Katherine's Struggle with IBS

A Hurting Digestive System, in More Ways Than One...

Twenty-one year old Katherine walked into my office and stated she could not remember a time in her life when she did not have digestive issues or intestine problems. She admitted to struggling with the following symptoms:
  • Weight loss issues since childhood
  • Diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) at age fifteen
  • Persistent stomach pain
  • Alternating diarrhea and constipation on a daily basis
In the past nine years, she has undergone a colonoscopy procedure three separate times in hopes to determine a reason for her constant discomfort, and she also switched birth control pills five times in attempts to alleviate severe premenstrual symptoms (PMS). But nothing helped, and she still felt sick almost every day.

Functional Evaluation to Determine the Reason for Gastrointestinal Dysfunction

When I applied light pressure, Katherine exhibited severe tenderness in her upper and lower abdomen, gallbladder area, and the connecting point between her small and large intestine.

Lab Testing to Identify Body System Imbalance(s)

  • Adrenal stress profile -- indicated low cortisol value throughout the day, consistent with chronic fatigue, HPA-D (formerly known as adrenal fatigue), and PMS
  • GI Map with Zonulin Stool -- indicated several kinds bacteria, autoimmune triggers, fungi/yeast, and gastrointestinal inflammation
VIEW TEST RESULTS

Findings: HPA-D and a Myriad of GI Issues

The symptoms found through testing were consistent with her previous diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). However, modern medicine only taught Katherine how to manager her symptoms, they did not dig deeper into the reason she had IBS. We found the root cause of her symptoms and needed to treat her HPA-D (fatigue) and other GI issues first.

Lifestyle Change Recommendations

  1. Low carb diet (gluten free): omit all wheat, dairy, caffeine, sugar, and alcohol – helps decrease fluid, gas, and symptoms of bloating 
  2. Eat three meals a day consisting of animal-based protein, vegetables, and healthy fats
  3. Strict bedtime of 10 PM and to incorporate good sleep hygiene techniques
  4. Daily mediation of 8-10 minutes 
  5. Daily moderate exercise 

Individualized Treatment Plan

  1. Botanical herbs to address bacteria in stomach and potential autoimmune trigger bacteria
  2. Daily supplements to decrease inflammation and to support the normal healing process of the gastrointestinal lining: 
    1. Vitamin U complex
    2. Chlorophyllin 
    3. Vitamin A 
  3. Daily supplements to address HPA-D (adrenal fatigue) and circadian rhythm needs:
    1. Pregnenolone
    2. DHEA
  4. Various client-specific vitamins, minerals, and apoptogenic herbs 

Results

After several months of healing and strict adherence to the above protocol, we reran Katherine’s adrenal stress profile. She no longer had HPA-D and her values were well within the normal range. By now, Katherine was in her senior year in college and her energy was great despite a heavy academic load. Her GI distress symptoms were completely gone and she was happy living gluten free. She even began to enjoy perfecting great meals and treats for her friends and family!

NOTE: While this client gave us approval for sharing details, all names have been changed to protect the identity of the client.
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