I’m a big fan of alternative therapies! I’ve seen naturopaths, homeopaths, Chinese doctors, osteopaths, chiropractors, network chiropractors, kinesiologists, acupuncturists, an Ayurvedic practitioner, a dietician (first and last time!) and I’ve tried colonic hydrotherapy, reiki , reconnective healing and I meditate and practice yoga! Phew! I told ya I was a big fan!

Why might you ask? Because I’m always on a quest for optimal health! And I’ve been  fascinated in holistic health for a number of years now. Although I consider myself to be very healthy as I never get sick (I haven’t had a cold/flu for over 18 months now!), like most people out there, I’ve had my minor health concerns such as low energy and digestive issues that I’ve been trying to sort out for a while now.

Time To Try Something New!

A couple of years ago, my mum had two minor heart attacks that were caused by spasms brought on by stress and lack of sleep…not by blocked arteries. Even though she didn’t need surgery, it was still quite scary! Mum quit her highly stressful job and found out about a medical clinic here in Perth where all of the doctors specialise in nutritional medicine. She saw Dr Igor Tabrizian who over a period of 6 months, got mum off all the prescription drugs and replaced them with a combination of vitamins & minerals made by his compound pharmacist.

I was quite intrigued by the fact all the GP’s at this clinic specialise in nutritional medicine, so decided recently to see one of these doctors. Before I could make an appointment, I had to fill out a very comprehensive questionnaire that went into great detail about my health and medical history. I initially tried to see Dr Tabrizian but once he read my questionnaire he recommended a more suitable doctor, Dr Casotti.

After a lengthy consultation discussing all of my concerns, Dr Casotti requested a blood test to check things such as my thyroid, vitamin D levels, B12, cholesterol, RBC folate plus a few others. She also requested a hair mineral analysis…when I went to get this done, I couldn’t believe how much hair was snipped away!

D Day

A month went past and I had my follow up appointment with Dr Casotti…I was really curious to know what my results were!

She started with my blood test and said my vitamin D levels were one of the best she had seen in a while! But as this clinic is about achieving “optimal health”, Dr Casotti said my levels could still be raised a small amount, so has put me on a very low dose of just one tablet a week.

My thyroid is slightly sluggish. This is most likely due to my iodine levels being low…I had no idea how much of an important role iodine plays in thyroid regulation! A deficiency in iodine can lead to problems with your reproductive system, immune system, and many common forms of cancer plus thyroid diseases such as hypothyroidism. The symptoms of hypothyroidism include:

• weight gain
• fatigue
• depression
• foggy brain
• memory failure

I tick all of those boxes except the depression and I haven’t stacked on weight by any means, however for a long time I found it really hard to put on weight and now I have to work harder to maintain my weight. Boo.

I was very surprised to find out my bad ( LDL) cholesterol levels were a little bit raised! What the? Although Dr Casotti said this should sort itself out my regulating everything else (it’s all interconnected), she did say I had to omit all cheese and bacon until I have all my tests done again in 3 months! I don’t have much of either I said, but when she asked “not even a little cube of cheese each day?”…I had to be honest as most days I’ll have a small square of organic cheddar cheese! And bacon I probably have at least once a week with my eggs. My good (HDL) cholesterol levels were in the normal range.

Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis

For those who aren’t aware, a  hair tissue mineral analysis is a fantastic test for analysing mineral content and toxic metal accumulation in the body.

My test revealed that I had too much toxic mercury and aluminum in my body. It also revealed I had copper overload and not enough zinc. Dr Casotti explained how important zinc is for many reasons I already knew of such as it’s role in building and repairing cells of the skin, hair and nails; builds immune cells to protect us from disease; maintains strong healthy bones; assists in muscle growth etc.

I did not realise zinc also plays an integral role in making both stomach acid and some of the digestive enzymes made by the pancreas. Both of these are essential for good digestion.

Zinc can also assist in repairing the lining of the gut wall as it keeps the cells layers internal surfaces in good condition. This means if you had a serious ulcer in your gut, or if you have a leaky gut, zinc would be useful to help repair this. I’m very excited to see if this could be why I don’t digest my food properly!

There were a couple of other minerals I was low in which will all be going in the ‘polypill’ Dr Casotti has her compound pharmacist making.

My Supplements!

It’s a long list and definitely wasn’t cheap but this is what I am taking:

• Bio-C 1000mg
• Chelatox (chelation and detoxification supplement that helps with the removal of heavy metals)
• Dr T’s magnesium (for sleep)
• Eagle Digestaid
• Ferro-Gradumet (iron)
• Lugol’s Iodine
• Nature’s Own mega B
• Orthoplex Multiflora
• Polypill (contains 6 different minerals)
• Silica gel
• Swisse wild salmon fish oil
• Vit D3

Dr Casotti also discussed in length how toxic cosmetics are…this I already knew and have spoken about natural make-up and beauty products here. She recommended this book by Peter Dingle called Dangerous Beauty.

I was also told to eat more seafood (natural source of iodine), plant material, and to add psyllium, lecithin and whole organic flaxseeds that have been soaked in filtered water, to some yoghurt daily.

I’m really looking forward to seeing what difference this makes to my health and updating you all in a few months!

Are you a fan of alternative therapies too?  Who do you see for your health concerns?