Case Study: Tired and Overweight

Recently I had the pleasure to meet an interesting 63 year old lady who came to see me complaining of extreme fatigue and increasing weight gain. Not surprisingly all the joints in her lower limbs were aching because of the extra weight she was carrying. Her liver enzymes were elevated and this was due to her diagnosed fatty liver. She was 5 foot 3 inches tall and weighed 290 pounds and her blood pressure was 170/100.

When I reviewed her long list of prescribed medications I was shocked. Her poor liver had a great deal of work to do in breaking down these drugs.

Her list of medications included

• Two different types of diabetic tablets to lower her blood sugar
• Two different anti-hypertensive medications to lower her blood pressure
• Cholesterol lowering drugs to lower her high cholesterol and triglycerides
• Anti-inflammatory drugs and pain killers to reduce arthritic pain
• Anti-depressants to numb her suffering
• Diuretics to reduce fluid retention
• A drug to help her bones, as she had been diagnosed with osteoporosis

No wonder she was so tired and overweight! Her liver was working extremely hard to break down all these drugs and this was placing an intolerable load on her liver. Her liver function was hardly normal, as she had a fatty liver, and a lot of her liver cells had been replaced with fat. Her liver was so busy breaking down all these drugs that there was no energy available in her liver for it to perform its normal functions of burning fat and creating energy for her body to function.

I explained to her that we had to reduce the workload of her liver as the number one priority. To achieve this I ceased the following medications

• The cholesterol lowering drugs, as her cholesterol was quite low and statin drugs can be toxic to the liver
• The diuretic drugs, as these were of the type called thiazide diuretics, which can worsen diabetes
• The anti-inflammatory drugs, as these can be liver toxic
• The anti-depressants because these were not really working and I wanted to use natural anti-depressant supplements instead.

I commenced a program of nutritional medicine to control her symptoms and help her to lose weight. This consisted of

• Magnesium Ultra Potent powder, 1 teaspoon daily, to improve blood sugar control and reduce stress
• Vitamin K – 1 capsule daily with food – this would help to strengthen her bones by assisting calcium transport into the bones. It also helps to discourage calcium deposition in the arteries, helping to keep the arteries soft and flexible.
• Livatone Plus to support liver function and fat burning
•  N-Acetyl-Cysteine to boost antioxidant and repair functions in the body, as it is a precursor to glutathione.
• Selenomune 200mcg daily to improve liver and immune function
• Glicemic Balance – one capsule with every meal to support stable blood sugar control and reduce cravings for high carbohydrate foods

This woman had no idea at all when it came to the correct diet to control her weight and diabetes and indeed she had been told to eat far too much carbohydrate. I explained to her that she did not need much dietary carbohydrate at all because she was unable to exercise because of her joint pain and excess weight. I started her on a grain free and sugar free diet and she was happy to try this as she was desperate to get some energy.

My recommended eating plan

• Breakfast

2 eggs, scrambled with grilled tomatoes and mushrooms
or
Protein powder smoothie, made with diluted coconut milk, fresh passionfruit or berries in a blender and a scoop of protein powder

• Lunch

Raw mixed vegetable salad with lean meat or poultry
Or
Lamb and vegetable soup

• Dinner

Cooked vegetables and steak or fish or poultry and a salad

• Beverages

Water, tea, coffee and raw vegetable juices. Sugar was not allowed to sweeten the drinks and instead she was to use the alternative natural sweetener, such as stevia.

I gave her an exercise program to follow at the local heated swimming pool where she was to walk up and down in the water and also use a kick board to do several laps of the pool – she was to slowly build up this exercise as her fitness level improved.

I am pleased to report that this middle aged woman is progressing very well – she has lost 30 pounds of weight over 8 weeks time and she has 50% more energy. Her blood pressure and blood sugar have improved and she now only needs to take one, instead of two, diabetic medications.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.