Blood results

[Bernadette_Abraham]

@Tatjana – thank you for uploading your latest bloodwork. There are definitely some signs that line up with what you’re experiencing, and it looks like your body is still working through some underlying imbalances. Here’s a breakdown of what’s going on and some next steps to consider:

1. Signs point to microbial imbalance (possible return of SIBO?):
Even though these labs don’t directly confirm SIBO, the patterns strongly suggest microbial imbalance. Your very low folate, low vitamin K1, and elevated B12 are classic signs. Low folate suggests competition from gut bacteria or poor absorption, while high B12 (with no supplements) often reflects inactive B12 analogs from bacterial overgrowth.

2. There are signs of malabsorption and digestive stress:

• Low alkaline phosphatase points to possible zinc deficiency or poor digestive function

• Elevated MCV and RDW may reflect a need for more B vitamins or inflammation affecting red blood cell health

• Low WBC and neutrophils suggest some degree of immune strain, again likely tied to the gut. Boosting vitamin A, zinc and D which are all suboptimal will help support immunity.

3. Thyroid support may be needed:
Although they didn’t measure a full thyroid panel that includes your free thyroid levels, your T3 is actually clinically low, which can directly impact gut motility, nutrient absorption, and stomach acid production — all of which play a big big role in keeping SIBO from recurring. So thyroid support should be a priority in your case. In the meantime, consider a thyroid support complex with nutrients like selenium, zinc, iodine (if tolerated), tyrosine, vit A, and supportive herbs like ashwagandha if stress is also a factor to help with thyroid conversion. I really like the Pure Encapsulations Thyroid Support Complex as an example of such a combo. You can also watch this lesson from the Thyroid Balance course for food-based options.

Next Steps to Consider:

1. Support gut cleansing gently with proper bile flow. You reacted strongly to d-limonene, so continue with PC alone for better bile flow. Once things settle, slowly retry d-limonene at a lower dose (like 250mg) every few days as a way to introduce it.

2. Add targeted gut-healing and digestive support.

– Zinc (ideally test RBC zinc + copper if retesting)

– Methylated B-complex (with folate + B12)

– Digestive enzymes, bitters, betaine HCl (if no H. pylori). I really like Pure Encapsulations Digestion GB formula.
– Gut lining repair (like glutamine, aloe, marshmallow, slippery elm). I like the GI Revive formula which is also available in powder (but not everyone likes the stevia/peach taste). Watch this lesson if you haven’t yet for other food-based options like cabbage juice for example.

3. Replenish known insufficiencies like vitamin D3/K2 and thyroid support and then re-test after 3 months. Both are key for gut health, immune support and preventing SIBO recurrence.

4. Work through the SIBO/IBS Relief Program for step-by-step support (if you haven’t already) which includes many of the above suggestions. It also covers both symptom relief and deeper root cause resolution with some antimicrobial options to consider.

[Tatjana]

@Bernadette_Abraham Thank you very much for quick reply. Do I understand well, I need to supplement with B12 even of it’s high? You think it’s inactive? That part I stil don’t get, before I order supplements just to be sure 100%.

Also this part on the test where they said iron deficiency , all points that I’m not iron deficient… and part about kidneys, which I saw something is also high, can I be dehydrated , my sodium is also on a lower side, few years ago I switched from table salt to Celtic sea salt , table salt has much more sodium than Celtic and not sure am I taking enough salt?!

For thyroid I will do a full retest after this supplement, I like it, thank you.

And which dose of vitamin D3 you suggest daily?

[Bernadette_Abraham]

@Tatjana B vitamins are water soluble so whatever the body doesn’t need, will be excreted in urine. This is often the reason for bright yellow urine when taking a B complex. Something like Thorne’s Basic B Complex has a good balance of methylated B vitamins.

Regarding your iron values. Serum iron looks good at 150.7 µg/dL (well within range), and your ferritin is also in the normal range at 41.9 ng/mL, although it’s slightly suboptimal (ideal is 50-70ng/mL for menstruating women).

However, your transferrin saturation is elevated at 49.7% (normal is 13–45%), which means that a high proportion of the transport proteins are already loaded with iron (i.e. they are saturated/full). At the same time, your UIBC (unsaturated iron binding capacity) is low at 152.7, which supports that finding… meaning, there’s less “room” for iron to be carried.

For now, based on these results, iron supplementation would not be needed unless specifically advised, and it would be helpful to retest in a few months time to monitor patterns of iron.

If you want to understand how to read an iron panel, you can watch this lesson in our Mineral Balance course where I break down the different iron markers starting at 1min 19sec. I also get into ferritin as an inflammatory marker HERE in the Interpreting Basic Blood Chemistry course starting at 2min 17 sec.

Regarding kidney/sodium balance. There does seem to be possible mild dehydration given the higher BUN/Creatinine ratio, but kidney function is optimal. Also, lower sodium and higher potassium relative to each other is not necessarily due to salt / potassium intake. This pattern often indicates a pattern of chronic stress (parasympathetic dominance). I encourage you to watch this lesson on the interpretation of electrolytes to better understand this dynamic.

And given the clinically low thyroid function (T3), stress could likely the main driver because cortisol (high or low) rules the thyroid. Watch this video to learn how cortisol affects thyroid function from our Adrenal Balance course. It also affects other hormones which is why they say stress is silent killer. It affects everything in our body and that’s why nervous system regulation and an audit of the priorities in our life is so important. Would you say chronic stress is part of your picture? And keep in mind stress can be physical, mental/emotional and physiological (like low-grade simmering infections and overgrowths).

Regarding vitamin D dosage, we have this handout that can help figure out the right dose based on your current level. Ideally, it should be between 50-70ng/mL.

iherb.pxf.io

Just a moment...

Just a moment...

[Tatjana]

@Bernadette_Abraham Ok, ordered now everything and let’s see how it will go! Thank you. Yes, I can definitely say I have chronic stress since my childhood(that’s a long story) I worked with psychologist in the past but even with her I was always stressed, I don’t think there are moments I can be fully relaxed, I have inner stress , don’t know how to explain, it’s not that when you see me you would say I’m stressed, this is hidden stress. I’m doing red light therapy, breathing exercises, meditation, massages, stretching and while I’m doing it I’m fine but during the day the “stiff” feeling is always with me, unexplained…

I miss the nature so much, it’s been 4 years I’m in Dubai and I lost contact with the nature, think few months in the woods would restart my vagus nerve and activate parasympathetic NS.

Here are the results of SIBO test , clearly negative and I don’t feel like overgrowth is back , last time I had it I knew it immediately with all the symptoms, but now my stomach is warm and no pain, bloating, nothing… but stool isn’t good yet, and clearly I don’t absorb anything yet how I should and can’t gain weight, never been more skinnier than now…

[Bernadette_Abraham]

@Tatjana if you always have that “stiff” feeling inside, then this is what absolutely needs to be prioritized. Talk therapy is great, but it does not allow the body to release emotions held in fascia. Have you ever done any type of somatic breathwork work before?

I would love for you to watch last month’s guest expert session with Dr. Christian Gonzales (aka Dr. G on social media) on the psychosomatic and energetic component of cancer (and overall disease). It was powerful. Regulating the nervous system is absolutely foundational to healing and should be done in conjunction (if not before) with all the other stuff you’re doing in terms of diet, supplements, lifestyle habits, etc.

Recently, I’ve discovered Fascial Maneuvers by Human Garage. It’s a similar principle except it’s practically free and you don’t need a practitioner. You can adjust the price you’d like to pay to get access to their app (as low as $1). I’m also interviewing Garry Lineham this month if you’d like to join the session live. The idea is that these maneuvers work on the fascia which connects everything in the body and where emotions are stored. Together with breathing and affirmations to reprogram the brain, many people are experiencing transformations. Definitely worth a look and try! I’m currently doing their 28-day program as well to experience it.

Of course there are many other healing modalities like EMDR, Gupta Program, etc. but I would encourage you to start with what’s free like watching the session with Dr. G, and downloading the Human Garage app. https://humangarage.net/

[Tatjana]

@Bernadette_Abraham somatic breathwork I don’t think I have ever tried, I found it now and will try for sure Thanks

Yes I can join, let me know when it will be. And I will definitely watch this episode. Stress reduction has to be a priority, still don’t understand how this garage app works?

[Bernadette_Abraham]

@Tatjana yes, please make time to watch the session with Dr. Gonzales. I have a feeling you’re really going to resonate with it very much.

Human Garage has a mission to help people heal themselves through Fascial Maneuvers. These are specific exercises that target the fascia (a part of the body that is still not well understood or talked enough about in medicine) which is the basic structure that makes up and holds all of our organs, ligaments, tendons, bones, etc, and holds intelligence, meaning that’s where our emotions and traumas get stored. So by doing certain exercises/maneuvers that target the fascia, combined with breathing, and affirmations to reprogram the brain, it is meant to help the body release emotions, realign everything better, and reset the nervous system which is the state in which we can heal.

If you download their app and navigate to their “courses”, you can start with their 1-Day reset. It will walk you through everything step by step. And like I said, you can join for as little as $1!

Hope that helps clarify it a bit better.