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I recently wrote a post about my lengthy test results I got back from my naturopath. Today I wanted to give you an update, even though it hasn’t even been a month since I wrote that post. I’m just so excited I couldn’t wait.

I went to my doc because of the following:

• first and foremost, a suspected intestinal parasite (diarrhea, etc.)
• terribly painful and heavy periods my whole womanly life
• occasional debilitating headaches
• flashing lights in my eyes and two ocular migraines this year (I went mostly blind in my left eye for 6 weeks because of the flashing about 10 years ago)
• morning fatigue that has led to some noticeable puffiness under my eyes lately
• occasional acne outbreaks (that have gotten WAY better since going Paleo)
• occasional eczema (also better now)
• tendency toward depression
• joint pain
• my two week bouts with gigantic, sore breasts every month lately
• and we’re planning on having a kid sometime in the next few years, so I wanted to make sure my hormones were lining up for that.

What My Results Were
You can read my post to find out exactly what my test results said, but basically

• I have a gene that makes it difficult for my body to turn folate into the kind of folate my body needs (methylated folate). That means that my liver isn’t working so well, and it also can have a terrible (cancerous) effect on breast and colon health. Methylated folate also helps clear estrogen from the body…
• My thyroid was a little whacked out (hypothyroid).
• My histamine levels were high (joint inflammation, depression, etc.).
• My adrenals were a little tired.
• And I have cryptosporidium, a parasite. Yaayyy…

What My Doc Had Me Do About It
In response to these results, I’ve been taking a lot of supplements. The picture above is truly all the stuff I’ve been told to take. I’ve never been a supplement girl. In fact, I hate pills, mostly because they’ve never done anything for me in the past. However, I’ve always firmly believed that if you know what you’re lacking, then supplements are in order. And my doc firmly stated that I need certain nutrients, which makes stuffing 12 pills down my throat a necessary part of my breakfast and dinner (for a while). Along with the supplements, he of course also urged me to continue eating how I have been. If I hadn’t already been Paleo, he would’ve strongly suggested I switch to Paleo.

I’m going to tell you what I’ve been taking, but in no way does this mean you should be taking any of these things yourself. Find a naturopathic doctor, a holistic MD, or a highly skilled nutritionist to work with (who is also keen on ancestral eating) to figure out what you need.

My Supplements
Thyroxal (Apex Energetics) – for my thyroid
Adrenal Support (Vital Nutrients) – for my adrenals
Glutathione Recycler (Apex Energetics) – for liver support
Vitamin D (Designs for Health)
Methyl-Guard Plus (Thorne Research) – to give me that methylfolate that my body can’t produce well on its own
GI-Synergy (Apex Energetics) – a bunch of herbs, etc. to kill the parasite
Digestive Enzymes – to help me digest everything better
Fish Oil – But I haven’t been taking it because I always burp it up later, no matter what brand or how many enzymes I take with it.
l-Glutamine (Iron-Tek) – an amino acid used for gut healing

My Improvements So Far
I’m happy to say that I’ve already seen awesome things happen in less than one month! I started taking all these things on the 20th of September, and it’s now October 16. Here’s what’s happened so far.

• The flashing in my eyes that I used to see every morning when I went outside and then throughout the day has almost completely stopped. You can’t imagine how relieving that is. I’ve always suspected my eye stuff had something to do with my liver, and with all this liver support and the methylated folate, I may just have been right.
• I only experienced 4 days of breast pain this month – that’s 4 down from 14! It was less painful than usual, too. I’ll take that over two weeks any month.
• My parasite symptoms have been non-existent for the last week. Digestion in general has been better.
• My energy levels have been noticeably higher. They were never bad – I’d just have occasional drag days when menial tasks seemed difficult. Haven’t noticed any of those lately.
• My skin’s been really good, despite a few slip ups with coconut oil, which I think gives me zits.

Was It Worth It (so far)?
When I was trying to decide whether or not it was worth it to go to this doctor – who requires that you do all these tests up front – I wavered a whole lot. Should I do this? I don’t think I need to do all these tests. I’ve lived with this stuff forever – why spend all this money to maybe make it better and maybe not? 

Well, I’m having absolutely no regrets so far. I’ll let you know how things progress, but for now this is how I’m feeling about it all.