Transcription
Reclaim Your Energy and FeelNormal Again!Fixing the Root Causeof Your Fatiguewith Natural TreatmentsBy Dr. Carri Drzyzga, DC, NDThe Functional Medicine DocWith a foreword byDr. Fraser Smith, BA, NDFunctional Medicine Publishing
Reclaim Your Energy and Feel Normal Again! Fixing the RootCause of Your Fatigue with Natural TreatmentsFunctional Medicine Publishing2543 St. Joseph Blvd.Orleans, Ontario, K1C 1G2CanadaCopyright 2014 by Dr. Carri Drzyzga, DC, NDAll rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, storedin a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanswithout the written permission of the publisher.Printed in the United States of AmericaISBN: 978-1500169961Cover design by Jim Saurbaugh, JS Graphic DesignInterior graphs by Reece Montgomery, Business Book ProductionsDISCLAIMER AND/OR LEGAL NOTICESThe information herein is not intended to replace the services oftrained health professionals, or be a substitute for medical advice.You are advised to consult with your health care professional withregard to matters relating to your health, and in particularregarding matters that may require diagnosis or medical attention.While the author and publisher have used their best efforts inpreparing this book, they make no representations or warrantieswith respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of thisbook. The advice and strategies contained herein may not besuitable for your situation. This book is sold with theunderstanding that the neither the publisher nor the author isengaged in rendering medical or other professional services. Youshould consult a professional where appropriate. Neither thepublisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or anyother commercial damages, including but not limited to special,incidental, consequential, or other damages. The purchaser orreader of this publication assumes responsibility for the use ofthese materials and information. Adherence to all applicable lawsand regulations, both advertising and all other aspects of doingbusiness in Canada or any other jurisdiction, is the soleresponsibility of the purchaser or reader.
In memory of my father
“Discovery is seeingwhat everybody else has seen,and thinkingwhat nobody else has thought.”—Albert Szent-Györgyi, MD, PhDNobel Prize winner for discovering vitamin C
ContentsForeword . vAcknowledgements . ixPart 1The Hidden, Underlying Causes of FatigueChapter 1—What Is Functional Medicine? . 3A Personalized, Cause-of-Symptom Approach to Health Care . 4A Distinction between Natural Medicine and Functional Medicine . 6Real Stories from Real Women with Fatigue. 8The Eight Leading Causes (“Fatigue Factors”) of Fatigue . 9Chapter 2—Fatigue Factor #1: Anemia . 11Symptoms . 11Testing . 11Treatment. 12Chapter 3—Fatigue Factor #2: Thyroid Problems . 15Symptoms . 15Testing . 16Is Your Hypothyroidism Actually Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis? . 17Min’s Fatigue Journey—My Eyes Were Always at Half-Mast . 18Treatment. 29Chapter 4—Fatigue Factor #3: Cortisol Imbalance . 33Symptoms . 33Testing . 35Treatment. 37Chapter 5—Fatigue Factor #4: Blood Sugar Imbalance. 39Symptoms . 39Testing . 40The HbA1C Test . 40i
What’s Your A1C? . 40Treatment. 42You May Be Toxic . 42Chapter 6—Fatigue Factor #5: Nutrient Deficiencies . 45Vitamin B12 Deficiency . 45Symptoms . 45Testing . 46Treatment . 47Vitamin D Deficiency . 48Symptoms . 48Jocelyne’s Fatigue Journey—Listen to Your Gut Feeling; It’sAlways Right . 50Testing . 62Treatment . 62Magnesium Deficiency . 62Symptoms . 62Testing . 64Treatment . 65Iron Deficiency . 65Symptoms . 65Testing . 66Treatment . 66How Do I Know If My Supplements Are Working? Try the VinegarTest! . 68Are Acid Blockers Robbing You of Nutrients? Beware of PPIs! . 70PPI Research (a partial list) . 71PPIs and Nutrient Deficiencies . 72Rebound Acidity . 73How to Safely Get Off Your PPI . 73Chapter 7—Fatigue Factor #6: Chronic Infections . 75Symptoms . 75Testing . 76Stool Testing. 77Breath Testing . 78Ever Wondered if You Really Have IBS or Not? . 78Treatment. 79Chapter 8—Fatigue Factor #7: Hidden Food Allergies & Sensitivities. 81Allergies versus Sensitivities . 81Food Allergies . 82Symptoms . 82Testing . 82ii
Food Sensitivities . 83Symptoms. 83Testing . 84Treatment for Food Allergies and Sensitivities . 85The Most Common Food Sensitivities. 85The Elimination Diet . 86Chapter 9—Fatigue Factor #8: Brain Chemical Imbalance . 89Serotonin. 89Symptoms. 89Dopamine. 90Symptoms. 90Testing Serotonin and Dopamine . 91Brain Balancing—MTO Testing . 91Treatment for Serotonin and Dopamine . 91Brain Balancing—MTO . 91Eat Protein . 92My Fatigue Journey—I Didn’t Think It Would Ever Happen to ME!94Part 2Build Your Foundation for Lasting EnergyChapter 10—Energize Your Lifestyle . 105Diet—Let Your Food Be Your Medicine . 107The Paleo Diet . 108Blood Sugar and the Paleo Diet . 112Liz’s Fatigue Journey—Now I Actually Feel BETTER Than My OldSelf!!! . 113Chronic Low-Grade Inflammation—How It Relates to Fatigue andYour Diet. 120Diet—Drink & Hydration. 122A Solution for Incontinence . 122Water . 123Alcohol . 124Caffeine . 125Chapter 11—Exercise to Enjoy Abundant Energy . 127Exercise and Metabolism. 127Could You Have a Mitochondrial Imbalance? . 128Beautiful Benefits of Exercise . 128Chapter 12—Sensational Sleep . 131Identify Sleep Disturbers. 131iii
Blood Sugar . 131Cortisol . 131Melatonin . 131Sleep “Hygiene” . 133Good Night, Light!. 133A Restful Routine. 134Marvelous Mattresses . 135Still More Slumber Secrets . 135Anne’s Fatigue Journey—Fatigue So Bad That She Slept through aTwo-Week Vacation . 136Chapter 13—Vitamin R—Rest, Relaxation, Recreation! . 143Stress Management—Body Chemistry Effects and Solutions . 143Deep Breathing . 144Meditation . 145Two Meditation Samples . 145Yoga . 147Journaling . 147Boxing . 148Chapter 14—You Can Feel Normal Again Starting Now! . 151Reclaim Your Energy and Feel Normal Again! Checklist . 155Resources . 161Special Bonus. 167Bibliography . 169About the Author . 175iv
ForewordWith the publication of this book, Reclaim Your Energy and FeelNormal Again! Fixing the Root Cause of Your Fatigue withNatural Treatments, Dr. Carri Drzyzga has provided patients aninvaluable resource for elevating their level of health.Dr. Drzyzga is in a great position to share this healing advice,having solid practical experience helping patients with fatigue andpoor overall health, and having earned professional doctorates inboth chiropractic and naturopathic medicine. From this vantagepoint, she is able to bring some of the very best practices to bear onthe issue of fatigue.It is a mark of an expert that they are able to take a complexsubject and explain it in a simple and straightforward manner. Dr.Drzyzga does just that with an accessible writing style and a greatstructure to her book. Fatigue is prevalent, but the root cause formany patients is unclear. If they are lucky, a rapid medicaldiagnosis or a change in lifestyle might be the very thing theyneed. But, for many, the underlying cause of their fatigue and anincreasingly poor level of health are unclear.The conventional care/standard system of medical care that NorthAmericans enjoy addresses many needs for many people and hasresulted in spectacular successes in both primary care and tertiarycare, such as organ transplants and emergency surgery. However,this system is at its strongest when dealing with discrete lesions orbreakdown points in the body, such as a blot clot in a vein, or atumor on the lung. When patients seek answers to chronic,v
Reclaim Your Energy and Feel Normal Again!multifaceted issues such as fatigue, they often find the health caresystem frustrating, in spite of everyone’s best intentions.The functional medicine approach advocated by Dr. Drzyzga heregoes right to the heart of the issues that can contribute to fatigueand ill health. In the first part of this book, a close examination ofthe nature of fatigue and its causes is laid out in chapters thataddress major issues, such as hormonal imbalances/deficiency,allergy, nutritional deficiency, and chronic infections. For each ofthese topics, there is a description of the symptoms and signs, thetests to uncover the causes, and the most common treatment. Thisis woven together with clinical and case examples that make thetopic real and pertinent for the reader.The second part of the book gives the reader a lasting gift—clearcut instructions on how to lay the foundation for long-term goodhealth. The key is to take specific actions to address thedetermining factors of health. This is followed by useful tools atthe end of the book to support recovery and health maintenance.While this book does indeed teach some complex issues in astraightforward way, it is at the same time rich in information, andDr. Drzyzga’s expertise shines through. These important preceptsare taught with skill, compassion, respect for all approaches, andinterventions that a patient might need, and taken together canoffer the reader who suffers from fatigue new hope. The besthealth care combines intelligent self-help along with expertguidance. This book is really an invitation to the reader to workwith a functional medicine/natural medicine professional and othermembers of the care team to explore the issues that could very wellbe a turning point in their recovery.—Dr. Fraser Smith, BA, NDAssociate Professor, National University of Health Sciencesvi
ForewordAssistant Dean, Naturopathic Medicine, National University ofHealth SciencesAuthor of An Introduction to Principles & Practices ofNaturopathic Medicine and Keep Your Brain Young: A Health andDiet Program for Your BrainCoauthor of The pH Balance Health and Diet Guide for GERD,IBS and IBDvii
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AcknowledgementsI owe a debt of immense gratitude to my mentors: Dr. AlexVasquez, DC, ND, DO; Dr. Datis Kharrazian, DHSc, DC, MS; Dr.Tom O’Bryan, DC, CCN, DACBN; Dr. Daniel Kalish, DC; Dr.Mehmet Oz, MD; Dr. Mark Hyman, MD; and Dr. Jeffery Bland,PhD, FACN, CNS. You are all trailblazers and have had a majorimpact on my career. For that I will be forever grateful.A special thank you to Dr. David Lescheid, PhD, ND forintroducing me to naturopathic medicine.My sincere appreciation to Dr. Fraser Smith, BA, ND for writingthe foreword.To Anne, Jocelyne, Liz, and Min: I cannot thank you enough forhaving the courage and generosity to share your stories in thisbook. You are a group of amazing and strong women.Thank you to all my patients for your continued supportthroughout the years. It’s an honor and a privilege to serve you.To my dream team: Susan and Magda, you are awesome assistants.Thank you for taking such great care of our patients and foreverything you do at the office to keep it running smoothly. Theamazing growth of my practice would not be possible without yourincredible support.To my business coach, Jim Palmer: Thank you for all yourwisdom, encouraging words, and tough love. Without you thisbook would still only be a pipe dream.ix
Reclaim Your Energy and Feel Normal Again!A big thank you to my wonderful editor, Tammy Barley; and toJim Saurbaugh and Reece Montgomery for their cover design andinterior artistry.To Benoit, my husband, my partner, my best friend, and soul mate:You continue to be the greatest blessing in my life.Thank you to Mom, Dad, my family, and friends for all yoursupport. Special thanks to my bestest friend and fellow Leo (youknow who you are!).x
Part 1The Hidden, Underlying Causesof Fatigue1
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Chapter 1What Is Functional Medicine?Functional medicine is a new and emerging field of healthcare. It’sa subspecialty within the much broader field of natural medicine.Thousands of women today suffer with fatigue, yet are commonlytold by their doctors, “All your test results are normal,” except thattheir fatigue continues to get worse. Women are even told, “Youjust need a vacation,” or “You’re depressed,” or “It’s all in yourhead,” or other such nonsense. Eventually these women feel thattheir doctors don’t know what to do with them anymore, and theyget tired of being offered Band-Aid solutions like antidepressantsand sleeping pills.Fatigue is one of the most common complaints in doctors’ offices,yet it is one of the most poorly managed and misunderstoodillnesses. Until now.While medical doctors typically address patients’ symptoms,functional medicine is about finding and fixing the underlyingcause of those symptoms, so patients experience real and lastingresults.Functional medicine practitioners pinpoint the root, underlyingcause of fatigue and then work with their patients to fix it, usingtreatments that are natural, safe, and proven effective.This approach enables women to feel normal again, get their healthand energy back, and become able to enjoy life to the fullest.3
Reclaim Your Energy and Feel Normal Again!Find the cause. Fix the cause. Feel normal again! That’s functionalmedicine in a nutshell.A Personalized, Cause-of-Symptom Approach to HealthCareEverything in your body is connected. When medical doctorsprescribe a medication to correct one complaint, seeminglyunrelated systems in the body are often affected adversely by themedication. Functional medicine doctors understand this, so wetend to think “outside the box,” not only in how we diagnose, butalso in how we heal.We also look at each and every patient as unique, even if they allsuffer with the same problem: fatigue.That means every patient gets a personalized approach to care, anda personalized approach to treatment. There’s no “one-size-fits-all”approach—that doesn’t work with T-shirts, and it certainly doesn’twork with fatigue!Maybe you’re not only troubled with your fatigue. Your foggybrain may be worrying you too. You can’t concentrate very well,and your memory is slowly getting worse. You walk into a roomand forget why you went there in the first place. You forget phonenumbers and names. You make more and more lists because yourbrain isn’t as sharp as it used to be.Perhaps you’ve even tried some supplements but they didn’t workfor you. Or you’re hesitant about trying them because you’re not aprofessional and you don’t want to make matters worse. And, youcertainly don’t want to waste your money taking vitamins that youmay not even need in the first place.4
Chapter 1—What Is Functional Medicine?One thing you do know is this: If you never find the underlyingcause of your fatigue, you will probably never get better. Andgetting better is your only option.With fatigue, the standard medical approach consists of testing for1) anemia, and 2) low thyroid, which is an important first step.Anemia and low thyroid can cause fatigue, and always should betested first. The problem is, the majority of the time these tests arenormal, and if you’re otherwise healthy, then your doctor doesn’tknow what to do next beyond offering you an antidepressant.Functional medicine doctors look at the whole body, not just onearea, because everything in your body is connected. We want tohear about everything that’s going on with your health—all yourcomplaints, all at once—so we can piece those connectionstogether.That is usually what takes place during a first visit with afunctional medicine doctor. This is where the detective work starts.A thorough history from a patient will often reveal the cluesneeded to crack your case wide open. A functional medicine doctorwill then look over all the tests that your family doctor andspecialists have already run. That leads to even more clues, thenfurther testing, to find the underlying cause of your fatigue.That is also how this book begins—by analyzing the most likelyunderlying cause(s) of your fatigue.After the functional medicine doctor finds the cause(s) of apatient’s fatigue, then the patient’s treatment plan is put together—an actual plan designed specifically for her. It’s very much a teamapproach. The functional medicine doctor and patient worktogether, as mutual allies.5
Reclaim Your Energy and Feel Normal Again!That is how this book continues, albeit without the benefit of anindividually tailored plan—by providing a plan of solutions provento build a foundation of lasting energy for most patients.Functional medicine is a patient-centered approach, not a diseasecentered approach. Patient-centered means we treat you. We findwhat is out of balance with you, and then treat you for that.Treatment may include vitamins, herbs, diet changes, and the like,then we retest to ensure all normal function and energy levels arereturning.A Distinction between Natural Medicine and FunctionalMedicineTo illustrate the distinction between natural and functionalmedicine approaches to treating fatigue, here’s an example.Sometimes fatigue is caused by lack of sleep. Either you have ahard time falling asleep or you wake up in the middle of thenight—a very obvious reason why you would have fatigue, right?Many natural health practitioners would approach this and say,“Take melatonin.”So, instead of prescribing a sleeping pill, they prescribe you the“natural” equivalent, which is melatonin. This is called “greenallopathy”—directly substituting a natural supplement instead of amedication. It sometimes works, but often it doesn’t. It’s “natural,”but it’s not actually treating the underlying cause of the sleepingproblem.It’s not functional medicine.6
Chapter 1—What Is Functional Medicine?Here’s what goes on inside my mind as a functional medicinedoctor.First, I understand how melatonin is made in the body (melatoninis made from serotonin, which is made from 5-HTP, which is madefrom tryptophan—this is the basic chemistry of it), and also what itdoes in the body (this is why you shouldn’t get advice from healthfood store employees—they don’t have this level of training). Andthen I test for melatonin deficiency.If there is no melatonin deficiency, taking melatonin supplementsobviously won’t work. You would just waste your time andmoney.If there is a melatonin deficiency, then I find out why—what iscausing the melatonin to be low? I don’t just give a melatoninsupplement.If the “why” is never fixed and the underlying cause of thedeficiency is never found, that means you would have to take themelatonin supplements for the rest of your life! That’s not whatyou want! And, it’s not what I want for you either.So now I figure out the “why” and look for the cause: Is there notenough of the building-block nutrients to make melatonin? Ismelatonin getting used up faster than it can be produced? Issomething blocking melatonin production, like iron deficiency?Or, protein deficiency? Is there a serotonin deficiency?If the melatonin test is normal, then I keep looking for theunderlying cause of the insomnia.Here are the questions that go through my head next. Is cortisol toohigh at night? Is the blood sugar dropping during the night soonerthan it should? Is there a blockage in an acupuncture channel? Is7
Reclaim Your Energy and Feel Normal Again!there a blockage in the liver detox pathways allowing caffeine tostay in the bloodstream too long? Is magnesium deficient? Is therea hidden food allergy? And on, and on, always searching out theunderlying cause (in this case, the underlying cause of theinsomnia that is creating the fatigue).I know that may be a little technical and “doctor-y,” so I certainlydon’t expect you to understand all of it. But, I do want you to seethat functional medicine is not Band-Aid medicine that treats onlysurface symptoms.In functional medicine, we always seek to find the cause and fixthe cause naturally.Always.That’s why functional medicine works when other approachesdon’t. That is why functional medicine is an exciting, emergingfield of healthcare.Real Stories from Real Women with FatigueI want you to see how functional medicine actually works in reallife and why it works so well. So I’ve included five real cases frommy private practice—four of my patients’ fatigue stories as well asmy personal fatigue story. We all had fatigue, but all for differentreasons, so we all received different treatments.Ironically, my fatigue was the hardest of the five to treat! Youknow what they say: live and learn. I guess I took that literally!That’s why I’m so dedicated to helping other women who havefatigue—so they can get their lives back.8
Chapter 1—What Is Functional Medicine?You’ll get to see our stories, our struggles, and our triumphs. Myhope is that you will be encouraged to have hope and to get thatsame help and relief for yourself.Sometimes it may feel like there’s no answer, but I want you toknow you should have a lot of hope. Note that I said, “We all hadfatigue.” Today all five of us live fatigue-free, with the normallevels of energy we were designed to have.I won’t kid you—sometimes finding the underlying cause offatigue can feel like finding a needle in a haystack. But theunderlying cause is there, just waiting to be discovered.The Eight Leading Causes (“Fatigue Factors”) of FatigueI have discovered fourteen causes for fatigue. This book delvesinto the first eight on my list, since they apply to the majority ofwomen suffering with fatigue.Here they are for you. I call this is my Basic Fatigue List.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.AnemiaThyroid ProblemsCortisol ImbalanceBlood Sugar ImbalanceNutrient DeficienciesChronic InfectionsHidden Food Allergies & SensitivitiesBrain ImbalanceBesides “fatigue factors” #1 and #2, the rest of this list is in noparticular order of importance. A good history can help point theright direction to go next.9
Reclaim Your Energy and Feel Normal Again!Also, it’s rare that justone factor on this list iscausing the fatigue.Most of the time, thereare multiple issues thatneed to be addressed onthe list—usually three orfour (or more) need tobe addressed. Again,
Tom O'Bryan, DC, CCN, DACBN; Dr. Daniel Kalish, DC; Dr. Mehmet Oz, MD; Dr. Mark Hyman, MD; and Dr. Jeffery Bland, PhD, FACN, CNS. You are all trailblazers and have had a major impact on my career. For that I will be forever grateful. A special thank you to Dr. David Lescheid, PhD, ND for introducing me to naturopathic medicine.
