Maria was 23 years old when she signed up for Quantify, after years of struggling with breakouts on her face and forehead, and trying nearly every other-the-counter medication out there, to no avail.
Her dermatologist had offered to prescribe doxycycline, an oral antibiotic, and erythromycin, an antibiotic cream—in case her acne was caused by bacteria—but Maria was understandably reluctant to move forward with the more potent treatment, having developed nausea, bloating, and diarrhea a few years prior after taking antibiotics for recurrent sinus infections.
In her first appointment at Quantify, Maria’s health coach recommended a food sensitivity test and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) stool analysis, to assess immune reactivity to commonly consumed foods, test for parasites, bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and evaluate intestinal permeability, inflammation, and the health of her microbiome.
Test results
Excited to get her results, Maria’s food sensitivity test showed a significant IgG immune reaction to whey (a protein in milk), indicating dairy sensitivity.
One of the most common food sensitivities—up there with gluten, legume, and nightshade sensitivity—Maria’s regular consumption of dairy was likely causing an inflammatory response in her skin, resulting in clogged, bacteria-filled pores and ultimately acne.
Providing an additional clue as to what was going on, Maria’s qPCR stool analysis showed an overgrowth of Candida albicans (a fungus that typically exists at low levels throughout the gastrointestinal tract, but that often overgrows due to antibiotic overuse), which was likely causing her digestive symptoms.
Recovery
While Maria had consumed milk, yoghurt, cheese, ice cream, and other dairy products for her entire life, seeing that an immune reaction to dairy was causing her acne motivated her to make the most significant dietary change that she’d ever made.
Following her health plan closely, she eliminated processed foods, sugar, grains, and dairy from her diet, increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beef, chicken, fish, and eggs, took certain supplements, such as ginger, astragalus, and olive leaf, and started exercising every day.
Within a year, she had completely resolved her acne and digestive symptoms, a follow-up qPCR stool analysis showed no candida overgrowth, and she reported feeling the healthiest that she’d ever felt.