Be Healthy Again / For the First Time!

March 28, 2016

by: Elysia Arseneau

[This is Part Ten of the series called My BCB Journey. Click here to see all posts in this series.]

Ten weeks ago, I took a giant step towards optimizing my health. After years of physical and emotional symptoms that medical doctors were unable to resolve, I went to NutriChem to have my entire body chemistry tested. Their Body Chemistry Balancing Test, also known as the BCB, is a comprehensive assessment that uses simple blood and urine tests to study more than 60 biochemical markers that can lead to complex issues in the body.

Summarizing my journey so far

My BCB Test results indicated that…

I suffered a burn-out as a new teacher and my body, specifically my adrenal glands, had yet to recover from it;
I had imbalanced hormones;
I had deficiencies in a number of vitamins and minerals in my body; and
I was not properly metabolizing glucose.

In addition to taking the BCB Test, I also had a nutritional consultation with a registered holistic nutritionist to set me on a meal plan that would support my body as it healed. My personal food issues, including my glucose metabolism issues, were due to…

being a “bad vegetarian” (removing meat and substituting with more carbohydrates than protein);
drinking lots of water while eating meals and snacks;
consuming too many processed foods; and
unknowingly eating foods that I was sensitive or intolerant to.

My recommendations were…

to start taking a high quality custom multivitamin/mineral formula that was designed by one a NutriChem clinician to suit my body’s needs;
to supplement my diet with recommended products to support my body as it rebalances;
to eat more protein with every meal and snack;
to eliminate processed foods and sugars; and
to complete the Elimination Diet to see if I had food intolerances or sensitivities.

My health improved incredibly within the first few weeks of this protocol: my body responded very well to the recommendations that were given to me by the experts, and (thankfully!) all signs were pointing to my issues clearing up. Last week I had a follow-up appointment with a clinician to see if all of my hard work on this protocol was paying off.

The moment of truth: my appointment with Kent MacLeod

Kent MacLeod is the founder and CEO of NutriChem Compounding Pharmacy & Clinic, and the creator of the BCB Test. He is an award-winning clinical pharmacist with over 35 years of experience delivering patient-centered, personalized health care. Put most simply, Kent is visionary, and excels at helping his patients! There are many, unaltered testimonies on our Patient Success page: here are just a few of them:

The BCB Follow-Up appointment occurs 6-8 weeks after your first one so your body has a chance to adjust and chance based on your recommended protocol. I was excited that Kent would be reviewing my progress because of my hormone imbalances: he is a recognized expert in women’s health issues, specifically surrounding fertility and menopause. I was told in my first appointment that my elevated estrogen and low progesterone could reduce my chances of getting pregnant, of staying healthy throughout the pregnancy, and of keeping the baby to full term.

Here’s what Kent and I discussed at my follow-up appointment:

My hormones: Most importantly for me, Kent gave me the green light in the “physical health” column for starting a family! The fact that I have maintained a regular menstrual cycle and have not had a debilitating pre-menstrual migraine or other PMS symptoms for the last 2 cycles are all good signs that my hormones are balanced, or will be balanced shortly and are “balanced enough” for conception. This was a huge relief. I admit that I’ve still had headaches around my menses, but nothing like the migraines that would knock me out for hours and only went away with midday sleep. There is still some hormone balancing work to be done, but I’m relieved to be in the “normal range” now.

My food sensitivities: Certain foods have definitely been affecting me, but I never realized it until I ate according to the Elimination Diet. I started to re-introduce gluten last week, and had headaches, mini-migraines, and general malaise that started shortly after I ate it and lasted for a few hours afterwards. Since I’ve started re-introducing foods, my sleep has been poorer and my congestion has come back with some foods. This is motivation enough for me to continue to eat healthily and to avoid my trigger foods: the momentary satisfaction from giving into a food craving is certainly not greater than maintaining low congestion, no headaches, good moods and great sleep!

My sleep: Speaking of my sleep, I’ve been sleeping very well since starting my supplementation protocol and the Elimination Diet. My only issue is that I can’t seem to get to sleep at a decent hour because my brain is always “on” and it takes a long time to shut down (perfectionism alert!). Kent recommended NutriChem’s Phosphogabamine for me, one capsule per night about an hour before bed. “This is one of the exact issues I designed it for,” he told me as he recommended it. This supplement helps to temporarily promote relaxation, encourage calmness, and reduce stress and anxiety, all without causing drowsiness. The whole reason I couldn’t turn my brain “off” was due to daily stresses and anxieties; by allowing my brain to relax from the things that were keeping me awake, my body is now able to fall asleep without a problem.

My emotions: In my first appointment with Dr. Tanya Manikkam ND, we had discussed how many of the issues I have been dealing with prior to coming to NutriChem stemmed from my perfectionism. In my follow-up appointment with Kent, he was curious to hear about that journey, and how I was overcoming the negative sides of that personality trait. He was happy to hear that I used homeopathy instead of anti-depressants to help me get out of the debilitating perfectionism – anxiety – depression triangle that I had been trapped in for most of my early 20s, and offered me some tips based on his clinical experience.

Overall, the appointment was very informative, and overwhelmingly positive! It’s nice to know that taking ownership of my health is helping me achieve optimal health, and that I have experts to help me along the way.

Concluding thoughts about NutriChem’s Body Chemistry Balancing process

For me, coming to NutriChem was an answered prayer, both career-wise and health-wise. As I explained in my first blog post of this series, I was quite simply sick and tired of being sick and tired and knew that I needed to make a change. The non-invasive Body Chemistry Balancing Test determined the underlying nutritional and hormonal imbalances that have been triggering my physical, mental and emotional issues for certain, with no guesswork. It’s so satisfying to have had a “one-stop shop” medical experience instead of shuffling from expert to expert as each test comes back inconclusive.

Not only did the BCB Test determine the root causes of my symptoms, NutriChem had everything that I needed to address the issues. A NutriChem clinician designed a multivitamin and mineral formula customized specifically for my body’s needs, plus the clinicians recommended other supplements and food products that have been assisting with balancing my body’s chemistry. Not in my case, but for many patients, bioidentical hormones are necessary: NutriChem has the clinicians to write hormone prescriptions, plus our compounding pharmacy compounds bioidentical hormones using only the safest, most effective ingredients.

Everyone experiencing any sort of issue, whether it’s physical or emotional, would DEFINITELY benefit from having their body chemistry balanced. Kent has actually guaranteed results for everyone who follows the recommendations laid out for them, and that’s saying something!

For more information about NutriChem’s BCB Test or to set up an appointment, click here.

What are your BCB Test stories? Share in the comments below or join our Facebook group, NutriChem BCB Discussion.

Coming up in April: Fertility, Parenthood, and Children!

Part Eight of this blog series (When it Comes to Supplements, YES Quality Matters!) caused quite a stir on social media because it hit a nerve with many readers. I used prenatal vitamins as an example, and people became rather upset that their doctors had never told them about the benefits of taking methylated forms of folic acid before, during, and after pregnancy. At NutriChem we are all about educating our clients (and the world!) about issues that matter to your health, therefore we have decided to dedicate the entire month of April to issues related to Fertility, Parenthood, and Children! Here are ways that you can stay (or become!) informed about these important topics:

Sign up for our April webinar, A Natural and Nutritional Approach to Boost Fertility, for useful information to help you get pregnant.

Read our new blog series written by Kate, a staff member who has just returned from maternity leave! Tune in every Monday in April for her recommendations for a healthy pregnancy and first year of your baby’s life, including her favourite products that are now conveniently available at NutriChem!

Follow us on social media to stay up-to-date with events and promotions, and to get great tips and tricks. Make sure to turn on notifications so you don’t miss a thing!

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