It’s possible to put autoimmune disease into remission with lifestyle, diet changes and supplements. Mike is proof. While I’ve have many client success stories, Mike is a bit unique because he has IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) instead of IBS. Mike is also a medical doctor.
IBD, autoimmune disease and IBS both start in the gut.
Inflammatory bowel disease refer to a group of two autoimmune diseases: ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s occurs when the immune system attacks the bowels to cause ongoing damage and inflammation.
Despite Mike’s medical training and belief in Western medicine, he was reluctant to go on the pharmaceuticals to manage his Chron’s after his diagnosis.
I’m close friends with Mike’s wife, so he came to me to explore alternatives to medication. He’s letting me share his story to teach how the gut can repair naturally without medications and the right natural interventions.
Mike’s recovery
We started by ordering a GI Map stool test so we could see what was going on in the large intestine.
We knew that Mike’s immune system is inflamed, but we wanted to understand why. A cause of IBD can be the incorrect response of the immune system to environmental triggers, such as a virus or bacteria, which causes inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. The GI Map tells us what types of infections can be the trigger.
Mike’s GI Map showed an h. pylori infection at a low level, and high markers for bacterial overgrowth, which indicates h. pylori is having a problematic, downstream effect on the biome.
One of the issues that IBD and h. pylori typically share is persistent diarrhea. Though in my experience not everyone with h. pylori experiences this symptom. People’s bodies display symptoms differently to the same root cause.
Mike also had an incredibly low production of digestive enzymes (elastase) and gut immunity (SigA) that was very low. His immune system was in a stage of exhaustion from stress and a long but unsuccessful immune system battle against h. pylori.
His inflammation marker was also high and Mike had a sluggish liver.
Mike’s protocol
My plan was to address h. pylori first to help his body fight it off. To do this, we chose a 2 month course of matula tea.
To support his immune system, I suggested a powerful immune supporting probiotic called Saccharomyces Boullardii and MegaIGG2000, an immunoglobulin.
To address his liver I suggested NAC, which did double duty as a biofilm buster for the h. pylori. I also suggested to stop or greatly reduce alcohol consumption.
To support his digestion I suggested digestive enzymes.
And lastly, address his stress response/adrenals from a demanding job, I suggested an adaptogen and b-vitamin based supplement called Daily Stress Formula, by Pure Encapsulation.
Lastly, for his inflammation we added a highly bioavailable form of curcumin called Meriva.
The most important dietary recommendation was to stop consuming gluten in all forms . Gluten is the number one trigger that drives leaky gut, and leaky gut is always present with autoimmune disease. To put autoimmune disease into remission, the gut lining needs to be repaired.
Mike also stopped coffee during his h. pylori protocol along with limiting alcohol.
He also added bone broth to his diet to sooth. support and mend his gut lining.
In my clinical experience as a health coach, it’s often the consumption of gluten and gut infections like h. pylori that drive autoimmune flares for conditions like Chrons, Eczema, rheumatoid arthritis or Hashimotos, to name a few.
The results
Not only did Mike start feeling better symptom-wise, without taking medication, but two years later he sent me this text below. His most recent colonoscopy showed no evidence of active Chrons disease.
He is still avoiding gluten and I think this is key for his remission.
The natural route worked well for him. And the colonoscopy proved it.
I share healing stories to demonstrate how supporting the body with the right testing, diet, supplementation and lifestyle shifts can put even a serious condition into remission.
While everyone has their unique triggers, it is still possible to find relief naturally, and without the side effects of medication.
Angela Privin is proof that IBS is NOT an incurable disease, but a cry for help from a gut out of balance. When the body AND mind are complaining, it’s an opportunity to examine what’s not working and change it. After solving her own IBS mystery almost two decades ago, Angela became as a health coach to help others. Angela uses root cause medicine protocols personalized to the individual to solve each IBS mystery. Her tools are lab testing, dietary changes, supplementation, subconscious mind work and nervous system rebalancing . Learn more here.