Studies show that caretaking increases illness and mortality. How do you keep yourself healthy while caretaking?
Let's talk about it.
I recently consulted with a patient who was concerned about a breast lump.
Her exam revealed some inflammation of her mammary gland. She was young with no family history of breast cancer. So I asked her what had been going on in her life because stress will definitely interfere with your hormones and increase the risk of developing inflammation.
She told me that she had been taking care of her ill mother for the last few months. I explained how our body talks to us and being a caretaker is like expending the energy to nurse a baby.
If you don't take care of yourself, caretaking takes a toll on you.
I shared with her a story about what my mom used to call her boob alert - pain in her left breast. She also worked for me as my business manager so had access to breast exams, mammograms, ultrasounds, and thermograms.
Nothing showed.
Invariably, her breast pain seemed to correspond with something going on in the family. And as soon as it was resolved, her breast would stop hurting. It got to the point that whenever mom had breast pain, we sent out a text to my sisters that mom had a boob alert and to make sure that everybody was okay.
In 2015, I became my mom’s caretaker.
It was incredibly stressful. And as soon as she passed away, I developed left breast pain whenever there was something going awry in the family.
I had inherited mom's boob alert.
While I know it's symbolic I still had multiple exams to be sure that everything was fine. I've learned to be sure that I'm filling up my own cup and taking pristine care of myself physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually.
Because invariably as a caretaker, whether it's of young children, sick family members, dying parents, being a nurse, or a healer, whenever you're caretaking others, it often feels like your energy is getting sucked dry. I imagine I'm energetically a chalice. If I keep my cup full by eating well, getting enough sleep, exercising, meditating, taking my Genesis Gold®, getting enough hugs, and being with loved ones, my cup is full.
In fact, my cup runneth over.
I'm able to share my energy with my family, friends, and those who are dependent on me without them sucking me dry.
I shared this with my patient and she got a little teary because it hit home. She admitted she had not been taking care of herself while caretaking her mother.
She had not gone to the gym, nor surfed, nor hiked.
She had not been eating as well.
She had not been getting enough sleep and was too tired to socialize.
She had not been meditating.
She realized that to heal, she had to reinstitute these healthy behaviors so she could fill her cup up and when she was needed, she would not be sucked dry. Of course, I also recommended using evening primrose oil and vitamin E to get the breast inflammation down. And to return for another exam.
Before her next menstrual cycle, she should have a resolution of her breast lump, no longer alerting her to troubles in her universe. Because she will no longer allow herself to be sucked dry. She will keep her cup full and take care of herself.
And that's what I wish for you.
As a caretaker, you've got to remember to take care of yourself, and only then will you be able to be at your best for others.
And take a little extra Genesis Gold® to help your hypothalamus deal with the stress by balancing the HPA axis, supporting your overworked adrenal glands, and getting your metabolism and your detoxification pathways functioning optimally. So that the stressor that you're dealing with doesn't make you sick.
If you have any questions about stress and your hypothalamus please join us in our Hormone Reboot Training.
Yes. The hypothalamus is the master regulator of metabolism, controlling how your body stores and burns energy through its signaling to the thyroid, adrenals, and pancreas. When the hypothalamus becomes dysregulated by chronic stress, poor sleep, inflammation, or blood sugar instability, it defends a higher weight "set point" — causing the body to hold onto fat regardless of diet or exercise. This makes hypothalamic dysfunction an upstream root cause of stubborn weight gain.
What is a weight set point and why won't mine move?
A weight set point is the body weight your hypothalamus works to defend, calibrated over time by stress, sleep, hormones, and inflammation. When you diet, the hypothalamus perceives scarcity and responds by slowing metabolism, increasing hunger hormones, and suppressing satiety signals to return you to that set point. This is why most people regain lost weight within two to five years of conventional dieting — the set point itself was never recalibrated, only temporarily overridden.
Why do I gain weight under stress even when I'm not eating more?
Chronic stress raises cortisol, which disrupts blood sugar regulation, promotes abdominal fat storage, and signals the hypothalamus that the body is under threat. In survival mode, the hypothalamus defends fat stores and slows metabolism — so weight can increase even without any change in calorie intake. The stress chemistry, not the food, is driving the weight gain, which is why stress reduction is essential to any lasting metabolic reset.
Why do I regain weight after stopping GLP-1 medications?
GLP-1 medications work peripherally on appetite and gastric signaling, but they do not address the underlying hypothalamic dysregulation that sets your defended weight. Because the hypothalamic set point is never recalibrated, the body resumes defending its original weight once the medication stops — leading to significant regain. Long-term success requires restoring hypothalamic regulation so the set point itself lowers, rather than relying on appetite suppression alone.
How long does it take to reset your metabolism?
Genuine metabolic recalibration takes a minimum of 90 days, because the hypothalamus needs consistent signals of safety and sufficiency before it will lower its defended set point. This differs from a diet, which produces temporary suppression the body quickly corrects. A 90-day reset typically moves through three phases: stabilizing stress chemistry (days 1–30), rebuilding metabolic efficiency (days 31–60), and lowering the weight set point (days 61–90).
Why does my thyroid feel slow even though my labs are "normal"?
Under chronic stress, the body converts thyroid hormone into reverse T3, which blocks active thyroid receptors and slows metabolism at the cellular level — even when standard lab values appear normal. This means you can experience genuine symptoms of slow metabolism, such as fatigue, cold intolerance, and brain fog, while your thyroid panel looks unremarkable. Addressing the upstream hypothalamic and stress signaling often improves thyroid conversion and symptoms.
Is stubborn weight gain a willpower problem?
No. Stubborn weight gain is a signaling problem, not a willpower problem. The hypothalamus governs weight through survival mechanisms that operate below conscious control — defending its set point by slowing metabolism and increasing hunger when it perceives threat. No amount of discipline can override this system; lasting change comes from restoring hypothalamic regulation through reduced stress, balanced blood sugar, restorative sleep, and targeted nutritional support.
Known as the Hormone Queen®️, I’ve made it my mission to help everyone - no matter their age - balance their hormones, and live the energy and joy their DNA and true destiny desires. See more about me my story here...
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