Our capacity for dealing with our emotions has limits. If we exceed those limits, our body breaks down and we become ill. No matter how our emotions play out, we have only two little glands to fight for us: the adrenal glands. In periods of physical and mental stress -- a divorce, drug addiction, low-calorie dieting, an eating disorder, a major illness or injury -- we can go into adrenal overdrive. Our adrenals get stuck on the “on” position, pushing our whole system into chronic “fight or flight” mode. The chemicals the adrenals release to accomplish this are adrenaline and cortisol.

How Cortisol Affects Weight Loss

• Cortisol increases insulin levels.
• Increased insulin levels cause the production of bad eicosanoids, which slow or inhibit the burning of body fat.
• Cortisol causes elevated blood sugar, which triggers the release of insulin, causing the body to store fat.
• Cortisol can increase the body’s tendency to burn protein rather than fat.
• Cortisol tells your body to make more NPY and may indirectly slow down your metabolic rate.
• When the hypothalamus senses famine, it produces extra NPY to encourage you to eat carbohydrates, which causes elevated insulin.
• If you suppress the NPY signal, the hypothalamus releases galanin, which causes you to eat fat and convert that fat to body fat.

How Adrenaline Affects Weight Loss

• Adrenaline decreases the activity of the enzyme that makes GLA.
• Decreased GLA affects the production of good eicosanoids.
• Eicosanoids are a class of hormones that can be thought of as the master control panel for all the body’s functions.
• When your body is making good eicosanoids, fat can be released faster.
• Adrenaline causes a tendency for the body to retain fluids, adding to increased body weight.
• Stress also produces increased levels of galanin. As a result, you develop a craving for carbohydrates and fats.

We have an enormous amount of influence over the health and function of our body. The body is remarkably responsive to what we eat, what we think, and what we use for supplementation.  That is why this class can be an important piece of the puzzle for many of our clients. Their emotions are often an unseen influence that affects them unconsciously. This class allows clients to become more conscious and aware of these emotions, and allows them to constructively transform the emotions into positive opportunities for growth and learning.