Health Notes
For years I have struggled with nebulous symptoms and wondered what was wrong with me. There was always a vague sense of feeling under the weather. Muscles would tire easily, brain fog, difficulty losing weight and keeping it off (no matter how I ate), swelling fingers...the list goes on and on. And none of it seemed connected. There seemed to be no root cause. I couldn't figure out how to eat, and eventually gave up. Well, not eating, but regulating eating. My hair grayed, my nails began to split and crack, my hair started to fall out by the handful. I even had bald spots!
My life had its stresses, no doubt. But the sense that it was all too much was a little frightening. I was not depressed, but felt like I'd just 'hit the wall.'
My chiropractor told me some years ago that my adrenal glands were working over time. I had a number of small children, so of course my adrenals were active! I mean, get real! But as time went on, the stresses on my body increased, until finally, in '07, I came to a screeching halt. I came down with sciatica so bad that I could not stand, sit, lie down or sleep. No pain medication helped. Chiropractic didn't seem to help. From the first week of September until just before Christmas, I lived in this pain. It affected my thinking, my ability to deal with the demands of home schooling, being a wife and caring for a three-story home. I began to despair. What if I could not get rid of the pain? What if I must live the rest of my life in pain? I literally felt like I was dying.
Unrelated symptom? It would seem so. But after following the advice of my current chiropractor, we seem to be on the right track. In case there are others of you out there, I'd like to tell my story, in the hopes that you might find help as well.
My chiropractor recently came upon some research that indicated a particular problem that many seem to be facing today. There are many symptoms - long lists of them. All of them seem unrelated to each other. In fact, many just seem like 'getting older,' or 'bearing up under the stress of life.' We've all got our stresses, right? But Dr. J had me take a written test, asking about my symptoms. I was amazed to discover that I scored 100% on one of the four tests. No, that doesn't mean I passed - it meant that my adrenal glands were working over time and causing the wearing down of my body. They have apparently gotten in a rut and don't know how to behave rightly any longer. Given that my previous chiropractor told me of my adrenal problem over twenty years earlier, it's no wonder!
Dr. J has been helping me, over the last year, to discover a number of things that will help me. The goal is to correct the wrong pathway that my adrenal system has taken, so that it will behave the way God intended. There is a list of things I need to do, and not do. And it will take time. And I will not lose weight until my body is healthy. I have changed a great deal in the way that I eat, sleep, even stand and sit. And it's been awhile since we started. Within the first weeks, I saw some drastic changes - my nails started to grow, my hair stopped falling out. I no longer craved sweets as if I was addicted. The swelling in my fingers and face has diminished. My energy level has increased. Later, with further treatment, I received a sense of 'positive outlook.' My whole view of what I could accomplish changed. Hence, the website - couldn't even imagine putting up this site before! Currently, I'm beginning to see weight loss. AND what happens if I don't follow the program is that my symptoms deteriorate. It is clear that what Dr. J is doing for me is working. I need to be patient and consistent.
The biggest thing for me is that I no longer feel like I'm dying. Food grants me life. Each morning grants me God's new mercies. I am pain free. I can do this!
You can take the 'body type' quiz here to see how you score.
Want to find a doctor in your area who has studied this topic?
1.800.372.7218
1.800.662.9134
Current Update:
(As of September '08)
My treatment is continuing, and I have been consistent, for the most part. I am actually starting to see some consistent weight loss. I have to wear a belt to keep my jeans on.
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I've started walking 2 miles a day! Haven't felt the energy to do that in a long time. My dogs are loving it too! And field trips for the kids no longer seem like way too much effort. We're going camping, too. Yeah!
For information about my chiropractor, click here: http://www.coniferchiropractor.com/