Case Study: Chronic acid reflux

I have recently been working with a 42-year-old female patient who presented with chronic acid reflux of 8 years duration. This had initially improved with medication from her GP but her medication was having less and less effect. Within the past two years she developed fatigue, gas, and bloating after meals, even after drinking water her stomach would feel bloated and uncomfortable.

My client felt motivated to reach out to me for help as she has recently started experiencing more acid reflux at night, and this caused her discomfort and difficulty getting comfortable and falling asleep.

My clinical approach:

I immediately recommended specific lab tests to get a deeper understanding of what may be causing her chronic symptoms. We completed a GI Effects Comprehensive Stool Test.

Her results showed clear levels of imbalance and explained why she had been struggling for so long:

* Pancreatic elastase - LOW

* Products of protein breakdown - HIGH

* Beneficial short chain fatty acids (SCFA's) - LOW

* Fecal Fat - HIGH

* Lactobacillus - LOW

* Bifidobacterium - LOW

Comprehensive stool analysis is not something GP’s offer but provides a wealth of information and saves a lot of “guess work” and “trial and error”! Specific functional lab tests allow us to focus our efforts more specifically when we understand exactly what is going on. Other tests were requested through her GP to assist our investigation. Her GP also referred her for an endoscopy. This was negative for H. pylori.

We also tested Thyroid/Cortisol to assess her HPA axis and stress response which showed a loss of resilience which has been associated with chronic fatigue symptoms, inflammation, digestive dysfunction and sleep dysfunction.

We assessed for Food Intolerances and Vitamin D and Omega-3 levels. Unfortunately we found low Omega-3, and low vitamin D levels. Both of these deficiencies put the client at higher risk of systemic inflammation impacting her health.

Following a comprehensive investigation we put a plan together that she felt comfortable and able to stick to and she is feeling much better after 3 months. We are looking forward to re-testing her in another couple of months to see how much her markers have improved 🙌🏻🤍

For an appointment please request a 15 min call first. This is pre screening call that allows me to ascertain if a Functional Medicine approach is the right approach for you.

Book here: https://portal.drmariechristinedix.com/book/toc/functional-medicine-chiropractor/MTExMTExMTEwMQ