It is the shot seen around the world. From Hollywood to your local med spa, GLP1 medications like Ozempic, Wegovy, and Mounjaro are everywhere. They promise the holy trinity of modern wellness: eat less, lose weight, fix blood sugar.
Before we roll our eyes or romanticize the needle, let’s get honest about what is really going on here. Biologically, culturally, and energetically.
What Are GLP1s and How Do They Work
GLP1 stands for glucagon like peptide 1, a hormone your small intestine naturally produces when you eat. It is part of the incretin system, the elegant communication loop between your gut, pancreas, and brain.
GLP1 agonist medications, the injectables everyone is buzzing about, mimic that hormone. They activate the same receptors that tell your pancreas to release insulin and slow down digestion.
The result is a sense of fullness, a quieter appetite, and lower blood glucose. Essentially, your brain and gut think, I’m good, no need for more.
Used correctly, these meds can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce A1C levels, and even support heart and kidney health. But as with any fast acting intervention, the question is what happens to the rest of your ecosystem when you press that metabolic button every week.
Who Can Use Them (and Who’s Sneaking In Anyway)
Originally developed for type 2 diabetics, GLP1s are now approved for people with a BMI over 30, or over 27 with comorbidities. But let’s be real, the off label crowd is growing fast. Everyone from celebrities to CEOs is jumping on board.
And to be fair, there is real research expanding beyond diabetes and obesity. Studies on fatty liver, cardiovascular health, and kidney support all show potential benefit. The science is strong, but so is the temptation to skip the work and skip straight to the reward.
Why They’re So Popular (and What’s Really Going On)
We are living in what I would call a silent and now very loud epidemic of insulin resistance.
It is the biologic burnout that happens when our cells stop responding properly to insulin. The liver, muscles, and fat tissue can’t hear the message anymore. The pancreas shouts louder with more insulin, blood sugar rises, fat stores grow, energy plummets.
This is how you get from “I just can’t lose weight anymore” to prediabetes and full metabolic dysfunction.
And yes, lifestyle got you here, plus genetics, stress, screens, and the standard American diet that sold us low fat yogurt and heart healthy cereal while quietly hijacking our blood sugar.
We have been fed lies that carbs are harmless, fat is dangerous, and sugar in moderation is fine. The food industry fattens us up, and then science gives us a shot to melt it away. You could not write a more ironic story if you tried.
The Western Approach vs The Wise Approach
The Western approach is predictable. Identify a problem, interrupt it pharmacologically, observe what happens.
So you start with metformin, maybe insulin, then move to GLP1s. Sprinkle in a recommendation for healthy diet and exercise and call it a day.
The issue is that it stops at symptom management.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we zoom way out. We look at why the system fell out of harmony in the first place. We call this pattern “wasting and thirsting.” It is what happens when there is excessive intake with minimal nourishment. High calories and low nutrients. Too much dampness, too little Qi.
From a pattern perspective, many of today’s metabolic syndromes show up as:
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Spleen and Stomach dampness (the body’s digestive fire bogged down by heavy foods and stress)
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Kidney yin deficiency with damp (burnout of the body’s reserves)
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Liver Qi stagnation with phlegm or damp heat (irritability, bloating, and metabolic sludge)
We treat this not by suppressing appetite but by supporting transformation, helping your body actually use food and fluid efficiently again.
Side Effects to Know and How to Balance Them
Even when used well, GLP1s are not gentle. The common side effects such as nausea, constipation, digestive changes, and vomiting all point to Spleen Qi deficiency from a TCM perspective.
You are slowing digestion pharmacologically, which can snowball into damp accumulation or stagnation if your underlying digestive fire is weak.
There is also the issue of lean muscle loss if protein intake and strength training are not prioritized. You might lose the wrong kind of weight. So if you are on a GLP1, think protein, minerals, and resistance training like your new religion.
The Psychology of the Quick Fix
Here is the tricky part. You did not earn this one.
That is not a judgment. It is a reflection. The true transformation happens in the process. The self inquiry, the dietary experiments, the workouts you hated but did anyway, the moment you realized your body is wise and responsive when treated with care.
When you skip that process, you skip the empowerment. You outsource your biology instead of partnering with it.
If you are going to use GLP1s, do it consciously. Support the terrain while the tool does its job.
How to Use Them Wisely (If You Choose To)
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Set your liver up for success. Support detox pathways with fiber, hydration, and gentle bitters.
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Prioritize digestion. Start meals with protein, eat cooked over raw, and avoid eating when stressed.
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Sequence your eating. Protein first, then fat, then carbs. Blood sugar stability starts with order.
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Lift heavy things. Weight bearing exercise protects lean mass and keeps metabolism humming.
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Feed your gut. Prebiotics like inulin, polyphenols, and gut loving herbs such as bitter melon and yerba mate make a difference.
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Micronutrients matter. Chromium picolinate, magnesium, and trace minerals help regulate glucose metabolism.
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Be honest with yourself. Do not use it to avoid doing the deeper work. Use it to buy time while you rebuild your foundation.
The Alternatives (and They’re Beautiful)
If you are not ready or not interested in injectables, you still have potent tools.
Try intermittent fasting or a 24 hour fast once a week.
Use metabolic herbs and nutrients such as allulose, inulin, chromium, bitter melon, and yerba mate.
Eat within daylight hours, stop snacking after dinner, and treat sleep like it is your job.
These habits do what the drugs do. Slower, gentler, and longer lasting. And they teach your body how to listen again.
The Bottom Line
GLP1s are not villains. They are powerful, effective, and in some cases life saving. But power without wisdom always comes at a cost.
If you choose to use them, bring your whole self to the table. Support your digestion, nourish your yin, move your Qi, protect your muscle, and remember that food, real and balanced food, was always medicine first.
Because the true miracle shot is not in a pen. It is in your daily choices, your awareness, and your willingness to understand your body instead of outsourcing it.