 People sometimes think they need to get lots of costly tests done to get to the bottom of their health issues. Generally, I have not found this to be the case. I encourage all my clients to get good old fashioned blood tests done because they are more affordable and tell us a lot about what’s happening inside your body.
The following are blood tests worth requesting from your doctor/GP if you have been struggling with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anxiety, depression, or maternal mental health changes (OCD, anxiety, depression). If your doctor wont order all or some of these tests (sometimes there are public health funding reasons for this), I believe it’s worth investing in having them done via a private lab. It will cost more but then you have a baseline to work from as you work on your health. And as you focus on improving your health, blood tests only need to be repeated once every six to 12 months at most.  Inspired by author and depression and anxiety survivor Matt Haig, I'm sharing a list of things that can spike or worsen my OCD, rumination, anxiety and stress. And a list of things that have supported my recovery from 19 years of OCD, that make me feel happy in my soul and which help to quiet my mind. Things that make me worse Poor sleep Staying up too late Doing too much Not resting enough Caffeine Not eating enough protein (meats, fish, eggs) Crowded, busy cities (if I’m there too long)  Welcome to the seventh article in The OCD series. I’m Francesca, a Nutritionist who has lived with OCD since I was 10. At age 15 and then again at age 29, I hit rock bottom with OCD – it was so distressing and debilitating that it left me feeling suicidal and at one point, partially housebound. Now, after investing time, money and effort in creating a mental health tool box and fighting for my health and happiness, I have been living largely free of OCD since 2012. And I’m sharing everything I’ve learned to support people with OCD who want to get their lives back.
The first article in The OCD series looked at a key nutritional tool that supports your nervous system and mental health. More recently, we've looked at the role of trauma in OCD and anxiety, and what my experience of OCD relapse was like. This article returns the focus to nutritional biochemistry, and discusses stress-driven and genetic factors that can play a role in OCD and other mental health conditions, such as generalized anxiety, ADHD, childhood behavioural problems, tics, Bipolar Disorder, all types of depression and schizophrenia. |