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

Coming Off A Fast

Not Hungry! What??  What do you eat when you haven't eaten in days? A very busy day coming up with no break, again, no master cleanse "lemonade" to drink all day long, just a very large bottle of water. My husband tells me verbatim what I tell all of my clients. "Go to Earthfare, get a juice - you will feel fantastic". Brilliant!  I go see the juicer at Earthfare and I get a beet, celery, carrot, apple juice. It's beautiful! I take the first sip in my car and feel it going all the way down. I can feel my body receive the nourishment of it immediately getting into my blood stream.
Knowing that in about 40 minutes my crazy day starts I grabbed a coconut milk yogurt and a raw fruit and nut, vegan bar so I can slowly get nourishment in over the next 7 hours while I help clients and before I leap up and run to get 2 out of the 3 of my kids out of school. My energy is good, my mood is good. I stop by Fresh Market on the way home to weigh myself - I knew my before weight prior to the fast and I wanted to see if I lost anything during my fast. 6 lbs. down!! That can't be! I'm down to my pre-baby(s) weight! I will re-take my weight on the same scale I took the pre-fast weight later.
I get home and realize there is nothing for me to eat at the house - I did that on purpose prior to starting the fast. Why keep things at home that will tempt me? I just want an avocado, quinoa - a tiny bit - no heavy proteins....but I have to wait until the 3rd kid gets off the bus, so I clean and get some work done I brought home. No eating for me. The last kid gets home and he has a big project to do. Husband comes home, dresses in workout clothes and goes to his sisters house to help her out. Guess I will just have to dig for something to eat. I find walnuts, pecans and cereal. I really wished I had dates or craisins or any dried fruit at all - I made a trail mix and it filled me up very quickly.
Lesson 4? Prepare for post cleanse meals. Get some snacks, you don't want big meals post fast anyhow. The next day starts the same. A beautiful juice, raw bars, lots of water and lots of work!!!
Items of food that I don't want to put in now that I've 'cleaned house'. sugar! fat, including creamy sauces! And alcohol. Things I want more of post fast lots of water and produce, nuts and seeds including my chia. Smoothies - green and not green. I will keep things clean for as long as I can.
Off to do more work so I can sneak in a workout today - it's a perfect day for a run.