Health Coaches & Dieticians
Anna's Story
As a child and teen, Anna was lean, but in early adulthood, she began struggling with her weight. No matter what she tried, the weight wouldn’t stay off, leaving her frustrated and defeated. Her struggle was compounded by an insatiable sweet tooth and persistent fatigue, low mood—especially in winter—and reliance on caffeine to get through the day. Despite freezing hands, dry skin, joint pain, and constant exhaustion, her primary care doctor insisted her thyroid was normal and dismissed her concerns.
Anna and her husband were also battling infertility. Suspecting polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), a condition that ran in her family, Anna brought it up with her doctor. However, she was dismissed again because she didn’t fit the “typical” profile—her weight was only about 20 pounds above normal, and she lacked severe acne or excessive hair growth. Feeling hopeless, she gave up.
But everything changed when Anna met Crystal, a woman with a similar story. Crystal shared how a WorldLink provider and health coach diagnosed her with PCOS and helped her reclaim her health. Inspired, Anna booked an appointment. Finally, she received confirmation of her long-suspected PCOS diagnosis. Her provider uncovered other issues, including low thyroid and progesterone, elevated DHEA, and insulin resistance. With a comprehensive hormone treatment plan—including insulin-sensitizers like metformin and tirzepatide—Anna’s life transformed. Within months, her energy surged, her chronic pain eased, her skin cleared, her mood lifted, and she learned, for the first time in her life, that she was expecting!
Rising Rates of Diabetes and Obesity
As a health coach or registered dietitian/nutritionist, you understand the dietary shifts contributing to rising rates of diabetes and obesity. Your role is pivotal, guiding clients through dietary changes that promote long-term health. This direct interaction provides a unique opportunity to offer hands-on support that is more personalized than what other clinicians, like doctors or nurse practitioners, might provide.
Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT)
Many of you are healthcare prescribers with clinical training alongside your credentials in nutrition or health coaching. This background allows you to support clients with health goals beyond traditional medication management. Rather than solely prescribing routine medications, you can integrate bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) into your coaching and consulting practice, enhancing the personalized care you provide.
While hormone replacement might seem unrelated to nutritional consulting, it’s more connected than it appears. A common frustration among nutritional consultants is their clients’ struggle to make lasting changes, often due to low adherence to recommendations.
Individuals with type 2 diabetes and obesity often experience deficient or impaired incretin function, which impairs appetite and blood sugar control (1, 2, 3). Medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide help to reduce "food noise," making them valuable tools in modern HRT when appropriate. Comprehensive HRT programs, like WLM's, address not only appetite hormones but also insulin and leptin resistance, and thyroid resistance–a third resistance phenomenon that impacts the energy output part of the weight loss equation.
For instance, did you know that BHRT, when given in optimal dosage and form, can promote a higher resting metabolic rate? Comprehensive bioidentical hormone replacement that includes thyroid, estradiol, progesterone, DHEA, and testosterone can all safely raise the metabolic rate.
WLM’s BHRT training program educates prescribers on the integrated role of all major hormones like thyroid, testosterone, DHEA, estradiol, progesterone, and incretins in orchestrating the entire metabolic concert and leveraging them to optimize metabolism, control cravings, and fuel sustainable weight loss in your clients.
With BHRT, nutritionists and health coaches who prescribe or work along prescribers can make a profound impact on patient health, improving weight, dietary habits, and overall longevity. Providers using BHRT often experience reduced burnout, increased patient satisfaction, and enhanced profitability. For many, the fulfillment of witnessing patients thrive adds a meaningful dimension to their practice, with BHRT playing a starring role in these positive outcomes.
So, What Are You Waiting For?
Register today in Part I of our CME-accredited BHRT training program and start transforming your practice!
References
- Nauck, M.A., Vardarli, I., Deacon, C.F. et al. Secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) in type 2 diabetes: what is up, what is down?. J Diabetologia 54, 10–18 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-010-1896-4
- Færch K, Torekov SS, Vistisen D, et al. GLP-1 Response to Oral Glucose Is Reduced in Prediabetes, Screen-Detected Type 2 Diabetes, and Obesity and Influenced by Sex: The ADDITION-PRO Study. J Diabetes. 2015 Jul;64(7):2513-25. doi: 10.2337/db14-1751. Epub 2015 Feb 12. PMID: 25677912. https://diabetesjournals.org/diabetes/article/64/7/2513/19197/GLP-1-Response-to-Oral-Glucose-Is-Reduced-in
- Popoviciu MS, Păduraru L, Yahya G, Metwally K, Cavalu S. Emerging Role of GLP-1 Agonists in Obesity: A Comprehensive Review of Randomised Controlled Trials. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jun 21;24(13):10449. doi: 10.3390/ijms241310449. PMID: 37445623; PMCID: PMC10341852. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10341852.