Imbalances Happen to Everyone!

It all started this past summer. I was at the pool, trying to give blood during the blood drive. I take the pre-requisite hemoglobin test to determine eligibility to give and FAIL. My hemoglobin was LOW! I had been on a daily salad binge and did liquid chlorophyll with regularity in my water. How could I have low hemoglobin? The men I played poker with were walking around with their "dad bods" drinking beer,hard liquor and fried chicken sandwiches and all had a sticker on themselves showing they were able to give blood - and I wasn't - I actually was ashamed, embarrassed that the one who cared so much about health "failed" a test of health. I had been thinking strongly about giving platelets due to all the blood cancer clients I see, I certainly wasn't up for that either.

The summer ended, I was still dragging a bit, but with school in full swing - 4 after school programs and classes for the kids, working 6 days a week, and definitely burning the candle at both having to also taking care of the home and night time needs of everyone I couldn't do much about it...yet.
I started to notice other big changes in my health,

• Grey hair - 40% - me!! I couldn't even hide it if I tried! Thank you to my hair dresser, 8 weeks at a time I am keeping it blond.
• Anxiety - dread, heavy, crushing, anxiety - fall to the floor, cannot get up anxiety and depression
• Irregular periods, (well I am 45 after all), 30 days here 11 days there.
• Insomnia
• Weight gain (9 lbs, before I even noticed)

thinking it was all stress related I just dragged myself through each day trying to eat the best I could and rest when I could.

Things changed when I had a sales call from one of my laboratories show up at my office. He had kits in hand of new tests they were offering. I hadn't heard of the type of hormone test he was introducing so he gave me a free test, (the only way these days I would be able to do it, and this gave me an idea. I called another lab I use and asked if they offered any free tests for their practitioners and, viola! I had a hormone screening AND a micronutrient test, free - I thanked the stars and got them sent out with my various bodily fluids.
What came back was amazing - it showed all of the intense, relentless stresses and what they had done to me! My adrenals were tanked - exhausted! My estrogen - non-existent, testosterone, low, epinephrine, low, even my melatonin was askew!   My adrenals, helping me deal with a heavy load of stress gave in - no more cortisol or epinephrine left - I used up every drop of the stress response I had. No wonder I was an emotional mess!
I had the answer for the irregularity in my cycles - I needed more estrogen and testosterone.
My sleep issues determined by elevated sleep hormone, melatonin at 5 p.m. and none at 10:30 when I needed it the most.
I knew this meant I needed some B vitamins - especially Pantothenic acid, B6, B12 and folate, leading to a better balanced glutathione.  I now knew that vitamin E would be helpful and perhaps some betaine and selenium. I would wait  for my micronutrient test to see what it said I needed.
Six days later, my micronutrient test results arrived. I was deficient in the following:

• Pantothenic acid
• Manganese
• asparagine
• vitamin E
• Carnitine
• Oleic acid and 
• Glutathione

They matched! My imbalanced I had with all my hormones matched with the causes - the things I was most deficient in. Pantothenic for my poor, depleted adrenals, I would do these with all the other B vitamins to help with a certain type of anemia, this would be what I would need for any hemoglobin issues  - along with my salads and  liquid chlorophyll, and aid in my glutathione production too! Manganese is the necessary food for the ovaries - that made sense with the hormone imbalances - I would do raspberry leaves - highest herb in manganese, vitamin E for hormones and, what about the asparagine. I had to look that one up! This is very interesting:
https://blissreturned.wordpress.com/2012/03/27/asparagine-the-amino-acid-that-is-needed-to-maintain-balance-in-the-central-nervous-system-it-prevents-you-from-being-either-overly-nervous-or-overly-calm/
In case you just want a summary - it is the reason why I was feeling tired, anxious, overwhelmed, not able to handle stress as well, any longer - why I was depressed. High in Asparagus - I will have that every day - I love asparagus - morning and dinner for me!
Then the Oleic Acid- I knew it was a good fat. I needed to find a way to get it in my diet daily. Butter, flax, coconut oil, that's easy! I now do grass-fed cow butter and coconut oil every day - sometimes twice a day on the coconut oil!
Carnitine - It's in mostly animal kingdom foods - I'm a vegetarian - It's in avocado - I do a ton of avocado, I will need to supplement I guess. I need it for energy when I work out - for fat-burning ability when I'm active. It's good for gut mucosa, for thyroid - I need to get it in and will work on this one sooner than later.

I started on all of this about 3-4 weeks ago and immediately felt a sense of relief from the effects of stress. Yes, still having anxious moments and feeling the heavy weight that my life is right now, but able to get through it without feeling like I'm going to drop - going to lose it at any given moment. Within days started sleeping better, heavier. Energy has come up over the past 3 weeks, mood better, just all over feeling more balanced! I have a lot of work to do, but I am on it and benefiting daily!
The changes to my diet, other than adding the things I needed more of , I also changed by removing the two bad things I felt I did too much of. Cheese - even goat cheese and alcohol - the wine in the evenings here and there as my "reward" for getting through the day. With these gone and the balancing things I am doing otherwise, so far I've lost 2 1/2 lbs - yes, the 1/2 counts - on the scale here at the office, anyhow!

If you are interested in or know someone in need of the micronutrient testing, send them over! I offer all the lab here at wholesale, and that one is $290 for my clients and those planning on being clients. Retail for someone that isn't a client, and that's just $390
For hormone testing, I can help you to determine what kind of hormone testing would be needed - and yes, that is wholesale as well. Talk soon!
Jill Clarey, ND
336.456.47413
3723 West Market Street Unit B
Greensboro, NC 27403

Invest in Self Care

Why Invest in Your Own Self (Care)

Why not just start with stress. We all have it, (most all of us). When not managed it can cause many symptoms! 

• High blood pressure
• insomnia
• headaches
• inflammation
• depression
• anxiety
• Irritability in the gut
• Indigestion
• Heart Burn 
• Ulcers

And so many more!  I see many clients that suffer from un-checked stress and if managed,  many would heal faster and benefit long term. I suggest  that most invest time several times a week in themselves.

• Take naps
• meditation
• yoga
• go for a walk
• reike
• get a massage
• take a mindful moment daily
• "feel your feet in your shoes" , or otherwise known as get grounded daily
• take a bath with essential oils
• hang out with your friends
• take a moment with a family pet (unconditional love)

You get it - there are many options. Today I will catch up, see clients, get my kids to their after school practice, pick up my teen from his Beta convention, take care of the house and family pets, feed everyone, and EXERCISE! That one moment of giving back to myself is all I need sometimes to keep my "batteries charged".

This un-checked stress can throw us off, chemically. Cortisol, for instance, comes from the adrenal cortex and helps us deal with stress, good stress and bad! It will go up to get us through it and in an ideal world come down when we take these wonderful, necessary moments for ourselves. Some individuals have the hormone up more often than not and that is referred to as stressed adrenals. Did you know that when that hormone stays up that it can lead to inflammation, hormone depletion, higher cholesterol, a hypo-activity in the thyroid and lowered immune response? Yep, you will feel wired, and yet exhausted. It will keep you from resting well at night as well. When up in this way long term it will deplete the adrenals, this is called exhausted, or, fatigued adrenals. This is a state where you will have no "get up and go" and you will always feel overwhelmed....Either adrenal state is not healthy, not balanced and will make you feel nuts and OLD. The other chemicals and hormones wax and wane with these stress hormones. Your serotonin and gaba, epinephrine and dopamine. Especially worse during menopause and andropause with estrogens, progesterone, DHEAs, testosterone... If you feel you are stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, depressed, exhausted and not able to enjoy things you feel you should really truly enjoy - you might fall in this category. I wrote a piece on this once and it's here:

Neurotransmitters and how They Affect Us

I test hormones here, for men and women, but also cortisol and neurotransmitters. I do a thorough intake to determine if there are imbalances that will cause a cascade of concerns with your health. All you have to do is call or email or text at 336.456.4743 or jillclarey3@gmail.com

Let's get you on the Natural Path!