We've discussed what to detox before here and here. We've discussed how to detox here. But how do you know if you actually need to detox? If you feel great, all of the time, then you probably don't. But if you’re not operating at your full capacity then maybe you do. But what are the symptoms? How would you know? Broader symptoms such as poor sleep, fatigue, anxiousness and stubborn weight gain could be indicative of toxicity. But they could also be rooted in other problems such as bad diet, sedentariness and bad sleep hygiene. So what we’ve done is put together these two naturopathic and functional medical questionnaires to help you do a little investigative work on your own.
Questionnaire 1: Detoxification System Health
We have two questionnaires for you. The first addresses symptoms that are associated with overloaded detox pathways. Answer the questions as accurately as possible. If in doubt pick the worst one in order to err on the side of caution. Add up the points on a calculator, or a piece of paper or in your head! Check your scores against the results table at the bottom.
1. Are your eyes sentsitive to bright light?
___ Yes (3) ___ No (0)
2. Do you suffer from irritability and have difficulty relaxing?
___ Yes (10) ___ No (0)
3. Do you often feel fatigued or sluggish?
___ Yes (10) ___ No (0)
4. Do you suffer from frequent headaches?
___ No (0)
___ Once a week (1)
___ 3 or more time per week (5)
5. Do you have dark circles and/or puffiness under the eyes?
___ No (0)
___ Once a week (3)
___ 2-3 times per week (5)
___ More than 3 times per week (10)
6. Are you sensitive to perfumes, paint fumes, trafic fumes, detergents or cigarette smoke?
___ No (0)
___ Mildly (3)
___ Moderately (5)
___ Very (10)
7. Have you been unable to lose cellulite fat with diet and/or exercise?
___ Yes (10) ___ No (0)
8. Are you currently, or have you in the past, been frequently exposed to industrial or agricultural
chemicals, such as solvents, cleaning fluids, paint fumes, plant sprays, and fertilizers?
___ No (0)
___ Brief exposure (3)
___ More than once a week (5)
___ Daily (10)
9. Do you experience mental sluggishness, poor memory or poor concentration?
___ No (0)
___ 1-2 times per week (3)
___ 3 times per week (5)
___ More than 3 times per week (10)
10. Do you suffer from skin reactions such as rashes, itching or burning, for which the cause is
unknown?
___ No (0)
___ 1-2 times per month (3)
___ 3 times per month (5)
___ More than 3 times per month (10)
Results: Part 1
0 to 19 points
If you got between 0 and 19 then it’s probably an indication that your detox pathways are not too overloaded. That doesn’t mean that you don’t have historical toxicity stored inertly in your body. You may. It just means that you’re not being overburden with toxicity now. You may or may not want to take action depending on how close you’d like to get to optimal health. Presumably the Okinawan centenarians that famously lived to 100 would have answered “No” to every question!
20 to 39 points
It looks like you have symptoms of mild toxicity. Depending on the results of the liver profile test below it’s probably worth investigating further. Unless you know what’s going on it’s important to work out what the root causes are and whether it was historical or something that’s still happening now.
40+ points
It’s likely that your detox pathways are overloaded and it would be good to prioritse eliminating the root causes and looking at a sensible detox plan that actually works along with some functional medical testing. The liver questionnaire below will help refine your decision making further.
If you do score highly on any of these questionnaires then do check out our 3 part series on reducing your toxic load to help identifiy sources of toxicity in your life.
Part 1: Upgrade Your Health by Reducing Your Toxic Load
Part 2: Upgrade Your Health by Reducing Your Toxic Load
Part 3: Upgrade Your Health by Reducing Your Toxic Load
Questionnaire 2: Hepatobiliary System Health
Your liver + gall bladder (hepatobiliary) are two of the most important organs of detoxifcation in the body. This questionnaire is concerned with symptoms associated with non-fully functioning hepatobiliary system health. This section asks you to assess how you have been feeling during the last four months. For each question, please select from the four options, the answer that best describes your symptoms. And then total the scores for all of the answers.
No or Rarely
You have never experienced the symptom or the symptom is familiar to you but you perceive it as insignificant (0 points)
Occasionally
Symptom comes and goes and is linked in your mind to stress, diet, fatigue or some identifiable trigger (1 point)
Often
Symptom occurs 2-3 times per week and/or with a frequency that bothers you enough to want to do something about it (4 points)
Frequently
Symptom occurs 4 or more times per week and/or you are aware of the symptom every day, or it occurs with regularity on a monthly or cyclical basis (8 points)
1. When massaging under your rib cage on your right side, there is pain, tenderness or soreness
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
2. Abdominal pain worsens with deep breathing
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
3. Pain at night that may move to your back or right shoulder
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
4. Bitter fluid repeats after eating
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
5. Feel abdominal discomfort or nausea when eating rich, fatty or fried foods
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
6. Throbbing temples and/or dull pain in forehead associated with overeating
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
7. Unexplained itchy skin that’s worse at night
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
8. Stool color alternates from clay colored to normal brown
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
9. General feeling of poor health
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
10. Aching muscles not due to exercise
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
11. Retain fluid and feel swollen around the abdominal area
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
12. Reddened skin, especially palms
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
13. Very strong body odor
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
14. Are you embarrassed by your breath?
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
15. Bruise easily
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
16. Yellowish cast to eyes
___ No (0)
___ Occasionally (1)
___ Often (4)
___ Frequently (8)
Results: Part 2
0 to 8
Your liver and gall bladder are working normally. If you also scored less than 20 on the first questionnaire then it’s safe to say that you probably don’t need to prioritise your health by embarking on a detox programme. Of course it wouldn’t hurt as we do live in a dirty world!
9 to 16
This is an indication that your liver is slightly overburdened. Either you’re in the middle of a detox programme or your lifestyle is causing some issues. Particularly if you scored 20 or more in the first questionnaire. Worth investigating further but not necessarily something to worry over excessively.
17 to 32
Looks like you are having some hepatobiliary issues. Particularly if you scored higher on the first questionnaire. If you have a recent blood test from the doctors dig it out and look for the ALT and AST scores; the sweet spot is between 10 and 30 U/L for both. If they are higher than that then you have both symptoms and medical proof that something needs to be doneand could be investigated further with functional medical testing.
32+
Your liver is struggling to cope, you may have skin issues as well as your body pushes out toxins through your skin. As with the results above do check with your doctor and ask for a liver profile to cooberate. If you are unsure then it would be worth running some functional medical tests to investigate the root causes. Detox should be an absolute priority for youalong with functional medical testing to determin the magnitude of the problem.
Wrapping up
If you score highly on any of the charts then it’s time to rejoice! Why? Because now you know. Now you know what some of the root causes are of your poor sleep, fatigue, anxiousness or stubborn weight gain. Now you can take action and do something about it so you can start feeling and looking better. Onwards and upwards to a healthier and happier you!
Thanks to CHEK Holistic Lifestyle Coaching Level I and II for these questionnaires.
To your health happiness and longevity,
The Levitise Team
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