A matter of balance

ANXIETY, depression, mood swings, difficulties coping, brain fog and sugar cravings? Naturopath Yolanda Falivene says there are multiple reasons our bodies become stressed and anxious.
“We’re all too familiar with stress from work pressure, family commitments and financial issues, but are you aware that your body also reacts in exactly the same way even if you’re excited about going on holidays?” Yolanda said.
“The adrenals kick in and heightened anxiety can result. Other triggers include hormone imbalance, infections, nutritional deficiencies, gut problems, lack of sleep and pain.”
Yolanda said a little known genetically inherited condition called Pyroluria caused the body to produce an excess of kryptopyrroles that bind certain nutrients and excrete them.
“A profound deficiency results and most of the above symptoms appear,” she said. “It is very easily identified with a simple urine test.”
The gut is also an important component to helping balance moods, with 90 per cent of serotonin, your ‘happy hormone’, produced in your gut.
“Studies have linked gut imbalance to mood disorders so maintaining a healthy digestive tract is paramount to a healthy mind,” Yolanda said.
“Also, certain bacteria in the gut can produce enzymes that affect estrogen metabolism.”
Yolanda said symptoms rarely occured in isolation and it could become very confusing for people to know where to start treating themselves.
“Many end up spending a fortune on various supplements, treating only part of the problem and not always the cause,” she said.
At Noosaville Natural Health Centre, Yolanda uses modern diagnostic equipment including the 3D body scan and can arrange the urinary pyrrole test to determine possible causes and prioritise treatment.