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.
Her primary care doctor had diagnosed her with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) soon after her symptoms started, but, to Julia’s surprise, he didn’t seem interested in ordering any tests to help her investigate the causes.
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 stool test, Julia’s qPCR stool analysis was positive for Giardia lamblia, an intestinal parasite that can cause fatigue, bloating, diarrhea, nausea, and other chronic symptoms.
While Giardia lamblia is almost always contracted by consuming contaminated food or water, which is more likely during international travel, Julia hadn’t left the United States in years.
She had likely been exposed to the parasite only days or weeks prior to her symptoms starting, given its virulence, so her case wasn’t that of a traveler contracting a parasite abroad.
Recovery
Julia was shocked to learn that a parasite was causing her symptoms, having never considered the possibility.
She assumed her symptoms were caused by an undiagnosed food allergy or food sensitivity that her doctor hadn’t tested her for, so she was understandably surprised by her test results.
Quickly getting over her unease, Julia started following her health plan closely, designed by her health coach to not only target the parasite specifically, but to also improve her gastrointestinal health and immune function.
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 three months, her symptoms had completely resolved, and she reported feeling better than she’d ever felt, now on the other side of a run-in with a parasite that, in her recovery, ultimately led her to focus more on her overall health.