Julia was 28 years old when she signed up for Quantify, after months of dealing with unusual symptoms—fatigue, bloating, and diarrhea—that had developed seemingly out of nowhere.
A gastroenterologist had diagnosed her with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) soon after her symptoms started, but he didn’t have anything to offer, other than the possibility that Julia was “just stressed.”
An account executive at an enterprise software company, Julia recognized that her job wasn’t exactly a walk in the park—she would often get home after a 12-hour day at the office, exhausted but frazzled from the nearly constant state of chaos at the company—but she was understandably reluctant to accept her doctor’s suggestion that stress alone was causing her IBS, without any test results to back this up.
What’s more, when Julia asked her doctor whether there were any other factors to investigate, he dismissed the question, insisting her job was the culprit, and that maybe she should consider a less stressful career.
Frustrated by her doctor’s lack of outside-of-the-box thinking, Julia decided to pursue a more data-driven approach.
In her first appointment at Quantify, Julia’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
Her first time conducting a comprehensive evaluation of her health, Julia’s qPCR stool analysis showed low secretory IgA, indicating compromised immune function, which often contributes to IBS, diverticulitis, Crohn’s disease, and other chronic digestive conditions by increasing susceptibility to intestinal infections.
Providing an additional clue as to what was going on, her results also showed an overgrowth of Candida albicans (a fungus that typically exists at low levels throughout the gastrointestinal tract, but that often overgrows if immune function falters), which was likely further contributing to her digestive symptoms.
Completing the puzzle, her results were also positive for Giardia lamblia, an intestinal parasite that can cause fatigue, bloating, diarrhea, nausea, and other chronic symptoms, ranging from mild to severe.
Rarely tested for, Giardia lamblia 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
Julia hadn’t left the country in years, so she was shocked to learn that a parasite was causing her IBS, 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 she had contracted an intestinal parasite, and particularly given her “obsession with cleanliness,” or her “self-diagnosed OCD.”
Thrilled to finally get answers, Julia started following her health plan closely, checking in with her health coach regularly to help her stay on track.
She eliminated processed foods, sugar, and grains from her diet, increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, and fermented foods, started drinking at least 64 ounces of water per day, and took certain supplements, such as black walnut hull, clove, and oregano oil.
Within a few months, her fatigue, bloating, and diarrhea all started to improve, an encouraging indication that the parasite was retreating, and her immune function was coming back online.
Within a year, her symptoms had completely resolved, she reported feeling like she had gotten her life back, and a follow-up qPCR stool analysis showed no abnormalities, further validating the work she had done to address the factors that had caused her IBS.