The Health Detectives

It is sad to hear so many accounts in our clinics of how episodes of depression have blighted great chunks of our patients’ lives.

There are often tears because it’s a shock and relief all rolled into one, to finally shed some light on past experiences while getting a better understanding of how our bodies got in that state. Sad because what all too often turn out to be simple blockages of chemical pathways, have resulted in symptoms that have had a major impact on whole families - depression, suicidal tendencies, infertility, ovarian cancer - just because a few little breakdown reactions could not happen, leaving an imbalance of hormones.

We have been very moved to witness the realisation for some that if they had not been treated heavily with medications such as Lithium, giving horrendous tremours, and drastic treatments, even electric shock treatments, instead of some simple hormone rebalancing, their memories of their past would have been a lot less tangled.

When anxiety or depression shows up during our testing, we look hard to see exactly where the chemistry is blocked in connection with those problems. The body is intricately designed to be well. The many enzymes involved in making and breaking down different substances in our bodies, so that we have what we need to do all the various jobs in our body, are very specific in their needs. They like to have the right acid/alkali environment, the right vitamins and minerals - or they go on strike!  And people get a whole range of symptoms, from weight gain to blood sugar problems, spots and migraines, painful periods, terrible tempers, hot flushes as well as anxiety and depression. Take your pick.

It is amazing to think that so many conditions may have a common cause or two; the lack of the right environmental factors for our friends the enzymes to do their job description. So it’s not surprising that people we put on vitamin B12 for example, or zinc or buffered vitamin C, find it hard to believe that it can be all they need. No wonder they struggle with the idea after years of swallowing 10 to 20 different tablets A DAY in some cases to be told that not only will two or so remedies cover all those issues but could after a short time actually correct the problem and no longer be needed!

It’s not just the patients that have to learn to accept new ideas and possibilities about healing. The doctors it seem need quite a stretch to stop shouting “Placebo!” and “No written evidence… clinical trials… we don’t accept anecdotal evidence..”

Well, you and we all are the anecdotal bit rejected by much of the mainstream medical establishment -although perhaps we could ask our doctors, who call alternative medicine success stories “placebo”, while documenting in numerous clinical studies the evidence of “the placebo effect”, one simple question: How come people notice improvements often after short periods on “our placebo side effect free remedies” while they often don’t get better and often get worse after the pharmaceutical doctors hand out placebos?

But if a treatment approach by doctors with medicines has not solved the problem (such as depression and inability to cope)  without bad side effects such as memory loss, severe tremours, anxiety - to quote our clinic patients just this week -  could they not actively seek to treat other aspects of the biochemical balance, such as hormones, instead.

Please do contact us or look on our events page for details of our “STRICTLY HORMONES”  talk and demo – and invite anyone you feel is affected by any of the issues in this post or the list of typical complaints on our website.  There may only be a few nutrients or minerals in the way to feeling much better in yourself.

Have you ever thought of re-balancing your teenage boy’s or girl’s hormones with herbs, homeopathy etc. Let us test and tell you exactly which remedy is going to work and ensure a happy teenager and happy parents. The hormones are responsible for energy, concentration, growth, sex, stress and blood sugar among other things. Your home will be peaceful again!

Do you take sugar?… with your blood

CLINIC HOT TOPIC  -  We find in our clinics that certain health issues seem to come up in phases so this month’s hot clinic topic seems to be blood sugar problems with pancreas imbalances.

The pancreas is one of the many endocrine glands and it produces (among other things) insulin for the regulation of blood sugars. Because the pancreas is part of the whole hormone system, we find that it can get thrown out a little if other members of that team of glands are under a lot of stress or strain, such as the adrenal glands, or perhaps the thyroid. Often therefore, blood sugar imbalances can correct themselves if the rest of the hormone system (endocrine system) is corrected. 

 It can worry some people to find their blood sugar levels out, or find themselves craving sugars or chocolate to keep going as immediately most people think diabetes. But the main thing is to catch it early – and we have worked with people of all ages who show blood sugar imbalances that are corrected with natural remedies that fit their chemistry and never need to go down the route of being fully diabetic.

And we had a nice little reminder recently that everyone really is part of their own recovery and should listen to their instincts!  You often crave what you need to get better, even when it comes to your pancreas and blood sugar imbalances! (I don’t mean using our pancreas as an excuse to have another bar of chocolate).

One client with an underactive pancreas, and therefore excess blood sugar, noticed she craved for mints – and would eat a packet of them, but have painful stomach aches afterwards. Now naturally she assumed mints were bad for her. But when we were working to rebalance her endocrine system (which includes the pancreas), the only remedy her body would accept (in other words, the remedy that tested up best for her for this imbalance) was… peppermint extract!  Why couldn’t we prescribe mints then? Unfortunately, the sugars in the mints were aggravating the blood sugar levels which were already too high. So her body was craving lots of mints to get the peppermint but making the situation worse due to the suagr contents! So in clinic we always ask what people’s own hunches, thoughts or cravings are because when you are a health detective, you want all the clues you can get. We’re in it together.

Peppermint is not a cure for everyone’s pancreas problems however. Some patients needing a blood sugar rebalance have had a combination of three minerals, while others have needed some of the ‘good saccharides’. So it really is important to TEST, not GUESS, when it comes to getting your biochemistry corrected.

Other clues around blood sugar can be changes to normal patterns of thirst or passing water. Sometimes people tell us they are”pouring in water” or seem to be going to the loo all the time.  Any serious symptoms should always be taken to a GP in the first instance but having your hormone system MOT’d is a good way to catch things early and be able to correct things in a gentle way. Sometimes even before they become a symptom.

…Or anything in between…. our hormone or endocrine system plays a key role in a surprising range of our body functions. It includes many hormone producing glands, such as the thyroid, pituitary, pancreas, ovaries and many more. Many patients come to the clinic with symptoms of hormone imbalance - from tiredness to problems getting pregnant, bad periods, sleep disorders, blood sugar issues, hot flushes and outbursts of emotion.

Many people are experiencing ‘hormone hell’!  But take heart! This system has the potential to bring people back into feeling on top of things - and not just to  drag them down into a real battle.

Some diseases, such as the oestrogen dependent cancers, have their roots in the imbalance of just a couple of hormones and these same hormones can mean someone cannot get pregnant, or if they do, cannot stay pregnant. Or if they get as far as giving birth, other glands’ underperformance can mean they can’t feed their baby naturally or they may experience post-natal depression.

So why not take charge of this amazing system within your body and plan for those predictable rites of passage, such as getting pregnant or going gracefully through the menopause with a re-balanced efficient hormone system.

Keeping your body clear of harmful excess oestrogens can protect you from more serious hormone dependent illnesses later on. And how can we finish a post on hormones without acknowledging the numbers of you who come with thyroid worries and are often upset to have been told that once on thyroxine always on thyroxine. Cheer up! Once the hormone system (which includes the thyroid gland) is brought back into proper working order, the thyroid can do its job again, and we would not expect anyone to need to remain on thyroxine unless they have had their thyroid removed! Clearly the sooner you check your endocrine system the better.

You can get your hormone system checked by The Health Detectives at any of our clinics in Pembrokeshire  so make your hormones part of your health MOT and ring us to book a testing session. You can also have your hormones checked by sending us a hair sample – so let your hormone-hounded pals know help is at hand!  Have a good month!