#glp-1

[Image id: Instagram post from @anaembodiedlife. A photo of a glp-1 syringe in a person's hands. Text over the photo reads, "What happens when we silence hunger signals…in a culture already deeply disconnected from the body? A few important conversations we need to be having about GLP-1s, dopamine, interoception, and mental health."

end id]

GLP-1 medications impact the hypothalamus-the part of the brain involved in regulating hunger and fullness.

They suppress appetite and increase feeling of satiation, even when the stomach is not physically full.

As an embodiment specialist, I find myself wondering:

What happens when the body's hunger signals are repeatedly quieted or ignored?

What happens to interoception when the "voice" of the body becomes harder to hear?

GLP-1s also slow digestion.

Food moves through the body more slowly and remains in the stomach longer.

And again, I find myself curious: What happens to a body holding slowed-down, unprocessed food over time?

These are important conversations to be having especially as we continue seeing concerns about gagroparesis emerge.

GLP-1s also affect the mesolimbic dopamine system, reducing cravings and dopamine activity connected to reward and pleasure.

As an embodiment specialist, I wonder about the impact this may have on brains already struggling with low dopamine activity or mood disorders.

Many people describe feeling emotionally "flat" or as though life has turned grey.

This isn't about fear or shame. It's about informed, compassionate, nuanced conversations.

Like how they say it feels like society is saying "Now we have something that works, so there's no excuse to be fat!"

For one, we've always had something that works. Drugs can make it easier for some people, but eating in a caloric deficit, which is what those drugs facilitate, has always worked. It just looks like "diets fail" because most people don't stick with them or do them in an honest, consistent, sustainable way. People have always had the opportunity to eat less, since long before these drugs hit the market. Plus, it's free.

And just like regular diets, they claim GLP-1s "don't work" because a lot of people regain weight. But just like diets, that'll happen not because the method of weight loss was inherently flawed or ineffective, but because the people reach their goal weight and then go back to eating the same as they used to before the medication. They see diets and drugs as quick fixes and not opportunities to reevaluate their lifestyles and make changes that last.

So the fluid would be pushing on my pituitary gland …

Which would explain my rapid weight gain

So maybe I can actually stay on the glp-1 for my MCAS / Tourette’s and I can treat my IIH to help with what I thought the glp-1 was causing…

That would be a relief because it REALLY helps my tics.