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Genetic Obesity and The Legacy of Family Fat
A genetic predisposition to obesity doesn’t have to mean a life sentence to a struggle with your weight. Learn what inherited obesity means for your body and what treatment options are available.
Date: 7/4/2007 10:20:57 AM ( 17 y ) ... viewed 2031 times We all know at least one person who seems to have been overweight their entire lives. Or perhaps you feel you fit this description along with most of your overweight family members. If obesity seems to run in your family it is highly likely that you could be experiencing the effects of genetically inherited obesity.
A genetic predisposition to obesity means you may be dealing with one or more of the following issues:
1. High levels of LPL (the fat storing enzyme):
Some people’s fat cells contain elevated concentrations of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, or LPL, whose synthesis is governed by genes. LPL enables fat cells to store triglycerides (fats). So the higher the concentration of LPL in your cells, the more easily your cells store fat, and the more likely it is that your body will remain obese.
2. Brain cells that don’t respond to Leptin (the appetite-suppressing hormone):
This aspect of the genetic inheritance of obesity involves a gene known as the ob (obese) gene. Leptin is a protein hormone made by the ob gene inside fat cells. It stimulates the brain’s appetite control center, the hypothalamus, to suppress appetite and speed up metabolism.
Leptin is actually released in proportion to fat cells, meaning that most overweight people have high levels of this appetite-suppressing hormone. This counterintuitive bit of knowledge reveals a miscommunication that occurs in the bodies of overweight people. Researchers believe that the brain cells of most obese people may be unresponsive to leptin because most of these people feel hungry and stay overweight despite their elevated leptin levels.
3. Low to No levels of Leptin (the appetite-suppressing hormone):
There are also a small percentage of obese people whose ob gene actually fails to produce leptin at all. Mice with defective versions of this gene weigh up to three times as much as normal mice!
What Treatment Options are Available for Inherited Obesity?
Treatment directed at modifying these faulty genetic traits is the most effective solution to inherited obesity. Research into therapies which can correct or prevent genetic disorders is on the forefront of the medical technology frontier. However, the timeline for the development of these therapies is unknown and you may not experience a gene therapy breakthrough for obesity in your lifetime.
Amazingly, homeopathic literature contains many case studies in which genetic predispositions are corrected. Homeopathy is the only medical therapy at present that can make claims to effectively deal with a genetic predisposition to being overweight. This is because certain homeopathic ingredients, called constitutional remedies, have a clinically documented ability to treat, in all ways, a person’s health.
The term constitution indicates the physical makeup of the body, including the mode with which its various functions are performed, the activity of its metabolic processes, the manner and degree of its reactions to stimuli, and its power of resistance to the attack of disease-causing organisms. Constitutional remedies awaken the healing abilities resident within each and every one of us, no matter the cause.
A homeopathic doctor can recommend the specific constitutional homeopathic remedy or remedies for you as an individual. During the course of a constitutional treatment for genetic obesity you can expect the homeopath to inquire about changes in all of the following areas:
(1) specific physical functioning, general physical changes
(2) mental activity, emotions, dreams, creativity, spirituality
(3) perception of self, relationships, perceptions by others
(4) coping, ability to adapt sense of freedom or feeling less "stuck"
(5) lifestyle, energy, well-being
The homeopath recognizes that being overweight affects all aspects of your life, not just your body. If you prefer self-treatment, monitor yourself for changes in those areas listed above. The holistic healing homeopathy stimulates within you will follow a course that is right for you as an individual.
When treating yourself with constitutional homeopathic medicines, there are a few options available. Pre-formulated constitutional enhancers are available in many stores and online. Additionally, some homeopathic weight control medicines are designed to act constitutionally. These homeopathic medicines for weight loss will indicate they correct the causes behind obesity. Or do a bit of research in the online homeopathic materia medicas and determine which specific constitutional remedy sounds most suited for you.
Either way, a genetic predisposition doesn’t have to mean a life sentence to a struggle with your weight. Take control of your health and your life by beginning your venture into natural homeopathic medicines, and in the words of the well-known naturopath Dr. Frank King, “Enjoy the Journey”!
References:
Bell IR. Homeopathic practitioner views of changes in patients undergoing constitutional treatment for chronic disease. J Altern Complement Med. 2003 Feb;9(1):39-50.
Martini, F. Fundamentals of Anatomy and Physiology. Pearson Ed. 2004.
Nicole Evans is an alternative medicine researcher/developer turned medical student. She also enjoys working with King Bio, a homeopathic company dedicated to empowering people to safely and naturally improve their health. Visit
http://www.kingbio.com
for cutting edge water-based homeopathic medicines.
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