I’m going to be completely honest with you: earlier this year, my health went completely haywire out of the blue (or so I thought) and this is the first time I’m opening up about it. I want to share my story because I want to give hope to those who may be dealing with unexplained, complex health issues, show you my process for getting to the bottom of it, and share what I did to address it.
A few months after my big ulcerative colitis remission news and getting rid of h.pylori and SIBO, my good health fell flat. My stomach blew up and I was in incredible pain. I was having allergic reactions to food every day (it was so bad I was putting ice packs on my face!). And my UC symptoms came roaring back.
WTF?!
I thought I was past this.
I had done all the work.
Why was I getting handed these cards?
Turns out, it had nothing to do with my super clean diet or my awesome supplements or all the incredible testing I had done.
It was two other factors that, until earlier this year, I kept setting aside to work on another day:
Stress and severe tendonitis in my left leg from long-distance running.
What the heck did these have to do with my gut health? Turns out a LOT.
Just like my ulcerative colitis, I believe this crazy health episode was brought to me for a reason — so I could learn at an even deeper level just how interconnected our body is and the stress-mind-gut connection.
From this health episode, I learned the in’s and out’s of histamine intolerance, mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), low dose naltrexone, the role of prayer and meditation for a health crisis, and first the first time in my life, embracing the feeling of being completely out of control.
Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for my clients, I now know what it’s like to go through all of these health issues and all the tools to overcome them. This happened with my ulcerative colitis, acid reflux, bacterial and parasite infections, and now this.
To say I feel I’ve been put here to heal others from a place of deep understanding would be pretty darn spot on.
So, as soon as I realized how severe this issue was getting for me, I spent weeks diving into the research to make sense of all that was going on. I met multiple times with my amazing functional doctor. I consulted with the compounding pharmacist I partner with and I chatted with my FDN community.
So how did I finally fix this madness? Once I pinpointed that it was mast cell activation, I put all my best anti-inflammatory and immune-supporting tools in place.
Within three days of being on the above protocol, my issues were GONE. It was crazy just how fast it subsided, and hasn’t showed its ugly head since.
Please note: The above protocol is NOT medical advice for you. Consult your healthcare practitioner or apply to work with me to determine if these are right for you, as what was going on for me may not be exactly what’s going on for you. This post is absolutely not intended to be used to diagnose or provide medical treatment.
The body is truly incredible, and the complexity of how it works continues to fascinate me. Now that I’m on the other side of yet another crazy health issue, I can say I am truly grateful for it because I was able to learn even more about how my physical-mental-internal health influences each other and I am now very well studied on each of these topics so that if and when clients come to me with these concerns, I can help them from a place of understanding and experience. It’s what my clients with ulcerative colitis, dysbiosis, and acid reflux value so much about working with me, and while I wish these health issues on no one, being able to serve those from such a deep and personally meaningful level is truly so rewarding.
I want you to know that, no matter how complex your health issues may seem or how long they have been going on for, there is always an answer. That’s why I love being a functional nutrition practitioner, because we are trained to look at the whole body and we believe that nothing happens in isolation. By taking a 360-degree view of someone’s health, starting at childbirth and leading up to present day, we can truly understand how health issues can come about and ways we can bring the body back to health by supporting it, not fighting it. This functional approach works for me time and again, and has served nearly 100 clients in the past 3 years alone.
“This year I made it my focused goal to work on my gut health. I’ve put considerable effort into this for several years working with my integrative MD. But even so, starting last winter, my Ulcerative Colitis symptoms came back after being in remission for several years. When I got to know more about Kristin’s story and history with Ulcerative Colitis, I decided this is what I needed and this was an investment into my health I needed to make. Little did I know just how much I could use that connection with Kristin and what I gained from the program. We’re currently waiting on some functional labs to get to the bottom of why it’s taking so long for me to get better. I’ve been so grateful to have Kristin coming alongside of me, guiding me, making me feel less alone, and being another cheerleader believing I can and will get well and get back to a more vibrant life. If anyone reading this is struggling with their health, I highly recommend working with Kristin. Cheers to good health! – Carly I
“If were to pick one thing I liked best about working with you, it was your willingness to listen to me. There were times when I had ideas about where I felt I needed to go with my treatment and testing and you were really open to what I had to say instead of other practitioners who shut you down and make you feel ignorant about what you’re talking about. You were open to listening to my thoughts and ideas and what I needed financially and physically and I really felt like you always cared about whether I got better. I don’t know if I ever felt that way from another doctor or practitioner. I have been honored and blessed to do this work with you! – Jenn C.
Ready to get to the bottom of your health issues and experience functional nutrition at its best? I specialize in working with complex health issues involving autoimmunity, digestion, and hormone health and would be honored to guide you in your journey.
to learn if you’re a good candidate for my programs.
KRISTIN THOMAS
Kristin Thomas is a health coach and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner specialized in helping women with hormone, digestion, and autoimmune health concerns. Having gone through these health challenges herself, she now helps clients find their own path to complete wellness through practical and natural diet and lifestyle changes.
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[…] of it for quite some time, even when a few of my early clients said they were taking it. It took a small relapse in my ulcerative colitis to prompt me to look into this oil, as it can be anti-inflammatory, aids in detox, calms the body, […]