Ryan was 25 years old when he signed up for Quantify, after more than a decade of struggling to focus, and not getting anywhere with conventional medicine.
In his teens, his primary care doctor had diagnosed him with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and had prescribed methylphenidate, a central nervous system stimulant, to treat his symptoms.
While the medication was certainly effective at helping Ryan to focus on and complete whatever he happened to be working on without getting distracted—which ultimately proved helpful as he progressed through high school, college, then his career as a product manager—he didn’t like how stimulated he felt on the medication, and would often go down rabbit holes on the internet, trying to find something that might help him to focus without the side effects.
For years, he experimented with alpha GPC, Ginkgo biloba, Rhodiola rosea, and other supplements that support cognitive function, but the effects were subtle, at best, and nowhere near the obvious boost that his medication provided.
Unwilling to accept that medication was his only option, and that he would have ADHD for the rest of his life, Ryan decided to pursue a more data-driven approach.
In his first appointment at Quantify, Ryan’s health coach recommended a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) stool analysis and gluten sensitivity test, to test for parasites, bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and evaluate intestinal permeability, inflammation, the health of his microbiome, and immune reactivity to gluten, a protein in wheat, barley, and rye.
Test results
His first time conducting a comprehensive evaluation of his health, Ryan’s qPCR stool analysis showed significant dysbiosis, or an imbalance of good bacteria to bad bacteria, which often contributes to brain fog, anxiety, depression, and other chronic symptoms.
Providing an additional clue as to what was going on, his results also showed increased intestinal permeability (or, more colloquially, leaky gut), which is when the junctions between the single layer of cells that line your intestines become compromised and widen, ultimately allowing pathogens, toxins, and food antigens into your bloodstream that shouldn’t be there.
Completing the puzzle, Ryan’s gluten sensitivity test was also abnormal, indicating that while Ryan didn’t have celiac disease, he did have a significant sensitivity to gluten, and that his regular consumption of foods containing gluten was likely compromising the integrity of his intestinal barrier, causing leaky gut, neurotransmitter dysregulation, and, ultimately, his ADHD.
Recovery
Ryan had dealt with chronic digestive symptoms—bloating, nausea, and diarrhea—since he was a kid, but he had never brought it up with any of his doctors over the years, assuming it wasn’t anything to worry about, and certainly never suspecting that his gastrointestinal health could be influencing that of his brain.
He knew that ADHD was a manifestation of imbalanced neurochemistry, but what he didn’t realize is that a significant percentage of our neurotransmitters are produced in our intestines, and that if your digestion system isn’t working as it should, then it’s likely your brain isn’t getting the neurotransmitters it needs to function optimally.
Thrilled to finally get answers, Ryan started following his health coach’s recommendations closely.
He eliminated processed foods, sugar, grains, and dairy from his 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 ginger, slippery elm, and marshmallow root.
Within a few months, not only did his digestive symptoms start to improve, but he also started feeling more in control of his attention, a likely indication that he was on the right track.
Within a year, he was off his medication with his doctor’s approval, his digestive symptoms had completely resolved, and a follow-up qPCR stool analysis showed no indication of dysbiosis or leaky gut, further validating the work he had done to address the factors that had caused his ADHD.