As you are no doubt aware, you have health issues that you should be concerned about. If you are not satisfied with your current level of care, you might wish to seek additional help from a doctor who will guide you in the changes and discoveries you need to make.
Of particular concern to you are a possible urgent need for medical evaluation, depression and general toxicity. We must point out that a possible urgent need for medical evaluation and depression are conditions that you really should be concerned about. Fortunately these conditions should be manageable, as detailed in this report.
Taking care of yourself while you are still young will provide benefits both now and later in life.
Testing your thyroid hormone function is recommended, as you are exhibiting some symptoms of hypothyroidism. Ideally, you will want to have your TSH, free T3, and free T4 levels tested, which is more accurate than only looking at TSH, which is what most physicians typically look at. In the meantime, try taking kelp, which is a form of seaweed that helps to enhance thyroid function. The mineral selenium, at a dosage of 200 mcg per day, is also recommended for this purpose.
You could benefit from adrenal hormone support, which is especially beneficial for helping you adapt to stress, making you less susceptible to the physical and mental symptoms that result from excess stress, including depression and insomnia. Addressing this problem should ultimately help to enhance your energy level as well. For this, I would recommend the following: The herbs ashwagandha and licorice root, preferably taken in the morning and early afternoon; The herb rhodiola, especially useful for fatigue and a heightened stress response; A vitamin B-complex supplement, particularly vitamin B5, or pantothenic acid; The amino acid L-tyrosine, at a dosage of 2,000 mg per day; The nutrient L-theanine, which is also found naturally in green tea; The nutrient 5-HTP, at a dosage of 100 mg per day; Supplementation with the hormone DHEA may be indicated, but only if your levels test on the low end of normal.
The nutrients niacinamide and L-glycine are often used successfully for treating acute anxiety and insomnia, and should be helpful in your case.
Although it may sound contradictory to suggest that someone has heartburn and too LITTLE stomach acid, such is sometimes the case. This is being suggested as a possibility for you. Adequate stomach acid is needed to keep the lower esophageal sphincter closed so that stomach contents don't reflux into the esophagus and cause pain and erosion. Treating the symptom by further reducing/neutralizing acid content may resolve the symptoms temporarily. However, more stomach acid may be needed to resolve the problem, not just the symptom. Adequate stomach acid is important for starting the digestive process correctly. A chronically low acid state, as a consequence of heartburn medication use, for example, may lead to chronic health problems later in life. You will need to read further in your report for information on how to determine if this is true for you. If gastritis is present, you must treat it before using supplemental acid, whether to determine if you have low HCL or for the treatment of a low HCL condition. One simple treatment that often helps to relieve this problem is to take 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar before each meal. This stimulates the digestive cascade, allowing you to breakdown and assimilate foods more effectively. Ultimately, this can help to alleviate any digestive bloating or discomfort you may be experiencing.
After the course of medically-prescribed antibiotic therapy that you indicated, the healthy balance of bacteria should be re-created in the intestine by consuming an acidophilus preparation for two to four weeks after the last dose of antibiotics has been taken. Products containing "mixed strain" acidophilus - with many Lactobacillus acidophilus species - are the best. Those with an inflammatory condition should stay away from products containing fructooligosaccharides (F.O.S.). The most health-promoting organisms in our intestines are the family of Lactobacillus bacteria, especially Lactobacillus acidophilus, along with its friendly cousins, L. plantarum, L. salivarius, L. bulgaricus, L. casei, L. bifidus, and others. (Although not scientifically quite accurate, through popular usage, the Lactobacillus acidophilus has come to be known as "acidophilus.")
Acidophilus is best consumed before meals. The rationale for this is because you want to have as many live bacteria as possible pass through the stomach into the small intestine. Therefore, it is wise to ingest the acidophilus prior to eating, before the stomach fills up with hydrochloric acid, which would kill most of the beneficial organisms.
It is very important to be sure that the acidophilus product you are paying for and ingesting really contains live, beneficial bacteria. You can determine the "vitality" of your acidophilus product with a simple kitchen experiment. Start by pouring one cup of soy milk or cow's milk into each of two small bowls. Stir one teaspoon of acidophilus powder into one of the bowls. Allow both bowls to sit out at room temperature overnight. Next morning, the milky contents should not look the same. Since Lactobacillus acidophilus is the bacteria that curdles milk, there should be signs of bacterial activity in the bowl containing the acidophilus: lumps of curdled milk, a film of yogurt, bubbles of carbon dioxide, etc. When you pour both bowls down the sink, if the physical characteristics of the white liquids appear to be the same, you have non-viable product and should get a fresh supply (or your money back).
Try to decrease your consumption of fat, chocolate, peppermint, onions, coffee, decaffeinated coffee, as these are all believed to cause heartburn by decreasing the pressure of the lower esophageal sphincter and increasing the number of relaxations of this sphincter. Overeating and straining associated with constipation may also compromise the sphincter's ability to keep the acid where it belongs in the stomach. Raising the head of your bed by four to six inches by placing bricks or wood blocks under the head posts can employ gravity to help keep the acid from creeping up. Eating a low-fat plant based diet in small frequent meals seems the best way to decrease heartburn. Also, try to make every effort to keep your water consumption at 5 cups (1.25 liters) per day on at least a trial basis. Additional water intake may help resolve heartburn symptoms.
I suspect some hidden food allergies may be contributing to some of your symptoms, especially your allergic rhinitis. If you have not determined foods that may be causing some allergic reactions, look for foods that are followed by any of the following: heart rate changes, runny nose, drop in energy, itchiness, aches/pains, headaches, mental fog, vision changes, ringing in ears, hives, heartburn, constipation or diarrhea. Any or all of these can point to allergic reactions, and may be hard to spot with relation to specific foods because they can occur as much as 48 hours later. An elimination diet of suspected foods is about the only way to know. The most common culprits are dairy, corn, gluten grains, eggs, citrus, peanuts, soy, nightshades. An elimination diet of 10 days is usually recommended with individual reintroduction to watch for symptoms.
Diet influences your health more than any other factor over which you have control. Some people SEEM to be able to get away with eating poorly with little or no consequences, and most of us would like this to be the case for ourselves. We continue making less-than-wise choices until forced by health issues to rethink our priorities. We may then have the opportunity to investigate and make the needed improvements before it is too late. The earlier in life that we adopt healthy habits and learn which foods are best for us as individuals, the better the outcome. Some people need to be very careful with what they eat and have finally realized that the benefits are worth the effort.
In addition to following the elimination diet, some other treatments that may help to control your allergic rhinitis include the following: The nutrients quercetin and hesperidin, for their natural anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory properties; Daily use of a Neti pot, which is a device used to irrigate the nasal passageways, preventing offending allergens from coming into contact; The nutrient N-acetyl-cysteine, especially effective in the treatment of post-nasal drip; A mixed bioflavonoid supplement, which usually contains such nutrients as rutin and rose hips.
Your apple-shaped "bloating" is most likely the result of insulin resistance, which causes excess fat deposition in the abdominal region. To help reverse this phenomenon, I would suggest the following: The herbs gymnema and bitter melon, which are especially helpful for alleviating carbohydrate cravings; The mineral chromium, at a dosage of 500 mcg per day; A fiber supplement, such as psyllium, which helps to control the absorption of sugars and the release of insulin; A dysglycemia diet, which is really the most crucial step for getting this problem under control-more detail about this diet can be found at the following website: www.functionalmedicine.org/content_management/files/ifm_Dysglycem_Diet_091503.pdf
Ultimately, following these recommendations should help to improve your energy level and mood, as it leads to the normalization of other hormone levels in the body that may be currently affecting the way you feel.
Heart disease is the number one killer in developed countries, with high cholesterol (hypercholesterolemia) being the main cause. Almost without exception, the only people that have an LDL ("bad") cholesterol level below 100mg/dl are 1) those on a vegan diet and 2) those on drugs. Anyone over the age of 30 with an LDL cholesterol level above 100mg/dl should therefore consider adopting a vegan diet for this reason, if no other.
If the fish you're eating is shark, swordfish, king mackerel, marlin, albacore tuna or tile fish you may be suffering from mercury toxicity. The holy grail of studies on mercury contamination in fish was published recently. The FDA currently recommends that pregnant women and young children limit their fish intake to two cans of tuna a week. California researchers decided to measure mercury levels in people eating more than two servings of fish a week and found that the blood of 90% of them exceeded the mercury tolerance safety levels. Mercury can cause fatigue, memory loss and other symptoms, so you may want to get your levels tested.
It is reasonably likely that you are not getting enough omega 3 essential fatty acids in your diet, despite the fact that you are consuming fish. In addition to a fish oil containing EPA and DHA, I would recommend that you eat 2 tablespoons (30gm) of ground flax seed each day. It can be ground in a coffee grinder, and sprinkled on whatever you eat, or blended into fruit smoothies for example. Besides being a great source of omega 3s, flax is also a great source of soluble fiber and antioxidants. Plus, the omega 3s found in fish oil have also shown promise in the treatment of mild depression and other mood disorders.
Have a close look at the information provided regarding your metabolic type as this will suggest dietary changes that you should consider in order to supply the kind of calories your metabolic type needs. Further balancing can be achieved by specific vitamin/mineral supplementation according to your type and could potentially impact many areas of your health.
Try to make every effort to keep your water consumption at 5 cups (1.25 liters) per day on at least a trial basis. You should be taking a high-quality multiple vitamin and mineral supplement on a regular basis, along with those nutrients that are highlighted by this report.
More and more evidence is accumulating [Journal of the American Dietetic Association 104(2004):960] that people living at your latitude are not making enough vitamin D during the winter months. The action of the sun's rays on your skin produces vitamin D but, during the winter, not only are we more bundled up, but the sun's rays are at such an angle during those months at your latitude that one's vitamin D levels drop to levels that may actually be causing a wide range of symptoms. So I encourage you to take 400 IU of vitamin D (10 mcg) in your diet every day from December through February through vitamin D fortified foods or supplements.
According to the height (5'10.0", 178cm) and weight (163lb, 74kg) figures that you entered, your Body Mass Index (BMI) is 23.4. This indicates that you are ideal weight.
Your level of exercise is excellent. It looks as though you are reaping the benefits of your current level of physical activity.
You might consider taking up yoga for the physical benefits that you may receive. For a time it would be best to do this with an instructor who can guide you into an individualized routine. However, many have benefited merely from purchasing a book such as 'Twenty Minute Yoga Workouts', and starting a simple program on their own. Yoga type exercises can improve self-image in those with poor posture. In a small study of 5 women between the ages 20-50, it was concluded that poor posture locks negative emotions in the body. Good posture emanates positive feelings in personal strength and self-awareness, which in turn leads to more self confidence. All of the women showed remarkable improvement in their self-esteem.
If you have any follow-up questions, please feel free to contact me at follow-up@Diagnose-Me.com, remembering to quote your reference number which is 474621.
Wishing you the best of health,
Dr. Matthew Fisel |