If you’ve looked into weight loss medications lately, chances are you’ve heard about Ozempic.
This injectable drug has exploded in popularity thanks to its ability to lower blood sugar and also reduce appetite and food cravings.
But is it too good to be true?
Let’s peel back the curtain on Ozempic and its common side effects.
Originally FDA approved to control blood sugar in type 2 diabetics, Ozempic (also called semaglutide) works by mimicking a hormone called GLP-1. This slows digestion, curbs hunger signals in the brain, and regulates insulin production.
Now it’s being prescribed off-label for weight management, sometimes called “diabesity.”
The weight loss results can seem remarkable.
In clinical trials, people lost an average 15% of their body weight over 16 months. Some dropped 30 to 50 pounds or more!
But this potency comes at a price.
Up to 20% of people experience significant stomach issues from Ozempic. Think nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain and loss of appetite.
These gastric effects tend to be worst when first starting treatment. But for some unfortunate folks, they never fully subside over time.
Additional common side effects include headaches, fatigue, dizziness, gas, acid reflux, gallstones and even pancreatitis. Because it alters blood sugar, there’s also an increased risk of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar).
Many experts argue the benefits outweigh the risks given the obesity epidemic and related health issues like heart disease.
But others argue we just don’t have enough long term safety data yet, especially for non-diabetic patients taking Ozempic strictly for weight loss.
So should you try Ozempic?
Every body is different.
For some, the side effects fade after a few weeks and the weight loss results feel miraculous.
For others, the stomach issues make life utterly miserable.
It’s impossible to predict until you try it. So discuss honestly with your doctor about whether benefits could outweigh side effects for your unique situation.
If you do start Ozempic, give it at least 3 months if side effects are tolerable.
Stay hydrated, take anti-nausea meds as needed, and nibble frequent small meals.
Hopefully your body adjusts. But if side effects remain disruptive, consult your doctor about whether this medication is right for you long term.
“I lost everything. I’ve lost my job, my apartment, my credit,” says Marie-Helene Champoux.
Marie-Helene is just one of the 6-12 million American women who struggle through the day with low moods, pain and depression.
All symptoms linked to fibromyalgia.
Sadly, also like millions of women, she had no clue fibromyalgia was the cause.
“The symptoms began six years ago… I had depression for almost two years and a lot of pain in my body. I didn’t know about fibromyalgia at the time,” says Marie-Helene.
It took two years of testing for everything in the medical book until doctors narrowed it down to fibromyalgia…
Even then they needed some convincing.
“There were a lot of visits to the hospital to get all kinds of tests imaginable. A lot of doctors don’t really know about [fibromyalgia],” says Marie-Helene.
Despite the billions spent on research, pill bottles and surgery, mainstream medicine has yet to find a cure for fibromyalgia.
Yet the solution could be as simple as changing our diets.
After analysing the guts of patients with fibromyalgia, the medical researchers found pain levels are directly linked to 19 species of gut bacteria.
“The severity of a patient’s symptoms was directly correlated with an increased presence or a more pronounced absence of certain bacteria—something which has never been reported before,” says Dr. Amir Minerbi, from McGill University.
In other words, if people have too much bad bacteria and not enough good bacteria in their gut it risks triggering fibromyalgia.
“This is the first evidence, at least in humans, that the microbiome could have an effect on diffuse pain.” says Yoram Shir, senior author and Director of the Alan Edwards Pain Management Unit.
This latest study highlights the impact the gut has on our all round health.
As gut imbalances have also been linked to symptoms like chronic fatigue… uncontrollable weight gain… brain fog… nervousness… insomnia… skin breakouts… and the list goes on.
So while further research is needed before a cure for fibromyalgia can be developed…
taking care of a gut imbalance may help sufferers like Marie-Helene relieve their symptoms in the meantime.
If you’re interested in revitalizing your gut health and relieve symptoms like stomach pain, low moods and chronic fatigue…
my Gut Health Transformation course shows you how in 30 days or less.
Growing up, I was always told to eat my veggies and drink my milk.
There was nothing about how to stay healthy during cold season…or virus-outbreak-that-could-cause-Armageddon season.
So I started doing my own reading up about what nutrients the body needs to gain a rock solid wall of immunity… and provide a natural source of energy in case food gets scare.
It soon became obvious that I’d have to spend $100s of dollars a month on supplements…
hours chopping and preparing vegatables…
or find some willing victim to give you a blood transfusion (which I hear is all the rage among aging tech billionaires) to fulfil my daily nutrient requirements.
Luckily, I found a better solution.
And I didn’t have to battle my way through protestors or run the gauntlet of going to the supermarket to get it.
Earnings disclaimer – If you buy NeutraGreens via this article we will earn a small commission. However, we think it’s a great way of hittting your daily nutrition goals, and it’s offered with a 60 day money back guarantee, so there’s no risk in giving it a try.
“The research world is booming today with studies showing that modifications in the intestinal bacteria and inflammation may play a role in the development of several common chronic diseases.”
The reason why complaints of leaky gut seem to be on the rise is because it’s directly linked to the impact of modern lifestyles.
As its name suggests, leaky gut occurs due to the gut ‘leaking’ toxins, undigested food and other nasties into the bloodstream.
Why does this happen?
Because ingredients like processed gluten, GMOs, and residue from crop sprays can cause damage to the gut’s delicate intestinal wall.
This is a wafer thin layer that allows nutrients to pass from the gut into the bloodstream.
But many of the processed ingredients and chemicals we now ingest from our food, air and water are thought to be punching holes in this layer.
Toxins, undigested food and even particles of poop can then rush through like an invading army… wrecking havok to our health in the process.
Why our grandparents rarely questioned ‘do I have leaky gut?’
Few of us can remember our grandparents complaining about leaky gut when we were kids.
And that’s for a simple reason…
They weren’t exposed to the levels of artifical ingredients, GMOs and chemicals that we are now.
The reason they’re so damaging is because when they leak into the bloodstream, these toxins trigger the body’s defense mecanism:
INFLAMMATION
Inflammation is the body’s natural response to getting rid of invaders and toxins.
When the body detects things floating in the bloodstream that shouldn’t be there, it releases a flood of inflammatory white cells to wipe them out.
Normally, this defense system switches off as soon as the toxins are eliminated.
But unless the gut wall is fixed, more and more toxins leak through into the bloodstream…
And your body releases more and more inflammatory chemicals to get rid of them…
Resulting in the body staying chronically inflamed.
And as you may know…
Chronic inflammation is a breeding ground for chronic ill health and disease.
Inflammatory symptoms linked to leaky gut include:
Weakened bones
Anxious and depressed thoughts
Problems following conversations
Bloating, constipation and diarrhea
Poor nutrient absorption
Fluctuating weight that goes up and down for no reason
Irregular periods
Hormonal imbalances, like a weakened thyroid
Constantly getting colds and flu
Achy joints
Gut issues like intestinal overgrowth (SIBO) and yeast overgrowth (candida)
Autoimmune disorders
Sadly, many people suffer from these symptoms for years without realising leaky gut may be to blame.
Why do they suffer for so long?
Because mainstream medicine has yet to accept leaky gut exists.
So when people go to see their doctor, they can get prescribed a shopping list of expensive medications for the symptoms…
But little advice on healing the root cause.
How to Relieve or Even Reverse Leaky Gut
Like all digestion issues, relieving leaky gut has to be done in stages:
Reduce and then eliminate all the GMOs, chemicals, allergens, and other toxins that punch holes in the gut wall
Revitalise the gut with the nutrients it needs to repair the gut wall, strengthen the immune system and support healthy digestion
Adopt a gut healthy diet and lifestyle so the gut can stay healthy and the symptoms of leaky gut are held at bay
Sounds simple, right?
Yet as anyone who’s tried making wholesale changes to their diet and lifestyle knows… implementing these 3 steps can be tough.
You need to know what foods to eat and foods to avoid…
How to detox your home and body of the chemicals and toxins that punch holes in the gut wall…
What simple daily habits can lower stress and improve sleep (without exhausting exercise or having to step foot in a gym)…
and sustaining the motivation to make the transition to a healthy diet and lifestyle a success.
Not an easy process, by any means.
And the reason why many people willingly pay $300 per session with a functional health therapist to guide and support them in getting their gut health back on track.
Well, the good news is there’s no need to pay hundreds of dollars to a functional health therapist…
or struggle reading long, complicated books on gut health to piece together what you need to do…
Because there’s a 30 day program that provides guidance, accountability and support for making the transition to a gut healthy diet and lifestyle a success.
If you’d like to know more, click the button below:
Disclaimer – The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet program, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.
It’s hard to imagine having a parasite living inside our guts… like some alien waiting until it’s fully grown before it bursts out of our stomachs.
Yet the reality is that millions of people could have parasites living inside them without knowing it.
And this includes people living in Western countries… because there’s a higher risk of catching a parasite than many people think.
How do parasites get inside the gut?
In less developed countries, it’s depressingly common for people to get parasites from contaminated food and water.
By Magdalena ZZ – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0,
Typically, these parasites are worms like:
Tapeworms
Roundworms
Pinworms
Whipworms
Hookworms
What many people don’t realise is there are many ways we can catch them in developed countries too.
This includes:
XEating undercooked meat, raw fish and contaminated fruits and vegetables
X Not washing hands properly after using a public restroom
X Handling animals and not cleaning hands properly afterwards
X Touching a surface already contaminated with worms
So you see, catching a parasite it’s as hard as some people might think.
7 Warning Signs of a Parasite
The reason why parasites are bad for our health isn’t due to the parasite eating our insides or blocking our lungs from working.
It’s because parasites release toxins into the bloodstream. And these toxins can cause all sorts of havoc to our health.
Warning signs of a parasite infestation include:
Trouble falling asleep and staying asleep
Rashes, itchy skin, hives, rosacea or eczema
Grinding teeth when asleep
Aching muscles or joints
Low moods and low energy
Iron deficiency
Never feeling satisfied or full after meals
With such a wide range of symptoms, it’s no wonder parasites are hard to diagnose…
And often get confused with leaky gut, SIBO, candida or another gut health issue.
Luckily, there’s an easy way to answer the question “Do I have a parasite?”
The best way of checking for parasites is with a stool test.
After taking a sample of your poop, doctors can check it under a microscope for 17 types of parasites, their eggs or the remains of dead parasites.
Having a parasite infection sounds disgusting and can make the skin crawl. Yet the good news is they can be eradicated quite easily with prescription medications.
But if taking harsh drugs doesn’t appeal… you could also try a parasite cleanse.
What’s a Parasite Gut Cleanse?
A parasite gut cleanse is focused on making diet and lifestyle changes to eliminate an infestation.
This includes:
Eliminating the foods that parasitic worms love to feed on – like gluten, dairy, processed carbs and sugars or pork.
Feed the body with anti-inflammatory herbs and spices – such as sweet wormwood, Magnesium caprylate, turmeric, and ginger, and gut enriching nutrients like probiotics, prebiotics and digestive enzymes.
Adopt a gut healthy diet and lifestyle – to support a strong immune system able to clear up any parasites already in the body and to get rid of them spreading in the future.
Sounds simple, right?
Yet implementing a gut cleanse can be easier said than done.
The good news is there’s a program that guides you step-by-step in how to do it.
Click the button below to find out more:
Disclaimer – The information provided on this site is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician. You should not use the information on this site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem. You should consult with a healthcare professional before starting any diet program, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.
After comparing their levels of visceral fat and composition of microbes, they concluded that it’s the TYPE of microbes people have in their gut that influences how much visceral fat they carry.
Not how MUCH they eat.
“We confirmed that gut microbiota composition and diet are both associated with VFM accumulation and that these two factors are closely linked,” the scientists concluded.
So how can you improve the composition of microbes in your gut, and reduce how much fat is accumulated as a result?
Eating a nutrient, fiber rich diet.
This was the second discovery by the team of scientists. That diet has a direct impact on the TYPE of microbes in people’s guts.
What they discovered is eating junk foods high in processed sugars and carbs causes the gut to be infested with fat spreading microbes.
Whereas…
Eating nutrient dense foods rich in vegetable fiber causes an increase in the lean type of microbes.
Even better, these lean microbes were found to improve insulin sensitivity and the pace of fat burning metabolism.
So, as I’ve often said, the gut is the CORE of all health in the body. And the foods you eat directly impact how healthy that core is.
The good news is you don’t need expensive probiotics to feed your gut with health enriching bacteria.
My free eBook ‘Eat Your Way to a Healthy Gut’ is packed with nutrient dense, get enriching recipes. You also get 2 meal plans for making the transtion to healthy eating a success.
Are expensive probiotic supplements a waste of money?
They could well be based on the latest studies.
Gut health experts have long suspected probiotic supplements don’t stay in the gut long enough to work.
This includes Matthew Ciorba, a gastroenterologist at Washington University in St. Louis. In an interview with Scientific American, he said, “There is no evidence to suggest that people with normal gastrointestinal tracts can benefit from taking probiotics.” (1)
While Emma Allen-Vercoe, a microbiologist at the University of Guelph in Ontario said, “If you’re not in any distress, I would not recommend them. [For the most part] the claims that are made are enormously inflated.”
A recent Israeli study has now verified that their suspicions that probiotics are more hype than proven science are well finded.
The study was conducted by the Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, Israel.(2)
After shoving an endoscope (long camera shaped like a cable) into participants’ intestines they found that, in many cases, their “guts expel probiotics without meaningful changes to their microbiome.”
In other words, the only evidence that they’d taken probiotics at all were found in the toilet bowl.
Just Two Ounces Has More Probiotics than An Entire Bottle of Probiotics
Based on the latest evidence, if you’re among the 4 million Americans that takes a daily probiotic you may want to consider getting probiotics from food instead.
The good news is there’s a food found to be a more potent source of probiotics than an entire bottle of expensive supplements.
Natural health proponent Dr. Joseph Mercola made this discovery after sending a plate of sauerkrat to a lab for analysis.
“We found in a 4-6 ounce serving of the fermented vegetables there were literally ten trillion bacteria,” said Mercola.(3)
This means just 2 ounces of sauerkraut contains more probiotics than a bottle of 100 count probiotic capsules. While eating a 16 ounce plate full gives you the same gut enriching benefits as 8 BOTTLES of expensive probiotics.
As Mercola says, “Adding a small amount of fermented food to each meal will give you the biggest bang for your buck. Why? Because they can contain 100 times more probiotics than a supplement!”(4)
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride, author of The GAPS Diet, is also a big fan of getting probiotics naturally from food.
At the Gluten Summit in 2013 she told a packed audience that “With every mouthful of sauerkraut you’re consuming billions of beneficial microbes which will be killing the pathogens in your gut driving them out and replenishing the beneficial flora in your digestive tract.”
Simple Sauerkraut Recipe
If I’ve now convinced you to start getting probiotics naturally from food, here’s a simple recipe sauerkraut, and save money on the pre-made jars on supermarket shelves.
1. Chop up a cabbage into thin slices.
2. Add 2 tablespoons of salt to the bowl.
3. Pound the cabbage until it goes limp and the juice starts to leak.
4. Pack the cabbage tightly into old jam jars. Pour in water until it’s an inch below the lid and screw the lid on tightly.
5. Leave in a cupboard to ferment for 2-12 days to achieve your preferred taste.
6. Put the jar in the fridge to slow the fermentation down.
Get a Daily Dose of Probiotics from Smoothies
If the idea of eating a plate of fermented sauerkraut doesn’t tickle your taste buds, there’s another way of getting a daily dose of natural probiotics that’s even more potent.
I discovered this solution after getting en email from Kelly (not her real name), who’s a single mom from Michigan.
For years Kelly had suffered from painful cramps, bloating after meals, and explosive diarrhea that hit her like a truck.
Her gut problems got so bad that one day she suffered an “accident” at the worst moment possible – When surrounded by parents waiting for her son at the school gates.
Luckily, nobody noticed. But this near disaster motivated Kelly to finally fix her gut health issues.
Probiotic + Prebiotic + Digestive Enzyme in a Single Glass
Rather than expensive probiotic supplements or struggling to follow the restrictive Low FODMAP diet, what Kelly did was track down the most potent probiotics, prebiotics, and digestive enzymes in their most natural form.
It sounds so simple. Yet by drinking this smoothie each morning she fed her gut with a motherload of gut enriching nutrients. This led to her gut microbiome and fixing her cramps, gas and bloating in a matter of weeks.
She says her probiotic smoothie has given her more energy and helped blow away her brain fog too.
Disclaimer: Statements made in this article have not been approved or verified by the FDA. This information is not intended to be a substitute or replacement for any medical treatment. Please seek the advice of a healthcare professional for your specific health concerns. Individual results may vary. This is an advertisement and not a blog or article.
Gareth Churchill
