This week, I’m going to kick off with another clinical insight. Today, when I was in practice, I felt like I was getting the same message over and over again. I had a young lady in who was on the path of creating health and following a good journey. She finally was able to influence her husband to join her on the cleanse this year. I asked her what his biggest takeaway was, and she said he actually didn’t notice much of anything! What?! It reminded me that it all comes back to a choice to tune in and stay tuned in.

Watch the live show below:

People always say, “I have a hard time falling asleep” and I ask “Are you on your phone? What kind of shows are you watching before bed?” and they look at me like it doesn’t really affect them at all. In order to notice changes in your body, you have to know your body. People have become less and less in tune with their bodies, minds, and emotions. It’s not about being sensitive to everything, it’s about recognizing what serves you. It may be different for everyone, but it’s essential to know what is the key for yourself. It also works for food. One of the keys to God’s Garden is knowing what works for you. Something as simple as a headache can be caused by many different reasons. The more you’re in tune with your body, the more you can identify whether it’s tension, lack of water, etc. When you do that, you can much better plan a course of action. Remember, if you’re not in tune, your doctor probably isn’t in tune. Sometimes it takes living with the pain and allowing it to speak to you in order for you to tune in. 

This week we’re doing a Q&A Week, so here we go!

1. My husband can fast so much longer than I can. Is intermittent fasting different for men and women?

Absolutely. If you’re still cycling, stop fasting around your cycle. Some women can really get themselves into trouble because their bodies are under duress and they continue to double tax the body. I usually encourage women to pull back to at least 12 hours, in order to help create a better balance. If your body has entered perimenopause, things are also changing in your body and your response to stress has changed. As the ovaries retire, they pass the role of making hormones on to the adrenal glands. During this process, the female body is more vulnerable, therefore, you need to be very careful what else you’re doing to your body. This is a good reason to go through this process with a health practitioner. You may need to supplement your B Vitamins at an even faster rate than normal while fasting. Because each body is different, it’s good to have someone to help you know what else you need to be putting in your body. The bottom line is, never compare your journey to someone else’s. 

Please, also, do not use intermittent fasting as a method of starving yourself under another name. We need to be purposeful about what we’re putting in our bodies and make sure we’re getting the nutrients we need. It’s not about calorie restriction, although caloric intake will be less, but making sure the body is getting what it needs inside the eating windows. If you’re breaking your fast with bread, sugar, and carbs, you’re not going to see the success you want. 

2. My recent Vitamin D levels came back very low. How fast do they drop if you’re not taking supplements?

There are several factors and the time of year can be a big one. There are Vitamin D receptors on almost every cell of the body, we need to be on average to high levels all year long. At the end of the summer, your test results are going to be higher because of the sunlight. If you take it at a time of year when you’re getting less sun and you’re taking less Vitamin D, your levels can drop very fast. Vitamin D has about a 2-week half-life, so you can see results drop significantly within 30 days.

On the flip side, if you come in with a level under 50 (I like to see people between 70-100), I’m going to put you on a supplement. It can even help as a mood elevator and it can be the answer for many of those issues. I don’t test again for 60-90 days after that. 6 to 8 weeks seems to be clinically when we see an uptick. There’s a simple at-home test you can use just by pricking your finger and then you know. You can order those through us by contacting Balance Health Studio at 850.231.9288 or info@balance30a.com. You can also get other tests like your Omega panels, which can be a better marker for heart disease than cholesterol. 

3. My 20-year-old daughter is having anxiety and I’d prefer to keep her off medications. Are their holistic options?

Vitamin D is definitely on the list, testing the levels and making sure we’re getting enough. We could use a reminder that anxiety is a description, not a diagnosis. At its core, it’s an imbalance that needs addressing. In most cases, you’re going to see a combination of causation. Usually deficiencies including minerals, sleep, fatty acid, and hormone. We also have thought patterns that exacerbate those. In addition, we have whatever is going on with the physical body. If the body isn’t moving or burning off energy, it’s going to manifest in some other ways. If a 20-year-old human is having these issues, we need to look at moving, eating, and thinking. Kava is a no-brainer thing you can add to help relax the body and take it out of sympathetic dominance. It can help inhibit panic attacks. Another, more therapeutic herb, is Ashwagandha. We also need to be especially mindful of diet. If this individual is filled with sugar and stimulants, they need to be toned down and replaced with more yin foods like avocado and oils. We should always be asking if the food we’re eating serves us. Acupuncture and adjustments can also be a core of dealing with these issues. I had a patient today for their first acupuncture session, a healthy mom who works out most days an hour or more. She experienced such a release that she was moved to tears. It can be such an essential part of balancing yourself. 

Natural health care isn’t meant to be a quick fix because the issues we’re addressing don’t happen overnight. Embracing the journey is what helps us be super strong. 

4. Should I take Vitamin C through an IV or through supplements?

When you get Vitamin C through an IV you’re essentially getting ascorbic acid. That Vitamin C will be in and out of your body typically by the next morning because it’s so water-soluble. If you have an issue where you need a massive boost quickly, it’s a good method, but it’s not a long-term solution. What you need is a whole food Vitamin C complex. Taking one daily can also be especially good for your skin health in addition to your immune health. We use Cataplex C, it supports the immune system, skin and connective tissue, and bone health. 

3. Should I get genetic testing done?

I love testing, I love having as much information as I can, but it’s still a work in progress. If you’re not dialed in on everything else in your health journey, don’t waste your money. There are all sorts of genetic tests you can do that tell us all sorts of different things. We can do tests that tell us what we’re more susceptible to genetically. If you do a genetic test and you think it means you’re going to get whatever disease you’re predisposed towards, don’t get tested. The mind is so much more powerful than we think and it affects our body in ways we can’t even understand. Typically, if I do it, I start small with a blood draw into some functional tests. Then, if those are going well, I’ll move into a genetic test. 

And last, but certainly not least, this week’s action to become superhuman is…

Tune In

The more you know about yourself the better, and the more you’re able to be your best doctor. 

What’s Next?

We have put together a dashboard of all of Dr. Bart’s videos, based on health topics, in our Level-Up Health Membership.

This library of health content is low cost, so we can help you on your journey to becoming superhuman! 

Not only is it extensive, but it will continue to expand with new videos each month. Also, you will have the opportunity to share these videos with your friends and family!

Dr. Bart Precourt

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