People do not lose weight with diets, exercise or generic supplements because weight is controlled by appetite centers in the brain.  Unless the appetite centers are under control, many people cannot reduce food portions or calories to lose pounds.  Weight goes up and down with fad diets – you lose some pounds but you ultimately regain them because of excessive hunger, cravings or appetite.

An important step in weight loss is controlling appetite while reducing calories.  We’ve discovered the brain’s appetite centers are controlled by the neurotransmitters serotonin, norepinephrine and others.   When serotonin or norepinephrine are too low, you get hunger or cravings, especially for “comfort” or junk foods that increase weight.

A major solution to weight loss is using specific vitamin supplements to boost serotonin and norepinephrine without drug side effects.  This is because drugs that boost neurotransmitters suppress appetite for a while to lose weight but may cause problems by raising or depleting other neurotransmitters.  

Phen-phen boosts serotonin and suppresses appetite but weight loss stops after 10-15 pounds, probably because phen-phen increases epinephrine (adrenaline) which can damage the nervous system or heart. People lost weight initially on phen-phen, then experienced anxiety, insomnia or jitteriness. Newer weight loss drugs do the same thing.  Meridia boosts serotonin initially for an average weight loss of10 pounds but increases blood pressure and heart disease risks, probably because it increases epinephrine.  New appetitie suppressant drugs are poised for release for an average weight loss of 10 pounds, but patients developed anxiety and suicidal depression, probably because the drug depletes dopamine.

This may happen if you use supplements without training.  Stimulants, plain tyrosine, 5 HTP, “cortisol” suppressants and other supplements might work initially but ultimately fail to keep pounds off or subtly cause other problems because they deplete neurotransmitters.

It requires extensive training and experience to manage weight loss supplements or drugs.  We have developed a program in which every patient is losing weight, provided they are following the steps.  There are a number of steps, but the basic one is taking very specific supplements to safely regulate serotonin and norepinephrine to control appetite so you can lose weight without undue hunger, cravings or excessive appetite.

One of my patients had chronic back pain, knee arthritis, pre-diabetes and high blood pressure.  After suffering clots in his leg and lungs, he committed to our weight loss program.  So far, he is down 35 pounds in 5 months without cravings, munchies or hunger.  His energy returned, back and knee pain went away, blood pressure is going so low we are cutting back on his drugs and he is reversing the major cause of his blood clots: excessive fat cells, high insulin and glucose.  

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David Overton, PA-C works at Natural Medicines & Family Practice integrating conventional and alternative methods under the supervision of Dr. Richard Faiola, MD, ABFM at 360-357-8054