Case Study - Triathlete
This March I began working with Gina, a 31-year-old female real estate broker and triathlete who had two chief complaints. The first was that her training was not going well - she had fatigue, was moody, and her legs felt like they couldn't recover. The second complaint was that over the last few racing seasons, long workouts and races caused her to vomit.
She had taken an offseason from October through December 2009. Her offseason ended January 2nd, and as January and February passed by, her training was going poorly. We started where I usually start, by running two lab tests from BioHealth Diagnostics: the Functional Adrenal Stress Profile (BH 201) and a GI Pathogen Screen with H Pylori (401H).
Lab:
As you can see, Gina was in Stage 3 of adrenal fatigue (1 or more low cortisol values and a low total cortisol value). She did not want to stop training, and I certainly didn't want to force her to since I knew she wouldn't comply. So we looked at the other stressors that were affecting her - primarily her diet and what we found on her GI pathogen screen.
To begin we took a look at her diet. In Gina case, she was eating a lot of protein bars - soy, and getting a lot of her carbs from wheat sources. The combined stress of training, dealing with the real estate market, and having 3(!) kids simply caught up with her after a few years. Since we couldn't fix the economy, and because kids will be kids, we got very strict with Gina's diet. I had her meet several times with a certified CHEK Certified Holistic Lifestyle Counselor (HLC) to help her change her diet and comply with 3 simple rules: no gluten, soy, or dairy. We also put on her on an adrenal support supplement program.
The vomiting symptom told me right off the bat that she probably had H. pylori. And the lab tests confirmed this. Deciding to not use anti-biotics, under the direction of her medical doctor, Gina used an herbal program to fight off the H. pylori.
The idea here was to remove the stressors that were affecting her most: the dietary and pathogenic stresses. By freeing her immune system from dealing with (1) foods that trigger allergic reactions and (2) a chronic infection, her body was able to start healing. She lightened up her training load over the first month of her program, but after that she ramped back up to her normal training volume.
As her season progressed, she felt better. Her early season races did not include vomiting, and her body felt like it was improving with training. Her fatigue improved and she felt like she had more energy. She just posted a Personal Record in the Ironman Triathlon in Coeur D'Alene.
This case shows how the Kalish Method can apply to athletes. Training at a high level is a type of stress that will eventually magnify the effects of other stressors, in this case diet and infection. These patients have fewer margins for error. They have to eat a diet that allows them to heal. They must get adequate sleep. And they must address underlying issues like H. Pylori infections. If they don't, they will fall apart. Always.
Best,
Dr. Dan Kalish
