Recently I became quite unwell, but couldn't be specific about the nature of this. I suppose I had put my degeneration down to the natural aging process, aches and pains, lethargic, headaches indigestion, in fact I said very little about it because I felt if I said anything it would sound more like a hypochondriacs shopping list than an illness. What I couldn't work out was why so many of my friends at a similar age or even older had so much energy, was it something in their genes?
One afternoon while working on my house the problems became so bad that I couldn't even cut a piece of wood in half and had to lay down as I was feeling so unwell. I am working as an electrician and have been renovating an 18th centrury town house for the last few years, so this wasn't a good thing. It was at this point I decided this had gone on long enough and I'd have to do something about it.
I just couldn't go to the doctor, mainly because the condition was polysymtomatic, meaning a wide spectrum of conditions, and they were not consistent. I wouldn't know where to begin and didn't feel much like being told I was doing too much, or I must be stressed or I should give up smoking, when only the latter was true. So I set about finding the solution for myself.
I majored in psychology when I did my degree and biology;brain and behaviour was a full year of that degree, so I wasn't starting from scratch, I did know that my bad moods were a result of serotonin levels and my impossible sleep patterns were connected to melotonin. Both of these are neuro-transmitters and play a major role in our neuro-chemistry.
I spent four days tracking down various research papers that seemed to share either some or all of the symptoms I had been having. On the fourth day while reading a paper on hypoglycaemia I found a piece on lactase, an enzyme used in infants to digest milk. Under normal conditions infants receive this inside their mothers milk, however, sometimes this is not present and a lactase substitute has to be given with the child's feed to help it over come any intolerance it might have. Today, some adults suffer from dairy product intolerance, they can take lactase in tablet form to overcome this.
While I researched the papers I had found, I monitored my blood/sugar levels and these did seem to fall a little too much. I had decided the problem was either, hypoglycaemia or some form of food intolerance. One of the symptoms which suggested hypoglycaemia was food cravings, such as sugars and sudden fainting/nausea episodes, plus the fact that my blood/sugar levels never went too high, which would have suggested diabetes, but did fall quite low. This seemed to suggest my insulin was either too low or falling usually quickly, usually after long periods of exercise or working. Also extreme mood swings, or at least so they had become in the recent days leading up to my research.
By this time I probably did have enough information to go to my own doctor for a consultation, but I also knew that there might be another problem that my GP would have almost no knowledge about. So I went to our local health food store and bought a supply of lactase. Lactase is not available through your local chemist other then in the infant drops form used for mixing with feeds. My research suggested I would need at least 250-400 milligrams with each meal if I was right and the infant drops were no where near this.
I took the lactase that evening with my meal as suggested and decided if there was no improvement over the next two days I would go see my own doctor.
Before I go any further I should say what started this was the hope I might improve my attitude, the aches and pains etc. so far as I was concerned were at that time part of the aging process and not much could be done about that. So the next morning no one was more surprised than me when I found I was completely out of all pain, my joints moved with ease, I hadn't slept as well for years, in fact all the nagging problems had disappeared and I felt bright and back to my old self, only better than I could ever remember feeling. And even more surprising my energy levels, my ability to do things without being exhausted were higher than they had been for years.
My wife was amazed, even though I hadn't been complaining about how bad I had been feeling it was not easy to hide. In the evening I would often shuffle about the house like I was in my 90's and not someone in their early 50's. Everything hurt so much I hadn't realised how bad it was until it stopped. She said I had lost the grey look I had had for the last few months and actually looked healthy.
My wife, although she is a district nurse, did not fully grasp why this enzyme should have such a profound effect and decided, if it worked for me she should try it as she too had been feeling many of the things I had, but she says, not to the same level. Within 4 days she found her ability to cope with her busy schedule was much improved,and she says she had even felt more positive about everything and like me her cravings had also stopped.
Today we maintain a regular dose of lactase with all our meals, it's not cheap but our health continued to improve and money without health is pointless.
Since making these improvements I have read much about nutrition and our diets. I've looked closely at probiotics and the effects our diets have on our lives as a whole. What I have learned is what we eat is only a part of a healthy lifestyle, yes exercise is too, but because of the processes used today in the manufacturing of foods, much of what you eat can also lead to problems, and food intolerance is now at epidemic levels as a result of these processes.
BTW, lactase is not a natural substance in the body after the age of about 5 years. Most adults do not have this in their digestive system, also if you feel you are having similar problems, you should first consult your doctor, if all else fails, ask your doctor to refer you to a nutritionist.
