What you should know about GLP-1s

We all know that sugar is the bad guy creating chronic inflammation and excessive weight issues. So, we’re motivated to lower our blood glucose levels, decrease inflammation and lose weight. 

But, we can’t stop eating the sugar. We’re addicted, or stressed out and soothing emotionally with munching all day. Or, both. Likely, both. 

It’s natural to see why a magic drug that solves all of that is the new health craze.

I put together this primer, to share with you all of what I think you should know about GLP-1 use, function, and alternatives. 

How it works

Glucagon-like-peptide-1 (GLP-1) acts like a hormone and tells parts of the endocrine system to activate certain functions, allowing us to manipulate blood sugar levels to stay low no matter what you eat. 

Here is how GLP-1 functions, here it is in practical language. 

Your pancreas is the organ responsible for producing the perfect blend of molecules which ensure you digest and metabolize well.  It tells the pancreas:

1. pump out more insulin (ushers sugar out of the blood stream and into cells for fuel)
2. grow more insulin producing cells
3. Block the release of glucagon (which increases blood sugar when the body needs to activate, or respond to stressors)

The hormonal system is one of the most complex and least understood in allopathic medicine. Hormones affect the whole body because they travel in the bloodstream, and communicate with all the glands, and organs commanded by those glands. 

All to say, to take hormones medicinally is not a light decision.

Concerns

Safety

In my experience, anything that promotes growth of cells can encourage tumors. Anything that hijacks cellular machinery to overproduce something leads to metabolic errors, which leads to all kinds of problems from toxin build up to cancer. 

This class of drugs is approved for Diabetes treatment because the risks are considered less than the risks of Diabetes progression. However, it is not yet approved for weight loss. Preliminary studies on rats showed endocrine cancers and specifically thyroid metabolic and neoplasm effects, so the trials did not progress to human studies. 

Folks advocating the benefits of GLP-1 recommend microdosing for this reason. They suggest that taking smaller amounts is safe. Yet, there are NO long term studies on taking GLP-1s. So, the truth is we don’t know how using this affects us over time, or at different doses. 

Addiction & Rebound

Most people start taking this with the intention of it being a short term affair, which makes them less worried about side effects. Yet, GLP-1s make the body think you are doing a sugar restrictive fast, so the weight loss is fast, easy and almost guaranteed. 

You don’t have to change your diet, or micromanage your food. Your bad habits can remain. 

In fact, because GLP-1s also work on your taste receptors, you don’t crave sugar. My clients who have taken them report feeling finally freed from the mental slavery of worrying about food. 

That alone is so attractive. 

It’s no wonder that demand for these drugs skyrocketed. Once you can feel good about yourself in this almost instant transformation, wouldn’t anyone want more? 

Especially since, as you can imagine, after you stop taking GLP-1s, all the effects wear off, and the cravings, microbiome imbalances, inflammation, and weight all come back. 

Because GLP-1s affect your tastes, cravings and appetite, it’s easier to make healthy choices while on them. Without them, people are struggling with healthy choices. In other words, even if you use GLP-1s in the short term, you still have to make the long term habit changes to have a real change. 

There are doctors and experts to stand behind everything. You need to use your common sense and I hope this primer helps you make educated choices for yourself. 

Alternatives

Did you know that everything with a bitter taste has the same benefits as GLP-1s, without any of the side effects? 

In addition, bitter foods and herbs have several other benefits, including

• Decreasing inflammation
• Detoxing
• Decreasing fat stores
• Decreasing cholesterol levels in blood
• Clearing skin
• Preventing cancer

Here are my favorite ways to incorporate bitter taste in my daily life:

1. Food. Obviously, eating bitter greens and veggies is a great way to get your bitter in. Fresh pea, mung and pumpkin sprouts also have a ton of phytonutrients (anti-aging).
2. Digestive Bitters are an old time daily use supplement for exactly the reasons above. They make it easy. I love the bitters by Urban Moonshine and Anima Mundi. 
3. For all of you who own my Digestive Remedies content, the Inflammation Tea is an amazing source of these benefits. 
4. Shardunika. This bitter green herb is probably the closest herbal correlate to GLP-1s, as it lowers blood sugar, sugar cravings and has the bitter benefits. 
5. Banyan’s Sweet Ease tablets, with Shardunika as the chief herb, are an easy alternative to drinking a bitter herbal tea, and can help with consistency. With natural herbs, time and consistency are key. Code SIVA15 - 15% off entire order for first time customers.
6. Himalayan Tartaric Buckwheat supplement. This is Dr. Jeffrey Bland’s company (one of the fathers of Functional Medicine), and has several rejuvenative functions (also antiaging). Also in an easy to take capsule.