Laura was 31 years old when she signed up for Quantify, after a year of struggling to fall asleep at night, regardless of how tired she was.
Initially reluctant to take the sleep medication that her primary care doctor had offered to prescribe, Laura first experimented with melatonin, L-theanine, 5-HTP, and other supplements that she had learned about on the internet.
When supplements didn’t work, she tried cutting down on caffeine, but that didn’t seem to have any effect either.
Increasingly desperate, Laura ultimately decided to try the medication, and while the artificially-induced drowsiness certainly made it easier to drift off into unconsciousness, when she started experiencing scary side effects—brain fog, vertigo, and depression—she realized it was probably only a matter of time until things got worse.
In her first appointment at Quantify, Laura’s health coach recommended a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) stool analysis, to test for parasites, bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and evaluate intestinal permeability, inflammation, and the health of her microbiome.
Test results
Curious how her gastrointestinal health might be influencing her sleeplessness, Laura’s qPCR stool analysis was positive for Blastocystis hominis, an intestinal parasite that can cause insomnia, IBS, joint pain, and other chronic symptoms.
A surprisingly common gastrointestinal infection, Blastocystis hominis is almost always contracted by consuming contaminated food or water, which is more likely during international travel, but also not uncommon in countries with modern infrastructure, like the United States.
Recovery
Laura hadn’t left the country in years, so she was shocked to learn that a parasite was causing her insomnia, having assumed that parasites are only something to be concerned about when you’re off the beaten path, consuming food and water that might be compromised.
She hoped her stool test would provide answers, but she certainly didn’t expect to discover that an intestinal parasite was the culprit, and particularly given that she didn’t have any digestive symptoms.
Quickly getting over her unease, Laura started following her health coach’s recommendations closely.
She eliminated processed foods, sugar, grains, and dairy from her diet, increased consumption of fruits and vegetables, and took certain supplements, such as black walnut hull, clove, and olive leaf.
Within a month, she not only started falling asleep more easily, but she also reported improved cognitive function, a likely side effect of targeting the infection.
Six months later, she had completely resolved her insomnia, and a follow-up qPCR stool analysis was negative for Blastocystis hominis, further validating the work she had done to address the parasite that she had unknowingly contracted.