Since adolescence, Dorian (a 30-year-old certified public accountant) had watched the scale go up and down in wild fluctuations with no apparent rhyme or reason.
She tried everything – popular weight loss programs and fad diets, exercising for hours each day under the guidance of a personal trainer, support from nutritionists, prescription medications and even hypnosis. Nothing produced lasting results.
She was on the brink of giving up when her doctor brought up lap band surgery – a major operation and would result in serious lifestyle changes. After reading about it, she was scared but decided to consider it out of desperation.
A friend of hers pleaded with her to see a functional medicine doctor and sent her a link to Dr. Taz MD and the Atlanta Center for Holistic and Integrative Medicine.
“Honestly, I was very skeptical that this approach would lead to any different results,” said Dorian prior to her first appointment with Dr. Taz. “I had a picture in my head that anything ‘holistic’ would mean chasing down the lawn-man to get grass clippings to shoot through a juicer for breakfast each morning. But I figured that I would appease my friend and go see her. What did I have to lose?”
Everything changed when she met Dr. Taz MD, whose approach was radically different from anything she had tried before.
She was immediately tested to see which foods she might be reacting to (dairy, beef, cherries, apples and grapes were on the “no” list.) Dorian eliminated gluten and dairy from her diet, rotated foods to prevent sensitivities, and greeted each morning with a glass of diluted raw apple cider vinegar to kick start her digestion and lower her body’s pH – or acidity level.
“Dr. Taz wanted my gut to be more alkaline to help with my weight loss. I also took glutamine to heal my digestive system and probiotics to put the good bacteria back in my stomach,” said Dorian.
After one week, Dorian had lost 5.4 pounds. In four months she had lost more than 40 pounds and at six months her weight loss totaled 55 pounds! Dorian’s net weight loss has stayed between 55 and 60 pounds. Beyond that, she has higher energy levels and no longer experiences frequent bouts of bloating and heartburn.
For Dorian, the mystery has been solved! She is convinced that the functional medicine approach to weight loss is the way to go, and is grateful that lap band surgery is no longer a consideration.
