MYF 10 | Kristin's Journey Through SIBO, Parasites, AIP, Functional Gut Testing & Healing
Welcome to Episode 10!
Kristin shares her experience with complicated gut issues and the long, winding path she's taken to find relief from her symptoms and restore her fertility. She discusses the FIVE treatments she's been through for SIBO, her eventual discovery of multiple parasite infections, her recent diagnosis with an autoimmune condition, and the current dietary protocol she's following to keep her health on track.
We also do a deep dive into how gut dysfunction affects fertility, the specific functional tests we recommend to investigate digestive issues, the necessary components of a gut healing protocol, and why personalization is the key to success when treating the gut.
This episode is brought to you by our FREE online course on "How to Choose the Best Prenatal Supplements". You can learn more about the course and get signed up at https://tinyfeet.co/courses.
Show Notes:
1:10 Recap of Kristin’s health issues in early life
4:15 Worsening of digestive and systemic symptoms after college
7:20 How quitting birth control caused a turn for the worse and her first signs of fertility issues
9:05 Seeing a naturopathic fertility doctor and doing her own nutrition research
10:55 Kristin’s first experience with the Autoimmune Paleo diet
12:15 Troubleshooting the AIP diet and stumbling upon SIBO as a possible explanation for gut issues
15:30 Her initial SIBO treatment with herbal antimicrobials and my struggles with the SIBO diet
18:00 Second round of herbal treatment for SIBO and why self-treatment isn’t a great idea
20:45 Why personalization in your diet and gut protocol are critical to success
23:15 Kristin’s (disastrous) third round of treatment with a homemade elemental diet
26:15 Learning about a functional approach to gut issues through her nutrition training
27:30 The next phase of gut investigation with a repeat SIBO test and stool analysis
30:00 Her fourth (and much more successful) round of SIBO treatment with herbal antimicrobials
33:00 Leftover symptoms and why it was so hard to make decisions about how to move forward
36:00 Kristin’s fifth and final SIBO treatment with the Physician’s Elemental Diet
37:20 Seeking out a functional medicine practitioner to address continued gut issues after SIBO was cleared
38:55 Being diagnosed with multiple parasites through a GI-MAP test
43:45 Other functional tests Kristin had done and receiving her first autoimmune diagnosis of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
45:30 Taking on a 3-month herbal protocol to treat parasites (and why she wouldn’t do it that way again)
50:00 She’s finally feeling a lot better and her fertility is getting back on track!
52:45 Why Kristin is actually thankful that she didn’t get pregnant when she first started trying
54:15 How gut issues can ultimately lead to infertility
54:45 Gut barrier dysfunction (“leaky gut”) – immune activation, inflammation, and autoimmunity
59:15 Nutrient deficiencies
1:01:00 How common gut dysfunction really is and the major connection to developing autoimmune conditions
1:05:50 Conventional fertility evaluations DO NOT investigate the gut
1:06:40 Testing for gut dysfunction – GI-MAP test
1:07:50 SIBO breath test
1:08:45 Food sensitivity test
1:09:30 Elimination diet
1:12:30 What a gut healing protocol should look like in general – the 5 Rs
1:13:45 Remove – rebalancing gut flora with herbs or medications
1:14:45 Replace – restoring stomach acid and digestive enzyme output
1:16:35 Reinoculate – introducing beneficial bacteria through probiotics or fermented foods
1:18:10 Repair – heal the gut lining with herbs and supplements
1:21:50 Rebalance – supporting overall health through diet, sleep, stress, exercise
1:23:00 Wrap-up – Fertility Assessment and FREE supplements course!