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(0:00) Introduction to Health Decoded and Alessi Total Care Program (2:09) Frustration with Medications & GLP-1 Drugs for Weight Loss (6:29) Celebrity Influence and Hidden Risks of Weight Loss Drugs (15:08) Sponsor: Authentic Nutrition (16:31) Understanding Obesity: Root Causes and Hormonal Impacts (20:42) Sleep, Circadian Rhythms, and Metabolic Health (24:27) Toxic Burden, Inflammation, and Gut Health in Weight Management (28:08) The Role of Appetite Suppressants and Metabolic Reeducation (30:08) Personalized Approaches: Testing, Nutrition, and Exercise (34:14) Comprehensive Strategies: Detox, Peptide Therapy, and Nervous System Support (37:00) Wrap-Up: Alessi Total Care Program and Resources00:00:00
We don't need more suppression.
00:00:02
We need more restoration.
00:00:04
Think of that.
00:00:04
Right?
00:00:04
Suppressing hunger with a shot doesn't fix insulin resistance.
00:00:09
Well, I mean, technically, does.
00:00:10
Right?
00:00:11
It it does fix it for a period of time.
00:00:13
What comes in after that, though, is it doesn't clear the toxins or reset the hormones and
00:00:18
really heal your gut for the long term.
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Right?
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Welcome to Health Decode, your number one source for real health information with your
00:00:25
host, doctor Alessi and Matt Tack.
00:00:31
Hey, Health Decoded listeners.
00:00:33
Doctor Alessi here.
00:00:34
Let me ask you a serious question.
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Are you tired of waiting until something goes wrong to finally see a doctor?
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At Alessi Functional Health, we take a different approach, the right approach.
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We believe true health care isn't about chasing symptoms.
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It's about preventing them in the first place.
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That's why we created the Alessi Total Care Program.
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This is a functional medicine based membership that gives you proactive, personalized care
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year round.
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redefining what primary care should look like.
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00:02:00
Welcome back to another episode of Healthy Coded.
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I'm your host, doctor Alessi.
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And your cohost, Matt Tzak.
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Matt, how are doing, man?
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I'm doing amazing, man.
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Ready for this conversation.
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I am as well.
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I think this is a very important thing that we've been hearing a lot lately.
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A lot of patients coming into the office frustrated, know, kind of tired of just being
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shelled out these medications and so we were kind of you know, I know you and I were
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discussing like hey like why don't we get into the nitty gritty of this maybe ruffle some
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feathers a bit with it and just really educate people on kind of you know the risks of what
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we're going to be talking about today.
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And that being said, today's episode is all about the exploding world of GLP-one drugs like
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Ozempic being used for weight loss.
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And we're gonna break this episode down into four segments.
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So segment number one, what is Ozempic and why is everyone talking about it?
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Segment two, the hidden risks that no one's talking about and your doctors aren't telling
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you.
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And segment three, the real root cause of fat gain and obesity.
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And segment four, our functional approach to weight loss and health.
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And if any of this resonates with you, stay tuned for an awesome show.
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That's it.
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So let's jump right in to what we're affectionately call segment one of this.
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So let's start with the basics.
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Because if you've turned on a TV, opened Instagram, or sat in a waiting room lately, you
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probably heard someone mention Ozempic.
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Ugovy or Majuro.
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Majuro is how you say it.
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So these drugs were originally created for type two diabetics, to help regulate blood sugar
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levels.
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But what they found over the recent years is that they exploded in the weight loss world
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like wild friggin' fire.
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So you don't have to have actually diabetes.
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And in fact, millions of people are being prescribed them off label.
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So insurance isn't covering a lot of these right now either too.
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So, insurance has actually taken these out.
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These are more cash based, if you are not diabetic, so they can't be prescribed that way,
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but they're off label to just shed pounds.
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I know so many people, even actually in my family, so this actually hits home.
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Right?
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So what are exactly these drugs is the question.
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So this is what we're here to document.
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They're called GLP one receptor agonists.
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Right?
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That stands for glucagon.
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Is that how you say it?
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Glucagon like peptide.
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Glucagon like peptide.
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Right?
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So they are peptides.
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And this is a hormone your body naturally produces in response to food, and it does
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several things.
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Right?
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So it slows gastric emptying.
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So you feel fuller longer.
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Right?
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Foot you're resistant to food.
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It reduces the appetite.
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So similar to that, making you just eat less throughout the day.
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Right?
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So caloric restriction improves insulin sensitivity, so helping regulate blood sugar
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levels and lowers glucagon secretion, preventing unnecessary glucose release from the
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liver.
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So here are just a few like brand names that people are talking about.
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As we said, they're mainly called semiglutides, but Ozempic and Wagavy are two of the really,
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really big ones out there right now that many, many pay people are pushing.
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Right?
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Mounjaro and Zepbound.
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These ones which also also stimulate the GIP receptors in addition to the GLP-one.
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So these are peptides, which we're a believer in peptides, but there also comes things which
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we're gonna get in other segments, of that not all peptides are created equal and how you
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utilize them appropriately, right?
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So these medications are administered as weekly injections and were originally part of a
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diabetes treatment strategy, but their weight loss side effects quickly became the main
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attraction.
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So here's why all this buzz is going around.
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Celebrities like Elon Musk and Chelsea Handler, right, have admitted to using them.
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Social media is flooded with the Ozempic journey, right, And dramatic before and after
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reels.
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You'll see now the Ozempic face after people have used it for a period of time, right?
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That droopy face that you'll see, the cheeks impounded.
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So in more concerning primary care docs and telehealth clinics are now prescribing them
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with minimal screening or lifestyle support.
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Right?
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So there's no education behind that drug introduction.
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So here's the issue.
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These drugs weren't designed for casual use, and long term effects are barely even
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understood at this point.
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So while they work, while you're on them, the moment you stop, the weight tends to come back
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and come back ferociously.
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Right?
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Often with a real vengeance.
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You're essentially outsourcing your hunger regulation to a synthetic hormone and hoping
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your body plays along.
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Right?
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But as we always talk about, everything's between the ears.
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Alright?
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So here's a study.
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In 2022, article in Nature Medicine found that GLP-one receptors agonists, were effective in
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helping patients lose weight.
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They came with significant gastrointestinal side effects, including nausea, vomiting,
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pancreatitis, and even gastroparesis.
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Right?
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Additionally, weight loss reserved within weight loss reversed within one year in most
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patients who stop the medication, showing the side effects are not sustained without
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continued use and lifestyle change.
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So we're medicating a metabolic problem without addressing the root in it.
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Nutrition, stress, sleep, toxins, hormones, and last but not least, movement.
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That's a big one man.
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Yeah.
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Yeah and I mean there's so much to that and obviously let's let's get into the next piece
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which is really the hidden risks that you know no one's talking about and I think the worst
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part of it is I have patients come in and they're like my doctor didn't tell me this And
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so what I instantly hear from that is like okay that is dangerous when you're not telling
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someone like hey, you need to be following a healthy diet while you're on this drug or you
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need to be moving your body you need to be staying metabolically healthy.
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It's more so like, no, just take this, you're good, do whatever the heck you want, right?
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Go eat whatever, do nothing.
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And this drug will do everything for you.
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Too good to be true often is, right?
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When something sounds like it is.
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So, you know, let's be real, like, I'm not here to shame anyone for wanting to lose weight.
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We help people lose weight all the time.
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And I know, I understand the frustration of trying diets and diets and working out and
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still feeling like you're stuck.
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This is very common.
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And so, it's also like what is the root cause of that?
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But you know, the Ozempic conversation is way too one-sided.
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Everyone's talking about the results, no one's talking about the risks.
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And so, it exploded so rapidly that everyone kind of jumped on it and there wasn't enough
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time to really see, hey, what's the long term like side effects that are going to come from
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this?
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And now we're starting to see it a couple years later.
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So, you know, let's get into it.
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I have a list here of really like the hidden consequences or like risks that doctors aren't
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telling you that we're seeing with these drugs.
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And so, what's really happening number one is people are losing muscle instead of fat.
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Yes, there is weight loss, but a lot of that weight is lean body tissue.
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And so when you drastically cut calories or suppress your appetite, your body doesn't just
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burn fat.
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It breaks down lean muscle too.
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And so, was a 2023 study published in JAMA that found up to 40% of the weight lost on
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semaglutide was lean body mass.
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That is dangerously high to lose that much muscle, Especially when your body starts
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catabolizing that muscle can lead to liver issues as well.
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And so you know why does that matter?
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Because we both know this, we harp on this all the time, your muscle is your metabolism.
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If you lose it, and you slow your burn rate long term, you're going to end up with that,
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you know, that skinny fat look that everyone's kind of seeing is happening with these drugs.
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So like yes, the number on the scale went down fantastic, but your body is actually more
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fragile and less healthy and your metabolism is probably going to be much slower and more
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impacted because of that.
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And so again, now getting into the second thing on the list here slowed metabolism.
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These GLP-one agonists slow gastric emptying.
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So that means like your digestive speed really, and it reduces the appetite to where people are
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going to under eat a lot, sometimes even for like months.
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And so the result is your body is smart your body says okay I'm not getting enough in.
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I need to slow down my burn rate my metabolism to keep what I have so that I don't die right
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our bodies are built for survival.
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And so, when we're taking in less calories over time, that's why you know these dramatic
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calorie restriction diets don't work long term because you're gonna starve your body into a
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state of survival mode, it's gonna just preserve every calorie it gets.
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And so eventually, you can't not eat anything, right?
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You would die.
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And so, you know, it's like putting your body on airplane mode, you're not teaching it to
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regulate, you're just overriding the system.
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The next thing we're seeing with these drugs is gallbladder stress and pancreatitis risk.
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Because your pancreas is what controls that insulin glucagon kind of response and cascade.
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And so there's been multiple case studies linking semaglutide with acute gallbladder
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attacks, as well as pancreatitis.
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Especially when the weight loss is super rapid, right when people are like losing 30 pounds in
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ten days or something crazy like that.
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There was a 2022 meta analysis in the diabetes care journal noted as statistically significant
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increase in gallbladder related adverse events in GLP one users, like a direct correlation to
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it.
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And so, I mean, again, aren't things that are taken lightly.
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This could put you in the hospital or require some type of surgery to pull your gallbladder.
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Your gallbladder, I know a lot of people get them removed but it's actually very important.
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It's necessary for your digestion, your body's detoxification, a lot of systems in the body.
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The next thing that happens is people often get as you said that rebound weight gain.
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So, know, most people are gonna lose a ton of weight, but they really haven't changed their
00:12:52
lifestyle.
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They haven't modified anything that they do on a regular basis.
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So as soon as they get off the drug, they're still doing what they did that got them there
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in the first place, that weight just comes right back because they haven't changed any of
00:13:03
their habits or routines.
00:13:05
And so there was a 2022 follow-up study in the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that
00:13:11
participants regained two thirds of their lost weight within a year.
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So it's almost like what was the point, right?
00:13:17
Like they just bounced right back to almost exactly where they were even after
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discontinuing the drug.
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There's psychological dependence that comes from this.
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People, you know, start to believe like, I just I need this.
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Like I need to stay on this or else I'm not able to eat right, I'm not able to, you know,
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this is the only thing that's ever worked for me, and they get hooked on it.
00:13:38
It's like a almost like an addiction to the feeling.
00:13:41
And it's a problem because this is lack of control, right?
00:13:45
People are so out of control with being able to manage what they're putting into their body and
00:13:49
the amount of movement they're doing, they're relying on these things.
00:13:52
And then the last thing, you know, and not to go unnoticed is malnutrition.
00:13:57
You know, people are eating so much less on these drugs, they're not getting the
00:14:01
micronutrients and the vitamins that they need.
00:14:04
We're seeing depleted B vitamins, low protein intake, so they're not getting those amino
00:14:08
acids for rebuilding and repair.
00:14:11
And you know, again, if they're not consuming enough, you better believe they're gonna be
00:14:17
deficient in a lot of minerals and vitamins.
00:14:19
And so, you know, the way you and I talk about it is like, you can lose weight, but you can
00:14:25
still wreck your health while doing that.
00:14:26
And that's not winning ultimately.
00:14:29
So, again, I think a lot of people listen to the way we speak about these things and maybe
00:14:34
think we're anti medicine.
00:14:35
We're not.
00:14:36
We're just anti medicine in the wrong uses, right?
00:14:40
We're pro integration.
00:14:42
If you're not combining this drug with movement, strength training, nutrient dense
00:14:47
meals, and mindset work, right, controlling where your mindset is, you're setting yourself
00:14:52
up for failure.
00:14:54
So it can be done correctly.
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It's we're just not seeing that very often and done very well right now.
00:15:01
And so, know, let's get into segment three.
00:15:03
I'll let you take this.
00:15:04
But real quick, let's take a word from one of our sponsors.
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Now back to the episode.
00:16:31
And we're back.
00:16:32
So thanks, doctor Lesse for all that.
00:16:35
And I'm gonna build onto that in segment three, right?
00:16:37
And the root cause, behind that obesity and the weight gain element.
00:16:43
This hits home because there's actually been a lot of friends of my wife because this is
00:16:47
predominantly, I think this is coming into the more masculine side of the world and there's
00:16:53
been a driving force behind it because there's so much rapid use within the feminine side,
00:16:58
right?
00:16:58
The females have like really, really expanded, move this drug along.
00:17:04
And now men are also, I want to hop on this gravy train too, right?
00:17:09
But we've got to talk about the reality of the obesity and the weight gain behind it.
00:17:13
Right?
00:17:13
So we've got become so assessed with the shrinking number on the scale, and the
00:17:19
immediacy of that effect.
00:17:21
Right?
00:17:21
So we've stopped asking the right question.
00:17:23
Why is the body gaining and holding on to fat in the first place?
00:17:27
And the real issue isn't a semaglutide deficiency, right?
00:17:32
The issue is that the modern life is metabolically hostile.
00:17:37
We talked about this over and over again, right?
00:17:39
Inflamed cortisol levels, just crazy, erratic hormonal responses to things, right?
00:17:45
And our bodies are doing exactly what they're programmed to do in these stressful, toxic,
00:17:50
nutrient poor environment that we perpetually put them in.
00:17:54
So let's walk through this real root cause we see in in our clinic on an everyday basis.
00:18:02
So number one being insulin resistance.
00:18:05
It's one of the most important things is to be insulin resistance.
00:18:08
Most people are weight loss resistant because their cells are numb to insulin.
00:18:14
This hormone is supposed to help shuttle glucose into the cells.
00:18:20
But when the system is just overwhelmed by sugar, stress, and snacking, it completely
00:18:25
stops working.
00:18:26
So what happens?
00:18:28
Glucose stays in the blood.
00:18:31
The body stores excess fat, and cravings, fatigue, and fatigue increase.
00:18:36
Here, check this out.
00:18:37
A 2021 review in the Lancet noted that insulin resistance is one of the primary metabolic
00:18:43
drivers of modern obesity.
00:18:47
And you know, this is another thing.
00:18:49
You know how you become more insulin resistant?
00:18:52
It's by moving directly after meal.
00:18:55
Moving, doing something in movement, walking, push ups, air squats right after a meal.
00:19:01
Right?
00:19:01
Right after a meal.
00:19:02
Every time every time you have a meal, do something.
00:19:05
Move.
00:19:06
So number two, chronic stress and cortisol dysregulation.
00:19:10
When your body when your body thinks it's under threat, so there's different threats that
00:19:16
you're gonna be perceiving, whether they be, subconscious or conscious.
00:19:21
Right?
00:19:22
Even from an email notification or undereating, it holds on to fat for survival Subconsciously,
00:19:29
you don't even know what's going on.
00:19:31
Right?
00:19:31
Cortisol stress hormone elevates your blood sugar levels, breaks down the muscle tissue,
00:19:36
and tells your body store fat, especially around the belly.
00:19:41
I can even feel it.
00:19:42
So I have a low, low body fat percentage, relatively low, I should say.
00:19:48
So whenever I eat fats, carbohydrates, it actually pumps up my muscles.
00:19:53
Right?
00:19:54
And subconsciously, those carbohydrates and fats are going into my muscles and and almost
00:19:59
swelling them in a way.
00:20:00
All food is meant to inflame the body.
00:20:04
Right?
00:20:04
Then it becomes your body's natural response to insulins to regulate that appropriate.
00:20:09
Right?
00:20:09
So chronic stress equals metabolic slowdown and inflammatory weight gain.
00:20:16
Reality.
00:20:16
So you keep the body in more of a stress state, you will have more weight gain.
00:20:22
You eat and sit down, you will have more weight gain.
00:20:25
Right?
00:20:26
Oh, number three, mitochondrial dysfunction.
00:20:30
So this one's really cool because I'm actually tapping this into a detailed level with a new
00:20:35
peptide that I'm trying out, which is the SS 31, right?
00:20:40
SS 31 or SS 32?
00:20:42
Yeah, that's that's
00:20:42
31.
00:20:43
Right?
00:20:44
So your mitochondria are cellular engines.
00:20:48
So when they're sluggish, your metabolism is too.
00:20:52
What damages mitochondria are a number of things.
00:20:56
Inflammatory foods, environmental toxins, poor sleep, and sedentary lifestyle.
00:21:01
You eat, you sit, that's sedentary.
00:21:04
Right?
00:21:05
So here, when your engines aren't working, taking a car example, your body burns fewer
00:21:12
calories, right?
00:21:13
It's going to burn fewer fuel.
00:21:14
If you're not burning the machine, the car, so you're gonna use less fuel.
00:21:19
Right?
00:21:20
And at rest, during exercise.
00:21:23
You see how that works?
00:21:24
You're gonna maintain fuel.
00:21:25
So and your body converts to storage.
00:21:28
So here's from the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism in 2019 linked
00:21:34
mitochondrial health directly to resting metabolic heart rate and facts on the oxidation
00:21:40
capacities.
00:21:41
We'll dive deeper in that.
00:21:42
Take note.
00:21:43
So number four, hormonal imbalances.
00:21:47
We talked about so much this in prior episodes.
00:21:49
We've really gone in detail.
00:21:51
But this is this is the nuts and bolts, right?
00:21:54
Weight gain isn't always about willpower.
00:21:56
It's about hormones.
00:21:57
That's why we get blood work done.
00:21:59
And everybody that comes in the clinic.
00:22:01
I was talking to a guy the other day.
00:22:02
You just need blood work done.
00:22:03
You need to have an understanding of data in your body.
00:22:05
Do you have a low thyroid?
00:22:06
Well, that's gonna equal low slow metabolism, right?
00:22:10
Estrogen dominance.
00:22:13
It does your test if you're a male or you're female, right?
00:22:16
Do those equate?
00:22:17
Do those level out?
00:22:18
Are you heavier on the testosterone side?
00:22:21
If you're a male, are you heavier on the estrogen side?
00:22:24
If you're a female, right?
00:22:25
Those need to.
00:22:25
And then what is your free free testosterone balance in association to your top line
00:22:29
testosterone or estrogen?
00:22:31
However you measure those.
00:22:32
So bloating, fluid retention and fat storage are in association to excess estrogen dominance
00:22:38
if you're male.
00:22:38
Low testosterone in men or women.
00:22:41
This is a key thing.
00:22:42
Right?
00:22:43
Is women don't realize that testosterone is needed in and there's a balance between the
00:22:49
estrogen and, estrogen and testosterone and vice versa for men.
00:22:53
So you have less of that.
00:22:56
Right?
00:22:56
There's less muscle and more fat.
00:22:58
So if you're a woman, getting maybe a slight pinch, you know, of, controlled, doctor
00:23:07
approved testosterone is a very, very healthy thing.
00:23:10
And your man's gonna thank you for that too.
00:23:12
So PCOS is another factor, right?
00:23:16
It's equals insulin resistance plus hormone chaos.
00:23:19
Right?
00:23:20
At the end of the day, if your hormones are out of sync, your body is not playing fair with
00:23:26
itself.
00:23:27
And that's all subconscious state.
00:23:29
Now we're gonna dive in to a little bit deeper issue.
00:23:34
Again, we've had prior episodes on this, but, what I love about this is this all is regulated
00:23:40
associated to your hormone levels.
00:23:42
What regulates it?
00:23:43
Your sleep.
00:23:45
Circadian rhythm and the disruption and poor sleep is directly related to hormone balance
00:23:50
that you have when you're awake and in your awakened state throughout the day.
00:23:55
So poor sleep wrecks your hunger hormones.
00:23:58
It goes up.
00:23:59
Leptin goes up.
00:24:01
So you can crave you crave carbs and eat more.
00:24:03
Also, take note.
00:24:05
What you introduce first to your body is what you're going to crave through the rest of the
00:24:10
day.
00:24:11
So if you introduce your body to carbs and fats earlier in the day, which I'm not completely
00:24:16
sold on the fats.
00:24:17
Think fats, can be introduced a little bit earlier, just because they have a neurological
00:24:22
component, but mainly carbohydrates, you're likely going to crave those the rest of the
00:24:26
day, right?
00:24:27
So that's why protein is important earlier in the day.
00:24:30
So lack of sleep also spikes cortisol, impairs your glucose metabolism, and lowers insulin
00:24:36
sensitivity.
00:24:37
Here's another study.
00:24:39
We always like adding these in.
00:24:40
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2021 found that just one week sleep deprivation
00:24:47
significantly decreased metabolic rate and increased fat storage pathways.
00:24:52
So it just allowed it, right?
00:24:54
Allowed fat to store because you're not getting the efficient amount of sleep.
00:24:58
This then, and for number six, as we're transitioning, led to toxic burden.
00:25:03
So we see this all the time.
00:25:04
Patients who are doing everything right, but still inflamed, tired and stuck.
00:25:08
I can't sleep well.
00:25:09
I can't do all these things.
00:25:11
Well, hidden toxins are built up, mold, plastic, pesticides, and they disrupt the
00:25:17
endocrine system, which impairs those detox pathways.
00:25:20
Your body naturally wants to detox itself, but you're not letting it, which create low grade
00:25:25
inflammation that blocks the fat cell loss.
00:25:28
So hey, I'm going in, I'm working really hard at the gym, but not seeing the results, right?
00:25:32
Functional medicine calls this toxic bucket.
00:25:35
We test for this on a weekly basis with our patients.
00:25:39
And when it overflows, your metabolism stalls.
00:25:41
So forget it.
00:25:42
Your body's just going to continually store.
00:25:45
So now as we build into it, gut dysbiosis.
00:25:50
And this is the root associated to everything that we talk about and do.
00:25:54
This is why you need to get your blood work done.
00:25:56
Because once you get your blood work done, that it perceives data, and then we can get niche
00:26:00
with what is going on.
00:26:02
Right?
00:26:02
We read your blood work, we get niche.
00:26:04
Hey, this is what you need.
00:26:05
You might have we see leaky gut almost on a daily basis.
00:26:07
Right?
00:26:08
So, the gut dysbiosis, if your microbiome is out of balance, your weight will be too.
00:26:15
Fact.
00:26:16
Absolute fact.
00:26:17
Right?
00:26:18
Certain bacteria extract more calories from food.
00:26:22
So that's why we want healthier gut bacteria, not more unhealthy.
00:26:27
So gut imbalances trigger inflammation, leaky gut, and low microbial diversity is linked to
00:26:35
obesity and insulin resistance.
00:26:37
They've literally done a study in Europe right now where they're doing actually fecal
00:26:41
transplants to change the gut bacteria, and it can be changed in as little as three days.
00:26:48
And in that three day period, you can real with fecal transplants, implant good good gut
00:26:54
bacteria in in a in a foreign gut.
00:26:57
Right?
00:26:57
And it'll start recreating gut, and you'll start losing weight.
00:27:01
Your hormone balances will equate.
00:27:03
Right?
00:27:03
It does come with also some other things.
00:27:06
Right?
00:27:06
You need habits, right?
00:27:09
You need to build in habits because you will then still eat the same things.
00:27:13
But they are doing this in Europe.
00:27:14
They have test trials going on right now.
00:27:15
It's really, really cool.
00:27:16
Check it out.
00:27:18
So fix the gut, reduce the inflammation, improve weight loss regulation.
00:27:25
So it's as simple as that.
00:27:27
Here's my final thought before I check out and get back to Doctor.
00:27:30
Durelesi.
00:27:31
We don't need more suppression.
00:27:33
We need more restoration.
00:27:35
Think of that, right?
00:27:36
Suppressing hunger with a shot doesn't fix insulin resistance.
00:27:40
Well, I mean, technically it does, right?
00:27:42
It it does fix it for a period of time.
00:27:44
What comes in after that, though, is it doesn't clear the toxins or reset the hormones and
00:27:49
really heal your gut for the long term.
00:27:52
You want the long term.
00:27:54
You don't want to be out of shot forever.
00:27:55
And it doesn't it just silences your body signals without solving the real root cause.
00:28:02
So sustainable weight loss stems from metabolic healing, not just caloric restriction.
00:28:08
Yeah, that's so true, man.
00:28:10
And literally all seven of the things you touched on in that in that piece, There's an
00:28:16
episode for that we've done so if listeners want to go back and really kind of get more
00:28:21
knowledge on each of those right like you give a snapshot of them and now go back and listen
00:28:25
to a prior episode on gut dysbiosis toxins, you know, the circadian rhythm hormones,
00:28:30
mitochondria, we've done an episode and all of it.
00:28:32
So, you know, really kind of builds the picture there.
00:28:35
The other thing you said was, you know, the shot isn't the fix because, yeah, it'll make
00:28:40
you lose weight.
00:28:41
But if the reason you're losing weight is because of a dyspatic gut or your habits are
00:28:46
off or hormones, the shots not meant to fix that right?
00:28:50
It's meant to just suppress your appetite so you eat less calories in calories out you're
00:28:54
taking in less calories.
00:28:55
Yeah, you're going to lose weight.
00:28:56
Is that healthy weight loss?
00:28:58
More often than not, it is not.
00:29:00
So, we're seeing a lot of muscle loss like we talked about.
00:29:03
So, realistically, you know, like what is the alternative because everyone's looking for the
00:29:09
shortcut.
00:29:09
Everybody wants the magic bullet, the quick fix.
00:29:12
I'll be honest, I sometimes do as well.
00:29:15
Right?
00:29:15
But what we do at Alessi functional health is what we call metabolic reeducation.
00:29:20
So we're not just trying to silence the appetite.
00:29:23
We're trying to teach your body how to burn fat again.
00:29:26
We don't, we don't rent your metabolism.
00:29:29
We rebuild it from the inside out, right?
00:29:31
And so, let's do this man.
00:29:33
Let's just break down kind of our functional medicine blueprint, blueprint for how we get
00:29:38
real weight loss goals that last I think that's the biggest piece right is like anyone can lose
00:29:43
weight anyone can get out of pain right that's easy.
00:29:46
It's keeping those results that separate us from other practitioners because we've got
00:29:51
these systems in place that again, it's education for our patients that make it to
00:29:56
where they just need to maintain afterwards.
00:29:59
So, you know, step one, like you mentioned, advanced testing, right?
00:30:04
You have to know before you go.
00:30:06
What gets measured gets managed realistically.
00:30:08
And so before we ever build any kind of plan or claim to be you know, be able to help someone,
00:30:13
we have to have it.
00:30:14
We have to have an answer.
00:30:15
Have to know what's going on.
00:30:16
So, some of the big things we're going to look at is that fasting insulin that's more
00:30:20
predictive than glucose.
00:30:22
We're going to look at cortisol patterns and a daily adrenal stress test that tests cortisol
00:30:28
four times throughout the day to see really what is that cadence.
00:30:31
A thyroid and sex hormone panel, toxic load, kind of what you mentioned, right?
00:30:36
Looking for things like mold, BPAs, heavy metals.
00:30:39
And then one of the biggest ones is going to be like a microbiome and gut test where we can
00:30:43
look into the stool and see what levels of good, bad, you know, beneficial dysbiotic
00:30:49
bacteria there might be.
00:30:51
And there was a 2022 review in obesity reviews that confirmed that individualized biomarker
00:30:58
driven protocols led to more sustainable weight loss outcomes than just generic calorie
00:31:04
counting.
00:31:05
We know that just counting calories can eventually hit a plateau, right?
00:31:09
If you're just maintaining under calories forever, it's not sustainable.
00:31:13
And so it's all about like fueling your body and then using those calories as fuel to then
00:31:18
achieve said outcome.
00:31:20
So, personalized nutrition, that's the next piece of what we do.
00:31:23
Because it's not about restriction, it's about optimizing your nutrition.
00:31:27
We help guide patients with high protein diets.
00:31:30
That's gonna preserve muscle mass, boost your thermogenic ability, your metabolism.
00:31:36
Blood sugar stabilizing meals, incorporating fiber, fats and protein.
00:31:41
And then obviously anti inflammatory foods, getting rid of the seed oils, getting rid of
00:31:45
the processed carbohydrates, the triggers, right?
00:31:48
We do food sensitivity testing to see if someone has triggers like dairy, gluten, maybe
00:31:54
certain types of vegetables that could be triggering them that they don't know.
00:31:57
And so it's not just eat less, move more, it's fuel more, right?
00:32:02
And strategically as well.
00:32:04
The next piece is something that we everyone, everyone gets coaching on this is strategic
00:32:09
movement, right?
00:32:10
And so it's all about like focusing on metabolically intelligent exercises.
00:32:15
That zone two cardio that you always love to talk about, right?
00:32:18
Enhances fat oxidation, mitochondrial function, and then resistance training.
00:32:23
Everyone needs to be resistance training to build lean mass, which will improve your
00:32:27
insulin sensitivity.
00:32:28
Your body will be more responsive to using the insulin.
00:32:31
Muscle is medicine and according to the Journal of Applied Physiology, muscle mass is a major
00:32:37
predictor of metabolic rate and glucose control.
00:32:40
It's just proven.
00:32:41
And so if you're not working out, but you're planning to just take a semaglutide or GLP-one
00:32:46
agonist, your body's not going to be metabolically active as soon as you stop that
00:32:51
drug, it doesn't know what to do.
00:32:53
The next thing is using, you know, micro supplementation for the mitochondrial and
00:32:58
cellular support on the cellular level.
00:33:01
Because you mentioned it if the mitochondria is not working, neither is your metabolism.
00:33:05
Those are the engines, those are the fuel cells.
00:33:07
And so we use specific supplements and protocols, things like CoQ10, PQQ, Acetyl L
00:33:14
Carnitine, which helps like transport fat.
00:33:17
Alpha lipoic acid makes your body more insulin sensitive.
00:33:21
And again, they're not fat burners.
00:33:22
I know that's like a buzzword people are gonna go buy a fat burner on Amazon.
00:33:27
These are cellular repair tools.
00:33:28
Again, getting to the bottom of it, like what is the actual problem?
00:33:32
And then gut restoration, liver detox.
00:33:36
So chronic inflammation and poor detoxification will stall your fat loss.
00:33:41
So, I always tell patients this when weight loss is a goal.
00:33:44
I say, hey, if your body's not healthy, it's not prioritizing losing weight.
00:33:48
So, could be trying to do all these things to lose weight.
00:33:50
Your body is just trying to keep the lights on because there's some kind of fire that's that's
00:33:54
going on that it's just trying to manage.
00:33:57
I think an analogy I use which actually kind of made me and the patient both laugh.
00:34:00
Was like, I was like, imagine if you had a house that was on fire.
00:34:04
Is your priority to repaint the walls of that house?
00:34:06
No, it's not.
00:34:07
It is to put out that freaking fire because if that fire is going then what purpose is it to
00:34:12
make the house look nice, right?
00:34:14
So, we use you know, we address obviously dysbiosis and leaky gut and then we're going to
00:34:20
do specific detoxification protocols where we use enzymes, probiotics, repair nutrients for
00:34:26
the gut.
00:34:28
Now getting into more of the cooler things we do when needed, peptide therapy.
00:34:32
You know, again, peptides are not a silver bullet, but they can be a powerful accelerator
00:34:37
when used correctly.
00:34:39
And so you have to work on the foundation first, but then we can get into some really,
00:34:43
really cool niche things with these peptides.
00:34:46
Things like CJC and ipamorelin, which you and I have both used.
00:34:50
These are going to stimulate that natural growth hormone like release for fat loss,
00:34:55
muscle maintenance and recovery.
00:34:57
MOTS C is a mitochondrial peptide that improves your glucose utilization and stamina.
00:35:02
And then the five amino one MQ actually inhibits fat accumulation and increases your
00:35:08
energy output.
00:35:09
Cool thing about that one is that one can be actually be taken orally.
00:35:12
So, a lot most peptides are going to work best with an injectable, but the five amino can
00:35:18
actually be taken orally and so some patients are gonna have more follow through with that.
00:35:24
And again, we pair peptides with lifestyle, not instead of it, right?
00:35:28
Everything.
00:35:28
It's not to overdo your life.
00:35:32
It's like it's a.
00:35:34
It's an add on, right?
00:35:35
It's a supplement.
00:35:36
And so then, you know, one of the last things we're going to talk about is really the nervous
00:35:40
system support.
00:35:41
And so, we talked about this in a previous episode about the vagus nerve and how important
00:35:45
that is for regulation of the nervous system.
00:35:47
Because if you're dysregulated, you're in that survival fight or flight mode, your body's
00:35:51
going to just store as much energy as it can, it's going to say hey I need this in case of,
00:35:56
you know, something happens and I need that energy right away I'm just going to store this
00:35:59
I'm going to bank this for later.
00:36:01
So, we monitor HRV, heart rate variability, vagal tone, and then utilizing hacks like
00:36:08
breath work, cold exposure, sleep optimization, exercise, obviously, and all these things to
00:36:14
help calm the nervous system so that the metabolism can function again.
00:36:18
And so, know, all of that put together really is what we call our total care approach.
00:36:23
The reason we came up with that name is because it encompasses everything.
00:36:26
The testing, the lifestyle factors, the movement, the supplementation, the nutrition,
00:36:31
like all of it, right?
00:36:32
The nervous system.
00:36:33
And so, our total care program isn't just a hack.
00:36:36
It's not about hacking your biology.
00:36:38
It's not a bio hacking thing.
00:36:40
It's about root cause healing, lifestyle reprogramming with science back support from
00:36:45
our doctors and from our team.
00:36:47
And our team is I mean next level good.
00:36:49
So, you know, the takeaway here is we'd rather help you rebuild a fat burning rich body than
00:36:56
rent out your metabolism from big pharma for a thousand bucks a month.
00:37:00
That was a great quote.
00:37:02
And so, know, if you're thinking about trying Ozempic or if you've tried it and you're
00:37:07
frustrated with it, just know that you know, your body deserves more than symptom
00:37:12
suppression.
00:37:12
It deserves to just be healthy.
00:37:14
And so, rather than try to override the system, let's fix the root and not just flatten the
00:37:20
curve.
00:37:22
So to learn more about how we help diagnose, reverse and heal chronic disease within our
00:37:27
functional medicine programs and Alessi Total Care, go to alessifunctionalhealth.com,
00:37:33
schedule a consultation with me or one of our other providers and let's create a personalized
00:37:38
plan for lifelong health.
00:37:40
You can go to our resources page and click on the quizzes link to take a quiz specific to
00:37:44
your symptoms and see if this is something you could benefit from.
00:37:48
Listeners of the Health Decoded podcast always get exclusive discounts and price reductions on
00:37:53
our protocols and our lab tests, so be sure to mention where you heard us.
00:37:57
And as always, if you found value in today's show, please like, subscribe, and share this
00:38:03
episode with someone that needs to hear it.
00:38:05
That's how we're gonna get this message out and change more lives, and wanna get in touch with
00:38:10
us and be featured maybe on an episode, email us questions, at ask@AlessiFXHealth.com.
00:38:19
And you can visit our website at alessifxhealth.com.
00:38:22
You sign up for our newsletter.
00:38:23
Check out our resources page to learn more about our approach to nutrition and other
00:38:28
cutting edge therapies.
00:38:30
And thank you again for tuning in to Health Decoded, where we break down the science, bust
00:38:34
the myths, and help you take control of your health naturally.
00:38:38
Till next time.
00:38:39
I'm doctor Alessi, and we will see you on the next episode.
00:38:42
Thank
00:38:43
you for tuning in to Health Decoded, where we break down the truth about all things health
00:38:48
and empower you to take charge of your well-being.
00:38:51
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00:38:58
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00:39:04
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00:39:06
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00:39:12
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00:39:17
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00:39:18
Stay curious, stay empowered, and remember, your health is in your hands.