Evaluating Your Health and a Little History

Evaluating your health on a regular, daily, basis helps you to see where you were, where you are today, and where you would like to go.  For example, I am a sugar addict.  I am a carb addict.  I can always tell when I have had too much sugar or too many refined carbs.  My body screams at me through fatigue and brain fog.  If I would happen to ingest any artificial sweeteners, my body screams through moodiness, headaches, insomnia, and so much more!  I’ve learned to hear these screams for nutrition.  As I start this journey (again), I want this to be the largest leap forward yet.  I feel like I’m always making progress.  I just have some glitches from time to time, usually around the Christmas holiday. 😉

Let me review health issues that I personally have struggled with in the past:

• lightheadedness
• brain fog
• Petite-Mal seizure like symptoms (yes, I was diagnosed epileptic at one point in my life and then 3 years later told I was not – long story)
• Reactive Hypoglycemic
• Early signs of developing fibromyalgia
• Early signs of Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Gallstones, which led to having my Gallbladder removed – I would advise against it today and try harder to keep it.
• Miscarriage
• Secondary Infertility for 2.5 years trying to conceive our second born
• Hepatitis of unknown origin – yes, last year I was asked again and again if I was an alcoholic due to my AST and ALT levels.

A year ago, January, was the unknown hepatitis.  My family doctor was wonderful in letting me seek out my Naturopath doctor for a cleanse.  I went through an intense one week detox (for a first timer), that gradually reintroduced foods through the following month.  Here I am today remembering how great I felt that second week of the detox, once I added meat back into the diet.  With that memory, I went back to my family doctor.

This morning, I had several tubes of blood drawn and sent to the local hospital lab.  Let me see where I stand today, based on feeling “okay.”  I know I could feel A LOT worse.  I know I can feel a lot better.  Currently, these are my symptoms:

• Fatigued easily
• Jitters
• Always cold
• Trouble losing weight
• Stiff joints in hands, knees, and feet
• Brain Fog
• Lightheaded at times

Test we decided to run.  Yes, I said we.  If there is nothing else you learn about seeking self-sufficient health, learn this one thing:  Find a family doctor who sees you as a person, not a number.  A family doctor that is open to you seeing natural therapeutic doctors/specialists.  It is so relieving to have a doctor who takes the time to sit down and really listen.  A doctor who is perfectly fine knowing I very well may take the test results and see my ND and not him.  It’s all good.  Anyhow..the test we ran:

• Complete Lipid Panel
• Complete Liver Panel
• Complete Thyroid Panel
• HgbA1C – this checks your sugar levels over a period of like 3 months
• Fasting Glucose
• Vitamin B12
• Vitamin D

I could be forgetting something too.  Being a tad of a geek, I want to know where I am in these areas.  This will help me gauge where I need the most improvement.  I also know if any red flags are thrown, it will be easier for me to make any drastic changes.  Like last year when I gave up all dairy and grains!  Anyhow, how do you feel today?  Have you felt better/worse?  What is one thing you could do today to take one step forward in seeking optimal health?  Let me know in the comments below.  I’d love for you to start your own journey of seeking optimal health for YOU!