Learning to listen to your body can be very difficult to master. Often, we think of our symptoms as “normal” and dismiss how we feel thinking that other people feel that way too. As time progresses, we adapt to how we feel and then do not notice that things are not right. No one wants to be referred to as a whiner, and as a result, many people keep their opinions to themselves.
What can you do when your symptoms are being dismissed due to your age, or your bloodwork is only slightly off, but not enough to be concerned about? Sometimes, a second opinion may be warranted and can often lead to great success.
Judith Sanchez, a 28 year old female came to the clinic for an initial naturopathic consult, presenting with night sweats, moderate to severe acne, mood swings, breakthrough bleeding and she experiences extreme body temperature fluctuations during the day (either very cold or very hot) in a room temperature setting. She is on a high estrogen birth control pill and takes a few supplements for health maintenance. Judith states that she has been feeling like this for years and the only response she has received from her doctor is to change her birth control prescription. Our naturopathic doctors recommends hormone testing throughout Judith’s cycle, to monitor what her hormone levels reflect during the month. Judith stops taking the birth control pill and all supplements for 3 months prior to starting the saliva testing.
The saliva testing results indicated drastic fluctuations in hormone levels over Judith’s menstrual cycle. The doctor recommends that the patient start taking a three month round of hormone modulating supplements and report back for a follow-up at that time. The supplements that were selected offered Judith progesterone support and helped with estrogen metabolism. Within 2 weeks of starting the supplements, the patient reports to the doctor that she has no symptoms whatsoever and that her acne has almost cleared. Judith continues to naturally regulate her hormones using the treatment plan established by Dr. Nardella. Regular assessments are required to keep track of the effectiveness of the treatment.
