Could you imagine eating a tapeworm or smoking a cigarette to lose weight?
What if you could sleep for a few days to drop a few pounds?
What would you do if someone told you to chew your food 32 times and spit it out (The Fletcherism Diet)?
What They Knew Then
From the 1800s to the 1970s these were some of the ideas behind weight loss. Before you furrow your brow and whisper, “whaaaat”, it is worth mentioning that there were methods to this madness.
In the late 1800s, we knew that nutrient absorption occurred in the mouth. So, why swallow it? It was better to avoid the extra calories.
As far back as the 1920s, research suggested that nicotine, a substance found in tobacco, suppressed appetite. Yes, that’s a cool scientific fact, but what’s important is that you could lose weight and look cool doing it.
Swallowing a tapeworm is arguably unappetizing, but that wasn’t the trick. The Tapeworm Diet resembled the Fletcherism Diet in that it deprived you of food. The tapeworm would literally eat the contents of your intestines, but at least you were able to swallow your food. And finally, a three-day nap was thought to be beneficial because the subject would fast for three days. Who has time to eat when there are sheep to count?
What We Know Now
These diets make sense now, right? Well, not so much.
Tobacco is stuffed with carcinogens, which may lead to cancer and invade most of your healthy cells. In addition, tapeworms steal nutrients from your body.
A fasting sleep puts the body in starvation mode. At this point, every single fat cell in the body is held hostage.
The creators of these diets tried to provide the public with an effective method to manage weight and avoid illness, but were unfortunately, initiating the exact opposite.
The HPA-T Axis’ Role in Dieting
Limiting cancer-causing substances and providing our bodies with adequate nutrients is important for weight management. For example, the HPA-T axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal–thyroid axis) is a system in the brain that plays a vital role in weight management, and to successfully maintain a healthy weight, the HPA-T axis utilizes vitamins, cofactors, amino acids, and enzymes. These micronutrients are found in our food, and to obtain them, we should eat a balanced diet on a daily basis. In addition, we need healthy cells to process the nutrients.
So, maybe we are better off swallowing our food, avoiding cigarettes, evicting the tapeworms, and limiting sleep to 8 hours.
The NeuroWellness Program™ assesses HPA function and provides nutritional support when needed. This model combined with practitioner care has been proven to significantly support weight management even when that was not the focus of care. Find a Sanesco provider if you would like to try NeuroWellness Program as part of your weight management program.
