Take It!
There are a lot of recommendations and even studies showing if you have a certain symptom you should be taking a certain supplement to combat it. Such as, people with autoimmune disease are low in vitamin D, so they should take vitamin D supplements. People with joint pain should take Glucosamine and if you have inflammation you should take turmeric, and…and…and…
There is a wealth of information on supplements out there but where do you start? You start by finding out what your body needs, what your body can’t tolerate and what’s literally “bugging” your body.
This is key as what works for your neighbor down the street or your brother-in-law may not work for you, even if you have similar symptoms. There is no “one size fits all” diet or supplements that will gain you your health back. Once you have:
- changed your diet (Post March 21 Eat It!) -de-stressed your life (Post March 21 Slow It Down) -routinely stretching/exercise (Post March 21 Stretch it)
your next step is to see an expert, a doctor or a naturopath to run tests to see what your body really needs. There are a lot of naturopaths but finding one that knows really what they are doing is key. Be sure to read my post, I didn’t go there - May 9th. for what to watch out for.
My experience with a naturopath:
After I had quit work, done the AutoImmune Protocol diet for 7 months, stretched on a regular bases I could finally get through the day without napping. My restless leg syndrome had stopped completely and my tinnitus had quieted down. I still was not where I wanted to be. I still had digestive issues, had too many sleepless nights, “body throb” flare ups…it was time to get the big guns out. I needed to find a naturalpath doctor.
But who? I went through a few, followed their supplement regiment but there still was no progressing. I felt it was a guessing game, I needed someone who was knowledgeable and up-to-date on the latest research. Then I received an email from Chris Kresser’s office that he was taking new patients! Chris Kresser has been a pioneer and leader, amongst others, in this movement of healing your chronic illness through diet and lifestyle change. (See his bio here).
So I responded right away and that was a new beginning for me!
My first appointment was face to face (future visits were by phone call as I am in a different city) and was an hour long with a complete history of my health. From this information he ordered tests to determine what I needed in the way of supplements and to see if I had pathogens and what they were. I soon learned this is a very time consuming process as each test may need a special diet several days before. I would say it took about 4 weeks to get my first round of tests done…remember I was still suffering from fatigue so it took me longer than the normal person.😬
Once my tests were done, Chris went over my results and prescribe supplements to aide in my deficiencies. Over much time (year and half) and several supplement plans my digestive tract stabilized and I was having long periods of being normal. Happiness.
Also, a good naturopath will recommend where to buy quality supplements so you know your money is going to something that will really help your body.
It was when we started going after suspected pathogens with microbiotics that I saw a huge difference in my Sjogren’s Syndrome symptoms. Up to that point I was still using an eye gel every night before I went to bed. It was needed as my eyes would dry out while I slept and the dryness would wake me up throughout the night if I didn’t use it.
I still remember the moment when I realized I no longer needed the eye cream. What a wonderful realization that was! I started this new supplement program in the fall and by December I was able to stop using the gel..evey night! This was huge, as I was using the eye gel for years and then it was no longer needed. What a difference good medicine can make!