Presenting Complaints:
37 YO female presented in office 4/25/17 with complaints of severe anxiety and depression. Pt also complains of weight issues, low energy, joint pain and skin issues including acne and occasional eczema exacerbations and dry eye syndrome. Pt also complains of sugar addiction to handle stress. Pt states she has seasonal allergies. Pt also complains of bloating and passing gas. Pt states she has poor concentration and poor memory. Pt states she occasionally has irregular heartbeat, frequent urination and genital itch.
History:
Pt states job stress has increased with workload as a physical therapist. Pt states that anxiety started after son was born 5 years ago. Pt states she had a car accident during pregnancy and was ordered by provider to have bed rest. Prior to pregnancy, Pt states weight was between 115 to 125 and postpartum weight was 200. Pt states that for the past 3 years she was placed on the following medications:
- 375 mg Effexor
- Trazadone to help induce sleep
- Propranolol PRN
- Lorazepam (PM for work stress)
- Hydroxyzine (for allergies)
- Rexulti
- Abilify
Nutritional Assessment:
Pt’s current weight is 172 pounds. Pt’s height is 5’7 inches with BMI of 29%. Pt’s diet consists of easy–to–prepare meals such as oatmeal, occasionally with chia seeds. Pt also skips lunch and snacks on vending machine food. Pt states that when she does eat lunch, it is usually peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Dinner time is primarily eating out fast food such as Wendy’s, Jimmy Johns, Subway. Pt consumes 6 bottles of water per day. Pt consumes no alcohol. Pt does consume hot tea and 1 cup of coffee per day. Pt does not eat fish and consumes 2 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Pt has BM once every 2 days. Noted: Dark circles under eyes, sticky eyelids and itchy eyes from allergies.
Method of Treatment:
Started Pt on SHAPE Program 5/15/17 with SHAPE Drops, orthomolecular supportive nutraceuticals, including Mitocore, Orthomega, Ortho-biotic and vitamin D 5000 IU liquid, X20 alkaline water 2 sachets per 4 bottles of filtered water. Provided Christian deep breathing supportive website to help with stress reduction. Also wrote letter for work to allow her 1 day off per week for self-care. care.
Follow up visits 1x per week with UA while in Phase I. Pt renewed Phase I on 6/5/17 and continued in Phase I until 8/18/17. At this time, I added in Focus Up, and B–complex with metafolin and intrinsic factor and Kardiazyme for inflammation. Also added in Olive Leaf Extract for mood support. Pt had trip to Chicago where she encountered Chicago hotdogs and Chicago pizza which are the archnemeses of the SHAPE Program. She returned to office on 11/28/17 and was placed on Jambola, HPA Axis Life Force and Relax Milieu. Currently continuing SHAPE ReClaimed and having weekly visits of biomat, infared sauna along with UA visits. Pt will go into Phase II in 3 weeks.
Results and Conclusion:
Wow! All I can say is that this was a remarkable case of allowing the body to regain its ability to heal itself when providing the right program with the right support. This Pt lost almost 50 pounds over the past 10 months. Current InBody results show weight of 129.4, PBF 22, and BMI 21.5 But that is not the amazing part of her journey. She is now off all medication except for 75 mg of Effexor and we are working with her psychiatrist to lower and eventually move off all Rx medications, if possible. She states she has a brand new life that she never thought she would be able to obtain. All previous symptoms listed are no longer present. She continues to battle sugar cravings but has managed through cognitive behavior to overcome. I always recommend Dr. Carolyn Leaf’s book Switch On Your Brain to my SHAPE patients. I believe in my heart that this program is a God-send. I am so happy to be part of the SHAPE family and I am looking forward to helping many other patients!
Submitted by Dr. Melissa Bennett
Dr. Todd’s Teaching Assessment
Changing one’s relationship with food is vital to the success of the SHAPE Program, but using supplements to support weak areas is also profoundly beneficial. I’m continually impressed with the speed at which chemical changes occur in the body with the SHAPE Program. The fact that she actually shed weight given the meds she was on is quite remarkable. Effexor and Abilify are often significant deal breakers metabolically.
Had MOOD Balance been available at the time this patient started the SHAPE Program, I would have recommended she start that immediately. When a patient shares depression and anxiety as a part of their history, think of adding MOOD Balance as a support supplement from the start. Their experience with the program will be dramatically improved.
