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• poor immunity (had frequent urinary infections) and severe knee pain that wasn’t resolved by
physiotherapy
• a history of severe hair fall, food allergies and pcos

Investigation revealed very low vitamin d and b12 levels, borderline thyroid function and dyslipidemia (her ldl, which is the bad cholesterol level, was high and hdl, the good cholesterol, was as low as 33). We resolved her problem by removing inflammatory grains and replaced nutrients by adding vitamin and mineral supplements. her weight came down to 65 kg and her waist from over 39 inches to 32.5. her hdl levels rose, her energy levels soon improved, the knee pain resolved and she began exercising regularly.
but she came back after a trip to south Korea and rushed to meet me, wearing chappals in the dead of winter; her feet were so swollen she couldn’t get into a pair of shoes. and her knee pain was back. I asked her what she had been eating. The culprit? soya in tofu and soy sauce (which contains gluten and soy). Within a week of returning to her regular dietary pattern, the swelling vanished and the pain disappeared. she’s far more careful now when she travels.

The Case of the Prodigal Patient

Mrs K., fifty-five, a former patient, returned to consult us after a decade’s gap—this time, with a warrant for bariatric surgery. she had a bad case history: she had lost some weight in her earlier innings but then stopped coming. she relapsed on the diet front, regained the lost weight and more (reached 120 kg), and then was put on insulin (and the dosage had spiralled higher and higher).

Presenting Symptoms
• Morbid obesity
• diabetes was so severe that insulin had increased to
100 units a day
• Kidney disease
• her physician had told her bariatric surgery was her only option

I told her that we could remove the offending gluten- containing grains and foods but that at her current insulin doses, her blood sugar would plummet and she could collapse. but her physician absolutely refused to reduce the prescribed amounts.

To be continued...