Thyroid and Anxiety, What is the Connection?

Do you suffer from anxiety, panic attacks, or depression? If these sound all too familiar, thyroid disease may be at the root of the issue. The thyroid and anxiety can hand in hand. When your thyroid does not function the way it should, your mental health can suffer.

Unfortunately, many doctors prescribe anti-anxiety medications before getting to the root of what’s going on. While these medications may help get you over a “hump,” they are only acting as a band-aid. It’s important to understand why anxiety is occurring in the first place. It all starts with the proper testing to understand if the thyroid is playing a part in your anxiety symptoms.

Thyroid Disease & Anxiety

If you’re feeling completely overwhelmed and always anxious, it’s time to get your thyroid checked. As a Functional Medicine Practitioner, one of the first tests I run when someone tells me they deal with chronic anxiety is a complete thyroid panel.

Having excess thyroid hormone such as in the case of Graves’ disease can also cause anxiety. What many people don’t know is that this can also occur with Hashimoto’s.

When dealing with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, your immune system is attacking the thyroid gland. When your thyroid gland is under attack, thyroid hormones can spill over into the bloodstream triggering anxiety and even heart palpitations.

It’s also important to understand that every single cell in the body has receptors for thyroid hormones, and without proper thyroid function many systems in your body suffer. Not only that, but thyroid hormones act directly on the brain among many other body systems which makes sense as to how it can affect anxiety levels.

How to Relieve Anxiety When it’s Linked to Hashimoto’s

If you are suffering from anxiety, the good news is that there are things you can do. As I mentioned before, getting the proper testing done is important. Whenever I meet with patients, I run a thorough thyroid panel to uncover cases of Hashimoto’s that may not even show up on standard blood work. It’s essential to do the investigative work to really determine what may be causing your symptoms.

If Hashimoto’s is at the root of the anxiety, here are a couple of things you can do to feel better:

Balance Your Blood Sugar Levels

Often times this comes with a change in your diet. Hashimoto’s mixed with low blood sugar levels is a recipe for anxiety! Having blood sugar swings only makes irritability and anxiety worse and is damaging to your overall health. To help balance your blood sugar levels, stay away from processed foods, sugars, and try to keep grains out of your diet. Sticking to a Paleo style diet is a great way to naturally manage your blood sugar levels and start to feel better. Also, be sure to eat every two to three hours, and stick to whole and nutrient dense foods.

Boost Your Selenium Intake

Many people associate iodine as the most important nutrient to get when dealing with Hashimoto’s, but selenium plays an incredibly important role. Selenium works to help protect thyroid cells and can help convert inactive T4 to T3. Getting enough selenium can not only help with thyroid health but may help reduce the anxiety that comes along with thyroid issues as well. Try adding just a couple of Brazil nuts to your diet per day to make sure you are getting enough selenium. This supplement is what I use with my patients.

Change Your Diet & Find the Underlying Causes of Your Issue

This goes hand in hand with balancing your blood sugar levels. In order to better manage your thyroid health, it’s important to take a look at your diet. I recommend that my patients start the plan in my book The 30-Day Thyroid Reset Plan, that eliminates inflammatory and toxic foods from their diet. Your immune system is already overreacting due to an autoimmune condition; you don’t need to cause any more harm with the foods you consume. Food sensitivities also come into play here. Uncovering hidden food intolerances is one of the 7 underlying triggers for thyroid disease that I talk about in my book. These hidden intolerances can also trigger anxiety. Getting the proper testing for food sensitivities is also a great way to getting to the bottom of your anxiety symptoms. By eating better and better supporting your thyroid, you may be surprised at how much better you feel when it comes to anxiety.

Relax

I know this is easier said than done, but it’s important to find time each day to relax. Even if it’s just 10 minutes of meditation per day or a 15-minute brisk walk. Dedicate just a few minutes each day to relax. Calming the mind is crucial to healing from Hashimoto’s and getting your anxiety under control.

If you are suffering from weight gain, fatigue, hair loss and more, click here to schedule a consultation, so we can find out where you’ve been, where you want to get to, and how we can help you get there.

I know exactly where you are because I’ve been there myself…I remember being so tired that I could barely function. I gained 30 pounds out of nowhere and had a severe case of brain fog. I also started to get severe anxiety and panic attacks. I was driven and motivated…until I wasn’t. I didn’t know what was happening to me. All I wanted was to get my life back…

Finally, I learned about functional medicine and found a practitioner that I hoped could help me. They ran specialized tests that were far different than I had ever had before. When I got the results back, it turned out I had candida, parasites, high cortisol, the Epstein Bar Virus and many food intolerances. I also had an issue with my thyroid that no one found before because they were using the conventional medicine lab ranges which are way too broad….which I now know is one of the leading causes of hypothyroid misdiagnosis.

I went through treatment of all of these things and it completely changed my life. I immediately lost the 30 pounds I had gained plus more, I had a lot more energy, and my brain fog was gone. I felt amazing and knew that I wanted to help people find the underlying causes of their symptoms and disease.

Source

Chris Kresser. Thyroid Imbalance Could Be the Source of Your Biggest Health Problems.

by Peter Saydak

5 Reasons to Detox Your Liver

When it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, how well your body detoxifies toxins plays a huge role in your overall health. A liver detox will help to remove all of the built-up toxins we are exposed to every single day. Our bodies are bombarded with toxins from pollution, to chemically filled beauty and self-care products, and the processed foods found in the Standard American Diet.

If we do not detoxify our liver, these toxins become trapped and can wreak havoc on our health. Before we talk about the importance of liver detoxification, let’s take a look at the important functions of the liver.

Liver Functions

The liver helps to eliminate toxins from the body. It works incredibly hard to try to detoxify the blood, produce bile to digest fat, helps to break down hormones and it’s also responsible for storing certain vitamins and minerals. (1) Without a healthy liver, our bodies would be in serious trouble.

Here are some of the other functions of this vitally important organ:

Stores iron
Breaks down and metabolizes medications
Produces cholesterol
Eliminates old red blood cells
Eliminates build-up toxins found in the blood

The liver plays such an important role in the body that it's critical for us to show our liver some love and take care of it so it can work at its best.

What Happens When the Liver Doesn’t Function Properly?

So, what happens if the liver isn’t functioning the way that it should be? One of the many complications that can occur is a condition called cirrhosis of the liver. This condition is commonly associated with alcohol intake, but this can also occur due to other factors as well. This condition can present itself when scar tissue takes the place of the healthy cells located in the liver. Aside from excessive alcohol intake, certain medications, chemical exposure, and even consuming uncooked shellfish can cause this to occur.

When there is too much scar tissue in the liver, liver function declines. Another problem we can face when our liver is not working at its best is the inability to digest food. This is especially true for fats. We need a healthy liver in order to flush out built-up toxins in the body as well.

Who’s at a Greater Risk of Impaired Liver Function?

Whether we live a healthy lifestyle or not, we are all exposed to a certain level of toxins throughout the day. It’s impossible to completely remove all of the toxins from our life. Just stepping outside in the fresh air puts you at risk for pollution exposure. For this reason, most people will benefit from a liver detox. However, there are certain situations that would cause someone to have a greater risk of having impaired liver function including:

Someone with an autoimmune disease
Excessive and frequent alcohol intake
Someone who is frequently exposed to chemicals and other toxins
An unhealthy diet and lifestyle
Certain prescription medications

What a Liver Detox Can Do For Your Health

Cleansing your liver is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle, especially if your liver is frequently taxed. Here are some of the ways your body can benefit from a liver detox.

A liver detox can help your body metabolize fats and thus assist in weight loss efforts. (2) Cleansing your liver is a great first step if you have had a difficult time losing weight in the past.
Eliminate liver stones. When there is a buildup of cholesterol in the body, liver stones can develop. Having these liver stones can impair your liver’s ability to properly detox the body. By doing a liver cleanse, you can help flush out some of these stones.
Detoxing your liver will ultimately help to detoxify your body. A healthy liver means that your liver will better function to eliminate those stubborn built-up toxins.
You may find your energy improves! By cleansing your liver, you can help your body maintain the nutrients it needs which means you may notice you have more energy to do your day to day activities, play with your kids, and exercise.
A liver detox may even help you look younger. By reducing the total toxic build-up in the body your skin benefits which means it may look healthier and younger than it has in a while!

Our liver often gets overlooked when we focus on what we need to do to get healthy. For many of us, if we need to lose weight, boost digestion, or gain more energy we look to other areas of the body first. The thing is that a liver cleanse may be able to take care of all of these things. Since it plays such an important role in our health, it only makes sense that it can help assist in weight loss measures, help us break down food, and give us more energy.

If you are feeling fatigued, dragged down, and just not yourself, a liver detox may be just what the body needs. Ready to start your liver detox journey? Start by adding the Liver Love Supplement to your daily routine! This is the same powder I use every single day and the one I recommend my patients use. It is hypoallergenic, low-carb, and free of added sugars. Just 2 capsules twice per day to help naturally support liver detox, improve gut health, assist in weight loss, and make up for any nutritional deficiencies.

Check out the Optimal Reset Liver Love here.

Looking to boost liver detox even further? Check out my Optimal Reset Elimination Diet program I offer. In this program, I walk you through how to remove inflammatory foods from your diet which will not only help reduce inflammation but can help with liver detoxification as well.

If you are suffering from weight gain, fatigue, hair loss and more, click here to schedule a phone call with me, so I can find out where you’ve been, where you want to get to, and how I can help you get there.

Sources

Dr. Axe. 6-Step Liver Cleanse

Edward Group DC, NP, DACBN, DCBCN, DABFM (2012) Top 5 Reasons You Need a Liver Cleanse

by Peter Saydak

Inflammation the Root Cause of Disease

Inflammation the root cause of disease affects nearly every aspect of your health. As a Functional Medicine Practitioner, inflammation is something I look closely at. Unfortunately, in modern day medicine treating the symptom is a common occurrence. Getting to the bottom of what’s causing the symptom in the first place is not always addressed and more times than not the cause is inflammation.

Before we dive further into inflammation being at the root of nearly every health condition today, let’s take a look at what inflammation is:

What is Inflammation?

When you think of inflammation, what comes to mind? For some, it may be redness, swelling, or heat. While inflammation is usually viewed as a bad thing, we actually need a certain amount of inflammation to survive.

Inflammation is simply the body’s natural defense system against things like viruses and bacteria. The inflammation targets these foreign invaders as a way to help the body heal itself.

When it comes to inflammation, there are two different kinds we need to look at.

Acute Inflammation

Acute inflammation starts suddenly but then usually dissipates after a couple of days. Some examples of cases of acute inflammation include a sore throat, acute bronchitis, or acute sinusitis.

Chronic Inflammation

This is the type of inflammation we need to watch out for. Chronic inflammation can stick around for months and sometimes even years. This type of inflammation can occur if we don’t remove the source of the inflammation. Constantly exposing our body to what may be triggering the inflammation in the first place is one of the way’s chronic inflammation occurs. Some diseases commonly associated with chronic inflammation include asthma, ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.

What Causes Inflammation?

There are a number of things that can cause inflammation. Poor dietary choices and sedentary lifestyles are often to blame for chronic cases of inflammation. When we consume foods that are packed with toxins and expose our bodies to environmental toxins, it can affect the immune system. When the body is burdened with these toxins for extended periods of time, these toxins can build up in the body and turn on an immune response that stays in a highly reactive state. (1)

Here are some of the foods that can trigger inflammation:

Trans-fats
Hydrogenated fats
Sugar
Refined carbohydrates
Conventional animal products
Conventional dairy

Environmental toxins can also cause inflammation in the body including:

Food pollutants
Toxic metals such as mercury
Stress

Other causes of inflammation include dysbiosis which is an imbalance of bacteria in your gastrointestinal tract, and food allergies or sensitivities and H pylori. Whenever I work with patients, I run diagnostic testing to uncover any potential gut infection or food allergy or sensitivity. These are crucial as uncovering them early is key to limiting the amount of inflammation in your body. There are a number of hidden causes of inflammation, which is why I find it critical to run thorough diagnostic testing to uncover every root cause possible.

Lifestyle can also cause inflammation:

Inflammation & Disease

So, we know that there are different types of inflammation and that there are a number of different things that can trigger this inflammation. However, understanding how inflammation is at the root of almost all disease is important. Inflammation is thought to be behind some of the most debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and even heart disease. Not treating the inflammation can cause long-lasting effects including:

Early signs of aging
Increased susceptibility to infection
Cancer
Acid reflux
Arthritis
High blood pressure
Heart disease
Candidiasis
Urinary tract infections
Skin conditions
Diabetes
Bronchitis

As you can see inflammation can cause a number of different conditions if left untreated. It not only has the ability to affect your immune system, but it can lead to gut issues, early aging, and even cancer in the long run.

How to Reduce Inflammation?

Dietary and lifestyle changes are at the forefront of reducing the inflammation in your body. If you eliminate the foods that may be triggering an inflammatory response and uncover foods your body may be sensitive to, you allow your body to reduce that inflammatory response. However, that’s only one step. It’s also important to follow an anti-inflammatory diet and to make healthy lifestyle choices to get inflammation under control.

Here are some ways you can begin reducing the inflammation in your body today:

Reduce stress through daily meditation and mindfulness
Get tested for food allergies and sensitivities and remove reactive foods
Work with a Functional Medicine Practitioner to uncover potential gut infections
Eliminate sugar & processed foods
Eliminate trans and hydrogenated fats
Stick to grass-fed and organic animal products when possible
Consume anti-inflammatory foods such as leafy green vegetables, berries, wild-caught salmon, walnuts, herbs, and spices
Get at least 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep per night
Include light to moderate exercise into your weekly routine

If you are suffering from weight gain, fatigue, hair loss and more, click here to schedule a phone call with me, so I can find out where you’ve been, where you want to get to, and how I can help you get there.

Sources

Axe. Inflammation at the Root of Most Diseases.
Medical News Today. Inflammation: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment.
Bodyecology. Inflammation: The Real Cause of All Disease and How to Reduce and Prevent It.

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by Peter Saydak

The 101 on Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease

Did you know that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) includes both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease? This debilitating condition affects nearly 1.6 million Americans. (1) This number has grown astronomically over the past six years. Inflammatory bowel disease affects so many people each year that nearly 70,000 new cases are diagnosed, but what is IBD and what can we do about it?

What is Inflammatory Bowel Disease?

IBD is an inflammatory condition that includes both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. These are chronic diseases that although cannot be cured, can be treated. If IBD is not treated properly, it can significantly impair the quality of one’s life.

What is Crohn’s Disease?

This particular disease can affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract anywhere ranging from the mouth all the way to the anus. However, Crohn’s most commonly affects the end of the small intestine called the ileum. This disease can also affect some areas of the gastrointestinal tract while not affecting other areas. This disease is so inflammatory that it has the potential to cause inflammation through the bowel wall.

What is Ulcerative Colitis?

Ulcerative Colitis affects the large intestine as well as the rectum. While the inflammation may start in the rectum as well as the lower colon there is a chance that the inflammation can spread and inflame one's entire colon. Ulcerative Colitis can cause symptoms of ulcers as well as sores in the GI tract. (2)

Some of the statistics on Ulcerative Colitis according to the Crohn’s Colitis Foundation include:

48% of patients are in remission
30% have mild disease
20% have moderate disease

It’s also important to note that the longer the remission, the better the odds. It’s thought that the longer the remission, the less chance of a flare-up the following year. This is one reason why it’s so important to manage symptoms through both dietary and lifestyle changes.

What are the Symptoms of IBD?

The symptoms linked to irritable bowel disease (which remember includes Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis) are all related back to inflammation. Some of the common symptoms include:

Diarrhea
Feeling like you never have complete bowel movements
Rectal bleeding
Abdominal pain
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Fever
Fatigue

What Causes IBD?

The exact cause of either Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis is not necessarily known, but there are some ideas as to what triggers them to occur. Some studies have found a connection between the immune system as well as genetics, and environmental triggers. When dealing with IBD, the immune system comes into play because it targets the GI tract which then causes inflammation.

Some of the environmental triggers include smoking, antibiotic use, taking NSAID drugs such as aspirin, and ibuprofen, as well as certain dietary choices.

How to Reduce IBD Symptoms

While there is no cure for these conditions, there are treatment options. There are certain medications many doctors prescribe for IBD, and there are even some surgical options.

With that being said, while both medicine and surgery may very well be appropriate in certain situations, there are some other approaches that can be taken as well. As a Functional Medicine Practitioner, I like to look at the whole picture and work to control inflammation from its source. With diet and lifestyle changes remission may be more possible, and you may even be able to stay in remission for longer periods of time.

Here are some of the dietary and lifestyle suggestions I make to patients suffering from IBD:

Reduce Stress: Stress causes even further inflammation and stress can directly affect your GI system. It’s critical that stress reduction be implemented into your healing protocol.
Avoid/Eliminate Foods That Disrupts Your Gut Microbiome: Keep refined sugar out of your diet, eliminate refined grains and especially gluten, eliminate processed foods, avoid dairy, and avoid antibiotics when at all possible.
Nourish Your Body With The Following Foods: Enjoy coconut oil, foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as wild-caught salmon, flax seeds, blueberries, organic fruits, and vegetables, grass-fed animal products.
Try a Paleo Style Diet: Trying a Paleo diet is a great way to heal your gut. It eliminates inflammatory foods and gives your gut a chance to heal. A Paleo approach also looks at different lifestyle habits and focuses on stress reduction and getting a good night sleep. It takes a whole body approach to healing your gut and getting into remission.

Many of the patients I work with suffer from digestive health issues as well as gut infections. The first thing I will do as a Functional Medicine Practitioner is run thorough testing for gut infections such as yeast overgrowth, bacterial overgrowth, parasites, SIBO, as well as leaky gut. These conditions are especially important to test for when an underlying digestive disease is present such as the case of Crohn’s disease or Ulcerative Colitis. After tests are run, I will then make a specific care plan based on those results. As everyone’s case is different, it’s very important to see a practitioner who offers an individualized approach. While IBD may be present, there may also be some underlying gut infections that could be making your symptoms even worse. Treating everything at the source is the first step in the healing process.

If you are suffering from weight gain, fatigue, hair loss and more, click here to schedule a phone call with me, so I can find out where you’ve been, where you want to get to, and how I can help you get there.

Sources

Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America. The Facts About Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.
Dr Axe. Ulcerative Colitis Diet: Foods, Supplements & Natural Remedies that Heal.
Mercola (2016) How to Heal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases Like Crohn’s Disease.

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by Peter Saydak

The Top 3 Roadblocks That are Keeping Supermoms Without Their Powers

Are you a busy mom desperate to find the secret to gaining more energy throughout the day? If so, you are not alone because, let’s face it, being a mom is busy and often times exhausting. Whether you are a working mom or a stay at home mom, you need all day energy to keep up with your kids! If you feel like your energy is dragging and you need 5 cups of coffee a day just to keep up, you are not alone. Many supermoms today are being held back from their full potential due to three roadblocks getting in their way.

These roadblocks suck the energy out of you, hold you back from playing with your kids, and certainly don’t make you feel your best. If you are ready to get your supermom powers back, keep reading. I am going to uncover these 3 roadblocks that may be holding you back and keeping you from gaining more energy throughout the day. I am also going to share things you can start doing today to feel better and help you keep up with your kids all day long.

The Roadblocks That Keep You From Gaining More Energy Throughout the Day

Roadblock #1: Thyroid Dysfunction

In my practice, I see countless patients come to me with chronic fatigue, weight gain, and irritability. Many of these patients also come to me with “normal” lab values according to their doctor’s.

They have been walking around chronically fatigued for months, sometimes even years with little to no relief because they haven’t been properly diagnosed. The truth is that often times, you may be suffering from a thyroid condition that many lab tests will not detect. In my practice, I offer thorough lab testing, and I take a look at a complete thyroid panel. Just because your one lab test comes back “normal” doesn’t mean you aren’t suffering from thyroid dysfunction, especially if you have all of the most commonly seen symptoms.

Thyroid dysfunction can be a massive roadblock and can certainly hold you back from your truest supermom potential. It can make you feel like you have little to no energy, cause weight gain despite weight loss efforts, and make you feel irritable and anxious just to name a few. Here are some of the other common symptoms of thyroid dysfunction:

Mood swings
Muscle pain
Dry skin
Hair loss
Constipation
Brain fog
Hormonal imbalances: PMS, irregular periods

As you can see, all of these symptoms can greatly impact the quality of your life. As a busy mom, we just don’t have time for symptoms such as these to hold us back from playing with our kids or spending time together as a family.

The great news is that with the proper testing, a treatment plan can be put into place. With some lifestyle changes, simple dietary adjustments, and even some supplements you could be well on your way to feeling better and gaining more energy throughout the day. Many of my patients who have thyroid dysfunction are able to make the adjustments they need without the use of thyroid medication. The trick here is to catch it as early as possible and make the necessary changes right away.

Roadblock #2: Adrenal Dysfunction

Adrenal dysfunction is another thing I commonly see in my practice and something that often times keeps mom's too tired to do everything they want to do.

Adrenal dysfunction can occur when your adrenal glands aren’t working properly. This can occur when someone is under a tremendous amount of physical and or emotional stress.

Fatigue is the most common symptom associated with adrenal dysfunction which is why I often see a lot of moms suffering from this. Mom’s come to me wanting more energy and no matter what they do it just doesn’t seem to make a difference. The reason for this is because adrenal fatigue can cause a lower level of various hormones as well as neurotransmitters in the body. This can ultimately impact every single part of your body. (1)

Some of the other common symptoms associated with adrenal dysfunction include:

Difficulty getting up each morning even after getting a full night sleep
Fatigue that lasts all day
Difficulty handling stress
Craving salty foods
Overusing caffeine and sugar to stay awake
A weak immune system

Having any of these symptoms can get in the way of your quality of life, but when you are trying to balance life as a mom it can be next to impossible to get the things done you need to do.

If adrenal dysfunction is something you suspect, it’s important to see a practitioner who has experience working with this condition. It will take a specific set of tests to look deeper into your hormone levels and make a proper diagnosis. If adrenal dysfunction is present, there are steps you can take to take your life back. These include:

Changing your diet to better support your body and body’s stress response. I generally recommend an anti-inflammatory Paleo style diet for my patients.
Testing for food sensitivities: Food sensitivities can make symptoms worse.
Reducing stress: Practicing mindfulness, meditation, and yoga are essential.
Improving sleep habits.
Working with a practitioner to develop a diet that is going to help support your energy levels throughout the day.

Roadblock #3: Leaky Gut/Food Sensitivities

Leaky gut is something that many people deal with today. Leaky gut is also called intestinal permeability where the lining of the small intestine can become damaged. When this lining is damaged, undigested food particles as well as toxins can leak into the blood stream. When these toxins leak into the body, an autoimmune response can be triggered. This can cause inflammation, allergies, food sensitivities, and even migraines. (2)

For moms, dealing with leaky gut can be debilitating. Leaky gut, just like the other two roadblocks can cause fatigue, cravings, nutritional deficiencies, as well as decrease immune function. As a mom, the last thing we need is to be getting sick or feeling like we can’t get through the day without a couple of naps. We need our energy to take care of our kids. Leaky gut is just not something we as moms have time to deal with.

So, what causes leaky gut? Leaky gut is commonly caused by diet and can occur when you are consuming foods such as gluten, soy, sugar, and dairy. If your body is treating a certain food as an invader, an immune reaction can occur. Over time this can cause intestinal permeability. Things like antibiotics, and over the counter pain relievers may also be to blame for leaky gut.

If leaky gut is suspected, it’s also important to test for food sensitivities. The last thing you want is to begin a healing protocol only to be consuming foods your body is still reacting to. This is something I will test for in my practice. A healing diet would also be essential to heal the gut. Starting a diet free from gluten, soy, dairy, and sugar is an important step in healing that gut lining and feeling better. There are also certain foods that are particularly healthy for the gut that can be included in the diet. These include:

Bone broth
Coconut oil
Probiotics
Sauerkraut
Unsweetened coconut yogurt
Grass fed meats
Wild caught fish

If you are a busy mom who just doesn’t have the energy to do what you dream of achieving, it’s time to take a look at what roadblocks may be holding you back. By uncovering potential roadblocks in your life, you can achieve optimal health so that you can be the high performing mom you know that you are, and have plenty of energy to last you all day long. To take care of others, you need to take care of you! Start today by reaching out for a consultation to see how to uncover your hidden roadblock and start living your life to the fullest.

If you are suffering from weight gain, fatigue, hair loss and more, click here to schedule a phone call with me, so I can find out where you’ve been, where you want to get to, and how I can help you get there.

Sources

(1) The Adrenal Fatigue Solution. What Are The Symptoms Of Adrenal Fatigue?

(2) Healthy Women. 10 Signs You Have a Leaky Gut—and How to Heal It

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by Peter Saydak

Interstitial Cystitis (IC) 101

Interstitial cystitis is something that I see quite often in my practice. It’s also known as painful bladder syndrome and is extremely uncomfortable and even painful. IC often causes bladder pressure, bladder pain, and can also cause pelvic pain. Some people with interstitial cystitis may deal with chronic severe pain on a regular basis from this condition.

If you suspect you may have IC or have been battling it for quite some time, keep reading. I am going to dive further into what interstitial cystitis is, it’s link to digestive conditions and some things you can start doing today to help reduce symptoms.

What is Interstitial Cystitis?

To better understand what IC is, let’s talk about the function of your bladder. Your bladder is an organ that holds urine. Once your bladder is full, it will send a signal to your brain telling you that it’s time to go to the bathroom. The communication happens through the pelvic nerves. (1)

When IC is present, these particular signals get mixed up so you may feel the need to use the bathroom more frequently and you may have a smaller volume of urine than most people.

This condition also affects more women than it does men and it can significantly impair one’s quality of life if not treated.

Symptoms of Interstitial Cystitis

Some of the most common symptoms associated with this condition include:

Pelvic pain
Frequent urination up to 60 times per day, which is often in small amounts
Feeling like you need to constantly urinate
Pain while your bladder fills
Feeling relief after you urinate
Pain during intercourse

Symptoms can vary from person to person, and there may even be periods where you don’t experience any symptoms at all. If you do have any of the following symptoms, they are commonly confused with urinary tract infections. In the case of IC, there is no infection, but the symptoms can be similar. This is why it’s important to work with a practitioner who has experience working with patients with interstitial cystitis so that you can get the proper diagnosis.

Causes of Interstitial Cystitis

While there is not one known cause of IC, there have been some connections made as to what could potentially lead to this condition.

It’s thought that people who suffer from interstitial cystitis may have a defect in the protective lining of their bladder.

Other causes may include:

An autoimmune reaction
Allergy
Infection
Heredity

Your age can also play a role as most people who are diagnosed with this condition are usually diagnosed during their 30’s or after.

IC & The Gastrointestinal System

There is a link between interstitial cystitis and the gastrointestinal system. It’s been noted that women who have IC generally have gastrointestinal symptoms as well. (2)

Specifically, the connection between SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) and IC is clear. A study found that most patients who had IC and also had gastrointestinal symptoms tested positive for SIBO. 47% of those who tested positive, and who were treated, showed improvements in their interstitial cystitis symptoms!

This study proves that when dealing with IC, it’s important to take a look at the digestive system and strengthen it as well. In my practice, I always take gut health into account and often run a wide variety of tests to detect potential gut infections. If we can uncover a gut infection and get that treated, there’s a good chance that the IC symptoms may improve.

Improving IC Symptoms

In order to relieve symptoms and keep symptoms at bay long-term, it’s important to get the proper testing to determine if a gut infection is causing some of the pain associated with this condition. On top of the proper testing, there are some additional steps you can take.

Avoid caffeine and alcohol
Avoid acidic juices such as cranberry juice
Adopt an anti-inflammatory diet
Try a yeast free diet by eliminating things like sugar, vinegar, and malt
Eliminate wheat, grains, sugar, and processed foods from the diet
Reduce stress
Get tested for food sensitivities. Many patients with IC also suffer from food sensitivities so knowing what these are can help get you on a healing path

Essential Oils for IC

Essential oils are great for a number of conditions, and interstitial cystitis is certainly one of them. Some of the most commonly used oils for this condition include lavender and sandalwood. There are also a handful of other options that may be beneficial as well. Let’s take a further look at each one:

Lavender: This essential oil is a natural pain reliever and acts as an anti-spasmodic which makes it an excellent choice for IC sufferers.
Sandalwood: Another essential oil that acts as a natural anti-spasmodic and has antiseptic properties. This is a great oil for the pain associated with IC.
Thyme: Thyme essential oils holds impressive antiseptic as well as antibacterial properties and also acts as an antispasmodic oil.
Cypress: This essential oil is great for many different types of spasms and is also known for having a very calming effect on the body.
Geranium: Geranium essential oil holds some anti-inflammatory properties and is even known to help reduce irritation.
Clary Sage: Clary sage essential oil has some powerful anti-inflammatory as well as anti-spasmodic properties which are both great when treating IC.
Juniper: This essential oil may be able to help reduce both cramps and gas from the intestines.

When using essential oils, it’s important to use pure grade quality oils in order to gain the most benefit. My favorite essential oil company is Young Living.

How to Use Essential Oils for IC

So, how exactly do you use these oils?

Here are a couple of ways to add essential oils to your healing protocol:

Massaged into the skin: You can dilute an essential oil with some coconut oil and massage the oil into the skin right above the bladder area. Even when diluting oils, you will want to do a patch test on a small area of your skin to make sure that you do not have any reactions. Essential oils are also very powerful so a couple of drops goes a very long way.
Diffuse the oil: You can add a couple of drops of essential oil into a diffuser to diffuse the oil in your office or home.
Add a few drops to your bath: Taking a relaxing bath is a great way to soothe away pain but it’s even better when you add a couple of drops of essential oil.

If you are suffering from weight gain, fatigue, hair loss and more, click here to schedule a phone call with me, so I can find out where you’ve been, where you want to get to, and how I can help you get there.

Sources

Mayo Clinic. Interstitial cystitis
The Integrative Women’s Health Institute. (2015) Relief for SIBO With Interstitial Cystitis Related Bladder Pain
Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP. Interstitial Cystitis
Marc Seward. (2015) Essential Oils for Interstitial Cystitis.

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by Peter Saydak

Month: May 2017

CONFUSED BY YOUR SYMPTOMS? IT COULD BE HISTAMINE INTOLERANCE