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by Glen Depke, Traditional Naturopath I have seen thousands of clients over the years that have been living with chronic aches and pains on a regular basis and you may be living with this yourself right now. Now some of these people are diagnosed with deeper challenges such as Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue or inflammatory disorders, but many do not understand what the underlying triggers to their pain truly is. That’s where I come in. Aches and pains are always a response to an underlying factor so getting to the core of this is of utmost importance. The question I hear all the time though is “How do I get to this core?” I obviously have to generalize this for you here because this is written for the general population. Here is your list of steps to address and also in matter of importance. Fibromyalgia Summit The first ever Fibromyalgia Summit to address the underlying causes of aches, pain and chronic health challenges. Register for this FREE Summit here
- Take care of your fundamentals of health. This is such an important factor for all of us. After all, if we cannot take care of the simple things such as deep breathing, proper hydration, nutrition, sleep, body movement, bowel movements, spinal movement, proper sun exposure and mental/emotional health, we really cannot expect deeper levels to provide significant improvement.
- Assess food sensitivity. This is one significant factor that is most often overlooked in regard to pain. Most people to not recognize that 86% of those with food sensitivity are actually asymptomatic, which means that they do not feel any symptoms when they eat the food they are sensitive to. Consuming a food that you are sensitive to will lead to inflammation and chronic inflammation will lead to many issues including pain and perhaps even longer term tissue damage. Getting to the bottom of food sensitivity is definitely a key part of the process.
- Assess and address adrenal function. If you miss the boat on your adrenal function, you are leaving your body holistically challenged. Your adrenal function ties directly into the function of thyroid, pancreas, ovaries, metabolism of fat and protein, regulation of body weight and fat, your mucosal integrity (first layer of immune defense), detoxification, immune regulation, pro and anti-inflammatory states, blood sugar stability, cellular energy, muscular/skeletal health, quality of sleep and mood, ability to memorize and learn and your overall neural connectivity. So you can see that is you do not look at and address your adrenal issue, you are leaving yourself hanging in the dark in regard to recovery of the aches and pain of chronic illness. Here at Depke Wellness we always use adrenal saliva testing to get a comprehensive view of your adrenal function.
- Test for gut pathogens. This is an area that is almost always missed. Most people with chronic illness will live with some type of pathogen such as a parasite, protozoa, detrimental bacteria, etc. for years before this is discovered. Because these pathogens will eventually lead to poor digestion, gut/brain issues, weakened immunity, inflammation, adrenal fatigue, aches and pain and perhaps even autoimmune conditions, it is essential for many to look for the pathogens. I suggest using a multi-day stool collection kit and being very precise with your collection to get to the bottom of your potential pathogen issue. Missing this will leave you spinning your wheels for years to come.
- Support your immune system. Most think of the immune system as tied into a sickness that is being addressed and becoming well again. Your immune system is much more than this though. There is a trilogy between your immune system, pro and anti-inflammatory states and adrenal function that plays a significant role in healing on any level. This can be tied into injury, any type of infection and basically any unrecognized invader. Now if the immune system is dysregulated, this can eventually lead to chronic inflammation, aches and pain and long term, even an autoimmune condition which is basically self tissue destruction. When supporting the immune system we recommend supporting the entire gut/brain/immune connection and adrenal function since your adrenal glands play an import role in immune function.
- Support brain function. Your brain and digestive system work as a team and you cannot separate them. We know this because 90% of your brain function is directed via the Vagus nerve, through the spinal column and into nervous system tissue in the gut and surrounding area, and right back up. So anything the affects your gut, affects your brain and likewise. Often I’ll see a client with a significant gut issue such as a pathogen or food sensitivity, and their symptom may be tied into brain fog, lack of mental clarity, moody or poor memory or comprehension. I have also seen clients dealing with a brain issue that is leading to constipation, bloating and/or poor digestion. The most basic level of brain support is to be sure that your have proper peripheral circulation. Getting enough blood to your brain is essential for optimal levels of oxygen and nutrients. You can look at your nails to assess this. According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, looking down at your nails you should see a “half moon” on your thumb, index finger, middle finger and ring finger and no moon on your pinky finger. If you are missing any moons this may show you that your brain is lacking proper circulation, this oxygen and nutrients. Not a good idea, right? If this is an issue, we always recommend Vein Lite which is a combination of Chinese herbs to help stimulate this peripheral circulation. Interestingly enough, poor peripheral circulation is actually a brain issue because the brain is the regulatory system for your circulation. That’s why addressing this is so important.
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Assist your body in creating an anti-inflammatory state. Many people do not overcome their inflammatory conditions because they do not address all the underlying factors. These are the factors that need to be addressed to aid the body in overcoming the aches and pain of inflammation.
- Focus on your fundamentals of health
- Address food sensitivity
- Balance adrenal function
- Address pathogens
- Support your gut/brain/immune connection
- Address this with a proper anti-inflammatory protocol that assists your body in an anti-inflammatory affect as well as the four feedback loops that continually feed the inflammation. Learn more here.
- Understand the likelihood of toxicity. The simple fact is that we are all toxic. I am, you are and everybody we know is. We know this because the environment we live in is toxic. There is research that shows that women in the wilderness areas of Alaska have been found to to PCBs and chemicals in their breast milk, and they do not live anywhere near an urban area. The trick with toxicity though is to make sure you support your body first. You really want to be in the best level of health you can achieve prior to pushing any type of aggressive detox program. Heck, sometimes even a juice fast will push detoxification to hard for many people. We always recommend urine porphyrin testing to understand the level of toxicity of your clients. We also check for the health of the blood/brain barrier and support the liver before entering into any detox recommendations.
