I love sharing my clients’ success stories.

Let me introduce you to Ashley N., a 30-year-old woman from Meridian, Mississippi. In just three months, Ashley was able to make some incredible strides in her health.

Before we get to her success, let’s look at where she started.

Where We Started: Client Symptoms

Ashley found me online, and she contacted me because she was:

• Considering tapering her antidepressant under the supervision of her doctor, and wanted to learn how to support herself nutritionally for the best outcome
• Having hormonal challenges from taking the birth control pill, and wanted to learn about how to balance her hormones naturally
• Struggling with fatigue, low energy, and weight gain
• Battling depression and anxiety, which made it challenging for her to implement lifestyle changes on her own
• Eager to feel like herself again and pursue her dreams

After our initial intake session, I learned that Ashley was struggling with other symptoms, including:

• Painful, frequent migraines that could only be knocked out with Excedrin
• Acute sensitivity to sunlight and bright artificial lights
• A “hangry,” irritable feeling if she went too long without eating
• Respiratory challenges, including allergies and bronchitis
• Breakouts and persistent eczema 
• Heartburn and other digestive issues

Like many of my clients, Ashley felt hopeless and was confused about where to start. I assured her that we would make changes at a pace she could handle.

What We Learned: Clinical Findings

I told Ashley that instead of having a laser focus on her symptoms, we were going to shift our perspective and look at different systems in her body.

By balancing the systems, the symptoms go away. (That’s a tongue twister, and one I can never correctly say out loud.)

One of the tools I use in my practice is the Nutri-Q Symptom Burden Assessment. This report, derived from 300 different symptom-based questions, lets me know what systems are out of balance in a client’s body (things like digestion, blood sugar handling, and others).

And because I’m thoroughly trained in its application, I know exactly which systems to consider first (and second, and third) — even when it looks like all systems are a priority.

After interpreting Ashley’s Nutri-Q report, and digging deeper into her health history, I knew that digestion, blood sugar, and adrenal support were going to be key to her improvement. Each of these systems are directly linked to the symptoms she was experiencing.

Additionally, I knew that an anti-inflammatory elimination diet would be supportive of every system in her body.

What We Did: Action Steps

For the first couple of weeks, we started out slow and made gradual changes.

To stabilize her mood, I had Ashley eat a breakfast focused on protein and fats, and had her cut out added sugar. Additionally, I taught her how to “drink smart,” and to avoid certain types of alcoholic beverages that would make her symptoms worse.

She also started an adrenal complex supplement to improve energy and hormonal balance, as well as a liver/gallbladder support supplement to help her digest fats better. (If we’re not appropriately digesting fats, we can’t derive energy from them — or get the building blocks we need to build healthy hormones!)

When Ashley started noticing improvements from those small changes, we went “all in” with a 30-day elimination diet to reduce inflammation and identify food sensitivities. To further improve her digestion (she was still experiencing heartburn), I added additional digestive support, as well as a clinical-grade probiotic.

What We Saw: Client Progress

After the 30-day elimination plan, I had Ashley re-take her Symptom Burden Assessment, and we also talked about her successes.

She had some huge wins!

As you look at the graph, don’t just look at the lines (the red is before, and the blue is after). Also look at the bottom row where it says “Scores.” You’ll see that the graph doesn’t tell the whole story, because many of her original scores were literally “off the charts.” After her protocol, many of Ashley’s scores improved by 50-90%.

Her total Symptom Burden Score dropped from 940 to 435 — a 54% drop.

She had massive improvements in adrenal functioning and sugar handling, which were directly related to her hormones, stress, and “hangry” feelings. Additionally, her digestion — including upper GI, liver, and small intestine — showed significant improvement.

• Adrenal Stress dropped from a 45 to a 21
• Sugar Handling dropped from a 30 to a 12
• Upper Gastrointestinal dropped from a 24 to a 7
• Liver/Gallbladder dropped from a 28 to a 10
• Small Intestine dropped from a 16 to a 9

What We Celebrated: The Big Wins

Clinical numbers aside (I like to geek out on data), here’s what really mattered:

During the program, Ashley …

• Noticed her mood improved, and she was better at tolerating stress (her family noticed, too!)
• Didn’t have a single migraine
• No longer had sensitivity to light, which disappeared
• Didn’t experience “hangriness” and irritability between meals 
• Had significantly less coughing and allergy symptoms
• Was relieved that her heartburn cleared up
• Saw her skin clear up and her eczema disappear
• Only had 1 glass of wine, and enjoyed it very consciously (alcohol used to be a go-to for stress relief) 
• Lost 15+ pounds 

These are all significant signs of digestive and hormonal healing, which were at the root of Ashley’s top concerns. And this is after only three months of working together!

Here’s what Ashley had to say:

I found Holly while searching Pinterest, of all places, for “ways to come off antidepressants.” What I found was more than I could have ever expected.

 

In 3 short months, Holly helped to change my perspective on things in my life, she guided me to me eat better, to laugh more, and inspired me beyond measure. I had a lot bumps in the road, but she stuck with me and got me through it with compassion and a great attitude.

 

I’m forever thankful for my experience with Holly. If you are looking for an authentic person to work with, she is your person! I call her my one #NONPINTERESTFAIL!

What’s Possible for You?

It’s easy to write off everyday, lingering symptoms as “part of life.” But your upset stomach, crappy energy, and headaches don’t have to be part of your day-to-day.

They’re signals that something deeper is going on. If you have mental health issues like depression, anxiety, or bipolar, it’s likely that these physical symptoms are directly connected to your moods.