CASE STUDY: Using Functional Lab Testing to Uncover Healing Opportunities & Clear Acne

Introduction

Every new client begins with a discovery call, during which we discuss their interest in functional health coaching, the challenges they’re facing, past approaches they’ve tried, and what they hope to achieve. This sets clear expectations and gives us a roadmap moving forward. Once they sign up, we begin the onboarding process and select the appropriate tests tailored to their needs.

This client was experiencing persistent acne, bloating, low libido, and gas—common concerns I often see in my practice. I was confident we could pinpoint and address the root causes. We opted to run three tests: the GI Map, a Sex Hormone Profile, and comprehensive bloodwork. Given her classic symptoms of gut dysbiosis, like bloating and gas, I felt the GI Map would provide valuable insights into potential healing opportunities. Since her low libido and acne were closely linked to her menstrual cycle, hormone testing seemed crucial to uncover imbalances. Lastly, while I typically include a comprehensive blood panel early in most protocols, in this case, we delayed it to help manage costs. I always aim to balance priorities, and I was confident that starting with the GI Map and Hormone Profile would yield significant insights and symptom improvements without requiring too much investment upfront.

Her results were so fascinating that, with her permission, I wanted to share them with you.

GI Map Results

The GI Map revealed several key findings, starting with the detection of a parasitic pathogen called Giardia. This parasite, commonly found in lakes, streams, ponds, and even pets, can cause symptoms like diarrhea, bloating, cramps, weight loss, intestinal malabsorption, and steatorrhea. Steatorrhea, an excess of fat in the stool, caught my attention because the GI Map confirmed that Giardia was impairing her fat digestion. There is a marker called Steatocrit, which indicates the percentage of fat in the stool sample. Her results were high confirming the effects of the Giardia. Proper fat digestion is essential for many functions, including sex hormone production, a point we’ll return to when discussing her hormone panel.

Other important findings included the presence of H. pylori and an overgrowth of four other harmful bacteria. H. pylori, often transmitted through saliva, thrives in the stomach lining and reduces stomach acid production. Stomach acid helps protect against harmful pathogens like Giardia, so her low stomach acid may have left her more vulnerable to infection and bacterial overgrowth.

Additionally, she had a high anti-gliadin marker, indicating gluten sensitivity. As a result, I recommended she remove gluten from her diet for 3-6 months to allow her gut to heal.

Sex Hormone Panel

Her sex hormones—progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone—were significantly low, with levels comparable to someone on birth control, despite the fact that she hadn’t been on it for years. This raised the question: Why were her hormone levels so low? One likely reason was her body’s impaired fat digestion and nutrient absorption, due to Giardia and other bad bacteria. Cholesterol from fats is a crucial building block for hormone production, so this breakdown in digestion could be contributing to her hormone deficiencies.

Low sex hormones can cause a variety of issues, such as acne and low libido, but instead of focusing solely on her hormone levels, we needed to address the underlying gut problems. By healing her gut and ensuring she was absorbing the nutrients she needed, we could support her body’s natural ability to restore hormone balance. Lastly, hormones are incredibly sensitive to stress, and gut dysfunction and lack of nutrients are significant sources of chronic stress.

Comprehensive Bloodwork

After addressing the gut issues, we ran her bloodwork to gain further insights. The standout finding was a consistent pattern of dehydration. Functional practitioners may interpret dehydration in various ways, often digging deeper to uncover potential causes such as mold exposure. Chronic mold exposure can impair the cell’s retention of water or even cause leaky cells. This is something I have seen with my clients and had to address. However, since I make it a point to know my client's habits and lifestyles well, I know she had a habit of drinking only 10 oz of water at most. Being aware that she wasn’t consistently drinking enough water allowed me to determine a protocol specific to her.

Instead of implementing an extensive detox protocol, she simply committed to drinking at least two 40-ounce bottles of water per day, adding electrolytes to ensure proper hydration. After just a few weeks, she noticed significant improvements in her skin and energy levels.

Conclusion

Some clients require comprehensive detox protocols, while others need only lifestyle adjustments. In this case, while her GI Map highlighted substantial gut healing opportunities, her blood work revealed an easily addressable issue—dehydration.

Every client’s journey is unique, but many can achieve profound results through simple adjustments like improving sleep, eating nutrient-dense foods, eliminating inflammatory foods, staying hydrated, moving regularly, and incorporating moments of calm. However, the true key to success lies in a client’s commitment to their healing journey. This client experienced remarkable results, particularly with her acne, because she consistently followed the recommendations for supplements, diet, and hydration. Despite occasional setbacks, her dedication led to significant improvements in her overall health.

Below are before and after photos from my client’s journey!

With support,
Isabella