Spring Busyness and Test Results

Lots going on right now!  We are in the process of selling our current home and have an offer on another home...it's out in the country with four acres!  It's all so exciting right now.  Everything is still pending inspections, but so far, we're moving forward.  I'll keep you updated as things progress.

In a previous post, I mentioned that I started seeing a chiropractor/wellness practitioner.  At our initial visit back in March, he recommended three tests, all of which I took and finally received results.  I went back to get the results at the beginning of the week, and learned some interesting things--things that make sense now.

1) I DO have leaky gut.  After seeing the results of the blood test, the practitioner knew what was going on:

Every food tested is rated from 0-4 on a sensitivity scale.  0s and 1s are still okay to eat (1s need to be eaten only occasionally), but I was advised to avoid 2s and 3s for the next month.  As you can see, there are some pretty healthy foods on the do-not-eat list, which was disappointing, because I was enjoying the healthier diet.  The results of this test actually confused me.  Notice how dairy and eggs show no reaction, even though I know they don't sit well with me?  I'm not sure why, but I'm still avoiding them.  And how is white sugar just fine, and soda is perfectly acceptable, but broccoli, carrots, green beans, lemons, garlic, tomatoes, etc. all bad for me??  Well...I don't know, but because of the fact that all of these items are present in the blood test, it means that particles from the foods are permeating the intestinal wall and entering the blood stream = not good = leaky gut and inflammation of the body.  This is a result of stress and medications that I have taken over the course of my life (antibiotics being the biggest contributor).  Going out to eat will be nearly impossible, but at least I have some direction now, and it explains why I was still having a lot of problems on GAPS.  Turns out, GAPS is not for everyone, and I guess I'm one of them.

2) My adrenal glands are functioning at VERY low levels as the day progresses, which explains my constant fatigue:

 

I can get through the morning fairly well, but by the afternoon, I get really tired and feel that way for the rest of the night.  The adrenal glands are responsible for a multitude of functions in the body, including blocking inflammatory responses by producing cortisol, stabilizing blood sugar levels, and dealing with stress levels in the body, among other things.  When you have adrenal glands that aren't working the way they're supposed to, the body really struggles to maintain status quo.  The inflammatory responses are a result of the permeable intestines (or vice versa).  I've always had blood sugar issues, as has my mother, and get really shaky when blood sugar levels plummet, which happened frequently before I changed my diet.  It's not as common now, but still does happen.  Stress...well, that's been a life-long issue for me.  People are probably my biggest source of stress, and a close second is my job and the jobs I've had in the past.  I've also struggled with handling stress well, and now it's all come to a head.  I'll be learning how to deal with stress in a more healthy manner in the coming weeks.  Want to know a little more about adrenals?  A simple explanation of the function of these little glands with a big job can be found here.


3) Thankfully, I don't appear to have a candida (yeast) overgrowth, nor do I have any evidence of parasites in my digestive system.  Yes, it was tested for, and yes, both of those issues can cause the same symptoms that I have been experiencing, so I was happy to take the test to rule those out.  It also means that there is no need for additional medical treatment before starting the healing protocol.  The test did reveal an imbalance in my good and bad digestive bacteria, though, and that will have to be remedied.  The cause of this would also go back to overused antibiotic prescriptions (I'll be a lot more cautious about prescription meds from now own). I'm not against prescription medications--there are some good, helpful medications available in this day.  However, I'll be more inclined to pursue natural remedies for what ails me before I try medication if it's something simple.

If you are experiencing the problems I've had, I urge you to seek out a doctor who has experience with these symptoms.  It's not always easy, and probably not cheap, but it was worth it to me to just get these test results back--tests that none of the traditional medicine docs felt were necessary to order.  Find someone who is familiar with your symptoms and has treated others with the same problems.  I know that not many people out there right now have experienced or are experiencing what I've been going through, but if my experience can help at least one other person find answers, then it's worth it.

*If you are interested in the tests I took, send me a message or leave a comment.  I'll be happy to share the names of the tests that were prescribed so that you can go to your doc and request them.