Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Hello fellow sufferers of Heathrow Injection. I have good news and bad news for you.
The good news is, you are not imagining it. Heathrow Injection is just a fancy modern word for hibernation. When you cross all those lines of latitude and head up north to cold, dark England, a little switch in your body triggers and you go into hibernation.

Your metabolism slows down and your body starts conserving fat. Your energy levels decline.

I'm not making this up either. I'm just back from an endocrinologist who has a specific interest in the effects of climate on metabolism. And that's what he told me. In my case it's worse because I'm past the age of usefulness to the human race. (Yes, he said that too.)

The bad news though, is there nothing you can do about it. It's apparently genetic.

But just as you can't cure a cold, there seems to be some symptomatic treatment.
Reading between the lines, it seems that hibernation triggers insulin resistance.
Because he's sending me off to a dietician for a low carbohydrate diet, and giving me metformin, usually prescribed to diabetics. It helps reduce insulin levels in the blood.

Interesting that when I first started my metabolic typing diet, a low carb diet for a protein metabolism, I did very well on it. It did seem to wear off, though, probably the insulin resistance increased when I moved to a colder, darker country?

Unfortunately metformin has a potentially fatal interaction with alcohol, so I'll have to go dry for a while. I guess the detox will do me good.

He would have given something to boost the metabolism slightly except that my blood pressure seems to have shot through the roof. I'm used to being around 110/70 but he had me over 180! I rushed out and bought a blood pressure meter, and when I woke up it was quite normal at 129/86, but still high for me.

I see the dietician on Monday, but in the meantime I'll dust off my metabolic typing book, my Zone cookbook and my Glycemic Load cookbooks. I'm easing into the medicine, just took one tablet before bed last night, and will work up to the full dose, as suggested.

Come back in a month or so to find out how it's working!

1 Comments:

Blogger wLw said...

Metabolic Typing is very effective, IF used properly. Be sure to fine tune your macronutrient ratios to your body's own unique needs at each meal and snack. Good luck and have fun!

4:00 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home