Case Study: A Transformation in Health – Gastroparesis

Chronic Disease

Case Study: A Transformation in Health – Gastroparesis

Overview

This client, a physician, came to me with a long list of physical and mental health problems. She had already explored many traditional medical avenues, including at the Mayo Clinic, but remained unwell.

Here, she charts her progress, comparing before and after adopting my personalised diet:

15 May 2020 – Before her consultation with me

“I am a physician with a complex mental health history, dysautonomia and prominence of gastroparesis/fainting.

No one has answers for my gastroparesis and weight loss so I am gradually starving to death, at about 115 pounds today (height 163 cm).

I take way too many laxatives in order to help move things through, so that I can eat. When my gastroparesis is bad, I can choose to hydrate or eat but not both. It is sometimes quite difficult.

There has been autonomic testing at the Mayo clinic that was largely disappointing. I essentially have “dysautonomia” (a dysregulated autonomic nervous system).

role of the autonomic nervous system

Current Symptoms

  • Severe gastroparesis symptoms
  • Weight loss of about 155 to 160 pounds in about six to seven years
  • Severe constipation
  • Anhidrosis
  • Nocturnal abdominal pain and retching
  • Dry mouth/dry eyes
  • Presyncope and syncope
  • Dysuria without bladder infection
  • Gustatory rhinitis
  • Dysphagia
  • Severe insomnia—about 3 to 4 hours per night
  • Bradycardia with a resting heart rate at home of between 55 and 60 beats per minute (or about 50 at night)
  • Itching

My current diet includes frozen fruit or protein powder smoothies for breakfast, sometimes some soup. Eggs, pickles, smoothies, grains and vegetables for lunch and dinner. I drink ramen soup for its salt content. I eat very little vegetables or meat due to my inability to digest them.”

“The results of my gastric investigation show that 84% of the food in my stomach remains undigested.”

My Dietary Recommendations

As with all of my clients, she first took my online autonomic assessment, to provide me with an insight into the natural balance in her autonomic nervous system. Then, after a two hour video consultation, I provided her with personalised dietary recommendations, tailored to her autonomic grouping. This included foods which she must eat, and those she must avoid, plus a list of natural supplements, all tailored to her autonomic grouping. I also recommended some natural detoxification procedures.

18 May – Immediately after our consultation

“Thank you so much for your help and interest. I think this might be very helpful in setting me on a better path that does not lead to dying anytime soon.”

29 May

“I wonder if it could be working so quickly, but I think it has. The necessity for laxatives has dropped dramatically, the HRV scores are slowly rising, and the gastroparesis is remarkably improved. My weight is stable and even up a couple of pounds. I do not know if it should work so quickly but clearly, the numbers are telling me that they are. Thank you so much. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that something is definitely working.”

7 June

“My gastroparesis and constipation are 90 percent better and the total and LDL cholesterol have both dropped by 50 points. Thank you so much.”

27 June

“I felt like updating you today, mostly because my numbers this morning are the best I’ve had and because the trajectory is obviously upward since I’ve been collecting data. I now do morning HRV readings sitting and lying for 5 minutes each in order to collect consistent and (I think) more valid data. My sitting HRV this morning was 53 and parasympathetic and my lying HRV was 62. Not every day is better than the next, but the trend is very good.

My weight is stable at about 121 pounds, which is 7 pounds more than it was and my gastroparesis is very good almost every day.

Clearly, your recommendations have been remarkable and I rarely cheat anymore because my body knows when I have done it.

Thanks so much for your help and ongoing support and interest.”

31 July

“Matt, you have largely saved me. I probably would not have done as well as I have with this virus had I not already gotten into a good state of health. I felt I needed to tell as many people as possible about my success so they too can get your advice. I am in contact with some people who either have recently seen you or will see you because of my posts on Facebook. I just felt like there are too many people out there suffering needlessly that you might be able to help.”

2 Sept

“My labs returned after following your diet for about 80 days.

Before

Total cholesterol = 298

HDL = 56 (“Good” cholesterol)

LDL = 209 (“Bad” cholesterol)

Triglycerides = 166

Total cholesterol/HDL ratio = 5.3 (normal is less than 4.5).

After

Total cholesterol = 272 (down 26)

HDL = 71 (“Good” cholesterol up 15)

LDL = 184 (“Bad” cholesterol down 25)

Triglycerides = 87 (down 79)

The Total cholesterol/HDL ratio is 3.8 (down 1.5 to normal levels)

“My weight is up 16 pounds since May and the gastroparesis is significantly better.”

Better mood – There is an increase in what I would call “prefrontal cortical activity” so my decision-making and ability to think things through rationally and with improved planning and judgment are markedly better. This has led to less impulsivity and less of a desire to act on things like fear or adversity in ways that would probably not have been helpful to me. This has been an unexpected but welcome change.”

I hope that this demonstrates how nutrition can transform health and that it will provide encouragement to others, even when you think that you’ve exhausted all of the options.

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