I recently had the exhausting and frustrating experience of wasting nearly an entire weekend trying to get a pool set up for the kids. Anyone I have ever known that has owned a pool always emphatically told me “don’t ever get a swimming pool!”. Well, I always assumed they meant a high maintenance in-ground concrete pool with the large pump and filtration system, not a fourteen foot wide and four foot tall plastic Intex pool which I purchased a few years back. I had stored it away for the winter and apparently the field mice thought it would be a tasty treat and chewed a dozen or so holes in the lining.

At this point most of you are thinking “why didn’t you just chunk it and buy a new one?” Answer: I’m stubborn, sometimes to my own detriment. I figured I could just go down to the store and buy some little patches and my kids would be frolicking in the sun in no time. After several rounds of emptying the pool then patching and refilling only to find continued leaks…and 36 hrs later, I gave up. So this lead me to wonder how much time we all waste “spinning our wheels” when the true objective can be achieved so much easier.

Consider weight loss for example. Most of us spend more time worrying about NOT losing weight, doing the wrong exercises, eating the wrong foods, using the wrong measurement tools (the weight scale), seeing the wrong doctors, and so on and so on…Weight loss is complex biochemically but it can be simple with the right team on your side. It really comes down to several key hormones and how we can trigger them to move either up or down for optimal weight loss. Thyroid, Cortisol, Insulin easy as 1,2,3 right? Well, with a little guidance it is easiER…not necessarily EASY. Nothing worth having is necessarily easy is it?

Thyroid is your metabolic set point. Most of us have had a thyroid check at our doctors office and told it was “normal”. Well any more “normal” is 20-30 pounds overweight. I don’t think I like normal. How about optimal? Well the research is very clear on this…optimizing thyroid helps not only with weight loss, but with overall health and risk for disease. At The Lamkin Clinic, we help our patients eliminate what may be causing sluggish thyroid and if needed can help optimize levels using proven protocols for thyroid optimization.

Cortisol is a stress hormone that when activated raises blood sugar, breaks down muscle, and interferes with sleep. None of that is good if one is trying to be healthy, much less lose those extra pounds.

Insulin is the hidden hormone no one knows about. Most people think Diabetes when an issue with insulin is brought up. The reality, half of us are walking around with undetected insulin resistance that not only may eventually lead to Diabetes, but is preventing you from losing the weight and will lead to weight gain over time.

So the perfect hormonal cocktail for weight gain is low thyroid, high cortisol and high insulin. Let’s serve ourselves a different drink!

Here at The Lamkin Clinic, our goal is to help you optimize your health, not just achieve some weight goal. Fortunately, the body is so intricately designed that when hormonal balance is achieved, weight loss often follows if you are doing the other things like exercise and eating right.

Otherwise, we’re all just spinning our wheels

Warm Regards,

Brian E. Lamkin D.O.