Bulk-billing rates for general practitioners are at an all-time high of 81.2 per cent. So let’s explore the very real case of Melanie, a 42-year-old accounts executive, who, in the past four years, consulted four general practitioners and three specialists, racking up thousands of dollars worth of blood tests and consultation fees, all of which were bulk billed, with little change in her health status.
Melanie was suffering from debilitating fatigue. She had gained 10kg of weight over the past two years, endured intermittent insomnia and was anxious, agitated and depressed. She had a compromised digestive process and she had to put up with bloating, indigestion and gas without much relief from the medications the doctors had prescribed. She was also plagued by lower-back pain for which she took anti-inflammatories and painkillers.
The blood tests Melanie had already had showed her blood sugar was high and her kidneys were starting to malfunction — which surprised her, as she had no recollection of any doctor ever mentioning this. We carried out a two-hour blood sugar metabolism test to identify how inefficient she was at utilising glucose, or sugar, the body’s prime source of energy. The hormone insulin facilitates the entry of glucose into cells, where it’s used to generate energy. When insulin stops functioning adequately, the passage of glucose into cells hits a serious roadblock and fat burning, an alternate source of energy, slows down.
Aside from weight gain making it more difficult for insulin to execute its primary function, there are essential nutrients and hormones that partner with insulin to allow it to do its thing. In women, thyroid hormones, vitamin D, melatonin, oestrogen and just the right amount of cortisol are all insulin activators. These are the same in men except for oestrogen, which is replaced by testosterone, the male hormone also lending a helping hand to insulin. There’s also a host of nutrients that are co-pilots with insulin, including the B vitamins as well as the minerals iodine, zinc, iron, magnesium and calcium.
Melanie’s tests revealed she had very poor glucose utilisation and was looking at developing diabetes. Her cortisol levels were completely out of balance. During the day, she was producing low levels of cortisol, the hormone the body needs to generate energy and a level-headed emotional state, while at night her cortisol production was skyrocketing. Excessive cortisol at night can actually interfere with the production of melatonin, a hormone that not only controls our sleep/wake cycle but also has powerful antioxidant properties and helps insulin to work better.
The body undergoes essential recuperative and regenerative processes while we sleep. Producing too much cortisol interferes with this vital process and the brain’s memory centres undergo a fair amount of collateral damage at the same time, sowing the seeds for the development of Alzheimer’s dementia. Cortisol allows insulin to function but too much of it does the opposite.
That Melanie was producing low amounts of cortisol during the day would have contributed to her agitation and her anxiety and made her eat more. At night, the high cortisol levels would have played havoc with her sleep patterns. Rather than do a blood test, a much better way to get an idea of how much cortisol the body is making at different times of the day is to measure cortisol production via a salivary assay. Not many doctors know about this.
Melanie’s thyroid hormone, vitamin D, melatonin and oestrogen levels were all low, which would have contributed to the ordeal insulin was having getting glucose into her cells. Also, the B vitamins, iodine, zinc, magnesium, calcium and iron she needed for insulin function were in insufficient amounts. Aside from the weight she’d gained, which would have stymied insulin’s capabilities, all the vital hormones and nutrients she needed had gone AWOL.
I gave her phosphatidylserine at night, a substance derived from soy that diminishes the formation of cortisol. She also started taking Memozeal, a product which is designed to invigorate adrenal function and the provision of cortisol while supplementing vitamin B12 — one of her nutrient deficiencies — which enhances energy and mental function as well as delivering alpha-lipoic acid, an antioxidant that assists insulin.
Melanie then avoided yeast and gluten, as her blood test revealed an intolerance to them, and she took a herbal tonic to stimulate the generation of digestive juices, which had dried up. She was also told to reduce her consumption of carbohydrates, replacing them with protein salads and vegies together with low-GI fruits. She took supplementary iodine to prop up her thyroid function, as well as zinc, magnesium, calcium and iron, her mineral deficiencies, which would all re-energise insulin’s flagging fortunes.
After adhering to this program with a reasonable level of religious devotion for 10 weeks, Melanie’s results rewarded her commitment. She managed to lose 8kg, her energy increased dramatically and her emotional torpor moved from flatlining to renewed enthusiasm. She was no longer bloated, her blood glucose levels were once again within normal range with the resurrection of insulin and her sleeping patterns were enjoying a much smoother ride. All without recourse to medications, plus she now has a template that can serve her for the rest of her life.
This program would reduce the health budget considerably if only other doctors adopted these principles. You could bet your annual subscription to WellBeing on the chances of this happening.
Dr Michael Elstein is a Sydney-based anti-ageing physician and writer. He is the author of two books “Eternal Health:The Comprehensive Guide to Anti-Ageing for the New Millennium” and “You Have the Power: Why didn’t my doctor tell me about this?”
