From Struggling to Walk to Jogging on Good Days
What 50% better really looks like – and why many patients quit when they get there
A Moment with Dr. Stillman
“He’s at about 50%. “He can jog a little bit now on good days.”
That’s what his wife said about his improvement over the past several months.
“Excellent,” I think to myself.
Why am I so excited?
Because this is a man who came to us struggling to walk. He has some of the highest levels of toxic heavy metals on hair testing in the entire practice.
And this is a practice that specializes in helping people with high heavy metal burdens.
It’s like being the smartest kid in the “gifted” class, except that it’s… not a good thing.
Here’s what we saw in his data:
Heavy metals, including cadmium, were dropping
Blood markers were improving
What was working?
Personalized mineral and vitamin protocols
Daily sauna therapy
Bioidentical hormone replacement therapy
Here’s why I get nervous in situations like this.
Patients often hit a “plateau” in their healing between 50 and 70%.
They don’t see changes daily or weekly, or even monthly or quarterly.
They tend to quit when the wins stop coming.
Then they let things slide.
And this is when they start to go backward.
Think of healing in terms of “thresholds” that you cross, rather than plateaus you reach.
If recovery is a journey, it’s like walking through a blizzard toward a cozy cabin.
One step at a time, you get closer to the warmth of the cabin.
But you don’t get warmer with each step. In fact, you might get colder.
The wrong move is to wander around.
The right move is to let data guide you. You need something to navigate by. We help our patients figure out what data to trust, and what data to throw out.
And a lot of the data people think is worthwhile in this space is in fact junk.
In this case, he just needs to keep doing the work. He struggled for years without direction and now he’s finally seeing results with a structured program of care that is driven by data, not feelings or “vibes” (as the kids these days say).
One Thing To Do This Week
Pick one thing and focus on consistency. Consistency is key to great results. A small increase in consistency can lead to exponential improvements in results. People tend to try to do too much, then flake out on everything all at once. Pick one thing. Be consistent. Then pick another thing. Be consistent. That’s how you win.
If you see yourself in this, don't wander alone. The next step is an Inflammation and Autoimmunity Assessment with myself or a member of my team. In that visit, we map your symptoms, history, and Repair Deficit picture, review key labs if you have them, and outline a clear, prioritized plan so you know which direction to walk and what threshold you're working toward. You can see available times and book your Assessment here.
As always, discuss any changes with your own licensed clinician. Read our full disclaimers, disclosures, and our position on health freedom here.
Until next time, be well,
Dr. Stillman
Educational content only. Not medical advice. See full disclaimers.