Emerging weight loss medications like semaglutide (brand names Ozempic and Wegovy), compounded GLP-1 are beginning to show potential for peripheral and initially unexpected benefits. These drugs fall under a class of GLP-1 agonists and could potentially have a massive impact on resolving inflammation-related health conditions. The medical community is starting to research more about how GLP-1 drugs reduce inflammation are used to treat conditions aside from weight loss.
Our team of Nurse Practitioners and other professionals at Brookfield VIVA Wellness always stay on top of the latest research that could benefit our clients. When our clients began reporting improvement in their inflammatory conditions while on compounded semaglutide, we were thrilled to dig into the current research to support their experiences. Of course, every patient is unique in their body’s response, so no result is typical. However, it is exciting to see that we may have another tool down the road to aid our clients in complete body wellness.
What is the relationship between inflammation and body weight?
Chronic inflammation may be to blame if you’re struggling to lose weight despite your best efforts. The link between systemic inflammation and weight gain is so strong that they often fuel each other, worsening both conditions. But what exactly is chronic inflammation?
Unlike acute inflammation, which happens temporarily to heal the body, chronic inflammation builds up over time. It’s your body’s response to various health issues like cancer, diabetes, arthritis, and heart disease. Stress, excess body fat, toxins, poor diet, alcohol, and smoking can also contribute to chronic inflammation.
So how does chronic inflammation affect weight? Researchers aren’t entirely sure, as the relationship between the two is complex. Weight gain causes hormonal and metabolic changes that increase levels of inflammatory markers in the blood. These markers persist until the excess weight is lost. Inflammation also impairs insulin processing, leading to higher glucose levels and fat accumulation in the liver. This cycle of weight gain, inflammatory response, and insulin resistance continues.
Both weight gain and inflammation impact the production of leptin, a hormone that regulates metabolism and appetite. Lower levels of leptin slow metabolism and increase hunger, making it even harder to control weight.
How is insulin resistance related to weight gain?
Signs of type 2 diabetes can start long before a diagnosis. Without any noticeable symptoms, you might not even realize you have insulin resistance—the key change that sets the stage for diabetes.
Insulin resistance often goes hand in hand with weight gain. Insulin is the hormone your body produces to help turn glucose from food into energy. But when your cells stop responding to insulin, glucose can’t easily be absorbed from your blood. As a result, your pancreas works overtime to produce more insulin.
Now, you might be wondering what causes insulin resistance. It’s a complex puzzle with a mix of genetics, lifestyle habits (like poor diet and lack of exercise), and the leading factor—obesity. You might not even realize you’re on this dangerous path until you develop diabetes.
Think about it this way—gaining weight and developing insulin resistance go together like a never-ending cycle. The more weight you gain, the worse your insulin resistance becomes. And the more insulin-resistant you are, the more weight you gain.
According to the CDC, over a third of adults in the US have prediabetes, and the majority are completely unaware. Untreated prediabetes can increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
So, how can you find out if you’re insulin-resistant? While there isn’t a single test, routine blood work with your primary care physician can provide essential insights. High blood sugar, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and low HDL cholesterol levels could indicate insulin resistance. And if you’re overweight or obese, the risk increases.
The more weight you gain, the more insulin-resistant you become. And the higher your insulin levels, the more fat your body stores. It’s like a snowball effect that becomes harder to reverse the longer you wait. This is why, at VIVA Wellness, we focus on preventative holistic medicine to get you on the right track before more serious conditions develop.
What does semaglutide do?
Semaglutide is known under the brand names Ozempic and Wegovy. Compounded semaglutide contains the same active ingredient as Ozempic and Wegovy and is what we most often use at VIVA Wellness. These medications are part of a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists that are used in the treatment of diabetes and obesity. Many patients turn to compounded semaglutide to lose weight and treat their Type 2 Diabetes and have found incredible success.
Does compounded semaglutide help chronic inflammation?
Combatting inflammation is a significant concern for those battling weight problems. Medications containing semaglutide, such as Ozempic, Wegovy, and compounded semaglutide, may not only help shed pounds, but could potentially work wonders in reducing chronic systemic inflammatory response across the entire body.
Specifically developed to target inflammatory markers, many of our patients report an improvement in overall health. Much of this improvement is due to relief from inflammatory diseases. This is especially true in people with obesity who suffer from chronic inflammation.
Another promising study shows that medications containing semaglutide can help improve inflammation of epicardial (heart) fat tissue, which is a major contributor to coronary artery disease.
What other inflammatory issues are improved through GLP-1 medications?
There are anecdotal cases of medications containing semaglutide benefitting PCOS, inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s), neurological conditions like Alzheimer’s, lupus, rosacea, fibromyalgia, asthma, and beyond. While some of these have been studied, it’s critical to note that most of these are personal experiences and have not undergone clinical trials.
Some research has been done into semaglutide and asthma, showing positive results. It is well-known in the medical community that excess weight causes many conditions related to chronic inflammation. There also appears to be a relation between the body’s inflammatory response in cases such as fibromyalgia and insulin resistance, which is a key part of Type 2 Diabetes.
Semaglutide shows promise in reducing leptin resistance, which has its own set of symptoms and conditions related to it. Leptin resistance is also tied to obesity, so those who lose weight using these medications may find this to be a benefit in addition to chronic inflammation.
These medications are also being studied to help stabilize hormones to a healthier range, resulting in more manageable, more consistent menstruation, increased fertility, and reduced free androgens and testosterone. Additionally, it can be cardio-protective—meaning it actually improves heart health. This information, in much more depth, is available via this study. If you are eligible for compounded GLP-1 and have any inflammation-related issues, let your VIVA Wellness NP know about any changes in other symptoms you experience.
Are there other ways to reduce chronic or acute inflammation?
Compounded weight loss medications aren’t suitable for everybody. Your VIVA Wellness team will partner with you to discuss your entire health history and other factors to determine an individualized plan for your body. If you are not eligible, many other options exist to treat inflammation.
Lymphatic Drainage:
Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage (MLD) is another therapy we offer at our Brookfield clinic to help reduce inflammation. Lymphatic drainage is a great option for many post-surgery patients to reduce swelling at the surgical site. Outside of surgery, MLD and Vacuum RF lymphatic treatments can reduce inflammation in other parts of the body, even the face. This produces younger, tighter-looking skin.
Colonics:
Colon hydrotherapy has been used to reduce inflammation, especially in cases of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBS). Our certified colon hydrotherapists have performed thousands of colon cleanses and have seen how patients with IBS and other conditions benefit from the therapy.
Functional Nutritional Therapy & Biofeedback Services:
This personalized holistic approach nourishes your body and addresses the root cause of your symptoms. Our unique process, known as Functional Clinical Assessment (FCA), identifies organ systems under stress that may be experiencing chronic inflammation and provides tailored supplement and dietary recommendations just for you. Our expert functional nutritional therapist in Brookfield will create a fully personalized plan based on your body’s feedback, history, and goals.
Anti-inflammatory Foods:
As a complement to the services we provide, we also recommend that our patients care for themselves by what they eat. Many foods are known to reduce inflammation throughout the body. According to Harvard Health, these include foods that are part of the Mediterranean diet, such as:
- tomatoes
- olive oil
- kale, spinach, and other green leafy vegetables
- nuts like almonds and walnuts
- salmon, tuna, and other fatty fish
- fruits and berries
These foods are foundational to a healthy diet, but our nutritional counselors can discuss your individual dietary needs and find a plan that works for you.
Castor Oil:
Studies have shown that the primary ingredient in castor oil, ricinoleic acid (RA), is a fantastic way to reduce inflammation. In addition, research suggests that applying this powerful product to your skin can combat pain associated with inflammation. In fact, a study found that ricinoleic acid was just as effective as a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug in alleviating symptoms of arthritis. The ones we recommend are available through Queen of the Thrones® castor oil packs, a highly reputable female-owned small business.
How can I reduce my chronic inflammation and lose weight with compounded semaglutide?
Semaglutide addresses many of the root causes of weight gain and inflammation. By reducing inflammation, compounded semaglutide tackles the underlying markers that contribute to weight gain. This means less inflammatory response and oxidative stress, leading to a healthier body.
Compounded semaglutide also works by curbing your cravings and increasing your energy expenditure. It helps you break free from the cycle of overeating and constant battles with weight.
Regulating digestion is another significant benefit of semaglutide. It slows down the movement of food throughout your body, leaving you feeling fuller for longer. Semaglutide improves your body’s energy metabolism by regulating insulin resistance and blood sugar levels. This not only aids in weight loss but also supports overall health.
Combined with lifestyle changes, these weekly injections can help you achieve the results you’ve always wanted. Our team at VIVA Wellness will work with you to determine if compounded semaglutide is an appropriate solution for you to reduce excess weight and inflammation and get on your way to feeling your best.
We want you to support the whole body while losing weight.
While weight loss is one of our primary services at VIVA Wellness, we are incredibly passionate about the depth of healing that occurs when setting out on this journey. Reaching your weight loss goals isn’t just superficial. We want to remind our clients that they are whole people deserving of total body health and wellness. It’s okay to have specific goals regarding your weight, but it’s important to recognize the benefits that weight loss medications like compounded semaglutide
At VIVA Wellness, we believe in an integrative and holistic approach to wellness, meaning that all parts of the system are connected. By discussing your other health challenges with our team, we’re able to develop the best weight loss protocol for you. This will likely include other services based on how your health conditions relate to each other. When you are able to create healing in one area of the body, the whole system begins to benefit.
For most of our clients aiming to lose weight and reduce chronic inflammation, the best results involve lymphatic drainage treatments, nutritional testing and counseling, digestive optimization, IM injections, colon hydrotherapy, and/or infrared sauna. Your unique weight loss protocol may also include other practitioners (such as acupuncture, therapy, EMDR, etc.), and we will refer you to our trusted partners in the Waukesha and Milwaukee area.
All of our services work to provide healing on a deep level. Although you may begin working with us believing that your top concern is your body weight, other VIVA Wellness services may uncover other more profound issues. Addressing these root causes of excess weight and chronic inflammation sets you up for success that lasts.
You have every right to pursue your aesthetic goals—let’s do so responsibly.
That said, if you feel your goals are rooted in aesthetics, it’s absolutely your right to explore the healthy avenues that lead you there. We encourage you to keep an open mind about the whole-system state of health as you go. As your Nurse Practitioners, we encourage you to be open with us as you share your goals, the “why” behind them, and any other parts of your story and lifestyle that may be influencing your health. These factors are essential in identifying the right fit for any strategies we develop to move towards those goals.
Using compounded semaglutide at VIVA Wellness
VIVA Wellness Nurse Practitioners more often prescribe compounded semaglutide. This is mainly due to insurance restrictions, which we’ll discuss in your Weight Loss Consultation. Your unique health situation will determine whether or not you’re eligible for brand-name medications or if compounded semaglutide is a better fit. Feel free to read our article about compounded medications: Are Compounded Medical Weight Loss Medications Safe?
Within the walls of VIVA Wellness, we have clients who have reported improved health throughout the body in their journey to lose weight. Remember that just because you may have any of these conditions and have weight loss goals does not mean that you’ll be the right candidate for these medications. During your consultation with a member of our team, we’ll explore what the best options are for your unique scenario.
Take care of your body and reach out to your Brookfield VIVA Wellness team today!
Your VIVA Wellness team doesn’t want you to continue to suffer from excess weight and inflammatory conditions another day. Don’t wait to care for yourself and get the relief you deserve. Contact our clinic today and schedule a consultation to discuss your health goals and how we can help you reach them!