When the Protocol Is Making You Worse
When a Sensitive System Can't Tolerate Even the Right Things
A Moment with Dr. Stillman
She had done everything I asked. The supplements. The sauna. The dietary changes. The red light therapy. She was meticulous about it - researching, adjusting, paying close attention to her body. You would not find a more committed patient. Her husband watched her get up every morning and do “all the things.” He told her, “for the input you’re putting in, the output isn’t equal.”
His words, and I agree with them.
What this was costing her was more than her energy. It was costing her the ability to plan - to commit to dinner, to a trip, to a normal day - because her body’s responses were unpredictable and her window of capacity was narrow. She was a mother, a thinker, a problem-solver by nature. Being unable to trust her own body was its own kind of suffering, on top of the symptoms themselves.
If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing everything right and your body is still saying no - this one is for you.
What We Found When We Looked Closer
When we reviewed this patient’s history across several months, the picture was consistent:
Profound fatigue with narrow, unpredictable capacity - a good morning followed by days of payback
Multiple episodes of unusual neurological symptoms that had never been fully explained
History of significant head injury years prior, followed by a decade of neurological and hormonal instability
Every time she increased her supplement protocol, her body reacted - headaches, mood changes, exhaustion
Improvement in lab results, but not in symptoms
What do we do in a case like this?
What Nobody Had Looked For
Most of our patients see significant, durable progress in just a matter of weeks or months. That’s part of why we keep doing this work - it’s gratifying. Some patients take longer to recover than others. Listen to my recent podcast with Kenna to hear how she took months to see improvement, but she knew things were working:
Click here to listen to Kenna’s podcast.
Some patients come to us with a high burden of toxins - what I call, “total toxic burden.” They may have accumulated trauma (head trauma in particular) that can slow down healing. They have been under stress for so long that the nervous system has wired in ways that prevent healing. They have severe nutritional deficiencies, the kind that take months to correct.
How do we make sense of this and decide what to do?
I think of this as a kind of “deep repair deficit.” I think of all disease as arising from repair deficit, but when it’s particularly “deep” it is like extreme amounts of debt. You can throw thousands or tens of thousands of dollars at a giant pile of credit card debt, and not make a dent in the principle because the interest is so extreme.
What do we do?
First, we double down on the fundamentals. Just because your credit card bill isn’t declining month over month doesn’t mean you go out and spend money on things you don’t need. You still have to be frugal, thoughtful, and live within your means.
Second, we think about new strategies. Are their drugs that might help move the needle? Bioidentical hormones? Peptides? Light therapy? And more.
We always do this in consultation with the patient, because we have to have a conversation around informed consent. We have to discuss the risks and benefits of any therapy we recommend.
This is an important moment for patients. The thoughts and feelings of, “is this worth it?” must be dealt with. We have to keep what we recommend manageable, while also being realistic about what’s possible. It’s hard to come to terms with results that don’t happen as fast as we would like. But shortcuts in this kind of work usually do more harm than good.
“Little things make big things happen.” — John Wooden
One Thing To Explore This Week
Consider trying new things, and letting go of things that aren’t working. If your supplement stack has grown over time, chances are there’s something you could let go. If you’re not getting the progress you want, and you’re ready for more, or just something different, discuss your options with a clinician.
Where to Go From Here
She wasn’t failing because she lacked discipline or commitment. She had both in abundance. She was navigating a terrain that needed a lighter touch than the situation seemed to call for and that is not a failure of will. It’s just a different kind of problem, one that requires patience more than effort.
If you see yourself in this story, book an Inflammation and Autoimmunity Assessment with a member of our team.
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.