A Moment with Dr. Stillman
She’s been struggling with her weight, energy, sleep, and gut for years. She’s “tried all the things.” Carnivore. Keto. More fiber. Exercise. Weight lifting. And all the things we routinely recommend here, like three ten minute walks daily, blue blockers, and light therapy.
Despite all that, she was still struggling. She used to take Pepcid at night just to sleep. Her labs showed a significantly elevated risk of cardiovascular disease - heart attack or stroke - in the next ten years.
A few key changes dropped her heart disease risk and resolved her reflux.
If you’ve got chronic GI issues and inflammation that seems uncontrollable, this post is for you.
Where She Started
She came to us with:
Chronic acid reflux that needed Pepcid at night
Persistent “gut issues” she could manage, but never really resolve
Nights where she stayed in bed 8.5–9 hours just to get about 7.5 hours of broken sleep
A long history of trying hormone therapy three different times, only to stop each time due to unwanted side effects
On her labs:
Cardiac CRP had bounced between 3.0 and 4.5 for several years
A1C had peaked at 6.3 and lived in the prediabetic range
Here’s her worst cardiac CRP:
Here’s what we did.
What We Did Differently
She’s been with us now for over two years. During that time, she’s:
Adopted the dietary template we recommend in the 14-Day Reset
Started a kelp supplement for reflux. Taken at the right time, it “blocks the acid” and lets her skip Pepcid. In her words: “I’ve never had anything that actually really worked like that.”
She cut out refined sugar completely in January and began weight training with a trainer. “I really think that’s making a difference with everything for me,” she said.
We focused on minerals, vitamins, diet, and lifestyle, rather than continuing to try hormones when they had caused unwanted side effects in the past
Where She Is Now
When I asked how she feels now, she answered simply: “I feel great… my energy is really good.”
On paper, that story holds up:
Cardiac CRP is now 1.64 – the best it’s been in years, and nearing the lowest-range of risk for heart disease.
A1C has fallen from 6.3 to 5.9, without extreme dieting.
Hair tissue mineral analysis shows aluminum excretion has doubled, mercury and lead are coming down, and magnesium and calcium have improved.
Here’s her most recent and all-time-low cardiac CRP:
In daily life:
She can go to bed without Pepcid and sleep through acid‑free nights with kelp alone.
She feels the difference from lifting and cutting sugar: more stable, “really good” energy and resilience.
She’s sleeping through the night without reflux, feeling great during the day, and can rest easy knowing that her body’s inflammatory levels (cardiac CRP) are improving.
Things to Think About
A few lessons from her case:
She worked at this for over two years. I always recommend trending quarterly labs in cases like this. She would often go six months or more without an appointment. I think she would have made faster progress if we’d had more time together, faster.
Why did she have to work so hard at this? She had spent a lifetime traveling. Pilots, flight attendants, traveling sales-people, and globe-trotters of any kind are always our toughest cases. Processed food, circadian rhythm disruption, EMF exposure during travel, and more all contribute to this phenomenon.
While I’m a strong believer in bioidentical hormones, some people don’t tolerate them, especially until other, more fundamental issues have been dealt with.
When your biomarkers aren’t improving, it doesn’t mean what you’re doing isn’t “working.” It usually means you haven’t done enough over a long enough period of time. People are often frustrated by how long the process takes. Just know that short cuts and quick fixes aren’t a solution.
Sometimes we need to find the right remedy for someone’s primary symptoms, like kelp-based supplements for reflux. This is why we have kelp in Dr. Stillman’s Detox Powder.
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If you are not sure whether your family is ready for a full evaluation yet, a good first step is to educate yourself. My new book, The End of Autoimmunity, lays out the bigger framework for repair deficit, chronic infections, and toxic load in more detail than I can in a short case study. You can preorder it HERE ahead of the September 15 launch.
And if you are reading this before September 16, you can also enter to win a free digital copy through our Goodreads giveaway HERE.
P.S. If you’re tired, foggy, and inflamed, and you’re ready for root-cause medical care, book an evaluation with a member of our team.
During the evaluation, we’ll:
Review your history and current symptoms
What you’ve tried, what’s worked, and what hasn’t
Get you clarity on where to go next, whether that’s becoming a member of our practice or a referral to a trusted partner of ours
Book your evaluation today. If you’re tired, foggy, and inflamed, we’d love to help you reclaim your health.
Until next time, be well,
Dr. Stillman
Educational content only. Not medical advice. See full disclaimers.