Bonus Report:

Fatigue Factors #9 to #14

Reclaim Your Energy and Feel Normal Again!

Fixing the Root Cause of Your Fatigue

with Natural Treatments

By Dr. Carri Drzyzga, DC, ND

The Functional Medicine Doc

Copyright © 2014 by Dr. Carri Drzyzga, DC, ND All rights reserved. No part of this publication shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is expressly prohibited.

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Are You Sick and Tired Of... Being Sick and Tired?

According to the 2010 Canadian Community Health Survey, the number of Canadians

reporting a diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome has increased by 23% over a

span of only 5 years.

66% were women aged 45 to 64 years old.

How about you?

Are you one of the thousands of women suffering with fatigue, and all your tests are

normal…except your fatigue is getting worse?

Have you been told things like:

“It’s all in your head”…or

“You just need a vacation”…or

“You’re depressed”……or

Other such nonsense?

Do you feel like your doctor isn’t taking your fatigue seriously? Or… Do you feel like your doctor just doesn’t even know what to do with you anymore? Are you tired of being offered “band aid solutions”…like antidepressants…or sleeping pills? How valuable would it be to know what’s really causing your fatigue…And how to fix it naturally?

Fatigue is one of the most common complaints in doctors’ offices.

Except it’s also one of the most poorly managed and misunderstood illnesses...until now! With fatigue, the standard medical approach consists of testing for 1.) anemia and 2.)

low thyroid.

That's it.

If you don’t have either one of these (and you’re otherwise healthy), your family doctor

really cannot help you beyond offering you an antidepressant.

(You probably already know this from personal experience, too, or else you would have

already stopped reading!)

The problem is your doctor isn’t running the tests you need, and that’s

why they cannot find the underlying cause of your fatigue!

There’s ALWAYS a reason for fatigue.

If you want to find the root underlying cause of your fatigue…and use treatments that

are natural, safe and proven effective…and finally have a long lasting solution to your

fatigue…and feel normal again…and get your health back…and be able to enjoy your life

to the fullest…

...the solution is finally right in front of you.

In my book Reclaim Your Energy and Feel Normal Again! Fixing the Root Cause of Your Fatigue with Natural Treatments I detailed 8 of the 14 root causes of fatigue.

Find The Cause. Fix The Cause. Feel Normal Again. With the proven, biological science gleaned from Functional Medicine—an emerging, leading-edge field of natural healthcare—you can end doctor visits that merely treat your symptoms, and find the underlying, root cause of your fatigue, so you can fix the cause and finally feel normal again!

The Functional Medicine approach is not “band aid, pop-a-pill” medicine. You've been there. You've done that. That's why you're here now. It's time to think differently, and discover a sensible, lasting solution to fatigue. Yes, you can truly reclaim your physical and mental energy, feel normal again, get your health back, and enjoy your life to the fullest!

The 14 Leading Causes (“Fatigue Factors”) of Fatigue

I have discovered 14 root underlying causes for fatigue.

Here they are for you. I call this is my Expanded Fatigue List:

1. Anemia

2. Thyroid Problems

3. Cortisol Imbalance

4. Blood Sugar Imbalance

5. Nutrient Deficiencies

6. Chronic Infections

7. Hidden Food Allergies & Sensitivities

8. Brain Imbalance

9. Dysfunctional Mitochondria

10. Toxins and Heavy Metals

11. Gluten Intolerance

12. Melatonin Imbalance

13. Estrogen Deficiency

14. Dysfunctional Breathing

Besides “fatigue factors” #1 and #2, the rest of this list is in no particular order of

importance. A good history can help point the right direction to go next.

Also, it’s rare that just one factor on this list is causing the fatigue. Most of the time,

there are multiple issues that need to be addressed on the list—usually three or four (or

more) need to be addressed. Again, there’s no cookie-cutter protocol to treat fatigue.

So it’s wise to work with a Functional Medicine doctor, especially one who specializes in

fatigue, to guide you in the right direction for your case. Otherwise, you’ll most likely

waste a lot of time and money.

Now, let’s explore Fatigue Factors #9 to #14.

Note: You can get detailed information on Fatigue Factors #1 to #8 in

my book Reclaim Your Energy and Feel Normal Again! Fixing the

Root Cause of Your Fatigue with Natural Treatments.

Go to www.ReclaimYourEnergyBook.com and claim your copy today!

Fatigue Factor #9: Dysfunctional Mitochondria

Did you ever stop and think about how energy is actually made in your body?

And, if there is a flaw within that system…

The result would be a lack of energy, or chronic fatigue.

Energy gets made by a step-by-step process whereby the foods we eat (carbs, proteins,

fats) go through a series of chemical reactions ultimately becoming converted into

packets of energy called ATP.

This all takes place in the mitochondria (pronounced ‘my-toe-con-dree-uh’).

That word – mitochondria - may or may not sound familiar to you.

Let me give you a quick biology lessen

(I promise not to bore you!).

Your body is made of millions of cells. Just like your body has organs, so do your cells.

There are tiny organs inside each and every cell in your body. One of these tiny organs is

the mitochondria.

The one and only job of the mitochondria is to make energy…

Pure energy…

To power everything in your body.

Think of the mitochondria as little power plants.

This energy is what fuels your body to do everything that it does – walking… talking…

thinking… breathing… digesting - including the healing and repair mechanisms of your

body.

Now, the chemistry behind how the mitochondria actually makes this energy is way too

boring to tell you about…

(but, if you’re a super nerd like I am you can open any biology book or do an internet

search for citric acid cycle (aka: Krebs’s cycle) and electron transport chain)

…but I WILL tell you that it requires specific nutrients.

The nutrients required for proper energy production are:

magnesium,

phosphorus,

thiamin (B1),

riboflavin (B2),

niacin (B3),

pantothenic acid (B5),

lipoic acid,

manganese,

biotin,

iron,

sulfur,

coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10),

copper, and

vitamin C

A deficiency in one or more of these key nutrients will put a wrench into

the whole system of energy production.

This is medically termed Dysfunctional Mitochondria, or Mitochondrial Insufficiency.

Here is an interesting thing about your mitochondria…

You inherit your mitochondria directly and ONLY from your mother.

(Zero come from your father.)

Mitochondria are always passed from mother to her children.

So, you may have dysfunctional mitochondria if your health problem tends to run on

your mother’s side of the family.

Example #1 – I have a patient that suffered with chronic headaches.

(Yes, headaches, especially migraines, can be caused by dysfunctional mitochondria)

She had headaches.

Her brothers and sisters all had headaches.

Her mother had headaches.

Even her grandmother (her mother’s mother – not her father’s mother) had headaches.

That’s a pretty strong argument for dysfunctional mitochondria causing her headaches.

Example #2 – I have a male patient in his 30’s with many, many weird symptoms

(including chronic fatigue) that nobody has been able to figure out.

He has seen multiple specialists…has been testing up the wazoo…and all his tests are

normal…so his doctors think it’s ‘all in his head’.

I’ll admit, his is a really tough case to figure out.

But, when I interviewed him, he mentioned that his mother suffers from

fibromyalgia.

(A big underlying cause of fibromyalgia is dysfunctional mitochondria.)

And, he feels extremely tired even after a small amount of exercise.

(Another BIG clue for dysfunctional mitochondria)

Since he inherited his mitochondria from his mom it’s possible that all his weird

symptoms and his chronic fatigue may be due to dysfunctional mitochondria.

I’ve recently started him on mitochondrial supportive nutrients on a trial basis.

I’m excited to see how he reacts to them.

Symptoms of Dysfunctional Mitochondria

You may have dysfunctional mitochondria especially if you notice:

You don’t have a strong constitution and tend to be sickly;

You take a long time to heal, even minor cuts/bruises;

You have an excessive amount of fatigue or pain after normal amounts, or even

very little amounts, of exercise;

You still feel tired after a long night’s sleep;

You feel pain after chiropractic/massage/physio treatment;

You generally just have not responded to other treatments for your fatigue.

Like I said earlier, you should also suspect dysfunctional mitochondria

especially if your mother’s health was poor.

Testing Your Mitochondria

The best way to test for dysfunctional mitochondria is a muscle biopsy, but this just isn’t

practical in everyday medical practice, plus it hurts – really bad!

So the next best way to test is with an Organic Acids Test.

This is a simple urine test that measures a variety of metabolites, or by-products, in the

urine – including the by-products of your energy production pathways.

Too much of one metabolite, or too little of another, can signal mitochondrial

dysfunction.

There are many labs that offer an organic acids urine test.

Another test that can be helpful is the Comprehensive Nutritional Panel by

Spectracell Labs.

With this simple blood test your lymphocytes (a specific type of your white blood cells)

are evaluated and literally cracked open to measure the nutrient levels inside them.

In this sense you can see how well the nutrients are getting to the deepest parts of your

body and absorbed into the cells.

This panel assesses 34 vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants.

If a deficiency or insufficiency is found in any of the core mitochondrial nutrients (as

listed above) you can bet that you also have mitochondrial dysfunction causing your

fatigue.

Treating Your Mitochondria Key nutrients that can help nourish your mitochondria include all of the nutrients listed

above plus:

acetyl-l-carnitine,

ribose, and

DHA.

Also, intermittent fasting and exercise can be helpful.

Fatigue Factor #10: Toxins and Heavy Metals

We live in a toxic, polluted world.

Studies now confirm that diet and environmental chemicals cause 95% of cancers.

Furthermore, we are the first generation exposed to such an unprecedented amount

of chemicals on a DAILY basis - chemicals that have never been tested for their long

term effects, let alone their long term effects when combined together.

Every human is now polluted with chemicals and toxins – including YOU.

Even newborn babies have, on average, over 200 chemicals - and that is even before

they take their first breath.

These toxins need to be removed to improve energy, vitality and longevity.

Where do we get toxins from?

From the foods we eat and drink (additives, preservatives, flavorings, artificial

sweeteners, and plasticizers leached from plastic containers)

From the water we drink, cook with, and bathe with (low level pollutants

including medication residues)

From what we put on our body (shampoos, conditioners, deodorant, perfumes,

fragrances, and make-up all are laden with chemicals)

From the air we breathe (indoor air quality is on average four times more

polluted than outdoor air quality)

Often, the biggest source of toxins is generated internally from a lack of

probiotics, or good friendly bacteria.

Normally you should have lots of probiotics living in your colon.

But, if you’ve ever taken antibiotics, your probiotics get killed off.

This creates an imbalance wherein too many bad bacteria and yeast take over.

It becomes an even bigger problem if these bad bacteria and yeast start moving from

your colon to your small intestine (normally there should be little to no bacteria or yeast

in your small intestine).

All these bad bacteria and yeast give off waste products and this is what

adds to your toxic load from the inside.

(By the way, one round of antibiotics causes chaos within your body for about four

years. That’s ONE round. How many rounds of antibiotics have you been on?)

Probiotics are our #1 best source of detoxification.

They’re more effective and efficient than our liver.

You liver is the #2 best source for detoxification.

Liver detoxification occurs in two steps – Phase One and Phase Two.

I don’t want to bore you with the details of what happens during Phase One and Phase

Two (although you could easily do an internet search if you wish to learn more).

But…

Phase One and Phase two are heavily dependent on key nutrients for the whole

detoxification process to work properly…and smoothly.

The key Phase One and Phase Two liver detox nutrients are:

Riboflavin (B2),

Niacin (B3),

Pyridoxine (B6),

Folic acid,

B12,

Vitamin A,

Vitamin C,

Vitamin E,

Selenium,

Copper,

Zinc,

Manganese,

Coenzyme Q10,

Bioflavonoids,

Glycine,

Taurine,

Glutamine,

N-acetyl-cysteine,

Cysteine,

Methionine, and

Glutathione.

A deficiency, or insufficiency, in just ONE of these key nutrients will slow

your liver’s detoxification ability...

And toxins stay longer inside your body, doing damage and creating

chaos.

Symptoms of Impaired Detoxification

Sensitivity to perfumes/chemicals

Sensitivity to caffeine and alcohol – a little bit really affects you

Generally sensitive or reacts to even small amounts of medications and herbs

Foggy brain

Recurrent patterns of swelling and edema

Numbness/tingling on one side of the body

Testing Your Detox Systems

There are MANY different tests that can be done to determine your specific level of

toxins, including blood, stool, urine and hair tests. It is beyond the scope of this

publication to list them all in detail.

Please know that working with a great Functional Medicine doctor will help determine

which tests are the appropriate ones for you.

Treatment

Detoxification needs to be done properly for each individual – doing the right method

of detox in the right amount and at the right time.

There is nothing worse than when a person has all the best intentions and does a detox

cleanse off the shelf of the health food store, but in actuality just stirs up the toxins

and makes them worse in the long run.

I recommend you seek professional help with this step to determine what is best for you.

Make better food choices

Buying organic can help you decrease your exposure to toxins.

But, what foods should you buy organic?

Use these two handy guides from the Environmental Working Group, www.EWG.org to

help you make better food choices.

The Dirty Dozen Plus—Foods you should always buy certified organic because

the non-organics have the highest levels of pesticides:

1. apples

2. celery

3. cherry tomatoes

4. cucumbers

5. grapes

6. hot peppers

7. nectarines (imported)

8. peaches

9. potatoes

10. spinach

11. strawberries

12. bell peppers

13. kale/collard greens

14. zucchini/summer squash

The Clean Fifteen—Foods you don’t need to buy certified organic because they have

the lowest levels of pesticides:

1. asparagus

2. avocados

3. cabbage

4. cantaloupe

5. sweet corn

6. eggplant

7. grapefruit

8. kiwi

9. mangos

10. mushrooms

11. onions

12. papayas

13. pineapple

14. sweet peas (frozen)

15. sweet potatoes

Fatigue Factor #11: Gluten Intolerance

You’re probably going to hate hearing this but…

(don’t shoot the messenger)

Research proves gluten serves no nutritional purpose.

None whatsoever.

It is purely an irritant to your body.

Humans cannot digest gluten.

We do not make any enzymes to break it down.

Every human is gluten intolerant to one degree or another.

Few people can handle the long term irritation caused from eating gluten on a daily

basis.

Signs and Symptoms of Gluten Intolerance

This is just a short list of signs and symptoms associated with gluten intolerance (from

www.GlutenFreeNetwork.com ):

Stomach pain or bloating Gas and/or cramps Nausea Vomiting Constipation Diarrhea Acid Reflux (GERD) Heartburn Irritable Bowel Syndrome Anemia Weight Loss or Weight Gain Canker sores Aching joints Depression Fatigue Itchy skin Rash or hives Headaches Irritability and behavioral changes Fat in the stools (due to poor digestion)

Testing for Gluten Intolerance

There is no test yet for gluten intolerance.

Basically if all your gluten tests come back normal…

But you feel better when you don’t eat gluten…

…and worse when you do eat gluten…

Then you have gluten intolerance.

(Note that I am not talking about Celiac disease here. There are specific tests to diagnose

Celiac disease.)

(Addendum – Cyrex labs does now offer comprehensive gluten testing. But, these tests

are only available to those in the US and UK.)

Treatment for Gluten Intolerance

Avoid gluten.

Start with the major forms of gluten (breads, pasts, cookies, crackers, etc) and work

down to the minor forms (soy sauce, malt vinegar, beer, etc).

Here is what worked for me…

Work on one meal at a time, and only one meal at a time. Period.

Start with breakfast. Work on that, and only that.

Do an Internet search on “gluten free breakfast.” There are plenty of ideas and recipes

online. Search online for “gluten free smoothies” or “fast gluten free breakfast recipes”

to get ideas for those days when you need to make breakfast at lightning speed.

It may take a few weeks to really feel like you’ve mastered that one meal. That’s okay!

Once you get to the point where you’ve mastered gluten free breakfast, then move on to

lunch and transition lunch over to gluten free.

And, once you master lunch, then do gluten free snacks, and lastly gluten free dinner. It

will take a few months to really master the entire routine of a gluten free diet, and that’s

fine!

(Remember, the tortoise won the race!)

Next will be to search for gluten in your medications and supplements (it is a common

filler and binder) and in your toiletries (especially natural products use gluten as a

common ingredient).

Fatigue Factor #12: Melatonin Imbalance

Too little melatonin at night can cause fatigue.

Too much melatonin during the day can also cause fatigue.

What is melatonin?

Melatonin is a hormone made by your pineal gland – a tiny, pea sized gland deep in

your brain.

Melatonin gets triggered to be secreted when it’s dark. Melatonin stops being secreted

with light.

Melatonin is one of the main drivers of our sleep-wake cycle.

If you don’t sleep well at night…

If you’re a light sleeper and you tend to wake up with the smallest noise…

Or you toss and turn all night…

You might not be making enough melatonin to keep you in deep sleep.

Of course, this leads to low level sleep deprivation over time.

And fatigue.

Low Melatonin Due To Bright Light

You may not produce adequate melatonin simply because you’re exposed to bright light

for far too long into the evening.

Bright light from television screens.

Bright light from computer screens, tablets, and iPhones.

(These are worse than televisions because they’re actually brighter than television

screens.)

The remedy for this is to stop all computer, tablet, iPhone, and television use two hours

before bedtime.

Use dimmers on your lights, and two hours before bed, dim the lights.

Read a relaxing book, something that doesn’t require a lot of thinking, like light fiction.

You might like to knit or crochet. You can even journal.

Anything you can think of that does not require bright light or brain power, that’s

what you should be doing at bedtime.

Melatonin – too much during the day, not enough at night.

Some people make too much melatonin during the day and this leads to fatigue and

grogginess.

Think about how you typically feel during the winter months - when the days are short

and sky is cloudy more days than not.

Yes, that feeling is from too much melatonin in your system during the day.

A great remedy from this is a sun lamp, or light box.

In fact, this is why light boxes work so well – especially during the winter months.

Testing Your Melatonin

Melatonin can be tested with a simple saliva test.

Treating Melatonin Imbalances

Melatonin is made from serotonin.

When women do not produce adequate melatonin, it makes me wonder, “Why? Are they

not making enough serotonin, either?”

The biggest source of serotonin production is the digestive tract.

The digestive tract is responsible for upwards of 90 percent of the serotonin production

for your body.

Oftentimes, poor sleep is a sign of low melatonin, which is because of low serotonin

production, which is actually due to an underlying digestive problem - like a chronic

infection, food allergies, or leaky gut syndrome.

Many doctors will recommend melatonin for sleeping.

But be aware that taking melatonin is only a Band-Aid solution.

You always want to find and fix the underlying cause.

A Functional Medicine doctor can help you find and fix the underlying cause.

Find the cause. Fix the cause. Feel normal again!

Sleep “Hygiene”

Sleep “hygiene” is a term we use to describe the necessary factors for promoting good

sleep.

You’ve heard of oral hygiene—the necessary factors to promote good oral health, like

brushing and flossing regularly. Well, there’s sleep hygiene too.

One of the easiest tools I have found to improve quality of sleep across the board (and I

do this myself) is a simple eye mask.

This will often give you deeper, more restful sleep because it blocks out ALL light.

(Even small amounts of light from alarm clocks can blunt melatonin

production and affect your sleep.)

If the eye mask works for you, then it’s time to block out all sources of light in your

bedroom.

Your bedroom should really be like a cave.

You shouldn’t even be able to see your hand in front of your face…

That’s how dark your bedroom should be.

If you can still see your hand, your room isn’t dark enough.

I personally got my wake-up call on this ( ) when I went on a cruise. My room was an

inside cabin, so there were no windows.

To me the inside cabin was claustrophobic—until that first night I went to sleep.

I remember there was light spilling into the room underneath the cabin door, so I

stuffed a towel under the door to block the light.

Once I did this, the room went completely black, like a cave. I had to be careful not to

break a toe on the furniture.

And you know what? My husband and I both slept like babies! Every night we had

deep, refreshing sleep.

From that day forward, I knew how important it was to sleep in cave-like darkness.

So block out all sources of light from your bedroom. Light creeps in around window

shades and blinds.

Stop this with light blocking shades.

You also get light from alarm clocks, phones…pretty much anything electrical these days

will cast some sort of light.

I recommend taking all unnecessary light-emitting electronics out of the room

completely, or cover up the lights completely before you go to bed every night. It will be

worth it.

And if you have too much melatonin…

Again, if you suffer with too much melatonin during the day a simple light box or sun

lamp will help.

Use it first thing in the morning to stop your brain from making more melatonin.

Light boxes need to be close to your face and eyes and used for 20-30 minutes.

Follow the manufacturer’s directions on your particular light box.

Fatigue Factor #13: Estrogen Deficiency

Estrogen deficiency is all too common in women.

What are the symptoms of estrogen deficiency?

Check out this list of signs and symptoms from the book Natural Hormone Balance for

Women – Look Younger, Feel Stronger, and Live Life with Exuberance by Uzzi Reiss,

MD/OB-GYN:

Mental fogginess. “I’ve lost my mind.”

Forgetfulness. “I can’t remember the birthdays of my grandchildren anymore.”

Depression. “It’s like I’m living in a dark tunnel.”

Minor anxiety. “I can’t seem to control my worries.”

Mood change. “Sometimes I wonder how I’m going to feel tomorrow.”

Difficulty falling asleep. “My mind is racing and I can’t stop it.”

Hot flashes. “This wave of heat spreads through my body.”

Night sweats. “I wake up soaking wet.”

Temperature swings. “I feel like a broken air conditioner.”

Day-long fatigue. “I can’t keep my head up.”

Reduced stamina. “I can’t push it like I used to.”

Decreased sense of sexuality and sensuality. “I have lost all pride in my body.”

Lessened self-image and attention to appearance. “I could care less how I look.”

Dry eyes, skin, and vagina. “My body is like a dry summer.”

Loss of skin radiance. “I’ve lost my skin glow.”

Sense of normalcy only during second week of cycle: “I am myself only one week out of the month.”

Sagging breasts and loss of fullness. “These aren’t the breasts I used to have.”

Pain with sexual activity. “I’m not lubricating as well.”

Weight gain, with increasing lack of concern about it. “I’m like a balloon that can’t pop.”

Increased back and joint pain. “My body is stiff and hurts.”

Episodes of rapid heartbeat, with or without anxiety. “Out of nowhere my chest feels strained and I get palpitations.”

Headaches and migraines. “I seem to be controlled by pain that I never knew before.”

Gastrointestinal discomfort. “I feel bloated.”

Testing For Estrogen Deficiency

The best way to test estrogen is with a saliva test, NOT a blood test.

Saliva tests measure the amount of ACTIVE estrogen available to

stimulate your body.

Blood tests cannot do this, and this is why you can have all the symptoms of obvious

hormone imbalance, but still be told you have “normal” hormone levels in your blood.

Here is a perfect example…

A 34 year old female patient of mine had obvious signs of hormonal imbalance. The long

and short of it is she only got her period every 2-3 months and had been trying to get

pregnant for two years to no success.

She went to a fertility specialist, and was told that all her hormones were “normal” (she

had all the typical blood testing done) and all her body parts (uterus, ovaries, tubes)

were normal, too.

That makes no sense, right? I know.

Then she came to see me.

I had her do a month-long saliva panel. She had to spit in a vial every other day for a full

month to map out her estrogen and progesterone cycles.

These are her estrogen results:

Now, normally, a 34 year old female should have total estrogen levels of about 30-40.

This patient is at 21.8.

It turns out her estrogen levels are not “normal” but more like a 60-70

year old.

This is why I love saliva testing, and totally love helping women with their hormones!

Hormones: Saliva Testing vs. Blood Testing

Saliva testing offers many advantages over traditional, blood-based hormone testing.

Saliva samples are noninvasive.

There are no needles and no pain involved. Just spit in a vial.

Saliva samples do not need to be collected in a lab.

Samples can be collected right at home…or at the office…or in the car (not

recommended while driving, though).

Saliva testing allows for multiple samples to be done.

But the biggest advantage of saliva testing is…

It measures the active hormones.

Blood testing, on the other hand, measures both the free/active form and the protein-

bound or inactive form.

For all of you out there who have been told that your hormone levels are “normal”

despite being plagued by hormonal symptoms, this is what is going on:

the blood test does not differentiate between free/active form and bound/inactive form.

Blood testing measures the total amount of both the free/active and bound/inactive.

Now let me explain what this all means…

Let’s take a random number, say 100, and consider this as the “normal” level.

Well, if you have 20 free/active plus 80 bound/inactive you have 100, right? So you are

told you are “normal”.

And if you have 50 free/active and 50 bound/inactive you are also told you are

“normal”.

And, if you have 80 free/active and 20 bound/inactive you are again told you are

“normal”.

Does this seem “normal” to you?

I will tell you that 20 free/active feels radically different than 50 free/active or even 80

free/active.

Now you understand why you can be told that your blood levels are “normal” despite

have symptoms of obvious hormonal imbalance.

Saliva testing, on the other hand, measures only the free/active form of the hormone so

you have a direct measure of exactly what is happening hormonally in your body.

Treating Estrogen Deficiency

Just prescribing estrogen replacement, even bioidentical hormone therapy, is often only

a band aid approach.

When estrogen levels are low there is always an underlying reason why.

Estrogen NEVER just goes out of balance all by itself.

There is ALWAYS something else out of balance in the body triggering the estrogen to

either be used up or not made.

I commonly find problems in the adrenals, digestive system, and detox pathways as the

main underlying causes of estrogen deficiency.

This is true even for women going through perimenopause/menopause.

Fatigue Factor #14: Dysfunctional Breathing

(I haven’t had a patient that needed this specific step yet, but of course that person is out

there so I kept this in so they will benefit from it. Who knows - it could be you!)

Breathing directly regulates your body chemistry, including:

pH

electrolyte balance

blood flow

hemoglobin chemistry, and

kidney function.

If you aren’t breathing properly your entire body will be affected.

Dysfunctional breathing is medically known as ‘behavioral hypocapnia’.

It is basically an overbreathing behavior – your breathing rate and depth are

mismatched for you.

This causes too much carbon dioxide to be lost.

Hypocapnia is often misdiagnosed as another condition.

Hypocapnia can cause or contribute to:

(FROM: RESPIRATORY FITNESS: Behavioral Acid-Base Regulation. The physiology of

respiration and the psychology of breathing; by Peter M. Litchfield, Ph.D.)

Neurological : epilepsy

Cognitive: learning disabilities, ADD, ADHD

Emotional: anger, phobias, panic attack, anxiety, depression

Psychological: trauma, PTSD, drug dependence

Vascular: hypertension, migraine, ischemia, hypoglycemia

Cardiovascular: angina, heart attack, arrhythmias, ECG abnormalities

Unexplained conditions: fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue

Efficacy of drugs: shifts in pH and electrolyte balance alter absorption

Fitness issues: endurance, muscle strength, fatigue, altitude sickness

Gastric: irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), non-ulcer dyspepsia

Respiratory: asthma, emphysema, COPD

Chronic pain: injury, disease, systemic inflammation

Pregnancy: fetal health, premature birth, symptoms during pregnancy

Neuromuscular: repetitive strain injury (RSI), headache

Sleep disturbances: apnea

Hypocapnia symptoms may include:

1. RESPIRATORY - shortness of breath, breathlessness, bronchial constriction and

spasm, airway resistance, reduced lung compliance, asthma symptoms, and chest

tightness, pressure, and pain

2. PERIPHERAL - trembling, twitching, shivering, sweatiness, coldness, tingling, and

numbness

3. CARDIOVASCULAR - palpitations, increased rate, angina symptoms,

arrhythmias, nonspecific pain, ECG abnormalities

4. EMOTIONAL - anxiety, anger, panic, apprehension, worry, crying, low mood,

frustration, performance anxiety, phobia

5. STRESSFUL - tenseness, acute fatigue, chronic fatigue, effort syndrome,

weakness, headache, burnout

6. SENSORY - blurred vision, dry mouth, sound seems distant, reduced pain threshold

7. CONSCIOUSNESS - dizziness, loss of balance, fainting, black-out, confusion,

disorientation, disconnectedness, hallucinations, traumatic memories, low self-esteem,

personality shifts

8. COGNITIVE - attention deficit, inability to think, poor memory, learning deficits

9. SKELETAL MUSCULAR - tetany, hyperreflexia, spasm, weakness, fatigue, pain

10. ABDOMINAL - nausea, cramping, and bloatedness

11. MOVEMENT - coordination, reaction time, balance

12. VASCULAR - hypertension, migraine, digital artery spasm, ischemia, red blood cell

rigidity, thrombosis

13. PERFORMANCE - Sleep apnea, anxiety, rehearsal, focus, endurance, altitude

sickness, muscle function.

Testing for Dysfunctional Breathing

This can ONLY be diagnosed with capnograph test.

You cannot rely on your symptoms…

Or whether or not you’re a belly breather or chest breather…

Or whether your respiratory rate is high or low or normal.

The only way to diagnose hypocapnia is with capnograph testing.

Basically, you breathe into a device (the capnograph) while doing a series of breathing

exercises as well as testing your resting breathing.

If your symptoms are reproduced at any point and your carbon dioxide levels (PCO2) go

below 35mmHg this is diagnostic for behavioral hypocapnia.

Treatment for Dysfunctional Breathing

Treatment involves retraining your breathing patterns.

This is always done with a health practitioner trained in these methods.

They will help you identifying what triggers your dysfunctional breathing.

And through behavioral modification techniques teach you to retrain your breathing

patterns until they become normal and second nature again.

You Can Feel Normal Again…Starting Now!

Congratulations! You’ve made it to the end of this free report!

I’d like you to think of it as a new beginning - the start of a new chapter in your life,

where you will start your new journey to Reclaim Your Energy and Feel Normal Again!

Here’s what to do next…

To learn more about Functional Medicine and how it can help fatigue sufferers check

out these great resources:

www.DrCarri.com is packed with interviews, blog posts, and my wildly popular podcast

The Functional Medicine Radio Show.

www.DrCarri.TV is my popular ‘TV Show’ loaded with even more health tips and

information about fatigue and Functional Medicine.

www.Facebook.com/DrCarri is where you can connect with me directly and ask

questions.

www.FunctionalMedicineOntario.com is my private practice where I treat patients.

www.ReclaimYourEnergyBook.com is where you can learn more about my hit book

Reclaim Your Energy and Feel Normal Again! Fixing the Root Cause of Your Fatigue

with Natural Treatments.

One Last Thing…

Frankly, the quickest way for you to feel normal again is with a good Functional

Medicine doctor. Look, don’t waste any more time or energy trying to figure out your

fatigue all by yourself. It’s just too complicated and confusing.

So find a good Functional Medicine doctor, one who specializes in fatigue.

In fact, I know a brilliant Functional Medicine doctor who would be delighted to help

you—me! (Come on, I had to get a shameless plug in at some point! )

Thank you for reading this report. I hope you found value in it and it has given you hope.

Dr. Carri Drzyzga, DC, ND

About the Author

Dr. Carri Drzyzga is known internationally as The Functional

Medicine Doc. She is committed to helping patients find the

root cause of their health problems and fix the cause with

natural treatments so they can feel normal again.

Her last name is pronounced “Driz-ga” (it’s Polish), but

everyone simply calls her Dr. Carri!

She has been in private practice since 1996, and is founder of Functional Medicine

Ontario in Ottawa, Ontario.

Dr. Carri holds two doctoral degrees—Chiropractic and Naturopathic Medicine.

Additionally, she has training in Functional Medicine, Acupuncture, The Kalish Method,

and is a Certified Gluten Practitioner. Always an avid learner, Dr. Carri has obtained a

level of expertise in her profession that no other doctor in Canada has achieved to date.

Dr. Carri speaks and gives interviews on such topics as natural treatments for fatigue,

chronic pain, hypothyroidism, and immune and digestive health. She has enjoyed being

a featured speaker at The Eastern Ontario Chiropractic Society.

Dr. Carri has been married for eighteen years to her husband Benoȋt, who is also a

chiropractor. They have two rescued Basset hounds, Bailey and Sammi, who couldn’t be

chiropractors because of their lack of opposable thumbs and propensity for slobbering

on patients. Carri and Ben like to travel, hike, and just spend time together.