How Valerie beat digestive problems, anxiety, fatigue and healed her thyroid

Valerie contacted us in spring of 2019 because she had feeling tired and anxious, her sleep was broken, and she was struggling with digestive symptoms.

In her own words:

“Just over a year ago, I had had enough of feeling anxious and fatigued. Over the past 3 years I had been feeling 50% of myself. My digestion wasn’t great and I had got to a point where I was irritated most of the time. Although I had been seeking other forms of alternative therapy to overcome my issues, I wanted to delve deeper to try and see if I could get to the bottom of it. I was aware that I had autoimmune thyroid antibodies and understood that if I don’t get that under control, I may end up with a compromised immune system in the future, which will begin to cause serious harm to my health.”

Before we continue, a little background

Doctors had run some lab testing and diagnosed Valerie with an autoimmune thyroid disorder known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

In these autoimmune disorders, the person’s immune system begins attacking its own tissues, in this case the thyroid gland. It’s a bit like “friendly fire” in a war zone.

When the thyroid gland is the target of an immune attack, thyroid hormone levels can increase or decrease depending on the specifics of the situation.

An increase is usually diagnosed as Grave’s disease, and a decrease is usually diagnosed as Hashimoto’s.

This all sounds very complex, and in some cases, it is. Autoimmune conditions can be difficult to overcome if they’re left too long.

But not all autoimmune disorders are complicated––some can be relatively easy to fix.

Thankfully, this was the case with Valerie.

Why do autoimmune disorders develop?

The immune system doesn’t turn on the body’s own tissues for no reason.

Usually, it starts to attack something in the body that it doesn’t like, and this initial attack can often be the gut.

Certain types of food (especially gluten), along with bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi in the gut can lead to an immune reaction.

Furthermore, certain environmental toxins are believed to trigger these immune reactions.

At the same time, the body needs optimal nutrient levels to “switch off” the immune reaction when it is no longer required.

The immune system may not be able to switch itself off if certain regulatory nutrients––e.g. glutathione, selenium, vitamins A, D, E and others––are depleted or insufficient.

The end result is an immune system that’s spins out of control and ends up producing antibodies to attack tissues in the body as opposed to the bad guys.

We usually need to find out what’s in the body that shouldn’t be, and get rid of it.

We then find out which nutrients are inadequate and put them back.

It’s like balancing a seesaw: get rid of the bad, replace the good.

We use functional lab testing (stool, urine, blood, etc.) to see what’s going on in the first place, which is exactly how we helped Valerie reclaim her health.

Valerie’s lab test results

We ran three initial tests––a stool test, organic acids urine test and a blood test.

Not everyone needs to do all these tests by any means, but we felt it necessary due to Valerie’s thyroid disease.

We wanted to get as much information about her body as possible.

Stool test

As you can see below, Valerie’s stool test revealed two major findings:

Very high levels of Campylobacter, a bacterium which should not be present in the digestive system.

There is some research indicating a possible role for Campylobacter in autoimmune diseases, and it will nearly always cause digestive symptoms when present.

Very high levels of the Cryptosporidium parasite, which should also be absent. This parasite buries into the intestinal lining and can cause a lot of irritation.

Valerie’s stool test also revealed two more parasites as you can see below.

These parasites are not known to cause autoimmune disorders, but they are strongly associated with digestive symptoms.

Organic acids test

Markers #7 and #9 on Valerie’s organic acids test (below) suggested the presence of a mild yeast/fungal overgrowth in her intestine.

Like the bacteria and parasites mentioned above, yeast and fungal organisms can cause a lot of digestive disruption and have been associated with autoimmune conditions in some people.

Irrespective of whether these “bad bugs” were triggering Valerie’s thyroid disease, they needed to be dealt with.

Blood test

Several important markers were out of balance in Valerie’s blood test, as you can see below.

First, her hemoglobin and MCV were a little low, which can indicate vitamin B12 and folate depletion.

Next, Valerie’s vitamin D level was very low, which is important in autoimmune cases.

Her homocysteine level was creeping up too high, which again indicated that she may need vitamin B12, folate and certain other nutrients to support her metabolism.

Finally, you can see the thyroid markers are out of balance, with the antibodies at 378 when they should not rise above 10.

There were other imbalanced blood test markers, but it would be too complicated to go into them here.

Genetics test

We also tested Valerie’s genetics.

This is too complex to discuss in detail here, but I’ll mention that the gene responsible for making vitamin A in the body was what we call a “slow” gene.

This “slow” gene, called BCO1, can lead to a 50% reduction in vitamin A production compared with people who have the “fast” gene. The slow gene is much less efficient when it comes to making vitamin D.

If you recall from above, vitamin A is really important for regulating immune system function. Low vitamin A is a risk factor for autoimmune conditions.

Valerie’s Action Plan

Having examined all Valerie’s lab tests, it was clear that she had a number of factors that could be contributing to her symptoms and to her thyroid disease:

• Campylobacter
• 3 different parasites
• Yeast/fungal overgrowth
• Low vitamin D
• Low B vitamins
• A genetic tendency to make less vitamin A

The action plan consisted of three major steps:

Adjust Valerie’s diet to minimise foods that can trigger immune reactions, especially gluten and other lectin-containing foods.

Remove the bad bugs from Valerie’s digestive system and improve her digestive function in general.

Supplement with vitamins B6, folate and B12 as well as key immune-regulating nutrients––vitamins A and D, glutathione, selenium and other antioxidants.

Obviously, we did not try to do this all at one. We staggered the protocols in a manageable way and made sure they suited Valerie’s body.

Here’s what happened, in Valerie’s own words:

“Within the first few weeks, we found parasites in my gut and various deficiencies of vitamins. Dave had spent time explaining what I needed to do and I began taking on his advice and taking some supplements to start the process of clearing and correcting my system. I was sceptical at first about whether any of this would help, however after just 3 months of taking on board Dave’s recommendations, my autoimmune antibodies had halved and I was feeling much more energetic. I had been reminded of what it was like to wake up feeling rested after a good night’s sleep. My gut symptoms had gone and my digestion had improved hugely. I was over the moon with the results and this fired me up to continue the journey to better health.”

Let’s take a look at those antibodies. Remember that, initially, the levels were at 378.

You can see in the snippet below that they had come down to 187, which although still too high, is a reduction of around 50%.

Valerie and I continued to work together, making sure that her improvements didn’t regress, and that she was always moving forward.

Several months later, we re-ran the thyroid test and found that the antibodies had come down by 50% yet again, this time landing at 83.2.

By the end of Valerie’s, programme she felt much better and felt she had much more control over her wellbeing.

“Having completed the program with Dave, I have remarkably improved health and feel much more in control of my day to day and feel much more confident about the future of my health.”

Are you or your family fed up with unexplained and ongoing symptoms?

Valerie’s case is a little more complicated than some of the ones I’ve shared over the years.

I wanted to illustrate how even an autoimmune disorder can be quietened using some common sense and the right lab testing.

Importantly, it wasn’t just Valerie’s antibody levels that came down, but also that all her symptoms improved significantly. She felt like a new person.

Nobody needs to put up with digestive symptoms or other problems such as low energy, skin problems, low moods, anxiety and so forth.

It just takes the right testing and a little bit of commitment to overcome the symptoms and feel well again.

Sometimes the solution is relatively easy, and other occasions, it may be slightly trickier.

Valerie’s case fell somewhere in between.

She felt much better after 90-days, but we needed six months to bring everything under control.

Unfortunately, many people limp on with ongoing symptoms without realising that a wide range of incredible tools are available to help.

It’s not uncommon for some of our clients to have been suffering with symptoms for years or even decades!

A home stool test is one of the tools that can help you.

It’s the best starting point if you have digestive problems.

It’s quick and easy to do––you don’t even need to visit a clinic.

A test kit is sent to your home, you complete a sample in privacy, and send it back to the lab for analysis.

The private labs really look at the stool sample with detail––way more detail than standard medical testing––and are able to find important information about your digestion that would otherwise be missed.

It is the breadth of information that so often makes the difference to people’s health outcome.

You have to know what you’re up against so you can target the treatment protocols with laser-focus and efficiency.

So, if you’re bored of having a bunch of unexplained symptoms and you just want some answers, here’s how we can help.

Click here to learn more about getting a home stool test – there’s tons of info on the benefits and how the process works.

Click here if you would prefer to book a 1-2-1 phone, Skype or Zoom consultation so we can conduct a case review and advice you on the most relevant next steps based on your unique situation.

Most importantly, please realise that you don’t have to put up with feeling crappy.

The solutions are there for you!

All our best,

Dave & Jack.

PS, here is Valerie’s full story and testimonial.

Just over a year ago, I had had enough of feeling anxious and fatigued. Over the past 3 years I had been feeling 50% of myself. My digestion wasn’t great and I had got to a point where I was irritated most of the time. Although I had been seeking other forms of alternative therapy to overcome my issues, I wanted to delve deeper to try and see if I could get to the bottom of it. I was aware that I had autoimmune thyroid antibodies and understood that if I don’t get that under control, I may end up with a compromised immune system in the future, which will begin to cause serious harm to my health.

A friend had recommended that I contact Dave Hompes and see if he could help. From my initial phone call with Dave, it was clear that he was very knowledgeable and that he had real confidence in what he could offer me in the form of functional medicine. I decided to go for the 6 month coaching program as I knew I would need as much help and reassurance as I could get whilst embarking on this journey to better my health. Within the first few weeks, we found parasites in my gut and various deficiencies of vitamins.

Dave had spent time explaining what I needed to do and I began taking on his advise and taking some supplements to start the process of clearing and correcting my system. I was sceptical at first about whether any of this would help, however after just 3 months of taking on board Dave’s recommendations, my autoimmune antibodies had halved and I was feeling much more energetic. I had been reminded of what it was like to wake up feeling rested after a good nights sleep. My gut symptoms had gone and my digestion had improved hugely. I was over the moon with the results and this fired me up to continue the journey to better health. Having completed the program with Dave, I have remarkably improved health and feel much more in control of my day to day and feel much more confident about the future of my health.

Although there were a few times I felt deflated and at certain points it was not always easy to make changes, Dave was always willing to answer my many questions during our weekly calls and give me the confidence to keep going. He was compassionate but also did not sugar coat anything he needed to say. It is fair to say that Dave is truly passionate about what he does and has a genuine urge to help and to optimise people’s health. He is an expert in his field and I feel truly lucky to have been able to tap into his knowledge and take my own health to new heights. I had dedicated a lot of time to changing certain things in my life and my lifestyle and of course, it was hard at times. However, I would not be able to live the way I am today without his support, guidance and expert knowledge all of which in the grand scheme of things is truly priceless.

Thank you Dave!