PLT Health

Lp(a) is largely genetically determined and high levels are associated with increased cardiovascular risk.

Yet most people have never had it tested.

This is exactly why we include Lp(a) in our Platinum advanced lab testing.

We don’t believe in testing everything imaginable just to find an “imbalance” and sell you a cabinet full of supplements.

But standard bloodwork can also miss important information.

We test what matters.

MHT can be life-changing for women during menopause. But menopause care cannot become hormone-only care.

Women can experience fatigue, disrupted sleep, changes in body composition, iron deficiency, thyroid dysfunction and many other challenges during this stage of life. MHT may be an important part of their care, but it is not the solution to every problem.

Sometimes different problems need different solutions.

Good menopause care should look at the whole picture: hormones, nutrition, sleep, metabolic health, blood work, lifestyle and what is actually driving the symptoms a woman is experiencing.

MHT is important. So is everything else.

A client said something to us recently that has stayed with me.

“I feel like myself again. That’s the thing I didn’t realize I’d lost… until I got it back.”

I don’t think enough people talk about this.

Somewhere along the journey, something changes.

Women start sleeping through the night again, their energy comes back, they feel stronger, their confidence improves.

Their health markers begin moving in the right direction.

And then, almost without fail, they say something that has very little to do with the number on the scale.

“I feel like myself again.”

I think that’s because poor health rarely happens overnight. It creeps in gradually. We adapt to feeling tired. We accept brain fog. We assume low energy is just part of getting older or going through menopause.

Until one day we realize those things were never supposed to become our normal.

At PLT Health, we help women rebuild their health from the ground up through education, structure, accountability and, for many of our clients, advanced blood work that helps us understand what’s really happening beneath the surface.

Because whilst losing weight feels good…

Feeling like yourself again is even better.

GLPs aren’t uniquely catabolic.

You’ve probably seen people claiming that “45% of the weight lost on GLP-1s is muscle.”

That’s not what the research says.

The original clinical trials reported that up to 45% of the weight lost came from lean mass. Lean mass includes water, glycogen, organ tissue, connective tissue and muscle.

DEXA scans, often called the gold standard for body composition, can’t directly measure skeletal muscle. They estimate body compartments and can’t distinguish muscle from other lean tissues.

More recent studies using CT and MRI scans suggest actual muscle loss is closer to 20 to 30% of the total weight lost, which is very similar to what we see with conventional dieting.

So if someone is still throwing around the 40 to 45% figure as “muscle loss,” they’re either misinformed or trying to scare you. Unfortunately, there’s plenty of that on Instagram.

But here’s the important part.

Twenty to thirty percent is still significant.

Losing muscle can affect long term metabolic health, physical function and, for many women, menopausal symptoms. That’s why adequate protein and regular strength training still matter.

I also want to share something that often gets overlooked.

If you’re carrying a lot of excess weight, strength training can be uncomfortable, even painful. There’s nothing wrong with losing some weight first if it helps you move more comfortably and builds your confidence.

Just don’t leave it too long.

The goal isn’t to avoid strength training forever. The goal is to get to a point where you can do it consistently.

GLP-1s are a tool, not a shortcut.

Used correctly, with strength training, sufficient protein and sensible nutrition, they can be life changing. However if you don’t, muscle loss becomes a much bigger risk.