“Nothing holds me back now!”
Despite her healthy lifestyle, Jill Carnahan, M.D., was bogged down by debilitating fog and fatigue, until she uncovered the sneaky culprit — and the simple fixes that restored her vitality
Mom, I really wanted to be there this year but I’m so exhausted, there’s no way I’ll be able to make the flight,” Jill explained as she choked back tears. “I always looked forward to spending vacation time with my parents and siblings, especially because we didn’t get to see one another much. But when fatigue became my new normal, I couldn’t muster the energy to fly home to Illinois. My family was always so sympathetic: ‘Take care of yourself, Jill, we completely understand,’ they’d say. But I felt guilty for letting them down.
Falling apart
“That was three years ago, when fatigue felt overwhelming in every area of my life, especially my relationship with my then-husband. I tried so hard to be the positive, supportive wife I’d always been, but I was so tired that I didn’t have anything left to give him. I’m certain the fatigue had a lot to do with why our marriage ended.
“My relationships with friends suffered too. If we had plans to meet for dinner, I wouldn’t confirm with them until the very last minute because I never knew if I would have enough energy to go. My close friends were very supportive, but I had to let the more superficial relationships go.
“I also struggled with my work as a medical doctor. Thankfully, I only had office hours to see my patients three days a week—if I had a five-day workweek, I wouldn’t have been able to provide the same level of care I always had.
“Fatigue wasn’t the only problem. I also had skin rashes and trouble with focus and concentration. When I’d try to write a blog, it would take 3 to 4 hours instead of the usual 1 or 2.
“To try to figure out the root cause of my symptoms, I ran tests to look for an autoimmune condition or problems with my thyroid and adrenal glands, but everything came back negative. I knew I needed to keep searching and find the answer… and fast.
Relief at last!
“Around that time, I learned about a new test available to check internal levels of glyphosate—that’s a chemical that’s sprayed on crops to kill weeds, but studies suggest it may damage the gut and impact hormone levels. Toxin overload was something I always spoke to my patients about and I had been reading a lot of research
about glyphosate. I learned there are no standards for what’s considered a dangerous limit, but the test compares a person’s level to averages in published studies. A high level is, on average, 1.5 to 2 parts per billion—that’s similar to the levels seen in farmers on the same day of pesticide application to crops.
“I always try new tests on myself before using them for patients, so I did the test even though I didn’t think my glyphosate levels would be high. When I got my results back, I was shocked. My level was 3.8 parts per billion!
“As I thought more about it, I realized why my levels were so high. For starters, I had grown up on a farm in Illinois. And I knew my body had poor detox abilities due to genetic factors. I also let my dogs—who I walked on grass sprayed with a glyphosate-based weed killer—sleep in my bed. Plus, I had worked in a building that had mold. I knew the more toxins you have in your body, the harder it is to eliminate them—and my body was trying to process more toxins than it could handle.
“I already ate 100 percent organic, non-GMO foods, which aren’t sprayed with pesticides. So as the next step to help my body detox, I took supplements for liver support, including magnesium, zinc and vitamin B12, as well as a probiotic to boost my gut health. I also relaxed in an infrared sauna several times a week—studies say these saunas stimulate lymph drainage to triple the body’s detox abilities. [Go to SpaFinder.com for locations.] And to boost detox even more, I took Epsom salt baths and practiced drybrushing. I also started washing my dogs’ feet before they came indoors.
“As I knew might be the case, I felt worse at first. When you detox, you stir up the toxins your body has been storing, so you’re actually reexposing yourself. But after a month or so, my energy started to increase and I felt better and better as the months went on.
“Now that fatigue isn’t a part of my life, I’m busy spending time with my friends—hiking, shopping at farmers markets, taking trips on my motorcycle. My business is thriving and I’m back on the speaker circuit, traveling the country to talk about health. And instead of missing out on making memories with my family, now they joke that they see me too often!”
—as told to Julie Revelant