Chapter 3 – My Naturopath

My first appointment with Brooke, my Naturopath, was on 12 October 2021. I wandered into her office with my list of health concerns and we talked. I didn’t share my list with her, we just talked. 

She asked me about what brought me to see her and I shared with her what I was working on for 2022. That I’d given up chocolate in 2021 and I wanted to take my health to the next level and there were a few things concerning me. My first step was to get a baseline of my health and to work with someone like herself to do that.

My over arching desire was to create more energy in my life. I felt like I was constantly tired, sometimes worse than others, and generally just getting by. I wanted to wake up with energy, but that wasn’t the case more often than not.

Allergies, Medication and Supplements

Brooke asked what allergies I had, which were wheat, yeast and dairy. Then she asked me what medication I was on – none I said. Next she asked me what supplements I was on and I put them all on the table (she’d asked me to bring them in as part of my appointment). She wrote them all down on her initial consultation sheet.

I shared with her why I was taking them:

• Iron for my low iron levels. They’d been low for about 27 years, and I’d been on and off iron supplements. I ate a bit of red meat but it never really changed.
• Magnesium was for some cramping I felt in my legs. It would come on at night time sporadically and my solution for that is to go to bed, that settles thing down.
• Calcium, because I don’t generally eat dairy, and I don’t get enough through non-food-dairy options, so this is how I managed it.
• Vitamin D because whilst I’m not low, my Functional Doctor wanted it higher than it was.
• The Tinctures were a recommendation through my Medium
• The Multivitamin, Omegas and Cellular Support were in my cupboard and well, they can’t hurt.
• And finally, Collagen, which I had in my juice each morning because I wanted to reduce my thinning hair and support my skin as I age.

 

My Lungs

My next focus was on my lungs. I gave her my history in that space. That I’d struggled with Tonsillitis and Laryngitis since I was 18. I’d get it about 4 times a year, not enough for my tonsils to be taken out (and that was a good thing too because tonsils are the first line of defence before things hit our chests – so it has been my saviour for many years). 

With my tonsillitis and Laryngitis, I’d been on and off antibiotics for years. Antibiotics can largely affect gut health and despite generally eating well and taking a probiotic from time to time, I hadn’t been consistently supporting my gut. 

Then I shared what had happened during the January 2020 fires, that I was coughing up blood, and what I’d done since including working with my Functional Doctor, a Medium and a Lung Specialist. We talked about how my immune system levels had been down at the blood test I’d had with my Functional Doctor a year ago, and that I didn’t expected they had changed, but I wasn’t concerned as I’d been doing work on my lungs to support them better, however I wanted to do what we could in this area.

We talked about my sleep. I’m a great sleeper and could sleep through a freight train no worries. I also fall asleep really easily but then she asked me how many times I wake up during the night. 1 to 2 times was my response. Then she asked ‘why do you wake up?’, I said ‘to go to the toilet’.

 

Do I wake up during the night?

Brooke then asked if I knew what time I was waking up, to which I replied, I don’t really know, I don’t pay attention to it.

Brooke showed me the Chinese Body Clock. It shows you what organs of your body are at their peak across the day. Therefore if I was waking up between 1 and 3am, I was waking up with my liver, and if I was waking up between 11pm and 1am, I was waking up with my Gall Bladder – and in essence, it meant they needed something, that is, my body wasn’t functioning to it’s fullest potential. Interesting.

I made a note in my Remarkable (my electronic notebook – it’s amazing) to track the times I wake up during the night, to see if I could find a pattern.

Brooke then asked me what my poos were like. She showed me the Bristol Stool Chart and asked me what number I was. Hmmm ‘4, 5 or 6, depending on the day and what I’d eaten’ was my response. She confirmed with me that my poo changed due to what I’d eaten, not because of any other reason. Nope, just food. I told her about a slice I’d enjoyed lately, that was a healthy version, but I found that when I ate too much I spent more time on the toilet, with runny poos.

I made another note in my Remarkable to pay attention to my type of poos, just noting what number they were.

 

My Period

We then dove into my period. 

• Was it regular – yes 28 days, currently around the Full Moon.
• How long did it last – 4 to 5 days.
• Was it light or heavy – it depends. I used to think I was heavy, but I’ve been using the Modibodi underwear and whilst I have heavier days, usually day 2 and 3, they aren’t as heavy as I thought. 
• Do I experience any cramping or clotting – yes to both. 
  • The cramps, if I have them. There are some periods where I don’t experience cramping at all and they pass like they never happened. At my worst I can end up in bed, sleeping them off with natural pain relief or I can be on the couch just laying low. 
  • The clots can be really painful to pass, and these are normally linked to the times when I need to do nothing or go to bed.
  • I also experience brain fog and don’t ask me to make a decision – that’s too much for me, I listen and just move around the house like a zombie. If I have appointments, like clients, I can turn up for those but I’ll need a nap or some down time afterwards.
• Do I take anything for them? Yes, natural pain relief, essential oils and a heat pack.

 

Stress, Water, Coffee, Alcohol, Drugs, Cravings…

Do I experience any stress in my life? Not generally, life is pretty stress free for me.

How much water do I drink a day – its low at the moment, perhaps 750ml, maybe 1L. She did a quick calculation using my height and weight to determine how much water I should be drinking. 2.6L was the answer. Time to increase my water consumption – although I was mindful that I didn’t want to get up more during the night (note this thought – more water will mean I get up more, which, when you follow along, will realise that doesn’t happen).

Do I drink coffee – no

Do I drink alcohol – no

Do I take recreational drugs – no

Do I crave certain foods – yes, chocolate. I said that I understood the emotional and mental side of the craving, but I still craved it from time to time. She suggested that it could have low magnesium and recommended that I increase my magnesium tablets.

 

My other issues

Brooke asked me if there was anything else I’d like to share. I told her about my urinary tract infections, hair loss, low blood oxygen levels, cold sores and the possibility that I was peri-menopausal.

 

My focus and session wrap up

We then talked about what I’d like to focus on and we came up with these things, the first few based on priority:

• Energy
• Lungs
• Reproduction System
• Hair
• Cold sores
• Urinary Tract Infections

She gave me a script for blood tests plus a supplement that would help with my energy, lungs, reproductive system and cold sores, and a herbal liquid that would help with energy, reproductive system, cold sores and urinary tract infections.

The herbal liquid included the following ingredients:

• Kawakawa – one of the most important herbs in traditional herbal Māori medicine, used to treat cuts, wounds, and various pains including period pain
• Fe-max liquid – this is an iron supplement, and given my low iron and period issues, I was happy for this to be included even though we didn’t have the blood test results yet.
• Echinacea – helps the immune system and our bodies fight infections. Again, we didn’t have my blood test results, but with what was happening in my lungs, and my last blood test showed my inflammation markers were up, this would help. Also, there is a virus going on in the world as I write this, so for me, anything that supports my immune system naturally is always going to be a yes from me.

I asked Brooke about poo tests, and she said that’s something we can definitely do, plus a hair test is a great idea. It’s something she highly recommends because both the poo and hair test would take the guess work out of what was going on in my body.

I booked in for a follow up appointment in 2 weeks because by then I’d have my blood tests done.

What I’ve shared here isn’t your normal medical appointment. This is the type of first appointment, with variations, that you can expect to have with a Functional Doctor, Naturopath and Health Coach. I’m not across what other health professionals do, but this appointment was 45 minutes long and as you can tell, we covered a lot.

 

My next step

I already had a routine for taking my supplements, so adding these new supplements wasn’t going to be an issue. Also, as a health coach and, remember we explored my obstacles in Chapter 1, I knew it was all about mindset, so I just had to create the routines that worked for me and adjust them if they didn’t.

In the next Chapter, I’m going to share what I learnt through tracking my the wee – that’s was so interesting and one simple change in this space was super effective!

You can check out everything about my Project 22 over here and Chapter 4 Water, Wee & BO.

 

Share with me

Are you going on your own journey in 2022? Then tag me and use #project22 so we can connect xo

 

Disclaimer

Everything shared in this post and across my website is my story and recollection of conversation and events. They are in no way medical or mental health advice, prescription or diagnosis. Should you be interested in what I’m sharing and what this could mean in your life, then I’d encourage you to engage with the relevant health professionals or if you need support please seek out the health professionals that can support you.

In relation to my podcast, the information shared is mine or my guests. Again it is not medical or mental health advice, prescription or diagnosis. If you need support, please seek out relevant medical professionals.