We are a diet crazy society at the moment. Are you Paleo? anti-inflammatory? carb free? fruitarian? vegetarian?
Confused? don’t know what to eat anymore?
The first mistake people make is thinking that any one ‘diet’ will work for you. The diet that works for you has no name. It is a custom diet based on the individuality that is you. To think you are going to be able to pick up a book and follow the blueprint in the book probably won't work for the long run. You need to find the food that works for you. In order to do this you have to troubleshoot, tweak and find what works for your body.
If you come to see me and you are on one of these diets and it helps in some way for what is going on for you,
it is diagnostic.
Being on a restrictive diet is not healing, it is coping.
Your body will take you down if it doesn’t like what you are doing. Your body is smarter than you think. Your body is talking to you.
If your car was making a noise, or a red light is going off on the dashboard, you know that something is wrong with the car. You can fix it now or fix it later. If you fix it later, it will be more expensive and damaging to your car.
How to Start
troubleshoot your food
troubleshoot your supplements
troubleshoot the underlying cause
Troubleshoot Your Food
Troubleshooting food is something you can do today. Perhaps this is why it is so very popular right now. You can take steps immediately to make yourself feel better.
The downside of this is that in the long run, stricter diets are not realistic, everyone inevitably falls off the wagon, and the underlying problem has not been fixed.
Feelings of frustration and restriction can lead you to feeling low self esteem and can trigger unpleasant emotional states.
Troubleshoot your Supplements
If you are taking supplements, don’t you think it’s a good idea to understand why you are taking them?
I have patients come in to see me and they have a bag of supplements, from here or there, old and new. Can’t remember where they were bought… why are you taking that? I ask. They have no idea, or forgot. Sometimes products overlap/do the same thing or have similar ingredients in them. In the long run, it will save you time, money, and effort to have your supplements reviewed.
Some people don’t take supplements because they think they don’t work.
Anything taken in the incorrect dose will not work.
Anything you buy which is poor quality will disappoint.
Absorption is an issue. What you are buying may be great, however your digestion is weak and you cannot tolerate or absorb it: it’s a problem.
If there is a reaction happening with the supplement you are taking, it could be diagnostic.
Troubleshoot the Underlying Cause
Don’t get me wrong: a good diet is massively important. It will alleviate alot of problems and keep you healthy. Most people come to real food diets because they are sick: female hormonal problems, weight issues, fatigue, depression, heart disease, autoimmune disease, cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome.
As a diet obsessed culture we very much like diet as a solution. Many people are not capable of considering anything beyond it. We also like to be in control. Diet also looks and feels like you are doing something. It may be the wrong thing, but at least it looks and feels like I have some control over my situation.
A good diet is the foundation to good health, but it is not the only answer and will not solve the root or underlying cause. Most symptoms tend to go deeper than diet and supplements.
The Underlying Cause
The deeper underlying cause is something that takes time to explore. Do you think you could look beyond what diet may have to offer and see what else is available for healing? We cannot get away from exploring stressors, whether they be emotional stressors, mental or physical stressors. Sometimes the first step is basic testing for adrenal function, which measures the impact of the stress you have been in before you have come to the clinic. Be careful not underestimate the effects of chronic stress.
Some people have been under unbelievable stress, stress which puts them into a catabolic state, breaking down body systems and causing inflammation. You could be so used to feeling terrible you have forgotten how to feel any other way.
Mental and Emotional Stress
Think outside of the box: consider the healing possibilities of homeopathy. Homeopathy leverages your innate healing ability to alleviate suffering and ease pain. Integrative Body Psychotherapy can go a long way to resolving unhelpful patterns of behaviour which cause stress and fatigue (or 'deadening' of inside spaces), or help to move through grief.
Physical Stressors: Gut Infections
Do you know that 80% of your immune system is in your gut? GI infections, parasites, bacterial infections, gut dysbiosis could be the root causes of issues you have been experiencing. Some people have so much mould, yeast and infections in their gut that this creates toxicity and brings down the immune system. Infections are found through stool testing, and just like practitioners not all stool tests are created equal.
You may wonder how your digestive system is involved if you think you have no overt Gi symptoms. Menopausal symptoms, female hormonal complaints, weight issues, depression, fatigue and other inflammatory issues such as autoimmune conditions, skin conditions, cardiovascular issues, and cancer will have GI involvement:
Sixty percent of GI infections have no GI symptoms and the symptoms will appear as something else.
Anytime we are having hormone problems, we are having gut problems. Whether it is adrenal fatigue, thyroid problems or female/male hormonal problems. If you are under stress, the death of a loved one, a divorce, stress with work or positive stress from a pregnancy or marriage, you may develop hormonal imbalance.
What to do about it?
A good diet is just the beginning to a foundation to good health. It is certainly not the only answer and will not solve the root or underlying cause of your difficulties. If you want to work towards going deeper, with more permanent results, I can help.
It will take a little time but my prediction is you will be surprised at how pleasantly better life can be in the long run.
