Transcript
Speaker: Welcome to The Bean Talk with me, Rhiannon, your fertility fairy godmother, joined by my trusted partner in life and in the mission of Mungbean Health, Jeremy. Here at Mungbean Health, we're on a mission to unlock the secrets of fertility and natural wellbeing one episode at time.
Speaker: Hello and welcome back to another episode of The Bean Talk with Rhiannon and Jeremy. Hi guys and welcome back.
Speaker: We are back from Queensland not so long ago, maybe a month ago, do you reckon? Yeah. And we were up there for this really good work. Symposium. Symposium. One of our amazing suppliers,
Speaker: or one of the most amazing manufacturers of herbs has put on and we go there and like learn more about the up-to-date research about everything to do with herbs and naturopathy and new products and new new research yep even medications and things like that so i want to talk a little bit more about that today but let's start with little bean big bean first we what is the little bean big bean i feel like we have so many big things in the works right now we've been very consistent with our exercise yeah which is great we have been very consistent with our growers market and our veggie challenge veggie of the week radish you actually need do your thing with that radishes jeremy pickles them really good delicious so we're gonna do that what like i feel like we've just been consistent i'd say product
Speaker: No, our new product, which should be out right now by the time you hear this. That is like the biggest of all beans, apart from our other products we've already got. Nourish Amiga. So good. So amazing. good quality fish oil.
Speaker: It's so good for so many things, right? That is like we're just waiting on its arrival right now when we're recording this. so I feel like that's just like all consumed us. Just like waiting for it to arrive so we can actually get it in our hands and us start taking it really. So yes, that's exciting.
Speaker: That's our biggest of all beans. We've actually sold out of our water bottles, guys, which is amazing. They're so popular. You guys love them. And rightly so. Glass. Get rid of your plastic, get rid of your metal, use glass. I know it's more fragile because it's obviously glass, but take good care and it will take care of you and your health. so We have, I think that's pretty much it for Big Bean, Little Bean. But yeah, obviously we went away. It's a big trip for us, but really important. We always in Mung Bean are wanting to stay ahead everything.
Speaker: all of the research and all of the education. And that's one of the biggest things that we spoke about there was GLP-1s. If you don't know what GLP-1s, it's your Ozempics. It's your Monjaro. Yeah, Monjaro. But it's all about GLP ones and there are some natural things that you can use. So let's talk about that because obviously weight loss is always a hot topic, even for everyone, especially coming out of winter. I feel like going into spring, it's something that people like to talk about. New year, new me, yeah always January. People are looking to lose a couple of those kgs. So love them or hate them.
Speaker: or you might feel a little bit confused by them at this point. GLP-1 medications have become one of the biggest talking points in the health and medicine world over the past few years now.
Speaker: And whether you're considering one yourself, you're already taking one, or simply wondering what all the hype is about, there is a lot to unpack. Let's talk about it. Because while these medications can be incredibly useful tools for some people, There's a much bigger conversation to have around metabolic health, nutrition, digestion, muscle mass, hormones, and what happens when the medication becomes the whole strategy.
Speaker: So today we're looking at GLP-1 medication through a naturopathic lens. What exactly are they doing? Exactly. Why are they so effective for some people? Yeah.
Speaker: What should you be thinking about if you're taking them? Exactly. And perhaps the most importantly, where does naturopathic medicine fit into this picture? Because obviously these are medications, right? And I guess the biggest thing as well that people don't realise, and I guess only time will tell if you're going through pregnancy, or preconception, there is a washout period. You can't just be, obviously sometimes things happen, people fall pregnant. People fall pregnant on very nasty drugs and they're okay and the baby's okay. However, if you've got your options, I feel like a lot of the time people and doctors aren't quite sure. So they're like, oh, just, you know, we'll see, just you could be trying to conceive. But if you're on these medications, you shouldn't be trying to conceive. You need that washout period.
Speaker: And that's the thing with a lot of medications is the long list of side effects. That's right. Quick fixes aren't always the best fix, right? So what exactly is a GLP-1? Let's start with the basics.
Speaker: GLP-1 stands for It's glucagon-like peptide one. And it's actually a hormone that your body produces naturally, which is so cool. I feel like people don't really know that. yeah They think it's just something that you are injecting but or you are injecting it. but It'd be a synthetic form, right, the medication. It wouldn't be a naturally...
Speaker: Sometimes they're derived from natural things. I don't quite know the answer to that question actually. Um, but I, I'm going to assume it's synthetic. It's like the thyroid hormone. You can do bioidentical thyroid hormone and natural thyroid hormone. That's like comes from an animal or you can do the synthetic stuff, obviously way harder to get the natural one, but I don't know about that. I think it's, I think it's synthetic form. I'm like 99% sure it's one of our in Cretan hormones and it's released by specialized cells in the gut, particularly after we eat. Its job is essentially to help the body respond appropriately to food.
Speaker: GLP-1 helps stimulate insulin release release and glucose is present, suppresses glucagon, and slows gastric emptying and sends signals to the brain that contribute to feelings of fullness. And I can never say that word, but you know the one when you feel full?
Speaker: Satiety. Yeah, i know. I don't know why. that's ah That's like, you know how people struggle with like jewelry or orange or they can't spell something? Satiety. I think I've done this so many times in these podcasts as well where I'm like, what is that word?
Speaker: Basically, be satisfied. Yeah, and you feel full. It plays a really important role in regulating appetite and blood glucose. but And there's more to it than just appetite though, right? Absolutely. GLP-1 signaling is involved in a whole range of physiological processes, including glucose regulation, gastrointestinal function, and cardiovascular health.
Speaker: With ongoing research looking at its effects across all areas, including the brain, bone, muscle, and metabolism. That's right, my boy, metabolism. That's why most people are taking it. So when we talk about GLP-1 medications, we're really talking about medications that mimic or enhance a system that already exists in your body. GLP-1 receptors or GLP-1 receptor inhibitors agonists essentially activate the GLP-1 receptor for much longer than our naturally produced GLP-1 does. And that's an important distinction here. Our natural GLP-1 is released in short meal-triggered pulses and is broken down quite quickly, relatively quickly. Some medications, on the other hand, have a much longer duration of action. And in some cases, remaining active for days at a time. That's why they're working so fast for people to shift the weight.
Speaker: And that sustained signaling can have a pretty profound effect on appetite, food intake, and metabolic health as well. So like I take from that is that the body's feeling satisfied. So you're not getting them feelings of hunger and appetite. Yes. and So then you stop eating essentially. Exactly. And that's why there's a big thing where people that have are on Ozempic or whatever, and they're just like going out for dinner, but they can't even eat anything. Damn. They just not, they feel like they don't want anything. There's no want. There's no hunger there. Yeah.
Speaker: So I guess a good question. And a lot of people ask where do naturopaths come in here? And this is where things get really interesting. Because if you're taking a GLP-1 medication or you're considering taking one, we don't see that medication as the entire solution and you shouldn't either. We see it as one tool in the toolkit.
Speaker: In many ways, the real toolkit becomes even more important here. Because if your appetite is significantly reduced, you're eating less food, right?
Speaker: And while that can absolutely be a part of why someone loses their weight, it also means you're potentially getting in less protein, fewer micronutrients, and less overall nutrition because people just aren't eating. And if we're not paying attention to that, we can lose more than just body fat, right?
Speaker: Yeah. We want to be thinking about maintaining muscle mass, supporting metabolic health, maintaining adequate nutrition, and making sure you're actually building habits that can continue beyond the medication. And also, i guess that's such an important note, especially in our clinic where we're supporting fertility patients. Maybe some of them want to lose weight if they've been recommended this medication for their insulin or whatever,
Speaker: You don't want to be losing out on macro, or sorry, micro or macro nutrients before trying to conceive. It's not good. That's the time when you need to get more in. So if you're using a GLP-1, you still need to work on a couple of things, right? Yep. That'd be healthy eating habits, yeah adequate protein and overall nutrition, yeah resistant training and physical activity, yeah metabolic health, yeah correcting nutritional deficiencies,
Speaker: supporting digestive health, looking at the thyroid and reproductive hormones where appropriate, addressing your sleep, stress and recovery. Yep. And understanding the underlying factors that may have contributed to the weight gain in the first place. Exactly, because it's so much more than just losing weight. The medication doesn't make those other things irrelevant, right? If anything, it gives us an opportunity to work on them while the medication is helping with the appetite and metabolic regulation. And that's why we think support before, during, and after the medication can be so valuable to your health. Because after all, you're on them to try and get healthier, right? Mm-hmm, yep.
Speaker: So what should we actually be looking at? Well, when we're working with someone around weight management in clinic, we're not just looking at the number on the scales. We're also asking like, why is this happening?
Speaker: What's happening with blood glucose? What's happening with thyroid function? Are there any hormonal factors involved? What's happening with digestion and gut? What does the liver look like? What's their health look like with their liver? What are cholesterol and cardiovascular markers doing? Are there any nutritional deficiencies? We obviously ask a lot of questions. Also, what about stress and adrenal signaling?
Speaker: And depending on the individual, there may be a range of markers and functional considerations that give us much more information about stress. the bigger picture. And more importantly, those questions don't disappear just because someone starts a GLP-1 medication. It's actually an unhealthy way to do the medication if you forget about everything else. So in fact, these are arguably even more important because if we're changing appetite and food intake dramatically, and it usually is very dramatic, we want to make sure that we're supporting the rest of the system at the same time so you don't just fall in a heap of
Speaker: at the end of it and you're like okay i'm done with the medication now you put on all the weight your bones are brittle like you you're struggling because you haven't had enough nutrients everything's falling apart your hair's falling out like we obviously want to avoid that happening supporting the body while taking an incretin medication so what does that actually look like in our practice Well, this is where personalized naturopathic support comes in so handy.
Speaker: We might be looking at digestive function, making sure the gastrointestinal system is coping with the changes, like gastric emptying and appetite, because people get very constipated, super nauseous as well. We often are supporting the overall gut barrier and overall digestive health. Because of this, we are often looking at blood glucose regulation and metabolic health. And we might be paying close attention to nutrient intake. I say might, but we definitely are, particularly when overall food intake has decreased. That's a huge part of it. We might also be looking at liver and gallbladder health and they're sort of what they're doing. We may also be supporting energy and stress resilience and sleep.
Speaker: Again, all very individualized. And one area we think deserves a huge amount of attention is muscle and bone health. Huge. Because weight loss isn't automatically synonymous with healthy fat loss.
Speaker: We want to protect lean mass. That's why protein and resistant training are such a big part of this conversation. If someone is losing weight, but also losing significant amounts of muscle, that can have implications for strength, metabolic rate, physical function, and long-term weight maintenance. Exactly. So the goal isn't simply how quickly can we make the number on the scales go down? It's how do we improve this person's metabolic and physical health while they lose weight? And that's a very different question, right?
Speaker: And then there's the question of coming off the medication. Which is a big one. And one thing that people are not talking about, everyone's just getting on it. yeah This is another part of the conversation that it definitely doesn't get enough attention and we need to talk about is what happens when the medication stops because it has to stop at some point, right?
Speaker: Yeah. For many people, appetite can increase again after stopping treatment and weight loss regains. So common. Sometimes you'll gain more like many other weight loss medications, right? That doesn't mean that the medication has failed you. It means that we need to recognize that appetite regulation and body weight are influenced by complex biological systems, not just the medication. And no, one magic silver bullet like doesn't fix it all, right? Unfortunately. Yeah, everyone's looking for the know the one one thing. If I just do this, it's like it's a whole. But it's like, like, again, that is just the tool to help you reduce the weight and suppress appetite. But then it's like you need to do all them other things like regular exercise, change your diet, because when you come off it, you want to make sure that you've done that groundwork to keep it off. Amen, sister. Yeah. I, the most thing, most common thing that we've seen in clinic or that I've seen in clinic is that people will get on it.
Speaker: And this is with other medications as well, get on it. And then they'll end up coming off for whatever reason and they'll start to gain the weight back and the appetite will come back. However, when you're working with them, I guess the most important thing that we need to do is fix those issues in the background so that then when they do come off it, which I've actually got one client on it at the moment, and she has like lost a lot of weight, which is amazing because she does want to conceive and her insulin was really high. So it's very much suited to her. Perfect person. We need to do a bit of a washout period for a couple of months before trying again, but her insulin was definitely standing in the way. Is fixing those background problems as well, like the insulin, and her diet and all the things. But I feel like then once she comes off it, the best way that I like using it and with my girls in clinic as well is that you use it as a Band-Aid approach, right? So it's like maybe you've gotten to a place where you're super overweight.
Speaker: You don't like it. You're not comfortable. You don't want to be there. You really want to lose weight, but nothing budges. You use the medication for good reason at a lower dose while doing all this other stuff in the background. Then you come off it, but you've already fixed all that other stuff in the background And if we can work with our clients for at least three months before to see if we can get that natural support happening before is key.
Speaker: Sometimes it's just that little last nail on the head. And sometimes people really struggle with like reducing their portion sizes, changing their diet, because it is a big thing. yeah And they just, for some reason, it could be like emotional eating and they just can't.
Speaker: lose the weight so something like this is like okay they'll start to lose the weight they'll start to feel better they'll be like oh my joints aren't hurting oh i feel so much better when i get up in the morning i'm not as tired i'm sleeping better and then it's like okay that's perfect we've used it in that band-aid way not as like a long-term solution Yeah, and I think people jumping on it don't actually think of the end result. They just think, yep, I've done this and I want to stay on it forever. But in the end of the day, it's a medication with a long list of side effects. I know. And it's also they'll think like, I saw my girlfriend get on this. She had great. But then sometimes people are getting on it not having those results because it's not, you know, everyone's so different it's coming from a different reason. Yours could have been hormonal weight loss and theirs could have been insulin. You're both going to respond differently, right? Yeah, 100%. Yep.
Speaker: So it's, yeah, it doesn't mean that it's failed. It just means that we need to be supporting these other issues in the background and building up those foundations while someone's taking it. That is the most important thing. We want someone to finish treatment if and when that is appropriate for them with better nutritional habits, more muscle, better fitness, improved metabolic health, and much better understanding of their own body. So it's not that we're against it. We're not against any medication. Some can be super beneficial, but but some are just over-prescribed. Antibiotics, oral contraceptive pill, now Ozempic.
Speaker: Yeah, they think that the medication prescribed to them is the solution, where it's like, well, there's an underlying thing treating these. Why did it happen in the first place? Yeah, why did it happen? And then you're thinking that's just, I'm just going to take this medication and I'm all better now. It's just like, no, the damage is still being done. I know. You're just fixing it with the medication, a Band-Aid, and then you're still doing the same thing. Yeah. It's like, why wouldn't you want to just like,
Speaker: fix the problem now. Like you say, for instance, an easy one, cholesterol. yeah' So I've got high cholesterol. i'll just stay on cholesterol tablets for the rest of my life. It's like, what about being on the cholesterol tablets to get your cholesterol down, fixing your diet, yeah and then getting off the medication and then being healthier. And with the cholesterol medication, like do it naturally.
Speaker: Yeah. Do it naturally first. But but i'm I'm saying they want a quick fix. It's like my cholesterol, wow, your cholesterol is really high. You're in a bad state. Yeah, you're in bad state. You could have heart problems. Like you're so close to there. Yeah. quickly fix it i know fix the diet but people just say but like oh i take the cholesterol tablet and i can still have this poor diet and then minute i'm fixing the cholesterol and then the problem with the statins drugs is that they take like the coq10 out of your heart yeah you don't want to be messing around with that but they do that that's what they do like you know my dad your dad they just do that and and then they go and see the doctor and be like oh stopped taking the cholesterol medicine and the cholesterol is back up because you didn't Because you stopped taking it.
Speaker: know you didn't fix it. You didn't change anything except for the medication. It's so funny when you put it black and white like that, hey. Yeah, it's crazy. But the doctors won't tell you that because they just want you to stay on it really. He's a prescription for cholesterol now. Checked your cholesterol in another month and you're again. I know. And they don't talk to you about diet, do they? No, no.
Speaker: Put the beers down. Put the fatty food down. No, i'm not going to do it. Anyway, that's what we're here for. the medication can create this great opportunity for people, like we've said, but what to do with that opportunity definitely matters. And I guess a good thing to talk about is, are GLPs right for everyone? Absolutely not.
Speaker: And this is where we want to move away from the idea that GLP-1 is either a miracle drug or something that should be universally avoided because the reality is much more complicated than that. For some people, these medications can be incredibly valuable, an amazing medical intervention. Amazing.
Speaker: For others, they may not be appropriate at all. And they certainly shouldn't replace the fundamentals of our health. There is also a really important distinction between weight loss and health improvement. You can change someone's body weight without addressing every factor contributing to their metabolic health. And that's why a holistic approach still matters. So what are the alternatives?
Speaker: Well, the foundations don't actually change that much in our health. We want to protect our lean muscle mass and support our metabolic health. Then there's our phytochemical rich nutrient dense diet, plenty plants, fiber and a broad variety of whole foods.
Speaker: There's a huge role for targeted nutrition and herbal support here. But one of the most interesting areas to explore is actually the body's own in- Cretin. Cretin system. It's a weird one, eh? Yeah. The in-cretin, I know. Because GLP-1 isn't something that only exists in medication.
Speaker: Your body produces it naturally. And natural GLP-1 is released in response to eating, which brings us back to something that sounds incredibly simple. Are you actually eating regularly and digesting food properly? Let's talk about digestion. How often do you skip breakfast? Mm-hmm.
Speaker: How often do you go six or seven hours without eating because you're busy? Ask yourself these questions while we're going through, please. How often do you eat lunch at your desk while answering emails or eat when you're stressed, rushed and distracted? These things might seem completely unrelated to your metabolic health or health in general, but digestion is a nervous system.
Speaker: process We need to be able to shift into that parasympathetic rest and digest state to properly support digestive secretions, motility, and the broader digestive process. And this is where some of the really traditional naturopathic tools become super interesting.
Speaker: and want to get to that about like the rest and digest. It's like as like a Western culture, we don't do that. It's always like rush, rush, rush, eat your food, back to work. And like in a lot of other countries like Italy and South America, they do the same thing. It's just like they eat their food and go home and like they rest for an hour to digest properly. And that's probably why they're like a healthier country overall because they're letting their bodies naturally digest before they get back into hard work. Yeah, I know. They say that when you go swimming, like it's You've got to wait at least 30, like eat your lunch and then wait 30 minutes or 40 minutes before you get back in the water so you don't cramp up. Did you ever hear that? Yeah, know, but was that fake was that real? No, I think that was like a proper rest and digest thing. It makes sense like rest and digest, but I'm pretty sure like parents told their kids that Don't go swimming for an hour after you eat because you freaking die. you remember that? Yeah, know. remember that massively. I don't know if that It's like putting the light on in the car. Rest and digest. Yeah, I know. makes sense. Makes sense. Your body has just done a process. Must have come somewhere, right? Your body has, you've just eaten and now your body needs to digest the food. digest Yeah, know. And then it's like if you're in a rushed environment and stressed, it's like cortisol is going to be even higher and then you'll store more body fat, right? Well, yeah, it's not good because you won't digest properly, right? Yeah, exactly. That's what I'm saying. Let's look at the big picture. And ultimately, that's probably where we land with GLP-1 medications. We're not here to tell you that they're good and we're not here to tell you that they're bad. We're just here to say that you need to understand that it's a tool, understand what it's doing and understand what it isn't doing. And if you're going to use it, make sure you're supporting your body alongside it.
Speaker: We would love to help you there in our clinic. We do it with so many clients. Because whether your goal is weight loss, improved blood glucose, better metabolic health, or simply feeling healthier in your body, the foundations still matter.
Speaker: Your nutrition matters. yeah Your muscle mass matters. Your digestion matters. Your sleep, your stress, sing it to me your hormones, your metabolic markers matter.
Speaker: and your relationship with food and movement matters absolutely and medication can be incredibly useful like modern medicine amazing overused yes lazy sort of approach for many medications like just try this just try this let's use this yes polypharmacy yes not good but it's still incredibly useful when used right but it's still only part of the picture And perhaps the most important question isn't, should I take a GLP-1? It's what does my body need and how can I support it as comprehensively as possible?
Speaker: Because obviously you're searching for something if you're looking to take it. And that's where we think naturopathic medicine has really this massive, valuable role to play. Yeah. Obviously it's amazing for everything, right?
Speaker: And yeah, I also wanted to mention that there are actual natural products that are coming to market. Yes. That will replace and have less side effects than the medications. Totally. Watch this space because more and more is going to come out, but they're learning, obviously because it's that natural bodily process, they're learning how we can improve accelerate that natural process rather than having to take a medication. So yeah, watch this space with that because we did get a bit of insight when we were at our symposium, but we'll report back obviously when that comes to market. But yeah, very exciting space because obviously weight loss is huge for people. There is already a product on the market that we compound with OEA.
Speaker: Oh, yes, we do use some. yeah Oh, yeah, I guess they're just trying to like get it stronger. So yes, in clinic, we do use a couple of different ingredients that do support that you're right. yeah But yeah, they're like accelerating that, which is where the really exciting stuff happens, because it starts to get faster and works on appetite suppressant and food noise as well. Well, they're figuring it out that these drugs are also working with addiction because they're a suppressant in that that sense. Yes. When we're at the symposium, they were talking about it being supportive for people with like bipolar or some other different mental health issues where they can't control their eating. I guess they're looking for dopamine or whatever and how this medication has been amazing and been used for way longer. yeah for those type of clients so there's so many different avenues right obviously for us in clinic we're looking at it from a insulin and weight sort of side because even two kilos extra than your normal weight which seems like such a little amount can play a role in changing things in our fertility our hormone health and we're talking about 10 20 30 kilos for some people when they first come to us which is totally normal they don't know where to start and they're They just feel like they're they're struggling.
Speaker: And something like this might be supportive or is supportive for those clients. And also from an insulin perspective, because high insulin affects our fertility and ovaries and the environment and the eggs and all that. so And if you enjoyed this episode, you can follow along. I guess a good thing to note as well as we're still learning so much about it. Yeah. There's still so much to learn. so And we'll continue to learn. And there's new research going out and new products. Yes. Yeah, all it. Yeah. But, yeah, if you like this, got more podcast yeah episodes. You can also reach out if you want us to talk about something specific. You can reach out on our Mungbean page, which is at mungbean underscore health. That's for TikTok and for Instagram. TikTok's all about fertility. So if you're trying to conceive, go there. And if you want to check us out on online, it's www.mungbeanhealth.com. And if you want to check out our other preconception products, Sproutling Supplements, it's www.sproutlingsupplements.com.au. And Nourish Amiga. Yeah, our new newest product.
Speaker: will be on there available for you to purchase. Yes. And Jeremy's new page you used for the dads. Yeah, my new Instagram page is about yeah getting men ready for their preconception journey and but better all overall health. So if they're interested, you can go and follow at the Fertility Fairy Godfather. Yes. We can't wait to help you. And if you need us, reach out. We'd love to help.
Speaker: And that's a wrap on today's dose of wellness. I'm Rhiannon, your fertility fairy godmother. Thank you for joining us. Stay connected with us on Instagram at mungbin underscore health.
