If you prefer to listen than read, you can hear the audio of this blog post, read by the author, Vanessa Obagi, below

"Your blood tests are normal."

If you've heard those words after trying to explain to your GP just how exhausted, flat, foggy or unlike yourself you feel, you'll probably know exactly how demoralising they can be.

Often you don’t even get to speak to a doctor about the results - (you’re just told over the phone by the receptionist) leaving you feeling as though you haven't been heard.

Of course part of you feels relieved that nothing serious has come up, but another part of you is thinking...

"But why do I feel so awful?" And so you start second-guessing yourself and thinking:

Maybe it is just menopause

Or maybe I'm just getting older

Or maybe I'm expecting too much

Or perhaps you begin wondering if it's somehow all in your head...

If this sounds familiar, I want you to know something.

I believe you.

Not just because I’ve been there too, when my GP was telling me my blood tests were all fine despite me barely being able to leave the house through exhaustion and low mood...

…but also because, over the years, I've worked with many women inside The Fatigue Fix, and the one thing they almost all say a version of, is:

"I need to know why I feel like this."

Most have already seen their GP, sometimes several GPs. Some have seen consultants. Others have tried natural health practitioners, or various supplements, or diet and lifestyle changes, or working on their sleep routine, or cutting down on exercise, or listened to countless health podcasts.

Yet despite doing everything they hear about or can think of, they're still exhausted, still flat, still struggling... and still being told everything looks normal!

The truth is, normal blood tests don't always explain why you don't feel normal.

That doesn’t mean blood tests are useless, far from it, (I use them regularly with clients, where appropriate). And it also doesn't mean your symptoms aren't real.

It simply means you haven't found the true underlying reason yet.

You're Not Just Tired... You're Losing Parts of Your Life

When you live with persistent fatigue, it affects far more than your energy.

It changes how you live.

You stop making plans because you're never sure how you'll feel.

You hesitate before agreeing to meet friends because cancelling at the last minute has become embarrassing.

You spend evenings recovering instead of enjoying time with your family.

You worry about work, wondering whether people have noticed you're not as sharp or productive as you once were.

And perhaps the hardest part is that nobody else can see how hard you're working just to get through a normal day.

And for women in midlife, there's often another layer to this, too.

Symptoms are frequently put down to"menopause," leaving many women feeling dismissed or worried they'll be seen as less capable if they admit they're struggling.

I see this all the time in my work.

And it's exactly why I created The Fatigue Fix, to help women stop guessing, understand what's really driving their symptoms and finally begin rebuilding their health with confidence.

One of those women was Kate.

Before we worked together, Kate had seen multiple GPs, consultants and even a naturopath. Every appointment seemed to end in the same place… No real answers and no explanation.

Just another reminder that everything looked "normal."

Meanwhile, Kate told me:

"I have to drag myself out of bed exhausted, sometimes not even properly getting dressed or brushing my hair. By lunchtime, I often lie down because I feel so heavy. I stopped doing things socially and gradually didn't go out much at all unless I have to."

Like so many women, Kate wasn't looking for someone to tell her she was unwell, she simply wanted someone to explain why she felt so awful.

Kate's story isn't unusual. In fact, it's one I hear time and time again from women who come to me.

They've reached the point where they know they don't feel like themselves anymore, and they know that how they feel isn’t normal, but they don't know where to turn next.

The good news is that there is usually a reason you feel this way.

The first step is knowing where to start looking.

Here are the three steps I encourage every client to consider as they move from feeling dismissed and stuck... to finally understanding what their body has been trying to tell them.

Step 1: Stop Believing It's "Just Menopause" or "Just Getting Older"⭐

Perimenopause and menopause can absolutely play a role in symptoms like fatigue, anxiety, poor sleep and brain fog (and many more).

But here's something that's really important to understand: common doesn't mean normal.

Just because many women experience these symptoms doesn't mean you simply have to accept them as part of ‘the change’ or getting older.

Too often, women are told that because they're in midlife, or because their blood tests are normal, feeling this way is just something they have to live with.

I don't believe that's true, and after helping many women through my programme, I've seen plenty of evidence to the contrary.

One of the ways I explain it to my clients is this...

Think of perimenopause as placing extra demands on your body.

If your body has been functioning well and has the resources it needs, it will often adapt to those hormonal changes without too much difficulty. Hence why some women sail through perimenopause.

But if you've been quietly compensating for things like chronic stress, depleted minerals, blood sugar instability, poor detoxification, sluggish thyroid function, or other underlying imbalances, perimenopause is often the point where your body simply can't compensate any longer.

It's as though someone has switched on a great big floodlight to highlight all of these symptoms.

Suddenly, issues that may have been quietly developing for years become truly visible and impossible to ignore.

The menopause transition didn't create those imbalances.

It simply exposed them.

That's one of the reasons why two women of a similar age can have completely different experiences of perimenopause. One may sail through with very few symptoms, while another struggles just to get through the day.

The difference isn't just hormones. It's also about how well the rest of the body is functioning when those hormonal changes begin.

This is also why some women find that HRT makes a huge difference, while others notice only a small improvement, or perhaps it helps for a while before their symptoms return.

HRT can be a valuable tool for some women, especially where symptoms like hot flashes occur, but if you're still feeling exhausted, struggling with brain fog, poor sleep, anxiety or low mood despite taking or using it, or it’s making you feel worse, it may be a sign that hormones aren't the whole picture or the answer.

There may be other underlying factors that also need attention.

If this resonates with you, you might also find my blog post, "You've Been Told It's 'Just Menopause.' But What If Your Fatigue, Flat Mood, Brain Fog or Bad Sleep Are Something Else?", helpful, where I explore this in more detail.

Put simply, your symptoms are your body's way of asking for attention.

The first step isn't to ignore those messages or assume they're inevitable. It's to become curious about what your body is trying to tell you.

Key takeaway: If you don't know why you're exhausted, you don't yet know what needs attention.

Step 2: Find Out What Your Body Has Been Trying to Tell You

So the next logical question becomes:

What is my body trying to tell me?

This is where Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) can be incredibly helpful as a first step.

Unlike a blood test, which gives us a snapshot of what's happening at that moment, hair grows slowly over several months.

That means HTMA gives us a longer-term picture of what's been happening inside your body.

It's not trying to replace blood tests, it's answering a different question.

Instead of asking, "Is there disease present?"

It asks: "How well is your body actually functioning?"

HTMA can reveal patterns such as:

• Depleted minerals that your body needs to produce energy

• Chronic stress that has gradually worn your body down

• Blood sugar imbalances that contribute to fatigueand poor sleep

• A slow metabolism that's making it harder to create energy

• Hidden heavy metals that may be putting extra strain on your body and displacing key needed minerals

• And why supplements haven't been working as well as you'd hoped

When I analysed Kate's results, I discovered she was stuck in a very slow metabolic state, had a high build up of calcium in her tissues (instead of in the bones/teeth where it belongs) and was significantly depleted in several of the minerals her body needed to produce energy efficiently, keep her moods level and her brain clear.

For her, everything suddenly made sense.

She later told me that discovering how fundamental minerals are to every system in the body was her biggest "aha" moment.

For the first time, she understood why she felt the way she did.

She finally had answers instead of assumptions.

Key takeaway: You can't build the right recovery plan if you're guessing what's wrong.

Step 3: Build a Plan That Matches Your Body

Once we understand what's driving your symptoms, we can create a plan designed specifically for YOU.

Not the latest trend.

Not generic advice from social media.

Not a supplement cupboard full of products you hope might work.

A personalised plan.

Depending on what your results show, that might include:

• Replacing minerals your body has become depleted in

• Supporting healthy energy production

• Calming the nervous system

• Improving blood sugar stability

• Supporting thyroid and adrenal function

• Improving sleep quality

• Reducing inflammation

• Supporting liver and gut health

Inside The Fatigue Fix, this is where everything comes together.

Rather than leaving you to figure it out alone, I guide you through the process step by step, helping you understand exactly why we're doing what we're doing and supporting you as your body begins to recover.

I'm always honest with my clients. This isn't about quick fixes, it's about rebuilding your health from the foundations upwards.

For Kate, the first noticeable improvements came during her second month.

Her mornings became easier, she had more energy and she began looking forward to doing things again.

But the moment she knew her life was changing came when her friends suggested going to The Hampton Court Palace Music Festival. Just a few months earlier, she would never have agreed to buy tickets in advance, she simply couldn't trust that she'd have the energy when the day arrived.

This time was different.

She booked the tickets with confidence because, for the first time in a long time, she believed she'd actually be well enough to go.

And she was!

That might sound like a small thing, but when you've spent years living from one exhausted day to the next, planning something exciting months in advance feels like getting your freedom back.

Key takeaway: The goal isn't simply to manage symptoms. It's to understand why they're happening so you can finally move forwards with confidence.

"But My Blood Tests Were Normal... How Do I Know This Approach Will Tell Me Anything Different?"

This is a common question I hear.

And it's a very fair question.

The first thing I want to say is that normal blood tests don't mean your GP has done anything wrong.

GPs use blood tests to rule out disease and identify medical conditions that need diagnosis or medical treatment. That's exactly what they're designed to do, and they're an important part of healthcare.

However, that doesn't necessarily mean they'll explain why you're feeling exhausted, foggy or unlike yourself, and it doesn't mean they will pick up on everything, especially if it is a functional issue rather than a medical situation.

There are two reasons for this.

Firstly, routine blood tests often include a relatively small number of markers.

They're designed to identify the most likely medical causes of your symptoms, rather than provide a detailed picture of how well your body is functioning.

Secondly, blood tests compare your results against reference ranges.

These ranges are based on what's considered typical across a large population, not necessarily what's optimal, and will keep us feeling in tip top shape.

So it's entirely possible to be told your results are "normal" while still experiencing symptoms because your body isn't functioning as it should be, but it hasn't reached crisis point yet. And remember, your GP is only looking for disease, or things that can be treated with medication.

This is where my approach is different.

I don't rely on HTMA alone, and I certainly don't use it to replace conventional blood testing. In fact, wherever possible, I review existing blood test results alongside your symptoms, health history and HTMA findings, and for those who wish to, I also run in depth comprehensive blood panels with markers that your GP doesn't test for, to get a more complete picture.

But Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis alone gives us a different perspective and a whole host of valuable and actionable information.

Because hair grows gradually over several months, it can reveal longer-term patterns in your mineral status and how your body has been responding to stress over time - patterns that routine blood tests aren't designed to spot.

When we put all of those pieces together, we often begin to understand why someone who's been told "everything is normal" still feels anything but.

Take my client Chloe. She came to me because she was experiencing severe hair loss after being told her blood tests were normal.

Rather than relying on a single test, we used HTMA alongside a comprehensive female blood panel that I ordered for her.

Together, they gave us a much clearer picture.

Her HTMA revealed a significant copper imbalance that warranted attention (whilst her blood test showed normal levels of copper). And her blood test highlighted a vitamin B12 deficiency and signs that her liver needed additional support.

Together, the hair and the blood gave us information we needed to understand what was happening and create a personalised plan based on Chloe's individual needs.

It's not about proving your doctor wrong.

It's about gathering more of the information needed to understand what's really going on, so we can make informed decisions and create a plan based on evidence rather than guesswork.

Believe me when I tell you there is hope...

If you've been told everything looks normal, but you know deep down that you don't feel like yourself, please don't ignore what your body is trying to tell you.

You shouldn't have to spend the next twenty or thirty years simply surviving each day.

There is usually a reason you feel this way.

Once you understand what's driving your symptoms, you can stop doubting yourself.

And instead, you can begin making progress with confidence.

Imagine waking up with enough energy for whatever you have planned.

Looking forward to spending time with family or friends.

Feeling confident enough to make plans again.

Enjoying your work instead of worrying you're falling behind.

That future is possible.

Are you ready to find some answers?

If you're tired of hearing that everything is normal when you know deep down it isn't, I'd love to help.

The first step is to book a free Exploratory Call.

Before we speak, you'll complete a short application form so we can make sure we're the right fit to work together.

If we decide to move forward, we'll begin uncovering what's really driving your symptoms and create a personalised plan through The Fatigue Fix, that's tailored to your body - not somebody else's.

You don't have to keep guessing.

And you certainly don't have to keep feeling dismissed.

Let's start finding the answers together.

If you'd like to learn more about my process for helping women just like you, check out this article or audio: The 5-Steps I Use to Help Women Overcome Persistent Fatigue