How long til I feel better?

I'm often asked ‘how long do I need to take these supplements for?’ or ‘when will I feel better?’ The answer will be different for everyone and depends on your individual health goals, but if you've been experiencing gut symptoms for 10 years or struggling with fatigue for as long as you can remember, it is going to take time for your body to recover.

Most of us take our health for granted and only notice it when we don't feel well or can't do the things we want to do. Unfortunately, by the time this happens our body is often well and truly out of balance and it's probably going to require more than just simply eating a few more veggies to get back on track again.

Our busy lives mean that we often don't invest time in ensuring we meet our nutritional needs and instead eat food that is quick and easy to make and this often has a detrimental effect on our bodies. Many of us also work in stressful jobs and juggle multiple commitments. This often means we have little down time and are often sleep deprived. As well as this, the little time we do have available is often spent trying to fit in physical exercise to compensate for our mostly sedentary lifestyle. Unfortunately, instead of being beneficial, this can contribute to our fatigue and low energy because we are already so depleted.

Naturopathy can help you because it looks beyond your physical symptoms and helps you to address the reason you've ended up where you are. Yes, supplements are often an important part of this because they correct nutritional deficiencies but they are only part of the solution and should really only be taken for a finite length of time. The main factor in improving your health and feeling better is understanding that you need to take responsibility for making positive changes that support your wellbeing. For example, for many years I experienced anxiety that became worse when I was stressed or tired. I spoke to many doctors about my symptoms which included fast heart rate, IBS symptoms and insomnia. They offered options like antidepressants and sleeping tablets to blunt the symptoms but it wasn't until I put in place mindfulness techniques and improved my intake of specific nutrients that I started to feel better - and importantly, in control of my life again.

Sometimes the answer to our health problem isn't what we want to hear - 'I need to factor in some down time' or 'I need to improve my diet' but we need to hear it anyway. Part of my role as your naturopath is to help you with this and encourage you to stay on track.

So, although I will sometimes prescribe you supplements it will only be part of your treatment. The most benefit will come from the longterm improvements you make to your life that support your wellbeing and improve your vitality.