I’m watching the movie Food Matters currently on netflix. Please take the time to watch this movie.
Now, I know I’m not alone in feeling tricked or hidden from the truth about our health. I have been going to the doctor for over a year now for the following symptoms:
-hair thinning
-anxiety
-weight gain
-low energy
FIX: Actually my VERY first visit was to the emergency room for rapid heart beat. They told me I had a panic attack, gave me xanax and then sent me on my way. The total for that visit was around $2000. My first visit with the doctor was a mandatory PAID meeting by me just to MEET a doctor and make her my primary care provider. This is when we talked about symptoms. I spend this whole time doing just that, telling her what my symptoms were. At that time she scheduled for me to have a full blood panel done and to come back in for a “check up.”
The next visit we looked at my blood panel results. High prolactin (a hormone), high cholesterol, high triglycerides (high body fat %) and my ferritin (low iron) was low. Next she made two appointments for me, one with a dermatologist (for the hair thinning symptom) and one with endocrinology.
Dermatology: I met with this doctor. I told her about my hair and showed her where is was thinning. She talked to me for about 2 minutes and said “well there is nothing alarmingly wrong that I can see, why don’t you schedule another visit for February and we’ll see if it’s worse by then. If so, we’ll take a skin sample.” – Seriously??
Endocrinology: I had a checkup with this doctor told him (again) my symptoms etc. He thought since my prolactin levels were high that I MAY have a benin tumor pushing on my patuitory gland. – I’m having an MRI done January 15th 2012. – Ok at least MAYBE we’re getting some where.
—-ALL of that took A YEAR and I still have no answers—
Never once did they say:
-you need to eat better and lose weight
-recommend vitamins (not even iron and I’m anemic)
-tell me what to eat or how to change my diet
- get more exercise
…Now I knew these were things I needed to do because I have a functioning brain and I know eating healthy and working out is good for me. However, it doesn’t really PUSH you or persuade you much when even your doctor doesn’t seem to think that is the underlying cause.
Being frustrated at how long this was taking with no answers and still feeling completely like garbage I decided to hire a motivator and a nutritionist. Get this, the motivator and nutritionist combined were under $350. For one session and a MONTH of health coaching. Well if that isn’t less then THE ONE FUCKING MEETING I had with my doctor just to meet her to see if she could be my family doctor then slap me with a fish and call me sally.
Over that next month I changed my diet per the nutritionists suggestions.
New Diet:
-low carbs (30 or less per day)
-vegetables (mostly dark green)
-a protein with each meal (meats)
-iron rich foods
-no grains, no gluten
-no foods high in starch (potatoes, etc)
-cut out dairy (I only did this because dairy upsets my stomach)
-plenty of fiber
-plenty of nutrients
-treat fruit as a dessert
-drink LOTS of water
-drink green tea after breakfast and lunch
The overall goal was to eat foods that wouldn’t raise my blood sugar. We wanted to keep it at a normal level all day.
I’v now been on this diet for a month and a half. I’v lost 16 pounds, I’m much happier, my hair and skin are looking so much healthier (I’v been getting lots of compliments), my anxiety has gone WAY down, and I now have tons of energy.
Besides being extremely happy that my symptoms are going away and I’m losing weight I can’t help but be SO so maddened at the health care industry. If the answers were as simple as eating better then why the hell didn’t they just say that?! I feel ignorant for not believing it myself until being told but in all honesty I really hadn’t payed any attention to health nutrition until a couple months ago.
I’m writing all of this because I know that there are people out there that can relate. I know that there are LOTS of women out there with thinning hair and low energy levels. I know that people are tired of throwing money into the wind on health care and medical bills. Now, I’m NOT saying that going to the doctor is pointless, because it’s NOT. What I’m saying is that most of our problems can be solved easily by letting our own bodies heal themselves. However, they can’t do that if we’re not providing them with the proper nutrients etc.
If you’re tired of feeling like you’re in the dark on WHAT you should be eating and how you can better your overall health then i would recommend watching these movies or reading these books:
The bottom line is that YOU need to want to educate yourself and change your life. You can do it
Food Matters
Fat Head
Secrets to a Healthy Metabolism
The Art of Eating Healthy
Food Inc
Share and Enjoy
(Me 1/10/13 at 177 pounds)
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