Moving into the holiday season looks a little different this year. A global pandemic mirroring the start of flu season is enough to make anyone a bit wary. Great health is the best gift you can give or receive this year, and exploring your health and wellness options with Ways2Well can make holiday and family gathering decisions a lot easier. Experts from Ways2Well share a few suggestions on how to safely enjoy your holiday season and get and keep your health on track.
The topic of CBD can be very frustrating, and many people find themselves confused about its legality, effects, and even what it truly is. This is understandable, as there is a lot of disinformation and myths out there about CBD, and it can be hard to figure out what’s true and what’s not. Fear not, because today we are talking about what CBD is, and some of the facts and fictions that surround it.
What is CBD?
Cannabidiol, or CBD, is one of the many substances found in cannabis plants. Obviously, marijuana is a form of the cannabis plant, which is why many people incorrectly believe that CBD and marijuana essentially mean the same thing. While CBD is in fact found in marijuana, it is just one of over 100 components, collectively known as cannabinoids, found within cannabis plants. One of these cannabinoids is tetrahydrocannabinol, better known as THC. THC, not CBD, is what causes those who use marijuana to experience a high. This difference between CBD and THC is where our first myth about CBD comes from: that CBD will get you high.
Facts and Myths
Myth: You can get high from CBD.
While CBD is considered to be “psychoactive” because of its ability to improve cognitive abilities and help alleviate stress and anxiety, it is not “intoxicating,” which means it does not cause the mind-altering high that THC is known for. This unfortunately means you can’t blame CBD for your decision to eat an entire bag of chips in one sitting.
Myth: CBD comes from marijuana
Yes, I did say above that CBD is found in marijuana, and that remains true, but the CBD found in legal consumer products actually comes from another form of cannabis called hemp. While marijuana contains much more THC than it does CBD, hemp is the opposite. Hemp contains very small amounts of THC, and is often bred to contain as little as possible.
Fact: It’s federally legal
The Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 made hemp and its products federally legal. This includes hemp derived CBD, so long as it contains no more than .3% THC. The regulations on CBD do differ in some states and localities, so it is always best to check your local laws to ensure you stay above board.
Fact: CBD alone will not cause a failed drug test
Most drug tests don’t even actually test for CBD itself. The belief that that CBD can cause a failed drug test stems from the fact that some CBD products do contain substances, such as THC, that can cause a failed test. It’s always a smart move to make sure you know what is in the products that you consume.
Myth: Science doesn’t support the use of CBD
Many studies have indicated that CBD can be and is beneficial for a wide range of uses, and the FDA has even approved CBD based drugs for epilepsy. Unfortunately, due to the various legal issues and grey areas that surrounded CBD for so long, we aren’t as far along as we could be with research, but that is quickly changing.
Fact: CBD has many benefits
CBD can have many benefits, both physical and mental. It has been shown to help with pain and inflammation, and can even benefit the skin. Mentally, CBD is often used for its relaxing properties that can help with stress, anxiety, and depression. Research is even being conducted to test the effects that CBD can have on things like cancer, heart health, and diabetes.
What We Do With CBD
You can find all kinds of CBD products these days, from creams and oils to coffees and beers. So what do we do with our CBD? First, we have Cryogel, a cold therapy gel that helps relieve pain and soreness in the joints and muscles, and is perfect for those that ache after workouts, have minor injuries, or are recovering from surgery. It’s also very easy to use, and contains 0 THC.
We also offer CBD Sleep, a blend of melatonin, CBD, and natural sleep supplements that can help you get to sleep easier, and then stay asleep once you do. It helps reduce the effects of the over stimulus and stress that we often experience in the world around us, and also make us less susceptible to the sleep disruptions that can creep up on us during the night. Being able to get more sleep, and especially higher quality sleep will most likely positively impact every part of your day, from your mood to your overall health.
Check out the CBD section of our shop to learn more
Statements not evaluated by the FDA
We started off American Heart Month with 10 Ways to Help Keep Your Heart Healthy, and we are continuing the topic of heart health with the most important reason why you want to keep it healthy; to prevent heart and cardiovascular disease. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for around a quarter of all deaths. This remains true for most groups of people regardless of sex, race, or ethnicity. There are several different forms of heart disease. We will talk about a few of the most prominent ones, as well as their risk factors and warning signs.
The CDC reports that around 47% of Americans have one of the 3 biggest risk factors for heart disease. These risk factors are high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and smoking. Smoking damages the arteries and blood vessels, weakening them so that they are more vulnerable. High cholesterol is one of the main risk factors because when we have too much bad cholesterol, it ends up being deposited along the walls of our arteries, which is why most buildups of plaque are made up of cholesterol. High blood pressure is when the force of the blood exerts on your artery walls is too high, possibly causing damage to heart, or even other organs like the kidneys.
Like most chronic conditions, our risk is also affected by uncontrollable factors like our age and our genetics, as well as controllable ones like our lifestyles, activity levels, and diet. Other chronic conditions like diabetes and obesity can greatly increase your risk of developing heart disease, as well as increasing your likelihood of having other risk factors. Diabetes can double the chances of developing a heart condition by weakening the blood vessels and nerves that service the heart and cardiovascular system. Being obese means that the body will need more blood to keep it supplied, and the heart will have to work harder to keep up, heightening blood pressure and strain on the heart. Obesity can also contribute to arteries becoming blocked because like cholesterol, fat can build up and form plaque. Someone that is obese or diabetic is much more likely to have other chronic conditions that also increase the risk of heart disease.
Many heart diseases share similar symptoms. Pain or discomfort in the chest, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, light-headedness, a faster heart rate, and fatigue. Some signs are more prevalent in men or women. Women are more likely to experience nausea and shortness of breath, while men are more likely to experience chest pains.
The serious symptoms of chest pain and shortness of breath should not be ignored, and one should seek medical attention if they appear. With a heart attack, the symptoms may be more severe than the regular signs of heart disease, such as more extreme fatigue and shortness of breath that may give a choking feeling. Knowing and recognizing these signs can be vital to preventing a major cardiac event, or even saving the life of yourself or another when one occurs.
The coronary arteries are responsible for carrying oxygen rich blood to the heart. These arteries can become damaged or blocked, limiting the supply of blood that is reaching the heart and resulting in what we call Atherosclerosis, or Coronary Artery Disease (CAD). This is the most common form of heart disease, and it can lead to fatal complications.
CAD is most commonly caused by blockages in the arteries that are usually caused by deposits of plaque that build up on the walls of the arteries, causing hardening that narrows the pathway. The problem may also be caused by damage to the arteries and blood vessels. When this happens, the arteries may not respond to the heart’s commands, and not widen to increase blood flow when it is necessary, like during times of physical exertion or high stress.
Since it takes time for a plaque buildup to occur in the arteries, it can be a long time before symptoms begin to show themselves. Once they do it is very important that you have them checked out by a doctor, or seek emergency medical attention if necessary as sometimes there will be no signs or symptoms at all, until it reaches the point of a heart attack.
Eventually, a plaque buildup can rupture and cause a blood clot to form, heavily restricting or completely shutting off the blood flow in the artery. The heart muscle will then begin to die due to the lack of oxygen, leaving permanently damaged tissue in its place. Heart attacks can also occur due to spasms in the coronary artery, and it is possible for these to occur even if you don’t have a condition like CAD. Luckily, heart attacks caused by spasms are very rare.
Today, the survival rate for a heart attack is around 90%, and many of the fatal occurrences could be prevented by not ignoring the signs and symptoms. As stated above, feeling pain, pressure, and tightness in the chest is the tell tale sign of a heart attack. Normally this is concentrated in the middle and left side of the chest, but the discomfort may also be experienced in the jaw, throat, back, or arm. Despite the severity of heart attack symptoms, around 1 in every 5 heart attacks are silent, meaning no symptoms occur, and you may be completely oblivious to the fact that you even had one. These silent heart attacks are still very dangerous, and they still damage the heart muscles and increase the risk of having another cardiac event.
A stroke is a cardiovascular disease very similar to a heart attack, except instead of a blockage occuring to the heart, it occurs in the brain. Most of the time it is caused by an artery that is blocked, but it can also be caused by a burst blood vessel. When this happens the brain doesn’t get the oxygen it needs and the brain cells begin to die, just like the heart muscle during a heart attack. This means that part of the brain will not function properly, leading to long term complications, and sometimes it can even be fatal. Stroke is the most common cause of disability in the United States, often impairing one’s mobility, communication ability, and other cognitive functions.
Symptoms can occur quickly and without warning, so it is important to know what to look for both for yourself or if you know someone who may be at risk. When a stroke occurs, it can cause different parts of the body to go numb, normally this is concentrated on one side of the body. A severe headache may also occur, possibly even out of nowhere. Other symptoms include dizziness, confusion, difficulty speaking, difficulty understanding others, vision impairment, and loss of balance or coordination.
As always, prevention is the best way to combat any chronic condition, especially heart disease since it is the leading cause of death.. Some steps you can take to prevent cardiovascular and heart disease include:
It can’t be overstated how important keeping your heart healthy is. It truly is one of the absolute most important things you can do to improve your long term health and extend the length of your life, if not the most important. Keeping track of everything that affects your heart can be difficult. At Ways2Well we make it easy, by using blood testing to measure your levels of cholesterol, blood sugar, and more that contribute to the risk of heart disease, and giving you the best chance of preventing it.
The start of the year is filled with many resolutions, many of which involve being healthier and getting in better shape. Most do this by eating a little better or maybe even hitting the gym. At Ways2Well, we have another option: blood testing. Today we will go over six reasons why you should consider blood testing as a route to better health.
Get a Better Understanding of Your Body
The first reason to get a blood test is the better understanding of your body that it provides. From blood cell counts to hormones, you will get an unmatched look into what flows through your body. This full picture of your health will help you understand how certain things affect your body, as well as making it much easier to actually make changes that will have an impact on your life and health. If you have ever wondered why you feel the way you feel, or why a nagging health issue hasn’t been going away, this is the perfect way to find out, and relieve yourself of the burden.
Have an Actual Game Plan for Your Health
With a full picture of your health, it allows us to devise a customized treatment plan that is based not on what is likely going on within your body, but what is actually happening. This customized treatment plan will have an efficiency that any one size fits all approach will not be able to match. You will have a clearer path that will be much more likely to end in the results you desire, and in the end getting results is the most important thing.
Better Weight Loss and Better Exercise
For many people losing weight can be a serious struggle, and oftentimes they turn to fad diets that don’t work. This is one area where blood testing and customized treatments can be much more effective. Sometimes difficulties losing weight can be spurred on by a lack of key nutrients that you aren’t getting enough of, or it could even be because of a hormonal imbalance that needs to be rectified if you want to make more significant progress. Once a blood test reveals the problem, the treatment plan will include ways to correct the issue, as well as actually effective ways to lose weight and keep it off. It works the same way with exercise. If you struggle to get the results in the gym that you desire, or if you lack the energy to workout as hard as you want to, you may be missing something key that needs to be replenished. A blood panel gives you options beyond just powering through it and hoping the issue corrects itself.
Prevent Chronic Conditions
One of the most important reasons to have your blood tested is to help prevent chronic conditions. Chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease are some of the most deadly diseases one can be afflicted with, and unfortunately it can be easy to not see them coming. Blood testing can take care of this blindspot, and reveal that you are trending towards one of these diseases. For example, it may show that you have elevated levels of insulin, indicating some level of insulin resistance, and that you could be in danger of eventually developing Type-2 diabetes in the future. Once you know what you are up against, you can make changes that will reverse the trend and prevent the chronic condition before it can cause serious damage to your health and life.
Get Sick Less Often
Similarly, blood testing can help with more acute diseases as well by helping you build up and boost your immune system. If you are thinking that you will take care of that by just drinking a lot of orange juice and washing your hands then I have some bad news, several vitamins and minerals play an important role in the immune system, such as Vitamin C, Vitamin D, Zinc, and Iron. Missing one of these components is obviously going to have a negative affect on your immune health, but you may struggle to figure out exactly what is missing. Blood testing removes this barrier, and will allow you to focus on getting more of the deficient element. The end result is spending less time feeling sick and more time being healthy and at full strength.
Improve Everyday Functions Like Sleep and Energy
The beneficial reach of blood testing extends even farther, towards functions and processes like sleep, energy, digestion, and even things like memory and focus. Take the first one, sleep, for example. I probably don’t need to explain how important sleep is for our bodies, as it can affect almost everything else we do. Many things can disrupt sleep, and it could be that multiple things are preventing you from getting enough quality rest. Blood testing can help determine if the problem is external, like spending too much time in front of a screen before you try to sleep, or if it is internal, like a hormonal imbalance. The second example, energy, is naturally greatly affected by sleep, and getting more of it is a good start to having more energy during the day. This is a simple solution that most people could figure out on their own, but it doesn’t always completely solve the problem because there are other factors that affect energy. Without blood testing, the root of the problem may be difficult to find, leaving you still fatigued.
Whatever your health goals are, starting 2021 off with a blood test can be critical towards achieving them in the most complete and efficient way possible. Whether you are trying to start a journey towards better health for the first time or the tenth, blood testing will allow you to do it better, and do it right, and give you all the tools you need to live healthier and live longer.
Hormones Control Everything
Too often we attribute things being off with our health as just normal parts of life, or at least as normal parts of aging. Poor sleep, gaining weight, being tired for no real reason, and just generally not feeling 100% are just a handful of the things you may write off as “just how things are.” It’s also likely that you have tried to fix them in one way or another with little to no effect. Sometimes these problems, and many others, do have one particular cause that is easy to solve – it could be because of your hormones.
What are Hormones?
Hormones are a diverse group of signaling molecules that are transported to different parts of the body by the bloodstream so that they can deliver instructions to various organs. Basically, they are a microscopic mail service that can regulate everything from the growth of your muscles to your changes in mood. They are present and important from the moment you are conceived to the moment that you pass away.
Hormones are commonly thought about in respect to their heavy involvement in reproduction, pregnancy, the growth of children, and puberty, but they also affect the metabolism, sleep, and how we handle stress and anxiety. Unfortunately, hormones don’t always stay balanced, and there are a few times in a person’s life where hormone imbalances are more common.
Hormones in Women
Women typically go through significant hormone fluctuations during pregnancy, after giving birth, and during menopause.
During pregnancy, a woman’s body is flooded with an abundance of different hormones. This is necessary for a number of functions like maintaining the pregnancy and preparing the body for childbirth and motherhood. At the same time, some hormones can be thrown out of balance. Many women suffer from insulin resistance during pregnancy, also known as gestational diabetes. Though gestational diabetes is usually manageable, it sometimes requires treatment, and while it normally goes away after pregnancy, it can increase the risk for Type 2 Diabetes later in life.
After the birth, or postpartum, estrogen and progesterone levels crash hard, which can lead to complications like postpartum depression. Sometimes hormone levels don’t go back to normal like they should. For example, pregnancy can cause the thyroid to slow it’s production of thyroid hormones, which are vital to the proper functionality of the metabolism. This is one of the reasons why many women struggle with losing weight after giving birth.
Eventually the production of these sex hormones slows down or comes to a stop. Menopause is when a woman loses the ability to reproduce, which happens due to their body no longer producing progesterone or estrogen. The woman may experience a range of symptoms that relate to hormonal imbalance like weight gain, hot flashes, loss of libido, and mood swings. Changes to the menstrual cycle will also occur until it eventually ceases.
A woman’s hormones don’t always wait for a major life event, and it’s actually quite common for imbalances to occur without being triggered by a major life event, despite presenting many of the same symptoms. These instances are even more likely to be put to the wayside because “this is what having two kids does to you” or “because you’ve just been really stressed lately.” It’s important to know that that isn’t how it has to be, and the path to feeling your best is right at your fingertips.
Hormones in Men
Decrease in testosterone production is usually much more gradual in men, and normally begins slowly declining after the age of 30. However this decline sometimes occurs more drastically, leading to the male having low testosterone. Lowered testosterone levels can cause loss of muscle mass, hair loss, lower libido, fatigue, changes in mood and memory, and increase in body fat. Often times men notice these issues when they don’t get the same results from exercise as the normally would, or are more tired after physical activity, and many times their sex drive and performance in the bedroom suffers as well.
Being obese also has a strong connection to low testosterone. Fat actually causes testosterone to be metabolized into estrogen, which is how women maintain estrogen in their bodies even after they stop producing it during menopause. For men however, this metabolization causes lowered testosterone and increased estrogen, having negative effects on the man’s health. Losing weight is the obvious solution to this problem, but with lower testosterone, you aren’t able to get the same benefits to your metabolism and exercise, causing weight loss to become much more difficult. This often requires Testosterone Replacement Therapy to rectify, which can help get your testosterone levels back to normal, and allow you to focus on other parts of your health.
The clear link between testosterone deficiency and chronic conditions means that ignoring the signs of low testosterone and just thinking how you are feeling is because of aging can lead to serious health issues in the future.
Treatment for Hormonal Imbalance
With the numerous signs and symptoms of hormonal imbalance, it can be difficult to know if you have one or what you should be looking for to tell. The feeling of something being off with our health but not really being sure what exactly is wrong is common, and that’s where Ways2Well comes in.
We put you in the driver’s seat. You no longer have to sit and wonder if you have hormonal imbalances, and then pray that they correct themselves, or that the new diet you are trying will solve all of your woes. Our medical team is well versed in recognizing the potential signs of a hormonal imbalance, and then use comprehensive blood panels to give us an advanced look at what’s going on inside your body. This information will reveal the root cause of the nagging symptoms you may be experiencing, whether they are hormone related or not. From there, Ways2Well offers customized treatment plans and a multitude of hormone therapies that can mitigate or correct the problem, and help your health get back on course.
Catching ZZZs
You are halfway through the workday, but you are yawning constantly, you are struggling to focus, or maybe you can barely keep your eyes open even though you have had multiple cups of coffee. It’s not hard to visualize this scenario because almost everyone has been there at some point. Maybe it only happens to you occasionally, maybe it happens more often than you would like, or maybe it is an almost nightly occurrence. However often it happens, you are not alone, and everyone can benefit from healthier sleep.
Causes of Sleep Loss
Poor sleep is often caused by a person’s habits or the environment that they sleep in. These days it can be difficult to avoid being in front of some type of screen, but too much screen time before we go to bed can overstimulate our minds and make it more difficult to sleep. A similar effect can be attained by having too much caffeine, especially later in the evening. While alcohol often causes drowsiness, it actually reduces the quality of sleep the drinker gets by disrupting the normal rhythms and brain activity that occur during sleep.
Sometimes sleep disruptions are out of our control. Noise caused by things like loud neighbors or nearby traffic are common examples. Other environmental factors can include an uncomfortable bed or even the temperature being too hot or too cold. People with jobs that require frequent travel may experience jet lag, and those that work night shifts or abnormal hours can experience difficulty getting quality sleep as well. Stress and anxiety affect many people and they are one of the biggest causes of sleep loss. This lack of sleep can make the stress or anxiety even worse.
The reason for sleep loss can also be medical. Obstructive Sleep Apnea is when throat muscles relax while sleeping, causing the sufferer’s breathing to be shallow or periodically pause. Being overweight or obese is a common reason why sleep apnea occurs. Restless leg syndrome is when the nervous system acts up and gives one an urge to move their legs and is usually accompanied by discomfort or pain in the legs. It is classified as a sleeping disorder because it typically occurs when one is trying to rest or sleep. Pain or soreness is another reason why many people have difficulty sleeping, and being older or overweight can increase the odds that this happens. Believe it or not, all of these issues fall under chronic conditions and are more important than you may think.
Symptoms
Sleepiness, fatigue, impaired cognitive functions, decreased sex drive, and irritability are symptoms that are likely familiar, but frequent sleep loss can have greater consequences as well. The immune system benefits from sleep, so not getting enough sleep can result in getting sick more often and taking longer to recover from illness.
People that don’t get enough sleep, especially those with sleep apnea, are at greater risk for chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It can cause hormonal imbalances that come with many consequences such as fertility issues and metabolic problems. One can also experience weight gain or difficulties losing weight, which in turn further increases the risk for sleep apnea and chronic conditions. Beyond medical conditions, sleepiness is also at fault for many accidents, and causes many vehicle related fatalities each year.
Healthy Sleep and its Benefits
It’s recommended that adults get between 7-9 hours of sleep each night, but around 1/3rd don’t quite meet this recommendation. Even if your average sleep is on the low end of this range, getting a little more can benefit you as well. It can help you have more energy, be in a better mood, have better memory and focus, and likely be much more productive overall. The immune system boost that it gives is probably worth it all by itself right now during this pandemic. Your appearance also benefits from proper sleep hygiene, not only will it help you control your weight, it promotes muscle growth and recovery from workouts. Your skin will also be healthier, as poor sleep quickens skin aging.
Getting better sleep requires a few changes, many of which are quite simple. Being consistent with when you go to bed and when you wake up everyday will help your body get into a natural rhythm and improve sleep quality. Exercising regularly and limiting naps and caffeine consumption during the day can also improve sleep at night. Since excessive screen usage prior to bedtime is a common reason for poor sleep, a world of difference can be made by instead doing relaxing activities like a bath or shower, or reading a book. Consuming too much liquid at night should be avoided since it can cause disruptions in sleep for trips to the bathroom.
Despite all of this, getting to sleep can sometimes still be challenging. It’s ok though, many people need sleep aids from time to time ( and sometimes regularly) to help them get to sleep. Luckily, Ways2Well has sleep aids available to help you get the rest that you deserve.
CBD SLEEP
A blend of low dose 3mg Melatonin, 20mg of CBD and added sleep support supplements designed to help you get to sleep and stay asleep and improve REM cycle sleep which results in more restful sleep.
CBD SLEEP ADDRESSES MULTIPLE SLEEP ISSUES.
Getting to Sleep:
Often exacerbated by over stimulus while in bed, or before bed such as:
Staying Asleep:
Most people have issues with sleep, and it is usually caused by the inability to complete REM cycle sleep due to:
Recover
Recover is a proprietary compound used to improve sleep cycle quality, anxiety management, immune support, digestion, and bone and muscle health. Ways2Well has found success in prescribing this to patients looking for better recovery after workouts and sleep management.
To find out which option is right for you, set up your free consult with a Ways2Well medical provider here. Let’s get you on the path to good sleep and great health.
The single best medical diagnostic tool to evaluate a patient’s current health condition is blood testing. As the push for innovation in healthcare becomes more fervent, along with the desire to leverage convenient, direct to consumer models that increase patient volume, bottom line profit and drive down costs; there’s been an explosion of online health services in the marketplace.
The digital healthcare market has been dominated by companies focusing on the perceived need to provide the most convenient, easy, and affordable health solution to the consumer; we see this as the evolution of mail order pharmacies. This results in a transactional experience using the least amount of information necessary to offer treatment. Other market leading wellness services have built their business on the same direct to consumer online medication approach, with the addition of low volume blood testing or saliva tests meant to identify and address one dimensional needs. With either scenario, the consumer (patient) is left without a comprehensive solution to their health needs. While these market leaders have excelled at creating a viable product to sell directly to consumers, they fail to offer comprehensive healthcare; instead focused on symptom management.
At Ways2Well, we believe there is an opportunity to address patient health and wellness in a more comprehensive way, leveraging blood lab analysis for personalized treatment plans that address the root causes of everything from low libido and weight gain to risk factors and symptoms of chronic illness and disease onset. While we do fall into the direct to consumer telehealth/telemed category, we are less of a product sales organization and more of a traditional medical practice treating patients through new tools like FaceTime, Zoom, and the internet.
Low volume blood testing and point to point solutions for personal care is an important offering in the progression of how consumers access medications and solutions that can improve one’s quality of life. What we believe is missing from these players are the diagnostic data that allow identification and treatment of underlying causes of symptoms like low libido or ED; nutritional deficiencies and metabolism issues. These symptoms likely point to larger concerns like hormonal imbalances or insulin resistance, which cannot be diagnosed through surveys or pin prick blood tests. Using an accurate tool for diagnostic data in a world where companies like ours are leaning into telehealth/telemed/virtual care is an important differentiation for us. These diagnostic results allow Ways2Well to treat the whole patient and create a path to better outcomes due to customized treatment plans.
At Ways2Well, we recommend a comprehensive selection of panels that provide over 60 reported measurements. Using this information, our medical team can pair symptoms and other conditions with the chemical analysis of the bloodwork, to determine the root causes of physical symptoms. With this kind of preventative care methodology, Ways2Well can help patients prevent chronic illness, reverse disease states, and improve physical well-being. It’s not the sexiest way to stand up the next phase of healthcare, because a lot of consumers want the convenience of a testing kit mailed to their door, that they can mail right back and receive quick treatment. There’s a place for that in 2020 and it’s exciting to see this trend grow and evolve. As a forward moving and innovative business, we often look to the leaders of this space for best practices and new insights. Our goal is to enhance the patient experience end to end – better diagnostic data, more time spent with a practitioner, more information and tools in a patient’s treatment plan; and yes, we offer free 2-day shipping too.
Our mission at Ways2Well is guided by better outcomes and reductions in chronic conditions, while appreciating that the bigger guys you’ve all heard of have paved the way for us when it comes to adopting a true healthcare practice online.
Testosterone is commonly known to play an important role in men’s health, especially when it comes to muscle growth and reproduction, but it also contributes to the body’s metabolic functions like fat storage and insulin sensitivity. If you have read our earlier entries, you will know that insulin is the hormone that tells the cells to absorb blood glucose so that they can convert it into energy, and that when the cells don’t respond to insulin properly, it’s called insulin resistance, which results in high blood sugar and can lead to diabetes if it is left unchecked.
Low testosterone was definitively linked to type 2 diabetes in 2004 by researchers at the University of Buffalo, who found that 33% of their subjects had both low t, and Type 2 Diabetes, regardless of their weight. Obesity, which is the biggest risk factor for Type 2 Diabetes, was also linked to low testosterone. 25% of participants that were obese had Low-T as well, even if they weren’t diabetic. This led to a longer study on the effects of testosterone treatment on diabetic patients. In this 11 year study, 356 men with both low testosterone and type 2 diabetes were given typical Diabetes treatment and education. Half of these men underwent therapy for testosterone replacement.
The results were quite impressive. 34.3% of testosterone therapy patients experienced normalized HbA1c levels, which is a measure of how what your average blood glucose levels are like, and no longer needed any Diabetes medication, which qualifies them as in remission. Almost all of the participants in the testosterone group experienced either normalization or significant reduction of their HbA1c levels. The control group experienced none of these positive results and instead experienced more complications like heart attack and stroke than the therapy group. The control group also had more patients die than the test group as well. [1]
A study of 400 men with low testosterone, with 133 of them also having type 2 diabetes, showed similar results. 16 of these men achieved remission from diabetes. 1 man in the study achieved remission, came off testosterone, developed diabetes for a second time, and then restarted testosterone therapy and achieved remission again. The control group in this study had 3 times as many deaths. [2]
A healthy weight and an active lifestyle are the best way to prevent diabetes, but this can be difficult, especially for someone with low testosterone. They may have difficulty with their energy levels, have a harder time losing weight, or even experience a lack of motivation. While testosterone replacement therapy can’t make someone exercise and eat right, it can help them get the results that they need to achieve when they do. In each study, patients on testosterone were noted to have lost weight and even gained muscle. The first study even observed insulin resistance falling by 35%, which is almost as effective as direct insulin sensitizers.[2]
These studies provide a hopeful outlook on how diabetes can be combated, but you don’t have to be a part of a large study to get results. Whether you are looking to just shed weight, or if you are looking to prevent or reverse the effects of chronic diseases like diabetes, comprehensive blood testing can open up many avenues for treatment. Testosterone treatment is one of these options, and since 43% of men that have Type 2 Diabetes also have Low-T [3], it’s benefits can be life saving. Even if you know the symptoms of low testosterone, it can be difficult to truly know if you are suffering from it, especially if you have chronic conditions. When that is the case, a blood test is your best option to find out for sure, and then move forward with treatment.
Check out our Getting Started page and set up a free consultation with our medical provider. It’s time to get you on the path to great health, and keep you that way.
Most of the time it when we go to the doctor its because we are aren’t feeling well or to get a checkup to make sure we are in relatively good health. Unfortunately, this system often doesn’t go a long way in preventing us from becoming sick in the first place. An added side effect is not much is done about life altering chronic conditions until they either become an eminent threat or it’s already too late. The mission of preventative care is to fill this void left in the healthcare system, and help the patient live healthier and longer. Ways2Well was founded to address the gap in our healthcare marketplace when it comes to the lack of true preventative care.
The first box preventative care looks to check off is the prevention of chronic conditions, especially the major ones like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity that affect more than half of adults in America. Conditions like these account for the majority of healthcare spending in the United States, so an added benefit is making healthcare more affordable for the patient long term, and decreasing their dependency on health insurance that may or may not cover what they need when the time comes. If the cost of healthcare isn’t enough to persuade you to look deeper into preventative care, it’s worth noting that the leading cause of death in the US is heart disease, which is preventable, and Diabetes and Obesity rank pretty highly as well.
Sometimes it may be found that a patient already has or is on the path to having a major conditions or illness but hasn’t developed symptoms yet. Prevention is still important then as well, maybe even more so. In many cases the condition or risk can be reversed, slowed, or mitigated before the problem becomes severe.
Nobody likes getting sick, and preventative care doesn’t ignore common illnesses either. You may have experienced a form of this type of preventative care in your life through vaccinations, which help your immune system train itself to fight off disease, or even an annual flu shot. Making sure the patient’s immune system is as strong as possible is a highly important goal, and even though it doesn’t’ mean you will never catch a cold or the flu again, it does mean that you will get sick less often, have less severe symptoms, and recover quicker when you do end up feeling under the weather. Maintaining a healthy immune system during the Covid-19 pandemic has been critical a factor in patients that have had less severe symptoms and recovery time, versus patients that have underlying health issues like diabetes or obesity or weakened immune systems (immunocompromised).
Keeping a healthy immune system isn’t the only way you can live healthier – many preventative care patients have goals that go beyond just reducing the risk of disease. Many want to better their body by losing weight, gaining muscle mass, or recovering more effectively after they workout. Others just want to have more energy during the day or sleep better at night. Preventative care can help with all of this and many other things like increasing libido and sexual performance. Healthier living goals have the added bonus of simultaneously helping prevent sickness and chronic conditions.
The goals all sound great, but how does Ways2Well actually get the job done? Our first step is to understand our patients: what they do, what their goals are, if they have symptoms and if so what they are, their current lifestyle, and what family history and risk factors that they might have. This continues with comprehensive blood panels that tell us what is going on in the patient’s body at cellular level. This tells us what types of nutrients your body needs more or less of so we can develop a treatment to get your body working at its highest efficiency.
Everyone is different, so each treatment is customized to each patient for maximum effectiveness. Sometimes all that is needed is for the patient to get a little more exercise or each more foods that are rich in a particular vitamin or mineral, but if an imbalance needs a little extra help to correct, we have that covered too. Our partner pharmacy, Revive RX, produces everything from vitamins to hormone treatments that we can prescribe to help you on your wellness journey. With the treatments and in-depth knowledge about your body that we provide, it allows you to be at an optimal level of health instead of just settling for being at the common level of wellness that really just means you are not sick.
No matter your matter your age or current health level, there is always a way that preventative care can benefit you. If you want to spend less time going to the doctor and worrying about medical complications that can have minor or major impacts on your life, there’s never been a better time to take steps to improve your health and prevent future illness.
Check out our Getting Started page and set up a free consult with our medical provider. It’s time to get you on the path to great health and keep you that way.
Your lab results came back and you’ve been diagnosed as “Insulin Resistant”. Now what?
Insulin Resistance is when cells don’t respond properly to insulin, which is a hormone released by the pancreas. Insulin tells cells to absorb glucose, which is converted to energy. When the cells start to become less affected by insulin, more must be released to accomplish the same job. Eventually the pancreas isn’t able to keep up, leaving excess glucose in the blood and causing high blood sugar.
Over time, insulin resistance will cause blood sugar levels to gradually rise, eventually leading to Pre-Diabetes and then to full on Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in the US, accounting for 80,000 deaths a year – which the CDC believes to be underreported. The ADA report that more Americans die from diabetes every year than AIDS and breast cancer combined. This does not mean that having insulin resistance makes one Diabetic, but it does mean they might be on the path towards Diabetes. It is estimated that 50% of those that have insulin resistance or Pre-Diabetes will develop Type 2 Diabetes unless they make lifestyle changes to prevent its advancement.
Most of the time those with insulin resistance and Pre-Diabetes don’t experience symptoms at all until it reaches the stage of full blown Diabetes. Symptoms that can occur as the problem advances include fatigue, the darkening or thickening of the skin, increased belly fat, more frequent sickness, increased thirst and hunger, and even tingling in the hands and feet. Insulin resistance also puts one at a higher risk for heart disease and stroke, even if they do not have diabetes. Heart Disease is currently the leading cause of death in the US.
Due to the high likelihood that symptoms will not appear until later stages of insulin resistance, it is very important to understand what can cause insulin resistance and what risk factors you have that can make you more susceptible to it.
The most common causes of insulin resistance are based on lifestyle and weight. People with unhealthy diets and low activity levels, and habits like poor sleeping or smoking, are much more likely to develop resistance to insulin. Being obese, especially when the excess weight is concentrated in the belly, can make someone three times more likely to develop insulin resistance and Diabetes, with those odds climbing higher the more overweight that person becomes. Since High Blood Sugar is a metabolic condition, other metabolic conditions like High Blood Pressure and High Cholesterol can increase your risk of insulin resistance as well.
Unfortunately, some risk factors are out of our control. Like most health problems, age is major risk factor, especially for those over the age of 45. Certain ethnicities are also more susceptible to the condition, and as usual, family history plays a key part in the risk for insulin resistance.
The good news is that insulin resistance is both preventable and reversible. Some more positive news is that you are already taking the first step, which is educating yourself on the associated risk factors, and figuring out which ones might apply to you. Since it’s not only possible, but likely, that symptoms of insulin resistance will take years to show themselves, blood testing is the best way to determine if you already have an insulin resistance problem, or if you are trending towards developing one. This is especially true if your age or body weight fall into the risk category. A comprehensive blood panel with Ways2Well is the first step to success here.
The best way to reduce your risk of insulin resistance or reverse its effects, is to focus on improving the risk factors that you can control. Keeping active, eating a balanced diet without a lot of sugary foods, and maintaining or getting to a healthy body weight are key. Drinking enough water and getting enough sleep are, as always, incredibly helpful as well, and will probably improve most other areas of your life as well.
When I had my comprehensive blood panels with Ways2Well, I discovered that I had above optimal insulin levels in my blood and was trending towards insulin resistance. I’m young and am in generally good health, and even though I have family history that puts me at risk, I likely never would have known there was problem until it became more serious, and it would have been much more difficult to change course. But because I found out before it became a problem, I’m confident that I can prevent it from ever becoming one, and that’s what Ways2Well aims to do for all of our patients, so they can live with less worry about developing chronic disease, and live better as a result.