Case Study 1: Gut Health Results
GUT HEALTH CASE STUDY
Gut health is becoming more understood, especially with the link to the immune system, brain health and hormonal health.
Research is constantly evolving into the gut bacteria, we now know how that it directly affects how the body breaks down foods, manufactures vitamins and protects against pathogens.
I am seeing this first hand in people struggling with symptoms of gut disorder and more often or not, learning to live with their symptoms as they become ‘normal’.
I have recently had the pleasure of working with a lovely lady and her gut health complaints.
SYMPTOMS
My client came to see me with symptoms of regular bouts of:
- diarrhoea
- eggy burps
- acidic stomach gurgling
She experienced severe ‘IBS attacks’ on a regular basis, that involved nausea, sickness and diarrhoea.
Her energy levels were low and she was experiencing mood fluctuations and cravings.
She was prescribed a stomach acid suppressant drug (PPI) to help alleviate her symptoms and despite feeling a little relief, felt it wasn’t right for her, so decided to contact me to work on what might be the underlying cause.
By the time we met, my client was pretty fed up, she thought she may have a food intolerance which could be causing her symptoms but wasn’t sure. Her digestive issues were troublesome and affecting her day to day life – she needed relief!
After a long chat, we organised a stool test which would help me to understand why she might be having these disruptions to her gut and she signed up for my six-week package.
The test showed that my client an imbalance of bacteria – low beneficial bacteria and high non-beneficial bacteria such as E.Coli. When I assess stool test results, I am looking for an overall picture of the diversity of the bacteria and in my client’s case, the imbalance was showing an inflammatory picture which were attributing to her symptoms.
We also identified a high-level of candida and significantly, bile in her stool.
WHAT IS BILE?
Bile is secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder to break down fats for digestion and ridding of waste in the body.
It is then mostly reabsorbed – if bile is found in the stool it can be a sign of malabsorption and may cause watery diarrhoea.
My client took all of this in her stride, she was ready to take on board the changes to her diet to help support her getting back to health again.
BELOW ARE THE STEPS I TOOK WITH MY CLIENT
We began low and slow to make her changes easy to incorporate so that she didn’t feel overwhelmed and were easier to become part of her routine.
- Full assessment of her stool results, intake questionnaire and food diary
- We began by supporting the binding of the bile in the intestine to reduce diarrhoea
- I then introduced foods and supplements to help increase the beneficial bacteria in the gut
- We worked on dietary changes to reduce overall inflammation in the body
- A gentle antimicrobial was included in her supplement protocol to help eliminate bacterias which added to her symptoms.
- We introduced lifestyle habits to help digest her food more effectively
I also encouraged my client to complete a daily food journal which is available on my health app. She was able to see the changes in her digestive symptoms, mood and energy and I was able to give any feedback to keep her on track.
WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME?
Over the course of 6 weeks my clients stool were now regularly formed and she no longer had severe diarrhoea or sickness. Her stool changed from a level of 7-8 to 4-5 on the Bristol Stool Chart
Her eggy burps had gone, she was more energised and was experiencing less cravings.
But most importantly, she was now in control of her health. She was able to identify foods that would support her gut health, even when she went away on holiday.
Over six week’s she saw a huge improvement in her symptoms however it was important for my client to understand that it was not an overnight fix and would mean consistency and long-term changes.
Gut health can have an impact multiple systems of the body and as 80% of our immune cells reside in the gut, it can directly impact the immune system. Leaky gut or a bacteria imbalance is linked to chronic inflammation and other diseases and disorders such as:
- depression
- coeliac disease
- anxiety
- acne
- type 2 diabetes
- cancer
- obesity
- autoimmune disorders
My client received weekly accountability calls which provided support and guidance every step of the way. They are designed to work at your pace and schedule and will help you to make small manageable changes to support your health needs.
MY CLIENT’S WORDS
” I had some digestive complaints causing some side affects and discomfort. Rebecca listened to my history and was able to help start me on my journey of sorting out my problems, encouraging me and helping with any questions/queries I had really quickly. I know it’s not going to be a quick/overnight fix, but Rebecca was very knowledgeable and has helped me know what the best plan is going forward “.
If you, or anyone you know is struggling with gut complaints, get in touch!
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