Fatigue, brain fog, body aches, hair loss, dry skin, and weight gain… sounds like menopause or hypothyroidism and depending on who you follow, parasites and gut microbiome issues get thrown into the mix too.
Truth is, it could be all of them.
Don’t tell the insurance companies, but a diagnosis doesn’t matter. Symptoms do.
They are clues worth paying attention to instead of going down rabbit holes chasing the next “it” label.
One thing I’ve had to remind myself over and over again: the thyroid, adrenal glands, gut, and hormones do not operate in isolation.
Back when hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s were the hot diagnosis before perimenopause and parasites hit the mainstream, there was something called “adrenal fatigue.”
It had a good run in the early 2000s and everyone had it. Now we’re cycling through perimenopause, menopause, and parasites. What’s next? Probably Lyme will make a comeback.
The problem is, it’s easy to forget that symptoms are signals your body telling you something is off.
Believe me, I’ve made the mistake of missing the bigger picture more times than I care to admit.
I’ve gone hard after the thyroid when labs and lifestyle changes kept pointing there, only to have the herb or supplement I recommended make things worse.
Every time I double down on one gland or organ in isolation, it comes back to haunt me.
Mess with one thing and there are ripple effects throughout the entire system.
So how do you know where to focus?
In my experience, the best results come from going back to basics and pulling back from a tunnel-vision approach.
You reset the system with a cleanse, then take note of which symptoms disappear when you remove the noise, processed food, inflammatory inputs, all of it.
The two protocols I consistently recommend as a first step are the Standard Process 21-day cleanse and my 42-day metabolic reset plan.
Both center around fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and legumes, the metabolic reset at specific amounts, the cleanse in specific sequences over 21 days.
Neither is rocket science, but when you slow down and actually pay attention to how you feel, the insights are incredible.
Clients regularly finish these protocols blown away by how good they feel and how much weight they dropped.
What these protocols do is remove the layer of interference from the food system so you can see a clearer picture of what’s actually out of balance in your body.
After the cleanse, we look at what symptoms linger because whatever cleared up has a direct connection to diet and nutrition.
It’s not uncommon for fatigue and brain fog to improve significantly, at least until the body gets overloaded again. That’s why I recommend a cleanse at least twice a year.
From there, we address what’s left: hair, dry skin, insomnia, stubborn weight, metabolic issues, and parasites.
Labs help us assess the thyroid, hormones, cortisol, omega-3 index, insulin, and blood sugar.
For parasites, there are stool tests that should be run three times in a row around the full moon, provoked by dairy intake or you can see a practitioner who does darkfield microscopy to analyze the blood directly.
If both hormones and thyroid are underperforming and the omega-3 index is low, I start with omega-3 support (fish or flax oil), hormone support, and adrenal support if life stress is significant.
If blood sugar is the issue insulin over 6, hemoglobin A1c over 5.4, fasting glucose over 90, or triglycerides over 75.
I recommend berberine, or micro-dosing Tirzepatide if there’s a lot of food noise and a big appetite, or Retatrutide if constipation or low appetite is the pattern.
Hormone support paired with GLP peptides (Tirzepatide or Retatrutide specifically) is one of my favorite combinations for body composition and restoring balance.
And while there are absolutely cases where thyroid support is necessary, my point is: don’t jump straight to it. See the thyroid as part of a system.
If you’re on thyroid support or medication and/or bio-HRT and still not feeling 100%, it’s time to go back to basics.
And if you’ve been trying things, you still don’t feel great and you’re getting frustrated, clean the slate and go back to basics.
Reset the system. Open up the lymph, liver, and gut to help clear what’s clogging your operating system.
Think of it like a computer running slow because you have 30 tabs open and your storage is maxed out, a little cleanup goes a long way.
Want to see the cleanse – click HERE to see it in Fullscript with what’s included and click HEREto go to the Standard Process Website to see it. The Metabolic Reset is pretty much the same as the cleanse without supplements, no grains and only lean meat, veggies and fruit with no added fat x 42 days.
Here’s to going back to basics,
Dr. J
