When your blood tests are fine and you are not

These days, my philosophy in life is very much ‘hear and acknowledge the body’s whispers, before they become screams of pain or illness’.  My body is frequently showing me the little tweaks that I need to make in life through it’s feelings and imbalances.

Each of us has a finely balanced and communicative body where small imbalances can lead to big effects if left unaddressed.  This is the point when many people end up in my clinic space. They know their body is not right, and they are having physical symptoms, yet they have seen their GP, sometimes specialists as well, and their blood tests and scans are fine, and may have been dismissed.

In my medical and kinesiology experience, I have noted that the body needs to be hugely out of balance before anything shows on a blood test. The body is amazing at compensating for stress and disease, and it is not until organ function is extremely diminished and in serious trouble before the pathology shows in blood tests. I have also heard from many health professionals that blood tests from the same candidate at the same time can show variable results with variable test providers.  So contrary to popular belief, blood tests are not an absolute and infallible science.  Additionally, they are only a snap shot in time and may not capture the complete picture of a pathology.  Something else to keep in mind is that you can only find what is tested for.  If you don’t run a test on a certain virus, bacteria, mould, parasite, fungus, yeast, or 1 of 1000’s of intrinsic factors involved in the body’s function, then you may not find all the information you need for a diagnosis and treatment.

In my clinic experience, one possible explanation for the discrepancy between body symptoms and blood test results is due to the effect of the energy blueprint on the physical body. Some people are more sensitive to energy than others, and because the energetic blueprint gives the program for the physical body, they feel things in the body before that energy becomes physical.  Mental and emotional pain eventually becomes physical pain, unless it is transmitted, transformed or dissolved. Listening and acting on your symptoms before this stage will make it easier to resolve the imbalance in the long run. It is also a loving act to yourself and those around you when you can care for your own self by listening to your body.  We can be our best self when we feel our best, and we can be great at supporting others when we are great at caring for ourself.

Sometimes caring for self means finding the people who are going to support you to have your needs met. I have a personal story to share to demonstrate my point and to assure you that you are not alone on your quest for the best of health and the best of life.  I particularly want to share my story to validate women in their hormonal changes and challenges.

For the past 3 years or more I have noticed a steady decline in my health. Fatigue, overwhelm, lowered tolerance to stress and loss of sexual function being the major players.  What has been particularly challenging for me is the loss of my usually sharp memory and cognitive abilities.  It has made running my business extremely challenging and I have had to take a lot more time off than what I usually would.  Interestingly, it is very much in keeping with this phase of my psychological development, known as ‘finding the far encampment’.   Being the holistic health practitioner I am I have been my own project for some time now and have tended to lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, supplements and self care practices for support.  I have some wonderful kinesiology practitioners and mentors in my life who I have been working with to support my recovery.  The interesting thing is that I am so incredibly happy in my life and have a treasured relationship with the divine so the physical and cognitive ailments are but a minor project.  This experience has taught me how perception is everything.  It governs our relationship with self, with body, with others.  I have been bolstered with a perception of curiosity through this journey of self healing.

This self healing project has led me to a lot of research and podcasts about perimenopause.  This common journey for women in their 40’s, seems to echo many stories of symptoms being dismissed, and simply ending up on antidepressants.  Many female doctors who found their traditional medical approach was inadequate have since dedicated their careers to a better management of perimenopause and are changing the common course of women’s health. For many of these innovative female doctors, they have used lifestyle solutions alongside bio identical hormone treatment.  I have known for a while that the root cause of all of my symptoms was a drop in sex hormones and so it has been re-assuring to hear their success stories and the path they took.

I have been interested to learn that the issue of hormonal drop is so poorly dealt with, that women in their 40’s have the highest rates of suicide.  So if you are in your 40’s and struggling, please know that there is a way to get through this with more ease and grace.  To make a long story short, I saw my GP 3 times with my symptoms and she was satisfied with my many, many blood tests.  Because of my insistence, she prescribed me a very low dose of estrogen and offered me anti-depressants because I am apparently too young for hormones.  I was ever so grateful for the estrogen and in no time I was having improvements in some areas yet there was still many issues to be resolved - namely because of the progesterone deficiency.  Some particular signs for this are night sweats, overwhelm, anxiety and inability to maintain the uterus lining, which looked like a week of bleeding from day 16, 20 or 23 for me.

Finally after being on the wait list for over 3 months I got to see the nurse practitioner who I heard prescribed bio identical hormones.  It was so nice to feel that someone was listening and on the same page. It is still early days on hormone treatment and it can take some time to find the ideal dose, yet I am pleased to say that I feel like I am regaining so much of my usual vibrant function.

So if you are one of those people who knows that your body is calling you to listen and act, don’t give up hope when your first call for help is not answered.  There are so many therapies and practitioners available. You know in your heart of hearts what you need, and when you find the practitioner that truly listens to you and your symptoms, rather than doctrine, you have someone on your team. When a practitioner is aligned with you and your needs, positive change can happen. Follow your right feel and don’t settle on suffering. Intuition takes you exactly where you need to go for healing. It may not get you there first up, so be open to a stepping stone approach where one thing may lead to the next, and then to the next, until all the puzzle pieces come together and the whole picture is addressed.

Something else to keep in mind if medical testing has not found you answers is to consider the workings of the brain.   Pain and physical functions is perceived and controlled by the brain. Often this is the place that needs to be addressed for mystery illnesses.  The brain can be affected by mold and other pathogens, environmental and heavy metal toxins, poor oxygen or glucose supply, inflammation, hormone imbalance, genetic influences and dehydration.  This will then have a knock-on effect on physical and cognitive function.

Additionally, an aspect of healing that is commonly overlooked in modern medicine and our society as a whole, is the power of the heart and its intrinsic nervous system, known as the heart brain. Our capacity to show compassion and love for ourselves and others is a hugely under-utilised super power. The heart has the ability to move us out of our survival patterns which block the ability to heal and recover from any illness or disease.  We simply cannot heal when the nervous system is dis-regulated with fight/flight and other survival patterns. The heart brain also has the ability to transform negative energy such as emotions, fears, worries, sabotaging thoughts, grief, exhaustion and pain. It is in fact a generator of power and energy for the body. The more time we spend listening to the wisdom of the heart, the better we get at being in alignment with what we need.  Mystical experiences can happen and lead you to the practitioner and tools you need when you utilise this super power.

I would be so happy to support you with aligning and connecting with your heart brain and exploring your healing pathways.  You can get in touch by email info@soulnurturing.com.au or phone 0427320302.  Soul Nurturing blessings from Simone.