27 AprThere is something profound happening in my body. Something profound and beautiful. I was temporarily stunned yesterday by the realization that everyone close to me has been sick lately; my daughter, my husband, my mother. I showed up at Wendy’s for my Monday morning pilates session and it was like – wow. I am not sick… I actually feel really well. I actually feel quite strong! And oh, I’ve had an appetite and food tastes good and I’ve actually gained almost 9 lbs in four weeks. Hallelujah!!! These are new things for me, BIG things for me - and they are showing in – and on - my body!
I don’t believe in coincidence. It might be easy to say ‘oh, well, I must have just missed the virus this time around’ or ‘glad I didn’t it & thank goodness for hand santizer’. Really – what’s happening of late is I’m replenishing. I’m restoring. I’m building up and I’m tending to some unresolved areas in my life. I’m waking up PURPOSEFULLY these days. Each morning, I thank the Lord for TODAY’s strength & health, instead of thinking about the past few years and the tough days. I’m grateful to Him for introducing me to & opening up this world of wellness. It is such a gift. It’s profound.
So forward to my recent visit with Dr. Meaghan Woodruff of Bloom Natural Healthcare last Thursday. She is guiding me down an exceptional new path of proactive measures to maintain my health in varying ways. For years, I’ve wanted to start down this road, but was uncertain how it - naturopathic care – would handle ‘my bad stuff’… meaning, my fragile medical history, my recent struggles with infertility, anxiety & depression, compromised pregnancies, grief-stricken postpartum, recent appendectomy & colon surgery. I mean, I always see my patient file & cringe. It’s thick and bulky & I have the medical bills to prove it. And where do you begin? Where do you focus? It all seems so overwhelming.
From the very beginning, I connected with Dr. Woodruff. She listened intently as I shared my past health history & concerns and was empathetic & genuine & so positive in her approach – and I didn’t feel disregarded. I felt listened to and validated. And as we dove into recent blood work and lab results, she continued the validation by revealing some deficiencies & imbalances that could be tackled right away. *I strongly encourage any mama, pre- or post-partum, to consider the resource of having your blood work analyzed by a naturopath.* It is so easy and reveals SOOO much! I was on the receiving end of some great insight into my chemical make-up through this lab work and how my body is breaking down vital nutrients, vitamins & enzymes. Many things were quite normal/good, BUT there were several red flags. And to see some ‘out of range’ numbers was, quite frankly, a RELIEF!! As if I wasn’t just making it up & imagining all these symptoms: the incredible fatigue, feeling cold all the time, having to go pee constantly, feeling anxious & moody, night sweats, joint pain, headaches, digestive issues, extreme spikes w/ high & low blood sugar, painful periods, struggle to keep on weight, sleep troubles.
I’ve pretty much felt crappy for over three years – and I know parenting a toddler and grief from my baby boy’s death are HUGE contributors, but they can’t be the only reasons I feel this way. And thank God! It may sound contrary, but I found it incredibly COMFORTING to know there are some clear imbalances in my body because that’s tangible! I can get my arms around that in a ‘tending’ sort of way and pay attention and better understand what’s taking place inside my body that I can’t see. Above all, it’s encouraging because through Meaghan’s guidance, some natural supplements, continued acupuncture and exercise, many of these symptoms will improve with time. That is HOPEFUL!
We discovered that I’m experiencing an iron metabolism problem, in which my iron levels are far outside the normal functional range, but my ferritin level (the metabolized iron storage in my body) is very low so I’m actually fighting to process and gain the good iron. Also, I am outside the functional range for Vitamin D (deficient), glucose (low), liver enzymes (high), sodium (high), potassium (low) and calcium (low). We’re looking closely at my adrenal glands and making sure they are functioning properly and not leading me to dysglycemia/ hypoglycemia. I now know that one of these areas could cause several of my symptoms, but all together, they really add up in stress on my body! What an answer to prayer that tending to this garden just got a little easier. No easy, quick fix, no band-aid, no hyper-focus & reaction therapy; it’s now, just tending…
So, please – if you are feeling symptoms like mine, in any form, make it a priority to have your blood work checked to rule out any deficiencies or imbalances! It is empowering to understand how your body works, metabolizes and needs vital nutrients – and I waited far too long.
And in the coming days, I’m also excited to share how another practicioner, Dr. Liz Wallace of A Healing Practice, is partnering and complimenting my new wellness regime and opening up an area in my life that has been long neglected and closed off. I am so blessed to have two unique, compassionate and knowledgable doctors guiding me down this new road of health. Thank you, ladies, and loving the springtime bloom.
