Posts Tagged ‘hormone testing’

Common symptoms of parasitic infection

Friday, January 1st, 2010

Bacillus bacteria closeupMost people assume that one can only acquire a parasitic infection if one has traveled to a foreign country.  This is a common mistake that most people make and what one needs to understand is that anyone can be infected with a parasite at anytime/any where.  Over half of all Americans will be infected with a parasitic infection and these infections can happen from eating poor quality meats, fruits and vegetables not thoroughly cleaned or from the handler having poor hygiene. 

Recognizing symptoms of parasitic infection can be difficult because the symptoms often times mimic other conditions. Some symptoms include diarrhea, constipation, abdominal bloating and gas.  Below is a comprehensive list of symptoms of parasitic infection.  If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome and your symptoms are not improving you may want to discuss with your doctor testing for a parasitic infection.  Within our clinic we have seen this time and time again of individuals who come into to us with a diagnosis of IBS with their symptoms not improving.  We run gut testing on our clients and many times we come back with test results showing a parasitic infection.  After appropriate treatment their IBS symptoms are eliminated.

Common symptoms of Infection

  • 1. Constipation: parasites if large enough can physically block nutrients and waste from passing through the digestive system.
  • 2. Gas & bloating: products from parasites can cause inflammation which can lead to gas and bloating.
  • 3. Joint & Muscle aches: parasites can move throughout the body therefore landing in joint spaces as well as muscles leading to pain and discomfort. Many times the pain that is experienced is diagnosed as arthritis.
  • 4. Diarrhea: parasites can cause a sodium and chloride loss that leads to watery, loose stools.
  • 5. Allergies: parasites can make it very difficult to digest foods. When undigested particles travel through your body it increases your immune system response by releasing eosinphils. Eosinphils inflame the body’s tissues leading to allergic reactions.
  • 6. Skin conditions: parasites release hormones that can in turn irritate the skin. If you suffer from hives, eczema or rashes on a regular basis you may want to consider gut testing.
  • 7. Anxiety: parasites can cause nervousness and anxiety by releasing toxins that affect the nervous system.
  • 8. Trouble sleeping: during sleep your liver’s job is to remove toxins. Parasites can interrupt this process which in turns affects sleeping patterns.
  • 9. Teeth grinding: caused by the release of waste products from the parasite.
  • 10. Chronic fatigue: parasites deplete the body from nutrients and may affect sleep patterns which can lead to fatigue symptoms.
  • 11. Itchy anus or ears: at times parasites try to migrate out of the anus during sleep that can cause itching and irritation. This irritation however can take place any time of the day.

 

If you suspect that you have a possible parasitic infection testing should be done as soon as possible.  Also, if you do find out that you have a parasite and you have a significant other that you share the same bed with testing should be done on that person as well as parasites can be passed from one person to the next regardless of hygiene.

For more information or to purchase a gut test that you can perform in the privacy of your own home please contact us at www.replenishingsoul.com

 

Lori Metroka

Nutrition & Wellness Specialist

 

Resource:  Parasite Cleanse Resource Center - Dr. Edward F.

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The gut connection

Wednesday, September 30th, 2009

Typically people think that stress is about meeting deadlines, being stuck in traffic and having a high stress job.  Did you know though that stress is also placed on your body by eating the wrong foods, eating foods that you have intolerance to and not getting enough sleep?  When these hidden stressors are placed on the body over and over again they can cause hormonal imbalances as well as digestive issues that may lead to more complex illnesses such as autoimmune diseases.  Let us explain.gi-system3

First of all, 80% of your immune system lies within your gut.  Therefore, if you are eating foods that your body cannot handle this places stress on the GI system (gastrointestinal system).  When prolong stress is placed on the GI system good bacteria and flora begin to diminish and over time your protective mucosal lining will also begin to break down.  When your protective mucosal lining (Sig A) breaks down your immune defense breaks down and leads to leaky gut syndrome (visit our blog for articles written about leaky gut).  Leaky gut is when the GI system breaks down and gets porous holes in the intestines. Toxins, rather than be eliminated through the stool can leak out into the blood stream (which is not normal) causing the body to react against itself thus causing an autoimmune disease.  Let us say however, that this is not always how autoimmune diseases happen but if you do suffer from one we do recommend you perform gut testing to rule out food allergies/intolerances.

Going a bit further into the gut connection when the gut is stressed over time the hormonal system will begin to kick in.  Cortisol which is an anti-inflammatory hormone will be released to try to calm down the inflammation that is taking place in the gut.  The hormonal system will continue to release cortisol until the inflammation is gone but if you continue to eat foods that continue to irritate the gut the hormonal system will continue to try to release cortisol.  But guess what?  Your hormonal system will eventually get stressed and eventually your body will run out of cortisol and now not only do you have gut inflammation you now have a stressed out hormonal system and the inflammation continues and can become systemic.  What can be seen when the gut and hormonal system gets stressed are not only autoimmune diseases but one can suffer from skin reactions/rashes, end up with hormonal imbalances leading to low libido, PMS and night sweats as well as difficulty sleeping.

What we would like for all of you to understand from this blog article is that the digestive system, the hormonal system and the detoxification system (the liver) are all linked together.  Anyone of these systems can get stressed at anytime in any particular order and lead to being diagnosed with a disease.  We have helped many people who have come into our offices with an illness.  We run digestive and hormonal testing on all of our clients and each and every time we have found each of these systems stressed.  Each client goes on an individual healing protocol that is specific to their test results.  We help them to eliminate the hidden stressors found through the test results, get them on healing foods that reduce inflammation, we support the hormonal system through supplementation and teach our clients how to listen to their bodies so that the illnesses do not come back.  Gut testing and hormonal testing give many answers and are a great tool for knowing what is going on in the body.  For example a high morning cortisol is a clue that your body is trying to fight an infection. 

If you are one who is suffering from an illness and feel as if you are not getting better we recommend running gut and hormonal testing. These tests can be done in the comforts of your own home.  If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to visit us on our contact us page of our website and remember you become what you eat!

 

Lori Metroka-Nutrition & Wellness Specialist

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Are you suffering from adrenal fatigue?

Sunday, April 12th, 2009

Do you…

Suffer from sleepless/restless nights?

Suffer from night sweats?

Suffer from constipation and or diarrhea?

Suffer from fatigue and lack of energy?

Struggle to lose weight and or keep it off?

Suffer from mood swings?

Suffer from lack of libido?

If you answered yes to any one of the questions above you may be suffering from Adrenal fatigue.

 

WHAT IS ADRENAL FATIGUE?

There are two adrenal glands and each one sits on top of each kidney and are responsible for hormone production.  The hormones excreted by the adrenal glands are cortisol and DHEA.  In turn these two hormones continue to go on and make the sex hormones.  Therefore, when the adrenal glands have been overworked due to stressful situations such as long hours of work, lack of sleep/staying up late and a poor diet the adrenal glands stop working properly.  When the adrenal glands stop working this leads to adrenal fatigue.

Once the adrenals have become weakened you will begin to see situations arise as listed above.  The reason being is that when we are in a stressful situation whether it be physical or emotional our body releases cortisol to help up deal with the stressful situation.  In stage 1 of adrenal exhaustion one does not even feel stressed. In fact, typically one will fill energized and good because of the extra cortisol running through the body.  However, in later stages of adrenal fatigue typically stages 2 & 3 are when one begins to feel tired no matter how much sleep one gets.  The reason being is that as you move into later stages of adrenal fatigue your cortisol begins to run low and overtime the sex hormones become affected as well thus leading to severe fatigue, loss of sex drive, possible nights sweats, digestive problems and severe PMS symptoms for women.

HOW CAN I FIND OUT IF I SUFFER FROM ADRENAL FATIGUE?

You can test for adrenal exhaustion through saliva testing.  What needs to be assessed is ones cortisol and DHEA levels.  Cortisol should be higher in the morning as this is what wakes you up in the morning, hit its peak around mid day and then tappers off into the evening making one tired and sleepy.  Because cortisol changes throughout the day saliva tests are a good idea as you can test  the entire cycle (4 samples) of cortisol within a day. It is also a good idea to test estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels.  Saliva testing also tests for the active hormones in the blood stream where as blood tests the stored hormones. However, it is a good idea to have both tested.   If you are interested in saliva testing you can contact Replenishing Soul and we will gladly send you a kit that you can perform in the comforts of your own home.

CAN I RECOVER FROM ADRENAL FATIGUE AND IF SO HOW?

Yes, you can recover from adrenal fatigue.  However, it does take time.  The reason being is because your body has to reset and get back into balance.  Your brain and adrenal glands need to relearn how to communicate to each other.  If you suffer from adrenal fatigue it is a good idea to work with a Nutrition & Lifestyle Coach.  They can help you get back on track by evaluating and restructure your lifestyle as this is what weakened your adrenal glands in the first place.  Getting healthy again is about learning what foods and what proportions are right for your body and what type and what intensity of exercise is appropriate for your body at a particular time. You need to be taught how to manage stress through ways such as meditation or yoga.  In addition finding hidden stressors such as food intolerances also needs to be assessed.   Even though each person that we see in our clinic is entirely different and needs different strategies specific to them here are a few quick tips that will help you get back on track.

  • 1. Eliminate C.R.A.P. from your diet- caffeine, re-fined sugar, alcohol and processed foods
  • 2. Eliminate Gluten
  • 3. Get to bed by 10:00pm. Between 10pm-2am your body repairs physically and between 2am-6am your mind repairs. Therefore, if you are not sleeping between these hours your body is not healing.
  • 4. Find ways to manage stress

If you would like more information about Adrenal fatigue purchase James Wilson’s book:  Adrenal fatigue the 21st century stress syndrome.

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