27-year-old Jessie had struggled with a number of health challenges for many years when she first met Jo at Brainstorm Health. She was diagnosed with ASD and ADHD. While she was a bright and successful young woman, her eating patterns were erratic and unhealthy and she suffered from IBS-type symptoms, anxiety and physical aches and pains. By making some fundamental changes to her diet and supporting Jessie’s gut health and nervous system, Jo worked with her to resolve her digestive troubles and establish healthier patterns of eating. Jessie was able to achieve better physical health and energy, and a calmer and more resilient state of mind.
Hi Jo, tell me a bit about your patient and the symptoms they first came to you with
27-year-old Jessie is a young professional woman with ASD and ADHD diagnoses. She had an aversion to many foods and found eating physically challenging. Her days were busy and she often went long periods without eating as she did not recognise hunger cues. She found cooking a chore and struggled with planning and preparing meals.
Jessie experienced weakness, light-headedness and sleepiness on a daily basis. She also regularly had aching joints. She had a history of mental health issues, which she was addressing through talking therapies. Her weight had fluctuated a lot over the years, most recently when she lost her appetite following a covid infection.
Jessie also experienced IBS-type symptoms that were worse when she was under emotional stress and she suspected a gluten and/or dairy intolerance. She reported strong-smelling sweat, and she had frequent headaches and migraines, as well as quite severe PMS symptoms.
Jessie relied on Melatonin 50% of the time to get to sleep.
Jessie’s mother had smoked throughout her pregnancy with Jessie. She was deprived of oxygen at birth and had had frequent throat infections in childhood.
How were her symptoms impacting Jessie’s life?
Jessie was aware that her eating habits were not healthy and that they were impacting her physical health. She enjoyed doing exercise and wanted to work on building muscle, but chronic joint pain and low energy were preventing her from training. She was smoking 20 cigarettes a day and consuming a lot of caffeine, but she did not feel ready to cut down her intake of either. Jessie had plans to start a family, but knew that she needed to be in better health in order to do this.
What were your initial steps in helping Jessie?
We started with some important dietary changes. I advised Jessie to switch to a gluten-free diet as gluten seemed to be a primary driver of her gastric symptoms. We also focussed on balancing blood sugar. We aimed to establish a habit of eating three meals per day that included a source of healthy fats and good-quality protein to maintain steady blood sugar. This is crucial for regulating cortisol levels and balancing mood.
Jessie was reliant on a certain brand of meal-replacement shake that she had every day for breakfast. It was high in refined sugar and contained refined vegetable oils, dairy derivatives, artificial sweeteners and soy-based ingredients, all of which can contribute to inflammation and neurotoxicity. We swapped this brand for an alternative product containing plant-derived proteins and far fewer processed ingredients. I also recommended that Jessie slowly start to reduce her caffeine intake by replacing one coffee per day with a herbal tea.
With supplements, we focussed on calming the nervous system, using Nutri-Advanced MegaMag Calmeze - a blend of magnesium, B vitamins and amino acids that promote the production of calming neurotransmitters. We also supported Jessie’s adrenal function, and added a liquid multi-mineral. I recommended Epsom salts footbaths as a relaxing ritual that she could incorporate into her daily routine.
What lab tests did you do? What did the tests reveal and how did this shape your therapeutic approach?
Jessie’s budget was limited, so we prioritised a stool test and a urine organic acid test. Her stool test revealed low pancreatic enzyme output, and a high degree of gastrointestinal inflammation. She had low levels of protective gut bacteria and there was evidence of candida overgrowth as well.
The urine test revealed depleted B vitamins, further evidence of maldigestion, and low Omega 3 fatty acids.
We started to address these issues in the next phase of Jessie’s plan, adding digestive enzymes, calcium magnesium butyrate to support the gastrointestinal lining, and raw bee pollen, which is rich in highly absorbable vitamins, fatty acids, enzymes, and plant compounds with anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. I recommended that Jessie added bone and meat broths to her diet to support the repair of her gut lining, as well as anti-inflammatory foods, and probiotic and prebiotic foods.
How long did it take before seeing positive changes to symptoms?
At her first follow-up appointment, Jessie reported that she was regulating her food intake much more effectively and no longer going for long periods without eating. Her physical aversion to swallowing foods was gradually reducing. She no longer experienced feelings of faintness and her energy levels were stable throughout the day.
Joint aches were much reduced and now only occasional, and Jessie’s mood was much more stable and anxiety reduced. She described feeling ‘more at ease and balanced’.
She had had no migraines since the initial consultation, and just occasional tension headaches. Perspiration had reduced and was no longer smelly.
Gassiness, bloating and stomach aches were much reduced following a gluten-free and dairy-free diet, and her bowel movements were much more regular and consistent.
How long have you been working together now?
I worked with Jessie over a 10-month period, in which she made some brilliant progress. I have not seen her for several months now.
What has been the biggest ‘breakthrough’ moment on Jessie’s journey?
For Jessie, I think getting the basics of diet right was so important. We didn’t do anything radical, as I knew that just planning, preparing and eating regular meals was challenging for her, but removing dairy, gluten and highly processed foods, and eating regular, nutritious meals to balance blood sugar led to so many significant gains in her physical and mental wellbeing. In one of our consultations, Jessie told me that although she had been through a stressful time at work, she had coped much better with it and felt more resilient than she had in the past.
How Is Jessie doing now? What will you focus on next if you continue working together?
Jessie was doing so well the last time I saw her. She had cut down smoking to five cigarettes a day, she had moved house and was talking about trying for a baby with her partner. I am so proud of the progress she made while we were working together, and of course my door remains open if she ever needs to come back for further support on her health journey.
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