Many people get accused of being hypochondriacs.  Are they really being hypochondriacs or are they just paying attention?  Recurrent symptoms such as fatigue, aches and pain, skin irritation, or headaches may just be our bodies’ way of telling us that there is something wrong.  If we don’t pay attention then we can run the risk of an actual physiological illness starting.

In my 17 years of treating patients, I consider the following list to be the top signs and symptoms that your body may be starting to get out of balance.  For most, these symptoms may not be completely limiting them.  People continue going through life as always but not feeling 100%.  If you suffer from any of the following (especially if you think the symptoms are gradually getting worse or becoming more frequent as time goes on), then you should consider going to see your Naturopathic Doctor for a health assessment.

• Fatigue
• Light headedness, dizziness
• Headaches
• Bloating, change in bowel habits
• Joint or muscle pain
• Moodiness – everyone around you seems a lot more irritating than usual
• You wonder whatever happened to your sex drive
• Recurrent colds or flues OR taking a long time to recover from them
• Insomnia – racing thoughts

Now, I know many people say “It’s just stress”.  Did you know that stress can affect your adrenal glands which in turn can lead to other hormonal imbalances such as low progesterone, low melatonin, low testosterone and even low thyroid function.  So why not support your body properly during your time of stress in order to prevent any further health problems.

Consider the following:  is it possible you are eating a food that you are intolerant to, or maybe your body is too acidic most of the time and you need to start alkalinizing, or you have certain vitamin or mineral deficiency, or maybe it is just time to do a detox.

Many times it is only small changes in your diet or lifestyle that can make a big difference.  Remember our body is naturally designed to heal and repair all the time.  All we need to do is give it what it needs to do so.

So don’t get scared of your symptoms.  There is probably a good explanation as to why you are feeling that way (even if your blood work results are “normal”). It is not in your head!