Menopause: Fat & Muscle
Dr. Mackenzie Kranics, ND- June 9th 2025
As a naturopathic doctor focused on women’s health, I view menopause as a powerful inflection point. It is especially an important time to focus on metabolic health and work on preventing future cardiovascular disease and reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
The menopausal years are marked by increased visceral fat (belly fat), hormonal rollercoasters, and greater risk for chronic diseases like type II diabetes. The recent article “Treating Obesity to Optimize Women’s Health Outcomes” confirms that this is a critical window for intervention and one where naturopathic medicine offers essential tools.
Current weight loss guidelines and our own personal preferences for an ideal body composition has overwhelmingly focused on fat loss while neglecting the importance of muscle mass on chronic disease prevention. Each woman's ideal body weight differs, but what remains true for every woman is that increasing muscle mass delivers protective metabolic and cardiovascular benefits.
I practice lifestyle-based interventions focused on nutrition, movement, and behavioural change. Realistically, these interventions often produce modest weight loss (2–5% after one year), however their benefits go far beyond the scale. In postmenopausal women, lifestyle changes have been shown to reduce visceral fat, improve vascular function, increase lean body mass, and reduce vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes.
The Mediterranean diet, in particular, is highlighted as a gold-standard approach. While it results in only small reductions in body mass, its benefits are still significant: improved insulin sensitivity, reduced inflammation, and cardiovascular protection. Unlike restrictive or fad diets, the Mediterranean pattern supports long-term metabolic health without triggering compensatory biological mechanisms that often lead to weight regain.
In contrast, surgical and pharmaceutical options like bariatric surgery or GLP-1 receptor agonists (semaglutide) can lead to larger reductions in weight, 1-60% and 15-30% respectively. However, as noted in the article and confirmed by recent data, these interventions do not improve lean muscle mass. This is a critical limitation, especially for women in midlife when muscle preservation becomes vital for metabolism, bone density, and functional longevity.
Resistance training alone has been shown to improve strength, increase lean body mass, and even reduce hot flashes. Unlike other methods, it actively builds metabolic capacity. As a naturopathic doctor, I guide patients toward consistent, personalized strength training paired with whole-food nutrition. This approach moves beyond just the goal of fat loss, but to feel stronger, sleep better, and improve hormonal health. While medications can offer short-term support, and surgery may be warranted in certain cases, neither replaces the need for sustainable, behaviour driven care.
Ultimately, menopause is not a medical problem—it’s a transition. Naturopathic medicine provides a roadmap to move through that transition with strength, clarity, and resilience. By focusing on nutrition, movement, hormonal health, and the root causes of metabolic dysfunction, we support women not just in losing weight, but in reclaiming their strength and vitality.
To learn more about the unique approach naturopathic medicine has to offer you can book a complimentary meet and greet with Dr. Mackenzie Kranics, ND at Diamond Valley Chiropractic & Health Center.
Rubino, D., & Schon, S. (2025). Treating obesity to optimize women’s health outcomes. A Menopause Supplement, 32(S1), S19–S27
As a naturopathic doctor focused on women’s health, I view menopause as a powerful inflection point. It is especially an important time to focus on metabolic health and work on preventing future cardiovascular disease and reduce the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
The menopausal years are marked by increased visceral fat (belly fat), hormonal rollercoasters, and greater risk for chronic diseases like type II diabetes. The recent article “Treating Obesity to Optimize Women’s Health Outcomes” confirms that this is a critical window for intervention and one where naturopathic medicine offers essential tools.
Current weight loss guidelines and our own personal preferences for an ideal body composition has overwhelmingly focused on fat loss while neglecting the importance of muscle mass on chronic disease prevention. Each woman's ideal body weight differs, but what remains true for every woman is that increasing muscle mass delivers protective metabolic and cardiovascular benefits.
I practice lifestyle-based interventions focused on nutrition, movement, and behavioural change. Realistically, these interventions often produce modest weight loss (2–5% after one year), however their benefits go far beyond the scale. In postmenopausal women, lifestyle changes have been shown to reduce visceral fat, improve vascular function, increase lean body mass, and reduce vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes.
The Mediterranean diet, in particular, is highlighted as a gold-standard approach. While it results in only small reductions in body mass, its benefits are still significant: improved insulin sensitivity, reduced inflammation, and cardiovascular protection. Unlike restrictive or fad diets, the Mediterranean pattern supports long-term metabolic health without triggering compensatory biological mechanisms that often lead to weight regain.
In contrast, surgical and pharmaceutical options like bariatric surgery or GLP-1 receptor agonists (semaglutide) can lead to larger reductions in weight, 1-60% and 15-30% respectively. However, as noted in the article and confirmed by recent data, these interventions do not improve lean muscle mass. This is a critical limitation, especially for women in midlife when muscle preservation becomes vital for metabolism, bone density, and functional longevity.
Resistance training alone has been shown to improve strength, increase lean body mass, and even reduce hot flashes. Unlike other methods, it actively builds metabolic capacity. As a naturopathic doctor, I guide patients toward consistent, personalized strength training paired with whole-food nutrition. This approach moves beyond just the goal of fat loss, but to feel stronger, sleep better, and improve hormonal health. While medications can offer short-term support, and surgery may be warranted in certain cases, neither replaces the need for sustainable, behaviour driven care.
Ultimately, menopause is not a medical problem—it’s a transition. Naturopathic medicine provides a roadmap to move through that transition with strength, clarity, and resilience. By focusing on nutrition, movement, hormonal health, and the root causes of metabolic dysfunction, we support women not just in losing weight, but in reclaiming their strength and vitality.
To learn more about the unique approach naturopathic medicine has to offer you can book a complimentary meet and greet with Dr. Mackenzie Kranics, ND at Diamond Valley Chiropractic & Health Center.
Rubino, D., & Schon, S. (2025). Treating obesity to optimize women’s health outcomes. A Menopause Supplement, 32(S1), S19–S27
Spring Cleansing
Dr. Lindsay Kellington
Spring is upon us and with that comes a time for re-evaluation and renewal. It is
time to clean out our closets, throw away expired products from our kitchens and
get ready to prepare our gardens. This time of year is also great for cleansing your
body. Cleansing is a great way to improve energy, lose weight, curb cravings, reduce
inflammation and reset your health intentions. Last weekend we held our first
seminar on spring cleansing with a focus on detoxification and juicing. Here are two
of the favorites from the seminar:
“BEET THIS”:
a juicing recipe to help cleanse your kidneys and blood.
Ingredients:
2 beets
2 carrots
2 apples
2 inches of fresh ginger root
1 lemon.
Instructions: juice all ingredients, pour and enjoy!
“DIGESTIVE AID”:
a juicing recipe used to support a healthy digestive tract.
Ingredients:
2 apples
¼ pineapple
1 lemon
A large handful of fresh peppermint.
Instructions: juice all ingredients, pour and enjoy!
If you are interested in learning more about cleansing or developing a specific
protocol for yourself book in to see our naturopath. She is available on Mondays
and certain Saturdays.
Spring is upon us and with that comes a time for re-evaluation and renewal. It is
time to clean out our closets, throw away expired products from our kitchens and
get ready to prepare our gardens. This time of year is also great for cleansing your
body. Cleansing is a great way to improve energy, lose weight, curb cravings, reduce
inflammation and reset your health intentions. Last weekend we held our first
seminar on spring cleansing with a focus on detoxification and juicing. Here are two
of the favorites from the seminar:
“BEET THIS”:
a juicing recipe to help cleanse your kidneys and blood.
Ingredients:
2 beets
2 carrots
2 apples
2 inches of fresh ginger root
1 lemon.
Instructions: juice all ingredients, pour and enjoy!
“DIGESTIVE AID”:
a juicing recipe used to support a healthy digestive tract.
Ingredients:
2 apples
¼ pineapple
1 lemon
A large handful of fresh peppermint.
Instructions: juice all ingredients, pour and enjoy!
If you are interested in learning more about cleansing or developing a specific
protocol for yourself book in to see our naturopath. She is available on Mondays
and certain Saturdays.
The De-Evolution of Posture
Dr. Tamara McDonald
Back when we were cavemen, mankind was very physically active and naturally received sufficient exercises and movement in their daily activities to survive. Today in order to "survive", many of us spend increased hours crouched over a desk, and with this lack of movement the incidence of back pain from prolonged improper posture has increased substantially!
It can be reasonably argued that a person's posture will indicate the health of one's nervous system and their spine. Slouching and rolling forward (as so many of us do) causes a significant amount of strain into our upper back and neck. This offset posture results in imbalanced weight bearing within your spine, and can lead to neck pain, headaches, and even premature degenerative changes in your body. On top of upper body ailments, long periods of sitting can lead to the pelvis shifting forward adding significant strain to the front of our body, which increases pain, leg weakness, circulation problems of your lower extremities and loss of normal range of motion.
Chiropractors are uniquely qualified to diagnose, and treat musculoskeletal problems within the body. Your spine is a complicated, yet a powerful machine, and when we move away from the structural design of how the spine is supposed to work, we put our body at risk of injury. Your chiropractor can help alleviate pain and improve function, and can prescribe exercises which are specifically designed to stretch tight muscles and strengthen weak ones. If you spend a lot of time working at computers and slouched over a desk, you could benefit from chiropractic care!
Back when we were cavemen, mankind was very physically active and naturally received sufficient exercises and movement in their daily activities to survive. Today in order to "survive", many of us spend increased hours crouched over a desk, and with this lack of movement the incidence of back pain from prolonged improper posture has increased substantially!
It can be reasonably argued that a person's posture will indicate the health of one's nervous system and their spine. Slouching and rolling forward (as so many of us do) causes a significant amount of strain into our upper back and neck. This offset posture results in imbalanced weight bearing within your spine, and can lead to neck pain, headaches, and even premature degenerative changes in your body. On top of upper body ailments, long periods of sitting can lead to the pelvis shifting forward adding significant strain to the front of our body, which increases pain, leg weakness, circulation problems of your lower extremities and loss of normal range of motion.
Chiropractors are uniquely qualified to diagnose, and treat musculoskeletal problems within the body. Your spine is a complicated, yet a powerful machine, and when we move away from the structural design of how the spine is supposed to work, we put our body at risk of injury. Your chiropractor can help alleviate pain and improve function, and can prescribe exercises which are specifically designed to stretch tight muscles and strengthen weak ones. If you spend a lot of time working at computers and slouched over a desk, you could benefit from chiropractic care!
Why Do Your Knuckles Crack?
Dr. Gregory Kawchuk, a researcher and associate professor at the University of Alberta, recently published the research article "Real-Time Visualization of Joint Cavitation" or informally known as the "Pull my Finger Study".
This study focuses on what truly creates the popping noise when individuals crack their knuckles, and the answer is "tribonucleation". Dr. Kawchuk has discovered, through MRI diagnostic testing, that the popping sound created while cracking knuckles is derived by a cavity forming rapidly inside the joint.
Initially, this study was conducted in 1974 by Roston and Wheeler Haines the findings where parallel to that of Dr.Kawchuk. On the contrary, twenty four years later in 1971, researchers refuted the initial findings indicating that their studies proved that the cracking was caused by the collapse of a bubble in the joints.
Furthermore, thanks to western technology, it is proven that the cracking of the knuckles is the formation of a bubble in the joint fluid, technically known as "tribonucleation". The image below demonstrates the results of the MRI, the left side is knuckle pre-cracking and the right is afterwards. Similarly, this is the sound that your joints make when you are having a chiropractic adjustment.
This study focuses on what truly creates the popping noise when individuals crack their knuckles, and the answer is "tribonucleation". Dr. Kawchuk has discovered, through MRI diagnostic testing, that the popping sound created while cracking knuckles is derived by a cavity forming rapidly inside the joint.
Initially, this study was conducted in 1974 by Roston and Wheeler Haines the findings where parallel to that of Dr.Kawchuk. On the contrary, twenty four years later in 1971, researchers refuted the initial findings indicating that their studies proved that the cracking was caused by the collapse of a bubble in the joints.
Furthermore, thanks to western technology, it is proven that the cracking of the knuckles is the formation of a bubble in the joint fluid, technically known as "tribonucleation". The image below demonstrates the results of the MRI, the left side is knuckle pre-cracking and the right is afterwards. Similarly, this is the sound that your joints make when you are having a chiropractic adjustment.
Diamond Valley Chiropractic and Health Centre
205 Centre Ave West
Black Diamond, Alberta
403-933-3088
205 Centre Ave West
Black Diamond, Alberta
403-933-3088
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