bye bye bloat!
Have you ever been so bloated you looked 6 months pregnant? And felt so uncomfortable you'd hide behind baggy clothes to hide your distended belly?
That's how my client, Caroline, felt for years.
She came to me for help getting to the root of her longggg history of chronic constipation where she'd go 2 WEEKS between bowel movements.
She'd gone to multiple GI docs, general practitioners, and pelvic floor physical therapists. She'd had colonoscopies (with no answers), tried OTC laxatives, prescription laxatives, and teas, but nothing seemed to move the needle. Her doctor just chalked it up to IBS. 🙄
She finally decided to go gluten and dairy free; and that helped for a bit, but the relief was only temporary.
With these new dietary restrictions, she was only eating about 600 calories per day. She was so constipated & bloated that she was afraid to eat. 😭
Caroline became so fed up with the healthcare industry only treating her symptoms and not really digging to find a cause. She felt in her gut (pun intended 😉) that there had to be a deeper answer, which is how she landed in my care. And boy oh boy, we are so glad she did! 💖
We ran a stool test right away to get some insight as to what was going on in her gut, and here's what we found:
👉 H Pylori infection - This is a stomach infection that lowers stomach acid and impairs digestion downstream. It's estimated that 50% of the population has H Pylori, and while some are completely asymptomatic, others will present with heartburn or a chronic gnawing sensation in the upper middle ribcage.
👉 Candida overgrowth - This is yeast overgrowth in the gut. Candida overgrowth often coincides with H Pylori infection because low stomach acid caused by H Pylori makes the gut more vulnerable to overgrowth of bacteria & other pathogens. Recurrent vaginal yeast infections are one symptom of Candida overgrowth in the gut.
👉 High anti-gliadin antibodies - This shows an immune response to gluten in the gut. This one bamboozled us because Caroline had cut gluten from her diet months prior, in which case we'd expect to see a level <50 (and hers was 367!).
Once we had this data in front of us, we were able to come up with a clear plan to heal her gut & get her pooping regularly!
01. We began treating her H Pylori with a holistic protocol.
02. I also sent her on a quest to identify any hidden sources of gluten in her diet. And through thorough investigation👏, Caroline discovered the sushi that was a staple in her diet contained imitation crab meat that contained gluten!
Since beginning H Pylori treatment & eliminating the gluten-contaminated sushi, I'm SO thrilled to report that Caroline has been pooping 5+ days per week!!! An incredible improvement from 1 BM every 2 weeks!
She sent me these before and after pictures the other day and I could just CRY at how happy I am for her!
She lost zero pounds! This difference is simply a result of improving gut motility and addressing that hidden gut infection! 🤯😍🤯, right?!?!
She's no longer living in chronic discomfort & she's just radiating confidence! ✨
So listen, if you're sick & tired of walking out of your doctor's office feeling frustrated & unheard, I can help!
It's my goal as your functional medicine dietitian to make you feel the most heard you've ever felt in your life. Your symptoms are valid, and I'm here to help you dig to find the root cause.
Our journey begins with a deep dive assessment where I'll ask you what feels like a million questions about your life while I map out important details & connect the dots in your story. (I'm like Nancy Drew when it comes to solving your health puzzle 😉)
From there, I'll order advanced lab testing so we can get super dialed in on where we need to focus our attention to make healing happen.
If this sounds like the missing link you've been looking for, click here to work with me 1-1! I can't wait to meet you!
xo, jenny