GLP-1 therapies, including medications like Semaglutide, have been effective in aiding weight loss and improving metabolic health. However, proper usage is crucial to avoid potential risks, such as muscle mass loss due to inadequate protein intake. Understanding how these therapies work—by activating glucagon receptors to promote fat breakdown and reduce insulin functionality—can help individuals achieve better outcomes while preserving muscle and overall health.

A comprehensive approach to GLP-1 therapy includes proper nutrition, exercise, and supplementation with collagen, omega-3 fatty acids, and methylated B vitamins. Addressing common side effects like GI issues can be managed with adequate water, fiber, oils, and magnesium intake. Additionally, maintaining hormonal balance through testosterone optimization is essential to support the body during treatment.

Highlights of the Podcast

00:03 – Introduction to GLP-1 Therapy

01:01 – Risks of Improper Use

03:07 – Proper Use and Recommendations

05:11 – Methylated B Vitamins

06:39 – Compounded Medications and GI Side Effects

09:10 – Salt and Supplement Tips

Host – Man [00:00:03] But it’s just now recently they’ve gained so much momentum and kind of reached critical mass that now it’s like, this is this is for everyone and now it’s blown up. But yeah, I mean, how long have they been around? Maybe, you know, Dr. Thomas. Like over 20 years.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:00:18] I think it’s been around for a very long time. We’ve been using peptides for a long, long time. So it’s been at least 20. We’ve known glucagon function for a long time. So, yeah, you know, that’s which is where the jobs are based around. Right. So yeah, it’s been a long time, but people are just now figuring out how it works.

Host – Man [00:00:34] Yeah, well, you know, maybe that’s.

Host – Woman [00:00:37] A good segway.

Host – Man [00:00:37] Maybe that’s a good segway. Yeah. I mean, because before we started, you talked about, you know, that one of the things that really rubs you the wrong way is when you run across a patient that is taking DLP ones in the wrong way, which I think a lot of people listening might not realize that there is a wrong way to take Semaglutide there is a wrong way to take a GLP one agonist. So maybe we can dive into that. Yeah.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:01:01] Yeah. So what we have to understand is actually what’s going on. So which actually go to us, it’s not that you’re eating less, it’s we’re activating glucagon receptors. So when we activate glucagon receptors, certain things happen. One of the things is that we shut off a lot of the insulin functionality in the intestine. And so you’re not bringing the sugar from your food through the intestine wall anymore. So that’s one thing. But the biggest thing is that when your body starts to create its own blood sugar, which is the purpose of this, is that it has to make it out of fat. That’s how we burn the fat. Yeah, but it also uses protein, the protein skeleton to create the glucose. Well, if you’re not consuming enough protein or you’re not taking collagen or you’re not getting the right amount in, it will tear apart your muscle tissues in order to provide the body the blood sugar. It has to have to run the body. So that’s where the a lot of this problem comes in, because if you don’t understand that labor lytic pathway, gluconeogenesis function, these patients are going to lose all this muscle tissue. And the research is coming out showing 40 to 50% of all the weight that is lost is muscle mass. But the problem is, is that your muscles are where your mitochondria are. That’s where your actual metabolism lives. And most people don’t have very much muscle mass they can give away. So I keep seeing patients who come in who are having trouble walking because they lost 3 to 5% of their muscle mass, and the vast majority of people don’t go to the gym and do really big, deep squats all the time. And so all their muscle mass is based around standing off the toilet or setting off of a chair and walking away. You lose 3 to 5% your muscle mass. You can’t do that very well anymore. Yeah. So we’ve got to protect that with hormones like this astronaut exercise and protein function.

Host – Woman [00:02:34] So what would your recommendation be then for people? I mean, what do you wish was happening? Let’s say that if you paid the perfect pitcher, you know, because GOP ones semaglutide can be really helpful, impactful medications for people that are obese or need to lose a fair amount of weight. Right. So they come in to the office, to the doctor, and instead of just saying, here you go, take this, you’re going to lose weight. Like what’s what’s Mitt wave a magic wand. This is what good treatment looks like through taking these therapies in a way that you come out the other side actually healthier, not just weighing less.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:03:07] So the first thing like when I run people through it, the first thing I’ll do is I’ll explain to them how the diet actually works, like how your metabolism actually works. It’s it’s not around calories. It’s about chemistry. So I’ll teach them how to eat, which is most of the time they’re like, I would have done this anyway. And then we make sure their testosterone levels are where they’re supposed to be so their body can heal, regenerate repair, which is the prep, which is the purpose of testosterone. And then we make sure they’re doing some type of exercise to balance any muscle loss. They might start to have that we increase either if they’re like, Hey, I’m not hungry now and I’m trying to fast Fantastic. Same protocol for fasting. We make sure they have they’re methylated B vitamins. We make sure they have their koku ten omega three fatty acids. We make sure they’re taking their collagen because not only does your body need the the sugars and the fats and the proteins, it has to have all the micronutrients, all the B vitamins, all the other things that are in our food. So if we’re just not going to eat, we’re going to eat a lot less. We have to recognize that and support the body with vitamins and minerals and all the other other things a body requires to run. Otherwise we start having issues. Gallstones are oftentimes a method B six issue. You don’t have enough math, maybe six apostles for this suspension and we get gallstones. So the easy way to fix that is just give the methyl two B vitamins so that that’s the protocol that we will usually use with patients. And then we’ve had phenomenal success with GLP ones. And afterwards, when we’re done, they know how to eat now and so they’re healthier. They still get their pizzas and their ice creams like that, but now they’re getting stuff that’s healthier for retrained.

Host – Woman [00:04:32] Okay.

Host – Man 2 [00:04:32] What is the what is the method then as far as testosterone?

Host – Woman [00:04:36] The math. I thought you said no, no, no.

Host – Man 2 [00:04:37] The math, the method as far as like keeping testosterone up with your patients, what do you do with that? Is that from a more nutritional and supplemental side or or I mean, some people being prescribed testosterone or.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:04:49] No, we’re usually just giving people testosterone. What we typically see is the vast majority people that I end up seeing have high stress. When you have high stress that shuts off testosterone production, you’re going to what’s called cortisol steel. And so it’s like, look, I would love to fix your mind. I’d love to fix your nutrients, but we don’t have time for that because that’s been a long time. Yeah. So we’ll just give them testosterone. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So women and women.

Host – Woman [00:05:11] I was going to say two things. We came up for me when you. When you said all of that. The first one being methylated. B Vitamins. Could you take a moment to explain to listeners Because I think a lot of people don’t understand, like people are like, yeah, B vitamins, but what’s methylated And so and it’s really important distinction. So can you take a moment to explain what that means and why people need to pay attention to that difference?

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:05:34] Yeah. So a lot of people have either due to stress or due to genetic deletions. MTF h r m. T. T. R. C. M. T. There’s a variety of them. Your body doesn’t fully make the B vitamins, so you can take all the precursor B vitamins, you can eat all the nutrition, you eat all the food, but your body can’t actually make or make enough of the actual insane B vitamin. The one that actually turns the key and actually makes everything work in the body. And so we have a lot of fertility issues from it. We have gallstone issues from that. We have all kinds of problems from it. Like we also have a lot of mental stuff from it and adrenal issues from it. And so what’s funny is that the vast majority are methylation issues. If you just take a methylated, B, vitamin A, multi B, you’re fine. And people come in all the time with all these horrible issues. And I’m like, are you taking your business? Like, No. And we get we sometimes have to clean the get up and kill the parasites, but you give them the B vitamins back and all of a sudden they’re just like, my gosh, everything. My body’s working every day. I feel so much better. Everything’s great. I’m like, Yeah, that’s how the body was designed in a very specific way. If you give the chemicals it was designed to have, it runs really well. Yeah. So, you.

Host – Man [00:06:39] Know.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:06:39] I think that that’s the thing.

Host – Man [00:06:41] I think that’s a big reason why, you know, the compounding pharmacies that we used to for our semaglutide patients and you know GLP one patients, they’re oftentimes compounded with vitamin B12 and vitamin B6. Right? And so to me, that makes total sense. I was thinking about some other really common issues and kind of like our general approach here at and bigger medical. We have a process that where we try to inform the patients of like, Hey, this is what you need to do to make sure that you’re taking this correctly. Big part of that is, like you already said, hitting your protein. Another big side effect that I’ve that I’ve heard and seen is a lot of them are GI related. Right. And I think that oftentimes those can be people that want to continue taking or eating their regular diet or what they’ve eaten before. Right. And now all of a sudden, you know, their digestive tract isn’t working in the same way and they’re not taking into consideration how much fiber they actually need to intake to ensure that things stay regular down there. And so they either get super constipated or have really bad diarrhea. I don’t know if you have any good tips for our patients that are that are going through those.

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:07:47] Yeah. So the biggest one is that you’ve got to make sure your water is going in there, because one of the things I see is, is, I’m going to consume less or they consume less fluid, so get your water in. And then the things that make your bowel run are, you know, oil. So you’re, you’re, you’re good. Omega three fatty acid oils. You’re making your avocado oil, your olive oil, that type of stuff. Roughage so that your fiber content, the water probiotics are a really, really big one. So like we’ll use if we can get a hold of like raw goat milk kefir from my favorite things, I use fermented foods or my favorite ones. Or you can just take the probiotics like, like the supplement probiotics that work. So. And then high quality salt. The adrenal medulla is responsible for regulating fluid levels in the bowel. And so if you’re not bringing enough enough salt in to feed the adrenal medulla, sometimes we have issues with water regulation of the bowel. And so those are the things we start with, make sure everybody kind of has those things moving. And typically where we’re really, really good on the vast majority, these people not having too many issues with with bowel, you can also take magnesium, magnesium as a really, really natural, good smooth muscle relaxer allows the bowel to purge itself a lot easier. So if you start noticing that, hey, I’m not flowing bowel wise like I want to while you’re doing this increase that magnesium and magnesium super beneficial to the body. So it’s a great way to just kind of add some stuff back in to get it just loosen up.

Host – Woman [00:09:10] And magnesium right before bed can help sleep as well, right?

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:09:14] It can.

Host – Woman [00:09:15] Be good. Okay. But I know I’m curious because you mentioned salt. What’s your favorite salt?

Dr. Matt Chalmers [00:09:19] So we use a pink salt. I so I the biggest thing is that we have to make sure that it’s a clean salt. It’s not from rock, it’s a crystal in salt. There’s a there’s a pure L makes one that’s pink salt from it’s, it’s ocean sea with red clay in it. That was one of my favorites. Celtic salt’s pretty solid. I’ll do some Himalayan salt as long as, like I said, it’s crystalline, not rock, but those are typically typically at white. Morton Salt is probably the worst possible thing.

Host – Man [00:09:46] Why it tastes horrible to like that’s the others coming just just coming from a culinary perspective. Yeah like me personally

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