Client case study
Alice is a recent client who has kindly allowed me to share her experience.
She is in her early 50’s and started seeing me in the summer because her rheumatoid arthritis and autoimmune hypothyroidism had both begun flaring over the previous couple of years.
She had a long list of symptoms that were troubling her, including various menopausal symptoms, low mood and energy, bloating and inflamed joints.
Menopause is unfortunately a common time for women to experience a flare in autoimmune symptoms. One of the underlying reasons is often a reduced ability to detoxify, particularly when thyroid function is low.
In Alice’s case, we realised that she had been suffering from constipation for a few years, but she actually hadn’t noticed this. Constipation usually occurs for a combination of reasons and is one of most influential factors governing a person’s ability to detoxify. Resolving constipation may seem mundane, but it can have far-reaching benefits in autoimmunity as it significantly improves detoxification - and therefore inflammation.
Resolving constipation can also have positive knock-on effects on all sorts of other areas, including hormonal balance, gut health and immunity.
Here are just some of the factors I consider when we are looking for the causes of constipation.
Several of these areas were very relevant to Alice. Constipation can be stubborn to resolve, and the key is to identify the relevant areas and work on them simultaneously.
In Alice’s case, we did a lot of work on her nervous system, which regulated her cortisol levels, increased her ability to notice her bowel movement cues, and increased her digestive secretions. We also used supplementation to increase her magnesium levels. The increased magnesium and lowered cortisol also helped her sleep, which is a huge factor is detoxification.
We also ran a more thorough thyroid test which identified that her Levothyroxine dose was insufficient. She was able to take this to her GP, who increased her dose, which is likely to have helped restore regular bowel movements, as well as improve mood, energy and sleep.
Although increasing thyroid medication may not feel attractive, this can often be an important short term measure to improve regulation and reduce inflammation, which then actually increases the chances of being able to reduce medication over the longer term.
You can read more about low thyroid function here.
We also undertook some additional work on Alice’s detoxification pathways and hormonal health, based on her test results.
Alice found these actions relatively easy to undertake and was really pleased by the improvement in her symptoms. Her mood, energy and sleep were ‘back to normal’ and her joint pain had significantly reduced.
‘Layering’ the approach
Alice is continuing to work with me, using a ‘layered’ approach, which can be very effective. It simply means that when someone has a complex case with many symptoms, we first work on the area which is likely to bring most rewards. In Alice’s case, this was detoxification, with a particular focus on constipation.
Once we have made some improvements in this area, we take some time to allow the benefits to show through. We then take stock and look at what symptoms remain, and select another area to work on that is likely to bring additional gains. This phased approach can be spaced out, so that it doesn’t overwhelm, and so that the benefits of the work have time to materialise.
In Alice’s case future layers will include taking a deeper look at her remaining food intolerances, and at her viral load. For some people, this may be looking at how their genetics are affecting their autoimmune condition, understanding more about their liver health, or looking at the health of their intestinal barrier function. For others, it may be about building their immune resilience, or simply finding ways to make their day-to-day lives easier by helping them with meal planning and food selection.
The most important thing for clients is that they feel they are on a positive path where their symptoms are improving and that they have a greater degree of control and understanding.
I offer various ways for clients to continuing working with me after the initial set of sessions, so that they can continue to feel clear about what they are doing and are well supported.