Do you know the 15 areas of health? Wellness.... What does that mean to you? For me, there are many areas of health to address when assessing one's health condition, and some of them take a higher priority than others. Often times what brings someone to contact me is just a piece of their actual health issues. One of the tools I can use in my office is the WICO® score assessment, which is a comprehensive, 294 question survey that you can take online and it gives you a "wellness" score, sort of like you get a FICO® score for your credit. There are 15 areas that the WICO score assesses, and I wanted to take some time to go through each of these. Interested in how YOU score in these areas? You can take the WICO® assessment here.  Ah, Good Ol' Glucose. The FUEL of your body.
If you are feeling fatigue, fatigue between meals, or if eating RELIEVES your fatigue, you may have problems regulating your blood sugar.... If you have trouble sleeping, don't get enough exercise, are overweight, or need to use caffeine to make it through your day...you might have problems regulating your blood sugar.... If you eat a lot of refined carbs, or not enough protein (among many, many other items too numerous to list), you guessed it, you might have problems regulating your blood sugar! Contrary to what you might believe, you do NOT need to be obese to be pre-diabetic or even full-blown diabetic. In our high-stressed, fast-food, caffeine-rich, nutrient-poor average American population, I find pre-diabetes all the time in persons who "look healthy". (By the way, ANYONE with a chronic condition will tell you that LOOKS have little to do with HEALTH.) And sometimes we find LOW blood sugar contributing to fatigue, headaches and other symptoms. TRUTH #1: this is an area often OVERLOOKED by your primary doctor. Fasting glucose, which is typically run at your annual physical, is NOT enough. When was the last time your HbA1c was assessed? If you are like 95% of my patients the answer is NEVER, (unless you are known to have diabetes). (Seriously, I find glucose problems ALL THE TIME in people who have been told they are "healthy".) TRUTH #2: If you do have glucose handling problems, this is a main priority for the body. It's how your body gets fuel.... Too little is bad, and too much is like gas on a fire. You will NOT have lasting health if you don't get this under control. Hormone balance, S-E-X functions, reproduction, etc. all take a back seat to GLUCOSE metabolism. Got it? If you want to assess your own wellness status further, I suggest that you take the WICO® assessment and get your baseline in all 15 area of health, or you can schedule a complimentary phone consultation with me. To your health, Dr. Jennifer |
