Case study: No more daytime naps

Leslie is a 37 year old lady who came to our clinic seeking help for a number of problems. The first thing she wrote on her list was “I have a very noisy gut”. Linda had all sorts of digestive problems; she was constipated and very bloated.

She was happy with her weight but very unhappy about how her abdomen protruded out through her clothing and made her look pregnant.

Leslie has 3 children and is a stay at home mom. She occasionally helps her husband with the paperwork involved in running his business, but said she usually doesn’t have the energy and her head feels too foggy to be able to achieve much.

Leslie has a borderline thyroid problem. She is in the early stages of hypothyroidism (under active thyroid gland) caused by Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Her doctor told her it’s not bad enough to warrant medication, but Leslie has been feeling unwell for quite some time. She is also concerned about recent scalp hair loss, which is a common symptom of an under active thyroid.

I was really happy that Leslie came to our clinic because I was confident I could do a lot to improve her wellbeing.

When I assessed Leslie’s blood test results, I could see a long history of sluggish thyroid function. Her TSH level fluctuated between 2.8 and 3.4 for the past 5 years. An ideal level is between 0.5 and 2.5. Leslie had asked her doctor for a vitamin D blood test and urinary iodine test because she understood the importance of these tests after reading our book Your Thyroid Problems Solved. Unsurprisingly, she was deficient in both.

My recommendations for my patient

• I asked Leslie to take 2 Thyroid Health capsules each day, as they would provide the nutrients her thyroid gland requires for manufacturing hormones, and would correct her vitamin D and iodine insufficiency.
• I asked Leslie to remove gluten and dairy products from her diet. This would improve her digestion, reduce the bloating and all the noise her intestines were making. To help ease the constipation I asked Leslie to take 2 capsules in the morning and 2 capsules in the evening of Colon Detox. I also asked Leslie to take a Digestive Enzymes capsule with each meal. This would help her digest her food more thoroughly, resulting in less bloating and discomfort. Undigested food in the small intestine provides food for all the wrong bugs and yeast. This not only causes digestive problems, it can contribute to fatigue and immune system problems.
• Leslie barely drank any water. She said she was either too distracted during the day, or didn’t feel thirsty. I asked her to drink between 6 and 8 glasses of water or cups or herbal tea each day. This is very helpful at improving energy, and it softens the stool, reducing the risk of constipation.
• I suggested Leslie drinks some apple cider vinegar in a little warm water 5 minutes before eating lunch and dinner. This would help to support stomach acid production, further improving her digestion and reducing bloating. The scalp hair loss would improve once Leslie’s thyroid hormone production improved, but it will also get better when her digestion improves. Poor digestion creates malabsorption of nutrients. That means even though Leslie may follow a healthy diet, if her digestion is poor, she’ll still be lacking nutrients. This commonly manifests as dry, brittle hair or excessive scalp hair loss. To speed up the improvements in her hair, I asked Leslie to take 3 capsules daily of Hair, Skin and Nail Food.

Four weeks later

When I saw Leslie for her follow up appointment, the first thing she said was “I feel so much better. I have so much energy now. I no longer need to have a nap around midday”. Leslie had forgotten to tell me about her daily naps. She’d been taking a nap for as long as she could remember. Naps were such a regular part of her day that she forgot to mention them.

Along with the improvements in energy, Leslie was also thrilled with how much better her digestion was. She said “Now when I look down, I’ve got a flat tummy. It hasn’t been like that for the longest time”. Leslie will have a blood test to check on the health of her thyroid gland in another four weeks and I plan to see her again at that stage.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.