A Root-Cause Approach to Your Health.
Client Success Stories: Part 2.
This is part of a quote from a client of mine: “As a result of Sarah’s program, I’ve significantly reduced the number of painful relfux episodes I was experiencing.”
The Background Story.
This particular client reached out to me after he experienced an intense bout of painful reflux, burping, and stomach gas after meals for the past few weeks.
This client had actually began his struggles with reflux 15+ years ago and had been prescribed Nexium by his doctor at that time. However, the Nexium was no longer providing relief for this bout of reflux issues and his doctor provided no other solutions for him.
That’s when this client reached out and scheduled a free call with me.
He struggled with reflux so much so that he had removed the majority of foods from his diet resulting in an unintentional 10 pound weight loss. He also had difficulty sleeping through the night, often waking up in the middle of the night in pain from his reflux. He started to have to sleep with the head of his bed elevated.
Even worse, he wasn’t able to do all the outdoor activities he was used to regularly participating in like mountain biking, running, paddling, etc. He was miserable.
He’d been to his doctor complaining of his severe reflux pain and his doctor’s only suggestion was to continue to keep taking the Nexium he’d been on for years. His doctor offered him no other solutions and sent him on his way.
(Does this sound like your story? Because this is nearly EVERYONE I see).
No surprise, the Nexium still didn’t provide him relief and he continued on suffering because there didn’t seem to be any other options offered by his doctor.
In the meantime, he was also struggling with osteopenia for a number of years and he wanted to come off his Fosamax medication because he felt it was compounding his reflux issues.
What we found.
We ran a food sensitivity test, a comprehensive stool test, and micronutrient test to gain a clearer picture of all the angles contributing to his reflux and bone density issues.
With his food sensitivity test we found he had sensitivities to:
- corn
- wheat
- cocoa
- cow’s milk
- and more
On his stool test we were able to rule out a common infection called H. pylori as the source of his reflux. Meanwhile, we found:
- significant dysbiosis (overgrowth of unhealthy bacteria with an undergrowth of healthy bacteria) happening in his gut
- an immune reaction to gliadin (gluten) in his gut lining
- a presence of occult blood
- high levels of calprotectin (indicating inflammation of the gut lining)
- low digestive capacity (indicating he was having trouble digesting foods due to low enzyme activity)
On his Micronutrient test we discovered several nutrients that needed re-balancing to help with his digestive capacity and bone health:
- Oleic acid and Glutamine were low which are associated with GI tract lining health
- All of his B vitamins were borderline low, as well as magnesium, which are important for bone health
With these results in hand we put together a diet and supplemental protocol designed specifically for him and his imbalances.
The result?
Progressively, over the 3 months we worked together, he began noticing the intensity and frequency of his reflux episodes begin to diminish. He also was able to:
- immediately identify what foods were triggers
- go on long mountain bike rides again
- sleep through the entire night without waking up in pain
- no longer sleep with the head of his bed elevated
His quality of life significantly improved.
Even more interesting, we discovered that the Nexium he had been taking for 15+ years was likely contributing to his Osteopenia. On the medication label it even clearly states “may increase risk of bone fracture”.
His doctor hadn’t picked up on this and began prescribing him Fosamax instead of creating a plan to wean him off Nexium. The Fosamax eventually led to the painful reflux episodes that prompted him to reach out to me.
I’m going to go on a little rant here…
Nexium is intended for short term, occasional use and it is NOT intended to be used as a long term, daily, solution for your reflux issues! The recommended use for PPI’s (Proton Pump Inhibitors), like Nexium, is in 14 day increments, no more than 3 times per year. My client was on PPI’s daily for 15 years!
Many doctors do this dis-favor to their patients because they’re so crunched for time and can’t spend an extra moment to even consider investigating the underlying causes to your reflux.
Guess what happens?
They put you on a lifetime supply of Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) therapy which causes more problems for you in the long run– serious problems like osteopenia or osteoporosis and you get put on even more pharmaceuticals which create more chronic symptoms.
Don’t let this happen to you.
Up to 35% of Americans suffer from reflux, and as a result, acid blocking medications are the 3rd top-selling drug in the U.S. today.
If you’re on a PPI, get a second opinion to find a way to wean yourself off these medications immediately, and while you’re at it, schedule a call with me so we can investigate underlying causes to your reflux.
List of commonly prescribed PPI’s:
- Omeprazole (Prilose, Losec)
- Lansoprazole (Prevacid)
- Dexlansoprazole (Dexilant)
- Esomeprazole (Nexium)
- Pantoprazole (Protonix)
- Rabeprazole (Pariet)
- llaprazole (Noltec)
Now, Back to my Client…
My clients’ symptoms progressively improved during our time working together.
>>The constant painful reflux episodes? Significantly diminished.
>>The constant burping and stomach gas? So much improved.
>>The sleepless nights? No longer an issue for him.
My client is now able to go on mountain bike rides and sleep through the night comfortably without painful reflux episodes constantly ruining his day, multiple times a day. He’s able to feel better in his body again and feels confident the healing path he is following is exactly what he needed to recover.
Instead of shooting in the dark guessing what his reaction to various foods were, guessing what was actually going on inside his gut, and guessing what nutrient deficiencies were compounding his problems, we were able to put together a concrete plan with straight forward steps.
If you’re extremely motivated and you’re ready to get your gut health on track, then book a complimentary consult with me to see if my Digestive Reset Program is right for you.
Here’s the rest of my clients’ quote:
I’m a very active 68 year old male who experienced a severe onset of acid reflux symptoms (GERD). This new onset of severe stomach gas and upper stomach pain was no longer able to be relieved by my daily dose of Nexium I’d been taking for years.
When I reached out to my GI doctor he had no other insight into my situation other than to increase my Nexium dosage which did nothing to relieve the discomfort I was in. Unfortunately for me, it only got worse over the next several weeks and I was absolutely debilitated by the digestive discomfort I was experiencing.
It was at this point that I realized something else was going on and that I needed a more holistic look at “what in the heck is wrong with me???“
In my initial phone conversation with Sarah we reviewed my health background, my current meds and supplements, and my goals beyond just feeling better from the GERD problems.
With Sarah’s program we looked at food sensitivities, gut imbalances, and nutrient deficiencies that were underlying causes to the symptoms I was experiencing.
Most importantly, her program included an interpretation of this testing with needed diet changes, new supplements, and three months of weekly calls to access how I was doing.
I was totally shocked to find out that the primary things I had been eating to combat the GERD symptoms were on my Highly Sensitive list! No wonder I was not getting better.
Using Sarah’s detailed diet plan, I kicked off a program of only eating the food LEAST sensitive to my body. At the same time I also started adding supplements to help the healing progress within my gut. Her written program and weekly consulting calls are very detailed and helped to keep me on track with the program.
Sarah was also able to identify the medication I was taking for osteopenia (fosamax) was likely contributing to my GERD and the Nexium I’d been on for years was likely contributing to my low bone density. It had never been brought up by ANY of my doctors that I had two meds that were “conflicting” with each other!
As of this writing I am four months into my program and can report that I am doing MUCH, MUCH BETTER !
As a result of Sarah’s program I’ve significantly reduced the number of painful reflux episodes I was experiencing. Now I’m able to go on long mountain bike rides, sleep uninterrupted through the night, no longer have to sleep with the head of my bed elevated, begin to wean off medication I’d been taking for years, and gain an in-depth understanding of what foods and supplements are optimal for my body and healing.
In conclusion, let me summarize for anyone reading this that Sarah Neumann is just AWESOME! When your physician has left you in limbo with your “gut issues”, Sarah is able to bring almost unbelievable nutritional knowledge into the battle of getting you better.
Not only is her technical understanding unsurpassed, but she also provides much needed comfort on the weekly phone calls that helped me have confidence that the PROCESS is working. This “hand holding” aspect of her practice is an essential component of the healing process.
Bottom line, if you are having chronic issues with GERD (or other GI problems) I strongly recommend that you get in touch with Sarah and commit to her program.
Don’t waste another minute of your life sitting in a doctors office and spending thousands of dollars on procedures and medications that give you no further answers to your digestive problems. It’s time to get started and take control of your health and your life.
I’m looking forward to connecting with you now or in the future!
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