So many patients feel their food cravings have gotten out of control and a lack of willpower is driving their weight gain, generally making them feel like crap. But, the truth is, this is not a matter of willpower. Our industrial food industry produces food-like substances specifically made to hook our taste buds with every bite, hijacking our brain chemistry and metabolism, and giving rise to disease. Our bodies actually have a finely-tuned appetite control system that is governed by certain hormones. However, our modern diet, elevated stress, and inadequate sleep impairs this system, leading us to crave the wrong foods and feel hungry all the time.

In this House Call episode, Dr. Hyman discusses our natural hunger regulator, ghrelin, with Dr. Elizabeth Boham. They talk about how this hormone works and what can interrupt its natural production. They also discuss strategies to help the body regulate hunger naturally.

Elizabeth Boham is a physician and nutritionist who practices Functional Medicine at The UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Through her practice and lecturing she has helped thousands of people achieve their goals of optimum health and wellness. She witnesses the power of nutrition every day in her practice and is committed to training other physicians to utilize nutrition in healing. Dr. Boham has contributed to many articles and wrote the latest chapter on Obesity for the Rankel Textbook of Family Medicine. She is part of the faculty of the Institute for Functional Medicine and has been featured on the Dr. Oz show and in a variety of publications and media including Huffington Post, The Chalkboard Magazine, and Experience Life. Her DVD “Breast Wellness: Tools to Prevent and Heal from Breast Cancer” explores the Functional Medicine approach to keeping your breasts and whole body well.

In this conversation, Dr. Hyman and Dr. Boham discuss:

• What ghrelin is and how it affects hunger and cravings
• How ghrelin works to tell us we are full
• The effects of gastric bypass surgery on ghrelin
• Why diet, sleep, and stress affect ghrelin
• Case study of a 45-year-old male’s weight loss
• The role of sleep apnea on ghrelin levels and weight
• Functional Medicine strategy to regulate hunger

We hope you enjoy this conversation!