Case Study: Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Treating Inflammatory Bowel Disease
A 42-year old female patient (hereafter called “Ada” to ensure confidentiality) sought the help of Dr. Payal Bhandari M.D. because she was having severe chronic gastrointestinal discomfort. Ada came to Advanced Health with a desire to learn more about the nutrient-dense foods she could safely incorporate into her diet. She wanted to stop experiencing recurrent debilitating abdominal pain after eating. Historically, she had landed in the hospital for small and large intestine obstruction plus SIBO (also called Small Intestinal Bacterial Growth) and given many rounds of antibiotics.
Ada is a self-employed lawyer with a heavy workload and limited social support. She found it difficult to take sufficient care of herself such as cooking healthy, home-made meals, getting sufficient sleep and regularly exercising. She would often eat most meals out, live on caffeine, and work late into the night.
During Ada's initial consultation with Dr. Bhandari, she rated her health as a 1, on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = poor, 5 = excellent). Dr. Bhandari M.D. discovered Ada suffered from a dreary form of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, also known as IBD. Her entire digestive tract was “on fire” and leaking toxins into the bloodstream. It was associated with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, chronic colon infections, malnourished dehydrated cells, and an enlarged dysfunctional thyroid with multiple nodules.
What Advanced Health Uncovered
When Dr. Bhandari examined Ada, she discovered Ada had low blood pressure from severe dehydration. She was short of breath and extremely tired with minimal exertion. She experienced moderate levels of stomach pains caused by difficulty digesting most foods and causing recurrent chest pain. Dr. Bhandari noted a thick white film on Ada’s tongue which represented significant gastrointestinal (GI) dehydration, dysbiosis, and low production of digestive enzymes.
Dr. Bhandari noticed Ada's breathes were slightly shallow since she was unable to fully engage her abdominal muscles and take deep breaths. Upon palpation of her abdomen, Dr. Bhandari felt a mildly enlarged spleen associated with a tense, non-distended, and non-tender left flank. Her liver was also mildly enlarged and indicated long-standing chronic liver congestion.
Review of Ada's recent blood report demonstrated low hematocrit (39) and red blood cell count (3.98) while the specific white blood cells, PMN’s (polymorphonuclear neutrophils) and monocytes, were very high. This indicated how compromised Ada's immune system was with extremely high levels of inflammation. Her urine was very acidic with evidence of bad bacteria overgrowth in the bladder and underlying bladder inflammation. The blood inflammatory marker, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein was extremely high at 73.4 where the normal range is less than 1.0.
Dr. Bhandari was able to determine the root cause of Ada's health issues through viewing her complex medical history, doing a comprehensive physical exam, and reviewing all of her diagnostic test results. Dr. Bhandari concluded that Ada had extremely high levels of gastrointestinal (GI) dysfunction with severe dysbiosis and leaky gut syndrome. She was unable to properly digest any food because of insufficient production of digestive enzymes, severe underlying dehydration and malnourishment. Ada's GI tract had become severely compromised by repeated antibiotic use which had killed all of her good bacteria and weakened her immune system. Her chronically acidic diet further destroying her digestive tract since normal cell function occur around a pH of 7.4 (not Ada “normal” blood pH of 3-4). Ada's high demand for cortisol production led to further tissue breakdown and poor healing.
Treatment Plan
Explaining the implications of IBD, Dr. Bhandari devised a comprehensive list of solutions and activity guidelines Ada could safely follow. She began with an alkaline liquid diet consisting of drinking an 8 ounce, warm water solution of Physician's Elemental Powder mixed with a tiny pinch of salt, baking soda, the spices coriander, fennel, and turmeric. She would also have an 8 ounce, warm water solution of Inflama-GI with the same mixture noted above. This nourishing dietary approach consumed multiple times per day formed the foundation for the rest of Ada's treatment.
At first Ada could only tolerate diluted coconut water with the above drink mixtures. She slowly graduated to vegetable broths cooked green juice, and cooked mung dal water. We began adding magnesium citrate powder to the green juice for optimal absorption, along with Glutamine Forte powder for increased intracellular antioxidant production, increased GI motility, and decreased inflammation. Ada was advised to eliminate most sugars, flour, bread, and animal protein from her diet since an intense acidic reaction and reversing the healing process.
Once the acute GI inflammation subsided and Ada was out of the critical zone, Dr. Bhandari shifted Ada to a plant-based alkaline diet, consisting of only cooked, mushy meals mixed with a touch of oil (i.e., avocado, coconut, olive). All meals and beverages had to be consumed slowly, in small quantities, and primarily during the day. Timing was critical with this diet, as a majority of consumption had to occur before 6 p.m. Dr. Bhandari also advised Ada to allocate a great deal of time to rest at night and also periodically during the day. Otherwise, her excess demand for cortisol would not stop.
To optimize sleep quality and increase deep, restorative sleep, Ada had to finish her last meal by 6 p.m. At 8 p.m. or earlier, she took Melatonin in the powder form of Sleep Reset in warm water. Ada had to turn her electronics off in order to prevent deactivation of Melatonin, and instead begin her bedtime routine.
In the morning, Ada would Innate’s Inflama-Complete in order to decrease the excess inflammation within her body. She added cordyceps mushroom and Reishi spore powder and sublingual liquid B.
The Results
Within a few weeks, Ada felt a significant improvement in her digestive health and felt more comfortable increasing the amount of solid food consumption. She began feeling better and stronger every day and said “This feels like a cleanse that has been great for my body.” As Ada's condition improved, Dr. Bhandari’s was able to introduce more spices, green vegetables, small beans, and ancient whole grains into Ada's diet. Dr. Bhandari also advised Ada to abstain from VATA-stimulating items, such as high consumption of sugar, salt, dry, cold, crunchy items since they may easily collapse her digestive function and cause rebound symptoms. To help Ada relax, Dr. Bhandari encouraged her to avoid electronic exposure in the evenings and take a pinch of Sleep Reset with Valerian tea each night followed by Tranquil Response at bedtime. Optimal sleep is critical to the healing process.
AUTHOR
Dr. Payal Bhandari M.D. is one of U.S.'s top leading integrative functional medical physicians and the founder of SF Advanced Health. She combines the best in Eastern and Western Medicine to understand the root causes of diseases and provide patients with personalized treatment plans that quickly deliver effective results. Dr. Bhandari specializes in cell function to understand how the whole body works. Dr. Bhandari received her Bachelor of Arts degree in biology in 1997 and Doctor of Medicine degree in 2001 from West Virginia University. She the completed her Family Medicine residency in 2004 from the University of Massachusetts and joined a family medicine practice in 2005 which was eventually nationally recognized as San Francisco’s 1st patient-centered medical home. To learn more, go to www.sfadvancedhealth.com.