Success comes in all ages and sizes, and we are proud to recognize Ryan C. this month for lots and lots of hard work in many different areas. While many 19 year-olds may be exploring different areas of fun, Ryan came to us with laser focus on his health, and with good reason: an invasive surgery on an infection on his skull was pending, and he and his parents wanted an alternative solution.

After an initial consultation with Ryan and his parents, Dr. Jorge derived a game plan to begin with peptide therapy with a goal of calming the inflammation. This was followed shortly thereafter with a saliva hormone test, which gave good insight and direction to follow up with as well. GI and food sensitivity tests rounded out the lab data that Dr. Jorge worked off of to personalize Ryan’s treatment protocol.

All the while this was going on, Ryan’s health coach was tackling lifestyle areas. “From the start of working with Ryan it was evident that he was ready to put in the work,” says his health coach. “After his initial assessment with Dr. Jorge, he wasted no time in instituting the nutritional changes that were recommended.” These were, of course, based on looking at the whole picture and goal: decreasing inflammation.

Giving credit where credit is due, our 19 year-old member of the month cut out gluten and dairy, and started adding in lots of cruciferous vegetables. He even cut out potato chips (his self-proclaimed weakness) and focused on a whole-food heavy diet. He added in kimchi and other fermented foods to maximize gut health.

Both stress and time management were areas that needed to be addressed as well, and were done with success. Within this was the addition of exercise into a timeslot that worked well for him, allowing for consistency. And last, but certainly not least, he’s learned balance. Optimizing his sleep schedule, prioritizing time with his friends, family, and church for his mental health, and giving himself grace when he is busy have been instrumental in rounding out his success. The icing on the cake? He has been able to avoid the invasive surgery thus far!

Ryan, we hope you are as proud as we are of your successes!