Imagine your thyroid is the gear stick of a car. Switching gears allows you to back up, change speed, or park the vehicle. Your thyroid controls the rate of your metabolism, just like the gearstick. This butterfly-shaped gland sits at the front of the neck. It produces hormones that control your body’s metabolism. Watch out for these common issues!

Low and high gears: Low and higher levels of thyroid hormones can cause energy issues in your body too. If your thyroid isn’t producing enough thyroid hormones, you may have hypothyroidism, a condition that causes weight gain. If your body starts producing too many thyroid hormones, you may experience weight loss. Unexplained weight gain or loss is a sign of thyroid issues.

Rust build-up: When your car starts to accumulate rust spots, you know that something is wrong. Your thyroid sends the same type of signals to your body. Watch for swelling in the neck, lumps or goiters. These issues are all signs of a thyroid disorder.

Bad shifting: You know the uncomfortable jerking that comes with teaching a person how to transition between gears smoothly? It’s unsettling. If your thyroid is out of wack, your body may experience that same feeling. Thyroid issues can cause changes in your heart rate, heart palpitations and increased blood pressure.

Stop and Go Driving: There’s nothing as freeing as driving fast down the highway, and nothing quite as frustrating as sitting in stop and go traffic. Your thyroid can make your moods fluctuate like your daily commute. People with hypothyroidism can feel tired, overworked and depressed. Those with hyperthyroidism can feel anxious, have trouble sleeping or feeling cranky. These feelings don’t just stop once you pull into the garage, consult a doctor if you have noticed a change in your disposition.

If there is a problem with your car, you take it to the mechanic. They pop the hood, do a little poking around, find the problem and then fix it. Going to the doctor about your health issues isn’t quite the same. Your body is not as easy to repair. That’s why we are here to help you. We dig deep to find the source of your symptoms and help come up with a treatment plan that will get your body back on track. Over the years, we have seen that the thyroid can often be the cause of many of the health issues we face. Don’t neglect your thyroid health. It’s the gear shift that keeps your body running.

Do you know the difference between a true allergy and an intolerance? It’s worth learning the difference, because knowing what you’re dealing with can help you to make better decisions for your long-term health and wellbeing.

Let’s start by talking about allergies. A true allergy causes an immune system response. An allergy can be very dangerous, severe and even life threatening. The immune response caused by an allergy can will affect multiple organs and systems in the body, and you may have a progressively worse response with each exposure.

An intolerance can cause similar symptoms, which is why it can be easily confused with an allergy. But an intolerance is less likely to be life threatening. It will cause discomfort, but a person may be able to ingest smaller quantities of the food or substance without having a severe reaction. Instead, you’ll have less acute issues that might be easier to ignore, but still cause problems in the body.

What are the causes of intolerances?

• Lack of digestive enzymes needed to break down the foods. A common intolerance you might be familiar with is lactose
• Stress. Really! Your body may react poorly under emotionally difficult circumstances, leading to intolerances and symptoms that seem vague. This can include symptoms of abdominal bloating
• Celiac disease. This is not a true allergy because there isn’t a risk of anaphylactic shock, but it can cause similar, serious, multiple organ issues. Symptoms may include digestive trouble, but also headaches and joint pain
• Sensitivity to chemical food additives, such as dyes and preservatives
• Irritable bowel syndrome can mimic the symptoms of an allergy by causing severe gastrointestinal distress

In general, if you have concerns, we recommend that you get medical counseling and tested for allergies. We also have additional recommendations to help you determine the best course of action.

Don’t forget, allergies and intolerances can also apply to problems with environmental factors such as mold, dust, and other issues. You’ll want to check for each to know for sure.

Here are Proactive Wellness, our medical practitioners take a holistic, whole health approach. For that reason, we always recommend that you start with the basics. Here are some early things you can do to tell what’s going on.

1. Know your body. Unexplained symptoms should never be ignored. If you are feeling unwell, it’s worth a trip to visit your trusted provider .
2. Pay attention to how you feel after you eat. Keep a food diary, if you suspect that you might be having symptoms after eating certain foods.
3. Try tracking other environmental factors. Be ready to consider that the issue might be caused by mold, or Lyme disease. Have you been around an unfamiliar animal recently? You may have contracted a parasite.
4. Consider that your symptoms might be caused by chronic inflammation, or other stress factors.
5. Finally, get tested for underlying infections. The flair-up symptoms may mimic those of an allergy or intolerance.

Finally, please don’t hesitate to reach out! At Proactive Wellness, we will provide a complete screening and counseling at each step to help you determine whether you have an allergy or an intolerance. We’ll provide counseling and support to help you make good decisions to support complete health and wellness.

If you have any questions, we will run tests and give you full screenings to rule out any issues and prevent additional risk to your long-term health.

If you have any questions about your health please don’t hesitate to give us a call! Check out our website for more information, as well. We want to partner with you to find solutions that work, and help you to live your most active, healthy life – with or without allergies and intolerances.

What does it mean to have a chronic illness? You may have heard that term used, but not know fully what it meant. Today, we’ll talk about some of the symptoms and signs of chronic illness, and discuss when to consult a health care provider to find whole-body and whole-life wellness solutions.

Generally speaking, any disease that is a long-term condition can be categorized as a chronic illness. Heart disease, diabetes, and cancer all qualify as a chronic illness. But chronic illnesses may also be categorized by a cluster of ongoing symptoms of poor health that are unexplained, or seem to go away temporarily and then recur repeatedly.

For example, all of the following can be categorized as chronic illness conditions:

• Ongoing, unexplained fatigue;
• Muscle soreness unrelated to activity levels
• Joint paint;
• Skin disorders;
• Mental issues, such as fogginess or memory problems;
• Symptoms of illness that last for more than a year; and
• Unresolved health issues that don’t seem to respond to treatment.

What causes chronic illness? The causes can be varied. It may have to do with underlying allergies, infection, lifestyle issues, or other problems. A qualified healthcare provider can help you find the cause and solutions.

So, what can you do if you suspect that you may have a chronic health issue? We recommend that you see a holistic health provider. It is important to treat the whole body as an interconnected system, rather than simply seeking to solve issues that crop up.

Promoting the health of the body takes a complete approach to lifestyle, nutrition, addressing physical activity levels and sleep quality, and looking for any allergies or intolerances. It makes no difference if you treat the symptoms, if you allow ongoing problems like stress, lack of rest, or poor eating habits to cause continued issues overall.

What can you do? We recommend that, if you are concerned about your symptoms, that you visit a doctor and holistic wellness provider that can test you for issues and help you to find appropriate treatment.

If that sounds like the case for you or someone you love, please reach out to us. Visit us online to learn more and feel free to reach out with any questions. We offer holistic wellness solutions.

Are you dealing with unexplained fatigue, muscle aches, memory loss and mental fogginess, or other unexplained symptoms? The issue could be Lyme disease.

What are the signs and symptoms of Lyme disease? It’s important to know the answer, because left untreated Lyme disease, can cause serious and debilitating illness and disability. Symptoms can mimic those of stroke, painful cases of arthritis, chronic illness, and issues that lead to a loss of proper brain function. But early diagnosis and treatment can reduce the risk, and preserve your health.

Not sure you’re at risk? Chances are, the possibility you might be exposed is greater than you might expect. According to the experts at the Centers for Disease Control, the incidence of confirmed cases of Lyme disease has climbed dramatically in the last few years. A recent study shows that cases increased more than 80% from 2004-2016, from 19,804 to 36,429.

So, what exactly IS Lyme disease? It’s a cluster of symptoms and illness caused by the transmission of a harmful bacteria, Borrelia burgdorferi, through the bite of a black-legged or deer tick.

What are the symptoms? Lyme disease can feel like a summer cold or flu, without the respiratory symptoms. A person might feel fatigue, fever, chills, muscle aches, joint pain, and swollen lymph nodes. Left untreated, symptoms can progress to include:

• Heart palpitations, or irregular heartbeats;
• Severe headaches and/or neck stiffness, and sometimes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord;
• Joint pain and stiffness that feels like severe arthritis, and/or shooting pains;
• Numbness and/or tingling in the hands and feet;
• Rashes; and
• Loss of muscle tone or “drooping” on one side of the face.

Even worse, when left untreated Lyme disease can lead to ongoing health issues that can include mental confusion, sleep disturbances, and severe fatigue.

So, how do you know if you’ve been exposed, or if you have Lyme disease? It can be difficult to tell, primarily because sometimes the first symptoms may show up weeks after you (or your pet) have been bitten. Moreover, ticks can be the size of a poppy seed — which makes them really hard to spot.

If you do develop symptoms, including redness at the bite site that looks like a bullseye, or find a tick on your skin or clothes, you should have your doctor run tests to be sure. Many early cases can be cleared with antibiotics.

How are people exposed? Often people take precautions when they go hiking, camping, hunting, or do other planned outdoor activities. They wear long sleeves, and maybe even bug spray. But experts are finding that most people are exposed to tick bites in their own backyard, while doing yard work, gardening, or just playing outside. Pets are another source of exposure. Often, ticks will hitch a ride on your dog — leaving you vulnerable to bites and transmission of the disease.

Again, it’s possible to contract Lyme disease and not know for months after exposure. It’s worth your health to explore all of the possibilities if you’re experiencing unexplained symptoms.

Be aware, that the accuracy of blood tests can vary based on the timing of your exposure. So, if you haven’t yet developed antibodies in your blood to the infection, the test could come back negative. Ongoing treatment and screening by a trusted medical professional should include follow-ups if you think you’ve been exposed, or may be having symptoms.

For that reason, it’s important to visit medical professionals that take a holistic approach to wellness. Whether or not you find a tick, your doctor should take any symptoms that might be Lyme disease seriously, and offer you follow up screening to rule out the disease and stop further progression when appropriate.

Finally, you can take steps to prevent the illness. While you shouldn’t be afraid to get outdoors, you should certainly take proper common sense precautions. Wear long sleeves and pants, check yourself after spending time outside (even if you’re just out in the backyard) and be sure to keep an eye on your pets.

Also, know your body. Unexplained symptoms should never be ignored. If you are feeling unwell, it’s worth a trip to visit your trusted provider to rule out issues and find holistic solutions.

At Proactive Wellness, we will provide a complete screening and counseling if you think you might have Lyme disease to rule out any issues and prevent a progressive worsening and risk to your long-term health.

Finally, if you have any questions about your health please don’t hesitate to give us a call! Check out our website for more information, as well. We want to partner with you to find solutions that work, and help you to live your most active life.

Did you know that parasites are a problem for millions of Americans? According to experts at the Centers for Disease Control, the problem is more common than many people realize. Moreover, many people that pick up a parasite often go undiagnosed, and suffer from illness and symptoms that could be treated or managed.

In fact, it’s a common misconception that parasites are only a problem in underdeveloped or poor countries. Many people (mistakenly) believe that you can’t pick up a parasite if you have access to proper sanitation, running water, and food prepared according to a high quality of safety standards. But, there are still ways to pick up a parasite that might surprise you. What can cause a parasitic infection?

These common risk factors might point to a parasitic infection:

1. Do you own a cat? What about a cat at a friend’s home, or have you come into contact with a stray? Contact with cat waste, either accidentally or by cleaning a litter box, can expose you to a parasitic infection by Toxoplasmosis. It is estimated that more than 60 million people are chronically infected with toxoplasma gondii. Often, many people don’t hear about the possibility of contracting the parasite until they (or a friend) get pregnant, when an obstetrician orders tests or counsels them to avoid exposure to cat waste.
2. Do you own a dog? You’re not better off than cat owners. The worms that live in the intestines of dogs (and some cats) carry a parasite called Toxocara. In fact, many Americans have been exposed and carry antibodies in their blood to fight off the infection. But for those that don’t, contracting Toxocara can lead to serious illness and even blindness.
3. Did you know that some parasites can be contracted through sexual contact? A protozoa called trichomonias is transmitted sexually. It’s a common infection that often is symptomless, but can cause itching and burning, and puts the person at risk of developing additional infections because the body is weakened by trying to keep the parasite at bay.
4. Eating undercooked meat — or even fruits and vegetables that haven’t been handled properly — can lead to exposure to tapeworms that live in the muscles and brain. Most people know that, but aren’t aware of how common exposure can be.
5. Have you been hiking or camping lately? What about drinking untreated, unfiltered well or spring water? Contaminated water, taken in while camping or from other untreated sources, can lead to parasitic infections and illness.
6. Been bitten by a bug lately? It’s well known that mosquitos and ticks can carry illness. But a bug called the triatomine bug can cause an illness called Chagas disease. According to some experts,”[m]ore than 300,000 American are infected with Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease, and more than 300 infected babies are born every year.”

So, how do you know if you have a parasitic infection? The symptoms can seem general, and mimmic symptoms of other illnesses. Think fatigue, fever, nausea, heart and respiratory symptoms, headaches, rashes, and itching. Fairly vague, right? That’s why we recommend that if you have unexplained symptoms that aren’t going away, you ask your holistic wellness provider and doctor to run tests for parasitic infection.

How do we test for parasites? The CDC recommends a few different tests. (You can call us to learn more, or visit the CDC page here.) The list of tests includes blood draws, fecal sample testing, and x-rays.

More than one kind of test may be performed by your health care provider. Among other things, the tests will look for antibodies in your blood serum, evidence in fecal samples of the byproducts of parasites, and x-rays will be used to determine if your organs have developed lesions caused by some parasitic infections.

In some cases, a colonoscopy may be done to more thoroughly screen for a parasite. You health care provider will determine which tests to order, and will often send the samples to a qualified lab for analysis.

It’s important to learn more about the issue, because so many Americans go without proper diagnosis and treatment due to a lack of knowledge and the common misconception that parasites are not an issue here in the United States.

If you think you may have unexplained symptoms and would benefit from a screening, either because you have one of the risk factors identified above, or just a long-term issue that has gone unresolved, please be sure to learn more and ask for a test.

You can take control of your health by learning more, and finding natural ways to promote your health, healing and overall wellness. Don’t hesitate to visit our website to learn more, and reach out with any questions.