with a slick sheen…..

Man in Overcoat (hat pulled down low over his eyes – wearing a beat-up trench coat several sizes too large): “Psst. Hey You!”

You (yes, you reading the article - looking around): “Who me?”

Man: “Yes, you. There’s no one else reading this article, is there?”

You: (stammering) “Uh, no. But how can you talk to me? You’re just a voice in my head…”

Man: “Are you sure?”

Whether it’s having a taste for something sweet after dinner each night or speeding to your local supermarket for the biggest bag of Swedish Fish you can buy, I know craving sugar can be a powerful urge. And the disappointing truth is that once we start to include sugar into our daily routine, it becomes more and more difficult to stop.

As humans we’ve evolved to appreciate the instant energy sugar provides us, but food is a highly emotional topic, especially when it comes to sweets. We often associate sweet foods with love and acceptance, and scientists have looked at our brain chemistry to understand how food can directly affect our “feel-good” neurotransmitters like serotonin. There are many other physical causes for sugar cravings, too, like hormonal fluctuations, intestinal yeast, and stress, to name a few.

Auto immune disorders are those disease states in which your own antibodies attack some gland or tissue in your body. Normally your antibodies protect you from harmful invaders, but in this case they go after normal tissue. The actual cause is generally never found. Autoimmune disorders, in general, are more common in women.

Hormonal Imbalance Symptoms

"Knowledge is not power, but rather information to make wise choices"

Can you relate to any of these symptoms? Find your age category and check all the symptoms that you have experienced.

Could adrenal imbalance be causing your weight problem?

* Do you feel bone tired during the day, only to perk up at night?
* Do you tend to nod off at the movies, at meetings, or while reading during the daytime?
* Do you love to snack in the evening and frequently stay up late into the night?
* Do you feel hungry, confused, or shaky when under pressure during the day?
* Do you habitually rely on caffeine and high-carb snacks to boost your flagging energy?
* Have you noticed a “spare tire” growing larger and larger around your waist each year?
* Are you eating modestly and exercising, but still not losing weight?

If you answered to yes to two or more of the above, adrenal imbalance could lie at the core of your weight gain. Continue reading for more information. . . .

A New Epidemic
By John Lee, MD

In the 30 years that I practiced medicine, I rarely saw a woman with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Today, estimates are that 10 to 20 percent of women have PCOS, and I would guess that among young women the number is even higher, qualifying this as an epidemic.

I have had many e-mails and letters from women in their late teens and twenties with PCOS. Their doctors tend to prescribe two treatments, both of which affect symptoms only, and neither of which is particularly successful. One treatment is temporary chemical castration, using birth control pills, androgens (male hormones), androgen blockers, synthetic estrogens, Lupron or similar drugs that block hormone production. The other is prescribing the new oral drugs for Type II diabetes, which reduce insulin resistance. I have a much safer, simpler, more effective and less expensive approach that treats the cause and not just the symptoms of PCOS.