• Fatigue
• Insomnia (sleeplessness)
• Moodiness, irritability, anxiety, and depression
• Lowered libido or impotence
• Pain
• Headaches
• Frequent infections
• Indigestion, heartburn, bloating,
diarrhea, or constipation
• Weight gain or weight loss
Doctors often dismiss these symptoms as minor problems that may be psychosomatic or related to depression. In most cases, the physical exam and lab work are normal. However, this is where we believe that viewing symptoms in a different light can help reverse the course of illness, and even turn toward well-being. Learning to understand a problem as a disturbance of function can dramatically alter the way you look at it. Treating a sleep disorder, for instance, can significantly improve a person’s life. Learn- ing to understand that even what doctors label as psychosomatic disorders are really function- al disorders can offer new and exciting ways to treat them.
Getting sick is a process. Patients don’t just suddenly develop chronic dis- eases, such as type 2 diabetes. At first,
they develop what we call functional imbalances. These are small changes that begin to occur long before the patient has all the signs and symptoms that define a particular disease. Increased inflammation, oxidative damage, and altered immune function can start long before blood sugar problems rise to the level of type 2 diabetes, for example. We feel it is important to recognize these imbalances when we first see them, take them seriously, and correct them.
The earlier a condition is diagnosed, the greater the likelihood that it can be reversed, returning you to health.