Naomi was 38 years old when she signed up for Quantify, after struggling for years with red, itchy, scaly patches of skin on her neck and scalp, and not getting anywhere with conventional medicine.
A dermatologist had diagnosed her with plaque psoriasis after a skin biopsy showed skin cell overproduction due to immune dysregulation, but after doing her own research, Naomi learned that psoriasis was simply a convenient label for the condition of having inflamed patches of skin, and didn’t actually provide any insight into the underlying causes of her symptoms, or why her immune system was going haywire.
Initially reluctant to take the immunosuppressive medication that her doctor had offered to prescribe, Naomi first experimented with vitamin D3, vitamin B12, fish oil, and other supplements that people in psoriasis Facebook Groups had reported benefit from.
When supplements didn’t work, she tried applying coconut oil to the affected areas, but that didn’t seem to have any effect either.
Increasingly desperate, Naomi ultimately decided to try the medication, and while the immunosuppressive effects certainly helped to ameliorate the severity of her psoriasis, when she started experiencing scary side effects—fatigue, brain fog, and headaches—she realized it was probably only a matter of time until things got worse.
Unwilling to continue playing the guessing game, Naomi decided to pursue a more data-driven approach.
In her first appointment at Quantify, Naomi’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, Naomi’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 commonly contributes to psoriasis, eczema, acne, and other chronic skin conditions.
Providing an additional clue as to what was going on, her results also showed significant dysbiosis, or an imbalance of good bacteria to bad bacteria, which was likely also contributing to her immune dysregulation.
Completing the puzzle, her results also showed elevated calprotectin, indicating intestinal inflammation, and further validating that her gastrointestinal health, and thus her immune function, was compromised.
Recovery
Naomi was shocked to learn that her psoriasis was caused by an intestinal fungal infection, but she wasn’t surprised.
She had suffered from chronic sinus infections since her twenties, and her primary care doctor had prescribed course after course of antibiotics to keep the infections at bay (just as she was trained to do), rather than helping her to investigate why she was prone to sinus infections in the first place.
While she had been apprehensive about her use of antibiotics for years, knowing that at some point she would have to pay the piper, her doctor’s lack of concern had ultimately dissuaded Naomi from exploring other approaches.
Recognizing that this was both a moment of reckoning, but also an opportunity to take control of her health, Naomi 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 ginger, amla, and oregano oil.
Within a few months, not only did her skin start to improve, but she also reported that her sinuses felt clearer, an encouraging indication that her microbiome diversity was improving, and that her immune system was coming back online.
Within a year, her psoriasis had completely resolved, she was no longer getting sinus infections, and a follow-up qPCR stool analysis showed no abnormalities, further validating the work she had done to address the fungal infection that had unknowingly compromised her health.