Melissa is a delightful 50 year old lady who came to see me for help with rheumatoid arthritis. She had been suffering with rheumatoid arthritis for 15 years and she had been taking the steroid prednisone for the last 10 years. The dose was fairly small (10 mg) most of the time. Her doctor raised the dose when she had a flare, which was approximately once a year.

The prednisone had contributed to insulin resistance (syndrome X/pre-diabetes). This meant Melissa struggled with her weight a lot and found it impossible to shift the excess weight around her torso. Her mum is a type 2 diabetic, which makes it likely Melissa could go down the same path.

Apart from joint pain, Melissa suffered with the following symptoms:

  • Brain fog. Melissa worked full time and found it increasingly difficult to focus and concentrate.
  • Anxiety and poor sleep. Melissa found it incredibly hard to wind down and go to sleep at night. Her mind kept racing with anxious thoughts.
  • Melissa had been off gluten and dairy products for 10 years but she still suffered with nausea and reflux.
  • Melissa had an episode of Graves’ disease after the death of her sister 5 years ago. She was treated with carbimazole for approximately a year and then the condition resolved itself.

Melissa’s diet was very good, although I asked her to make some adjustments:

  • She ate a lot of vegetables, which was wonderful, but she didn’t eat much protein or healthy fat. Because she was always trying to lose weight, she kept her portion sizes very small and there was barely any fat in her meals. This left her feeling hungry for much of the day and consequently she snacked on dried fruit and nuts throughout the day. That wasn’t conducive to weight loss or improved digestive health. Therefore I asked her to increase her protein and fat portions and try not to snack during the day. She did not eat any oily fish so I gave her a fish oil supplement to provide omega 3 essential fatty acids. The fats in fish oil have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect and help to reduce pain and stiffness.
  • Because of the nausea and reflux, I gave Melissa Intestinal Parasite Cleanse capsules. These conditions are often associated with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and the herbs in this formula have a natural antimicrobial effect. I also gave Melissa ultimate gut health powder because it helps to heal an inflamed and irritated gut lining. It specifically helps to heal a leaky gut, which is a feature of all autoimmune disease.
  • Melissa was already taking vitamin D and her blood level was good (40ng/mL). She was taking magnesium but nowhere near enough. I switched her over to Magnesium Ultra Potent Powder and asked her to take a teaspoon with dinner each evening.

It was wonderful to see Melissa eight weeks later because she felt so much better. Her sleep quality had improved significantly and the level of pain she experienced in her joints had greatly reduced. I was so pleased to hear how much her quality of life had improved.

Melissa had lost 12 pounds and she was thrilled with that because she could never get her weight to budge in the past. I asked her to take Livatone Plus to assist the health of her liver. This would further improve her energy level and help her shift more weight from her abdominal region.

The above statements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.