Dr. Wayne Coghlan: Chiropractor
Managing the Munchies
Could it be?
Something that can help manage the muchies?
One of the most weight gaining challenges for myself and common for many people I've talked to is the late night munchies. This is the insatiable craving we get in the evening. We know we've had a good meal. We aren't really hungry and we know we don't need the extra calories. But something in the fridge beacons us like the siren's call. And we open the fridge... then close it. Then open again as if we expect something is magically different. It's calling you. Repeat. Repeat. And it doesn't stop until.. we've eaten the left over roast from Sunday, or the pasta salad from yesterday... emptied the gravy bowl... or sampled the ketchup bottle... or....
And once again another 600 calories has gone down the hatch. The shame of it all. As well as the knowledge that we'd have to walk around Lake Simcoe to burn off that many unnecessary calories.
What is going on is the unwanted influence of the the endoocannabinoid system (ECS).
The ECS is involved in a variety of physiological processes including appetite, pain-sensation, mood, and memory. The ECS is also involved in voluntary exercise and may be related to the evolution of the runner's high in human beings and related aspects of motivation or reward for locomotor activity in other animals.
The ECS is also the part of the nervous system activated by marijuana. Hence the common experience with marijuana users getting the munchies. It seems to be the same craving whether induced by toking... or not.
Now the entrepreneurial minded reader would be thinking, "Man, they could make a fortune if they found some drug or something that would block the munchies and effectively suppress appetite. People who struggle with weight would pay $$$ for it, let along the benefits to societal health in terms of the reduce morbidity of excessive body weight." And you would be correct!
Click here for the article on weight management and diets.
And there has been much research by the big pharmaceutical companies to find a drug to effectively block the ECS. The problem then emerges, that along with blocking appetite, the drugs caused a host of very unpleasant side effects. See the article about Rimonabant. At this time, there is no such drug close to becoming marketable.
And as with non-pharmaceutical natural remedies .. .there isn't a lot of help. I expect there are many suggestions from herbal teas to .... ?
This article "How to Stop the Munchies When You’re High" basically says if you toke, you're going to get the muchies, without suggesting other remedies.
I will pass on three remedies that may help manage the munchies whether from marijuana use... or not.
One very sincere lady told me that as soon as she brushes her teeth, the cravings go away. Could it be that simple?
An unwanted side effect of marijuana use is Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, characterized by recurrent nausea, vomiting and crampy abdominal pain. These symptoms have been reported to be improved temporarily by taking a hot shower or bath. Perhaps an early evening hot batch can help alleviate non-marijuana induced munchies.
And now... Walnuts ... keep reading.....
Dr. Wayne Coghlan: Chiropractor
Walnuts may reduce the Munchies!!
Original source by MARIELLE MONDON, PhillyVoice Staff. AUGUST 20, 2017
For people looking to cut back on food cravings, a daily handful of walnuts could have significant and lasting effects.
A recent study published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism looked at the walnut effect on hospitalized obese subjects who were treated with a smoothie containing 48 grams of walnuts. Of the 10 patients, half were instead given a placebo smoothie with no walnut content. A month later the placebo patients were served the walnut shake and vice versa. Later, researchers ran MRI exams while showing patients photos of both healthy food and high-fat food, as well as neutral pictures.
The MRI exams showed that those treated with the walnut smoothie had better impulse control than those treated with the placebo. Insula, the part of the brain related to impulse control, increased among drinkers of the walnut smoothie but not among the placebo drinkers.
“Walnuts can alter the way our brains view food and impact our appetites,” said lead author Olivia M. Farr to the New York Times. Farr works at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. “Our results confirm the current recommendations to include walnuts as part of a healthy diet.”
In addition to being a good diet food control hack, walnuts are also linked to treating type 2 diabetes.
The study was supported by a Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center Grant and an NIH grant. The California Walnut Commission also supported -- but did not design or conduct -- the study.
Here is a link to the originating article.
Walnut consumption increases activation of the insula to highly desirable food cues: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over fMRI study.
First published: 17 August 2017
DOI: 10.1111/dom.13060