By my mid-thirties, after years of fighting the aforementioned, along with adult acne, chronic joint pain, major female menses issues, constant sweating, mouth sores, sudden food allergies, and even more extreme exhaustion, I went to see an holistic doctor near my home in Florida.
She suggested a saliva test to measure my hormones over a 24-hour period. What a concept! Not blood work that only gives you a reading at that very moment, but a time-lapsed measure of what was happening throughout the day in my body. Our hormones fluctuate and should be at different levels at different times. For example, cortisol should be higher in the morning and early afternoon, lowering later in the day and evening, and melatonin should rise in the evening.
The saliva test measured my estrogen levels (estrone, estradiol, estriol), progesterone (PG and 17-OH) DHEA, testosterone, cortisol, melatonin, androstenedione and thyroid. These tests are evaluated by more and more labs, but I have used ZRT Laboratory, Access Medical Laboratories, Diagnos-Techs, Inc., and Pharmasan Labs. Many of these can be ordered yourself and once evaluated, they are sent back to you with thorough explanations of findings and in some cases, recommendations of supplementation or a visit to your doctor for further testing. They cost anywhere from $99-$250.
As suspected, my hormones were a mess, mainly my cortisol. Diagnosis: Major Adrenal Fatigue. It appeared my adrenal glands were barely working. I started supplementation with thyroid and adrenal glandulars, stopped synthetic birth control (if only I had known then what I know now -- UGH!) and started sub lingual bio-identical hormones, mainly progesterone, to bring my estrogen and testosterone down to normal levels. I started feeling better, but it still wasn't enough.
After a few years of taking supplements and IV Vitamin C, I just couldn't get over the threshold to having normal energy and I began reacting to nearly everything I ate with a rash, swollen lips and mouth sores. I was hitting rock-bottom emotionally and physically. My then practitioner (the second one since the first retired), whom I adored and respected greatly, referred me to a clinic with more extensive alternative health solutions.
Turns out, after meeting with the first doctor at the new place, I was diagnosed with twenty-three illnesses, five of them "permanent," which means they live dormant in my cells until I am weakened by stress or an acute illness, then they awaken and send my body reeling. I also had a parasite and digestive issues. He couldn't believe I was functioning at all, let alone working a full-time job, running a side business, exercising daily and managing two households. Looking back now, it's by the grace of God that I was referred there and got in right away. It would turn out to save my life as I knew it a few months down the road.
So, how do you get started? My recommendation, based on my experience, is to start by being your own health detective and order a saliva test kit. You just spit into a vial four times in a day and send it off. Tip: If you have a hard time making saliva, chew some paraffin wax or smell a lemon.
Once you do your saliva test, if you can find an holistic practitioner, take it to him or her and add a blood test that includes Vitamin D 25-Hydroxy Total, OHD3 and OHD2, MTHFR, CRP, T3, T4 plus Thyroglobulin Anitbodies, Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies, T3 Reverse, a full CBC, Ferritin (iron), homocysteine (the ones in bold will be featured in this blog soon), and of course, the usual suspects.
Finding an holistic/alternative practitioner is difficult. They don't advertise because of public scrutiny and FDA pressure. I have found ARNPs, Chiropractors, and several MDs who practice holistically, usually mixing techniques with western or modern medicine, tucked away in every city I've lived. Start asking around - its how I found every one of mine. I did not find them on-line. The risk in not using your network to find a reputable person is that you'll end up at a quack looking to make a buck. They may try to sell you a ridiculous amount of supplements without explanation or get you to jump on the multi-level marketing band wagon. These "practitioners" give alternative health a bad name.
When I was at my worst, I was on about thirty supplements and herbals several times per day, but it was for a matter of weeks until the illnesses left my body. I have been on many supps for very thorough and targeted results, and continue to take those that are needed for maintenance, and they fluctuate with my body's needs. When it comes to supplements, ask a lot of questions as to what they do and why, ask about drug interactions if you're on prescriptions, ask about a return policy if you can't tolerate something and Use Your Instincts.
Throughout the years of peeling back the layers of my health onion and becoming a science detective, I was able to heal one step at a time, and with each discovery, I have fortified my system to handle whatever has been thrown at me.
Now, after nearly ten years of consistent holistic treatments (and a lifetime of dabbling), I feel armed with the best solutions to staying healthy and know that I am in control of how I feel. Out of all the suffering has come what I consider to be a few miracles (combined with centuries of science) and I am certain the knowledge I've acquired is my gift to share with you.
Up Next: Some simple things you can do today without tests to start feeling better while you wait for your saliva results.
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