always tired, always having colds - what to have checked? page

[Flexi]

Hi,

I am a recovering vegetarian - have been introducing meat back into my diet for about 6 months. I was diagnosed as being anaemic and couldn't stomach the iron supplements. My diet is semi-PB - I eat meat once weekly, fish once weekly, eggs everyday, cheese ocassionally and loads of veg using coconut oil or butter for frying and I use cream for cooking.

I have cut down on cakes/pastry a lot and haven't had any since mid October. I sometimes have some nice chocolate.

I have had plenty of colds this year. End October I had a nasty flu and it took me almost three weeks to recover. When I felt 90% back to normal I got another cold and that is only shifting very slowly. I am also a lot more lethargic and tired than normal.

I am German and live in London - speaking to Doctors is the only time when I feel that my English is lacking. I know a lot of Latin terms & terminology, but they don't seem to be using that and I am not familiar with all those abbreviations...what blood tests exactly should I ask my doctor for?

Also, any suggestions what I can add to my diet to deal with my slow/low immune system? I am currently not taking any supplements and am allergic to echinecea.

Tired greetings from London
/f

[Dragonfly]

Welcome! Go fully Primal--Drop ALL grains & legumes, as well as any added sugar. Small amounts of dark chocolate are fine!

Take vitamin D3 in an oil base to sufficiency. Have your Doctor order a (25(OH)D blood test.
Take a good multi-mineral.
Get enough sleep.

[Diana Renata]

Good job cutting out the cakes and pastries. Not eating grains and sugars will improve your immune system greatly. You should also get some good probiotics. Most of your immune system lives right there in your gut, so probiotics will give you better defense.

I hope you can work in a little more meat. Things like chicken broth with onions and garlic are great aids to your immune system. Garlic is a natural antibiotic.

[Hilary]

Re-speaking to doctors, might I suggest you actually ask them to use the Latin names? I think they habitually avoid them so as not to alienate patients, but could probably 'lapse' if you asked.

Other ideas... I wonder if you might feel more energetic in winter with some more starchy vegetables? I'm finding I want more at this time of year, and they're not making me any heavier.

Maybe replace the cheese with meat? Throw in some liver once a week - it's hugely nutritious.

Oh, and you say you stopped the cakes mid-Oct and got the 'nasty flu' at the end of the month - I wonder if that might have been 'carb flu'? And if you might still be adapting to the change?

[primal_jessjane]

Have you checked to see if you have hypothyroidism?

[Grizz]

+1 on the Vitamin D3. You need 5,000 to 10,000 IU daily to keep your immune system healthy.
Check your blood level to be certain of getting enough.

D Council: What diseases are associated with vitamin D deficiency?
============================================
* Osteoporosis * heart disease,
* hypertension, * autoimmune diseases,
* certain cancers, * depression,
* chronic fatigue, * chronic pain comprises
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/vdds.shtml
Additional Diseases/conditions associated with vitamin D Deficiency
* malformed, brittle bones, bone fractures and osteoporosis, stooped posture
* Rickets, Multiple Sclerosis, Type 2 diabetes, Arthritus
* Increased risk of cancers
* bone pain, muscle cramps, tingling, weakness, loss of height.
* Cardiovascular Disease
* high blood pressure (hypertension)
http://www.wrongdiagnosis.com/v/vita...ency/intro.htm

Grizz

[slacker]

What Grizz said. Also, be sure you are getting your minerals and C. Selenium is upstream in the chain that supports thyroid function. You can have low thyroid consequences even if your thyroid is normal if you are short selenium. However, getting every little bug that comes along and not being able to throw it off is classic for low vitamin D (and the chain of things supported by it -- magnesium, calcium, C). Things upstream of D are boron and K2. K2 only comes from animal sources. Be sure you are getting those. See cillakat's vitamin D page for lots of good information.

[Brian M]

I agree with the other posters that recommend having your Vit D3 levels checked, but D3 is not enough by itself. Vitamin D, A, and K are synergistic and co-limiting. Taking one without the others, especially isolating Vit A or D, probably won't relieve your symptoms and can actually be toxic in large doses. In your case, you might look at taking a high quality cod liver oil or eating liver along with your Vit D supplement, as cod liver oil and liver (beef, chicken, lamb) has high doses of Vit A and cod liver has a good ratio of A and D. I use a fermented cod liver oil, as this is the only cod liver oil that has not had the vitamins stripped and synthetic replacements added back.

[racingsnake]

This may be a bit radical at this stage but I would suggest red meat nearly every day and organ meats if you possibly can. These are powerhouses of all sorts of things that your system may be lacking, especially iron, zinc, B vitamins and it may be that once per week just isn't enough to make up the deficit.

[it1958]

Way to go on striving to rid your diet of excess and harmful carbs. I agree with Dragonfly. I would also suggest you spend some time reading at "Healing Naturally by Bee" http://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/index.php She advocates virtually the same Paleo diet, with further exclusions (no grains, sugar, starches, fruit). In her articles, she explains why, as we break our bodies from running on carbs and switch over to burning fat for fuel, how we can feel tired and even have a "cold". These symptoms, she believes, are toxins being finally released from our bodies. She also does not believe that any blood work is conclusive so does not suggest having any done (tho she did please her daughters this year by having blood work done). Altho I'm sure the symptoms are not pleasant, I think you can be pleased to know your body is healing itself and on the track to better health!

Karen