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How One Woman Healed IBS and Cut Inflammation 95% in 6 Weeks

April 10, 2026

Today I’m going to share how one of my patients healed her IBS and reduced her inflammation by 95% in just six weeks. My name is Dr. Tom Rofrano from the Natural Medicine Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and I’m the author of The FreeDiet®.

I recently worked with a 68-year-old woman who came in with a long list of symptoms: IBS, abdominal pain, indigestion, bloating, gas, constipation, fatigue, brain fog, weight gain, insomnia, and joint pain. She was feeling pretty terrible overall.

To get to the root cause of her issues, we started with comprehensive testing.

Identifying the Root Causes: Comprehensive Testing

The first step was a Comprehensive Health Panel, which includes a wide range of blood markers. Her results showed:

  • Very high inflammation, measured by CRP (C-reactive protein)
  • Elevated glucose, insulin, cholesterol, and triglycerides
  • Insulin resistance, prediabetes, and metabolic syndrome

To uncover the underlying causes, I look at five main areas:

  1. Deficiencies
  2. Toxins
  3. Infections
  4. Hormones
  5. Food reactions

For IBS specifically, the most common root causes are infections and food reactions—and that was true in her case.

Stool Testing: Infections & Gut Imbalances

Her stool test revealed:

  • Candida yeast overgrowth
  • Bacterial overgrowth

Both can significantly disrupt digestion and trigger IBS symptoms.

Food Sensitivities & Leaky Gut

Food reaction testing showed she had:

  • Gluten sensitivity, which can cause leaky gut
  • Multiple food sensitivities, including:
    • Grains
    • Legumes
    • Dairy
    • Eggs
    • Yeast

Leaky gut also leads to nutritional deficiencies, which she had, along with hormonal imbalances—specifically adrenal dysfunction and low DHEA.

Once we had the full picture, I created a personalized diet and supplement plan.

The FreeDiet®: A Targeted Approach to Healing

The diet I used is the FreeDiet®, which I developed years ago when healing my own chronic gut, thyroid, autoimmune, and other health issues.

The FreeDiet® is free of:

  • Gluten
  • Grains
  • Sugar
  • Yeast
  • Dairy
  • Eggs
  • Soy
  • Legumes
  • Nightshades
  • Processed foods

These are the foods most commonly responsible for inflammation and gut, thyroid, and autoimmune issues.

What the diet looks like:

  • Breakfast: A nutrient-dense smoothie
  • Lunch & Dinner: Protein, vegetables, and healthy fats

There’s a link below where you can access the FreeDiet® Phase 1 food chart.

Supplement Plan for Gut Healing & Inflammation

Her personalized supplement protocol included:

Foundational Support 

Functional Five™

  • Multivitamin
  • Vitamin D w K
  • Magnesium
  • Probiotic

Gut Repair

Inflammation Support

Hormone & Nutrient Support

These nutrients are essential for gut healing and restoring optimal function.

Her Results After 6 Weeks

After six weeks on the FreeDiet® and her supplement plan, she returned with remarkable improvements:

Symptoms

  • IBS symptoms significantly improved
  • More energy
  • Sleeping better
  • Lost 10 pounds
  • “My stomach is flat for the first time in years”

Lab Results

  • CRP (inflammation) dropped 95%
  • Glucose dropped 20 points to 83
  • Insulin decreased by 68%
  • Cholesterol and triglycerides dropped by over 40 points

She felt dramatically better overall.

The Takeaway: Healing Happens When You Address the Root Causes

Her transformation shows what’s possible when you identify the underlying causes and provide the right solutions. With the proper diet, targeted supplements, and a personalized plan, I believe almost anyone can get better.

Go here if you would like a free copy of the FreeDiet® phase 1 food chart.

Raised Testosterone Almost 20X by Healing His Gut

November 21, 2023
Raised Testosterone Almost 2000% by Healing His Gut

I helped a patient raise his low testosterone by almost 2,000% in one month by following this regimen. My name is Dr. Tom Rofrano, and I am from The Natural Medicine Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. I am also the author of FreeDiet®.

Low Testosterone Patient Case Study

I had a 36-year-old male patient who came to see me with colitis, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, diarrhea, and bloody stools. He was feeling very fatigued and sluggish, had a low libido, and a lack of focus and concentration. He felt miserable. He didn’t feel good on the medication his GI doctor gave him and he wanted to get to the root cause.

I ordered a comprehensive health panel which includes the usual CBC, chemistry panel, lipids, and TSH, as well as ferritin and iron panel, inflammatory markers like CRP, uric acid, GGT, insulin, HA1c, complete thyroid hormones, DHEA, cortisol (adrenal hormones), testosterone, estrogen, and growth hormone, SHBG.

Lab Results Show the Root Causes

His lab results indicated high inflammation and low testosterone with a level of 33 ng/dL. He’s 36 years old, so his testosterone was lower than his age! This was probably the lowest I’ve ever seen in a man.

Optimal testosterone levels are over 600 for that age group. Other indicators from his lab testing indicated below-optimal cholesterol. If your cholesterol is 150 or below, that can diminish your hormone levels since cholesterol is a precursor to testosterone and other hormones.

His inflammatory marker, CRP, was very high (eight times optimal level), and his adrenal function was below optimal. His body was very depleted after having persistent bouts of diarrhea.

Deficiencies, Toxins, and Food Reactions

I also looked at functional labs to determine other root causes since he had chronic digestive issues and fatigue. I looked at tests for deficiencies, toxins, hormones, and food reactions— including gluten and leaky gut.

He had findings in all those areas, including gluten sensitivity and vitamin D deficiency which can contribute to low testosterone. So, I recommended a specific diet and supplements to help his body heal.

After one month’s time on the FreeDiet® and Natural Medicine Formulas® supplements, his testosterone went from 33 to 636, which was almost a 20X, or 2,000%, increase.

His low cholesterol increased 30 points, and his inflammation dropped dramatically to optimal levels. 

His adrenal hormones went up to optimal levels, and his gut symptoms cleared up. 

He was feeling the best he had in years and the skin issues and rashes he had been dealing with cleared up as well. In three months’ time, he lost 22 pounds and was at his optimal weidht.

The FreeDiet® – the Best Anti-Inflammatory Diet

One of the biggest things that helped to get all of these positive results in such a short amount of time was that I put him on FreeDiet®. FreeDiet® is a diet I developed years ago when I was figuring out how to heal my own chronic health issues including autoimmune thyroid Hashimoto’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

I had IBS, pain, fatigue, and skin issues, and I was feeling awful. I developed FreeDiet® through much research, trial, and error. This diet is free of gluten, gluten grains, sugar, yeast, dairy, eggs, soy, legumes, nightshades, and processed foods- all the foods most commonly responsible for inflammation, gut, thyroid, and other chronic health issues. 

The FreeDiet® helped resolve my health conditions, and since then I’ve helped thousands of other people using it. 

 Go here if you would like a free copy of the FreeDiet® phase 1 food chart.

Supplements for Low Testosterone and Gut Health

The supplements I put him on included what I call “The Functional Five”: ActivMulti™, OmegaSorb™3X fish oil, D3 Protect™(D35000 w K1, K2), Magnesium Malate, and  PriobioXtreme™. 

I recommended other gut support supplements since he was dealing with candida yeast overgrowth, bacterial imbalance, and leaky gut. 

I also put him on Curcumin, Resveratrol, and Quercetin to help with inflammatory support. He was also on adrenal vibrance and DHEA to help support adrenal function as DHEA is a precursor to testosterone. He was on a low dose of 10 milligrams to help support healthy testosterone levels. 

I used other nutrients for the deficiencies that he came back positive for, and that included Vitamins A, C, E, copper, zinc, CoQ10, B complex, and NAC.   

I am not suggesting you need all these if you have low testosterone. This is what he needed due to his lab findings. 

Healing the Gut and Optimizing Testosterone Naturally

His results were remarkable, and his commitment to sticking with it is commendable. He could have easily taken testosterone injections and other drugs for his colitis, but he wanted to get to the root cause and not only feel better but actually get better. 

So, he stuck with it, and it wasn’t easy. I commend him for being committed to the diet and supplements, sticking to the process, and getting amazing results in one month’s time. 

He said he feels the best he has in years!

If the root causes are discovered and the right solutions are provided, I believe almost anyone can get better. 

So, if you’re suffering from gut, thyroid, hormone, or other chronic health issues, reach us at info@nmcwellness.com to see how we can help you.

How to Lower Ferritin 60% & Inflammation 78% in 3 Months or Less

October 20, 2023
doctor writing on a clip board.

Is it possible to lower high ferritin and inflammation by 60% in three months or less? That’s something we’re going to discuss today. I’m Dr. Tom Rofrano from The Natural Medicine Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and author of The FreeDiet®.

From High Ferritin to Normal in Three Months

I had a patient with high ferritin levels of almost 600. He had symptoms of fatigue and brain fog. He was overweight, had insomnia, and gut symptoms. After three months, his ferritin dropped from almost 600 to 236. 

His marker of vascular inflammation called MPO or myeloperoxidase improved 78% in just one month as did the inflammatory homocysteine and PLAC markers improved to normal, his cholesterol ratios and uric acid improved to optimal levels, and he dropped 12 pounds in the first two months. 

He was feeling much better, had more energy, was sleeping better, and his gut symptoms improved after just one month. 

What Causes High Ferritin?

If you have high ferritin, the first thing you need to figure out is what’s causing it. I refer to what I call “The Five I’s of High Ferritin”: insulin resistance, inflammation, infection, illness, and iron overload. These are all possible causes of high ferritin. 

How do you discover what is your root cause of high ferritin? Doctor will typically run a CBC, chemistry panel, lipids, and TSH. In addition to that, I recommend testing ferritin, iron, TIBC, % saturation, CRP, GGT, LDH, and ANA, insulin, A1C, and uric acid.

Additional Functional Lab Tests for Root Causes

The above labs are the minimum because then you have an idea if it’s iron overload, inflammation, or insulin resistance, and you can start to figure out what is causing the high ferritin.

Beyond those tests, I like to do functional testing to determine the root causes. That includes deficiencies, toxins, infections, hormonal imbalance, and food reactions (including gluten, celiac, and leaky gut markers).

Discovering the Root Causes

We discovered this patient had numerous deficiencies, toxins (high mercury), infections (Epstein Barr Virus), hormonal imbalances (low DHEA), and many food reactions, including gluten sensitivity and leaky gut. I almost always see gluten sensitivity and leaky gut with high ferritin levels. How do we treat all this? The first step of treatment is an anti-inflammatory diet.

Step 1 is an anti-inflammatory diet: The FreeDiet® 

I developed an anti-inflammatory diet called The FreeDiet® over the last 37 years of practice, and specifically when I was dealing with my own health issues. I had Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroid condition, rheumatoid arthritis, IBS, fatigue, brain fog, and skin issues. 

I developed the FreeDiet® over time, through trial and error, and research. This diet is not only free of gluten, but it is free of gluten, grains, sugar, yeast, dairy, eggs, soy, legumes, nightshades, and processed foods. All those foods are most commonly responsible for inflammation, gut, thyroid and other chronic health issues. 

While using The FreeDiet®, I was able to get better from all these health issues I was dealing with and in turn have been able to help many other people as well. 

Here is a copy of the FreeDiet® Phase One Free Chart.

Step 2: Supplements

The next step is that I start patients on supplements. I recommend what I call The Functional Five: ActivMulti™, OmegaSorb™3X fish oil, D3 5000 +K2, Magnesium Malate, and  PriobioXtreme™. 

Often, I’ll recommend curcumin to support healthy inflammation and iron levels. Cardio Metabolics, Berberine, Alpha Lipoic Acid, liver support supplements, and gut support supplements were all recommended to this patient. 

He had nutrient deficiencies including vitamin C and yes, his ferritin still went down 60% even though he was taking vitamin C. He was deficient in copper, vitamin A, and these are two important nutrients that you need for iron metabolism.

We added in CoQ10, B complex, and some other nutrients he needed. He was high in mercury and iron, and we added Metal Cleanse™ to support those areas.

Step 3: Additional Support 

Besides that, infrared saunas can be very helpful for excreting out toxins including metals like mercury and iron. 

If you have high iron levels and your red blood count and hemoglobin are high enough, donating blood can be very helpful. 

So with all that, he was not only able to reduce his ferritin by 60% and his vascular inflammation marker 78% in one month, he dropped twelve pounds and is feeling so much better.

Healing with Proper Support

If you get the proper testing and are provided the right solutions, I believe almost anyone can get better. 

Here is a copy of the FreeDiet® Phase One Free Chart, and if you need help with this, feel to contact us at info@nmcwellness.com. 

How to Improve High Ferritin and Insulin Resistance 50% in 4 Weeks

October 10, 2023
Improve High Ferritin

Can you improve high ferritin and insulin resistance 50% In four weeks? The answer is yes! My name is Dr. Tom Rofrano from The Natural Medicine Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and I am the author of The FreeDiet®. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing over 100,000 patient visits over the last 37 years, many of whom had gut and thyroid issues, as well as abnormal ferritin levels.

Symptoms of Inflammation

I had a patient in his 40s who came in feeling very frustrated and had high ferritin for many years. His levels were in the five hundreds and then increased to the seven hundreds. He was told to donate blood which he did and a year later his level was 836. He was feeling awful, tired, and had digestive issues his entire life. He had IBS and was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, had fatty liver, and wanted help in getting better. 

The first thing I did was order comprehensive lab testing. When you go to the doctor they typically will do a CBC, chemistry panel, lipids, and TSH. You want to make sure beyond that they measure your ferritin, iron, TIBC and saturation because you want to know your ferritin level and if it’s related to iron overload. Sometimes it is but most of the time it’s not like in this patient’s case.

Ordering the Proper Lab Tests

Other lab markers include CRP, GGT, and ANA to see if your problems are related to inflammation. liver dysfunction, autoimmune, and A1C, uric acid are important. 

Insulin resistance is the most common cause of high ferritin that ultimately leads to fatty liver as well as diabetes. This patient did have insulin resistance. 

You also want to check thyroid and adrenal function, other hormones, and some basic vitamins. At the minimum you want to get a comprehensive health panel, and from there I also like to look at functional testing to assess root causes.

Discovering the Root Causes

Results indicated this patient had deficiencies, toxins, and infections. He had Candida overgrowth, leaky gut, and inflammation in his gut. He also had hormone imbalances and food reactions. 

Gluten sensitivity is a common thing I see with high ferritin, and he had gluten sensitivity along with positive celiac genetic markers. Once we discover the underlying root causes, how do you get better? 

The FreeDiet® anti-inflammatory diet

Step number one is diet. The diet that I use is called The FreeDiet®, and I came up with this diet years ago as I was dealing with my own health issues. I had autoimmune thyroid and rheumatoid arthritis antibodies, plus IBS, fatigue, and skin issues. 

I had to figure out how to get better so I came up with the FreeDiet® which is free of not only gluten but gluten grains, sugar, yeast, dairy, eggs, soy, legumes, nightshades, and processed foods- all those foods most commonly responsible for inflammation, chronic gut, thyroid and other health issues. 

To summarize the diet—for breakfast, you have a smoothie. For lunch and dinner, you can eat meat, chicken, fish, plenty of vegetables, and lots of healthy fats. 

For a comprehensive list of allowed foods, you can go her to receive the FreeDiet® phase one food chart. 

Nutritional Supplements to Support Healing

Beyond the FreeDiet®, which is the foundation, we add in supplements. I start with what I call the Functional Five™: ActivMulti™,  OmegaSorb™3X, D3 5000 +K2, Magnesium Malate, and PriobioXtreme™. In this patient’s case, I added curcumin for inflammatory support, gut support supplements, and nutrients for deficiencies that he had, including vitamin C.

This patient was eating beef regularly as well as liver support supplements. After four weeks, uric acid decreased to optimal levels and insulin, cholesterol, triglycerides, GGT, and ferritin all dropped between 30 and 60%. 

His ferritin that was 839 two weeks prior to seeing me decreased to 202 after 4 weeks on the FreeDiet® and supplements. 

Not only did his cholesterol, triglycerides, ferritin, and insulin levels improve, and he lost 13 pounds in the first four weeks. The best part was he was feeling great, and his energy and moods improved. He was sleeping better, and his gut symptoms cleared up.

The FreeDiet® Can Help You

If you have high ferritin or any of these other chronic health issues, get the proper testing so you can find out the root causes; then you can be provided the right solutions. If you do that, I believe almost anyone can get better. 

If you’ve been dealing with health issues for a while, take a look at the The FreeDiet® and if you need help, feel free to reach us at info@nmcwellness.com.

The Best Anti-Inflammatory Diet: The FreeDiet®

October 4, 2023
The Best Anti-Inflammatory Diet: The FreeDiet®

What is the best anti-inflammatory diet? We’re going to discuss that and also a patient who not only reduced her inflammatory markers 77% but also dropped 41 pounds in eight months, achieving her desired weight. My name is Dr. Tom Rofrano from the Natural Medicine Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and I’m the author of The FreeDiet®.

Inflammation is a Root Cause for Disease

A 50-year-old patient came into my office with fatigue, hives, brain fog, digestive symptoms, pain, and Hashimoto’s thyroid disease. She was feeling miserable; unable to exercise and couldn’t work. The first thing I did was run some labs, and amongst other things, she had high c-reactive protein (CRP) and other markers indicating inflammation, LDH, uric acid, ferritin, and high thyroid antibodies.

What Causes Inflammation and How to Reduce It?

I also ran functional tests which check for deficiencies, toxins, food reactions including gluten sensitivity and leaky gut, and hormonal imbalance. This patient positive findings in all these areas which can result in inflammation and her multiple symptoms.

The first step for treatment was to put the patient on an anti-inflammatory diet. The diet I recommend is called The FreeDiet®, which in my opinion is the best anti-inflammatory diet. 

I developed this diet years ago when I was dealing with my own health issues. I had Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroid condition, rheumatoid arthritis, IBS, skin issues, fatigue, and brain fog—similar symptoms to this patient. I was able to get better by developing and following this diet and a combination of supplements that I discovered I needed through lab testing. 

What is The FreeDiet® ?

The FreeDiet® is not only free of gluten, but gluten grains, sugar, yeast, dairy, soy, legumes, nightshades, and processed foods—those foods most commonly responsible for inflammation, gut and other chronic health issues. 

When we did follow up testing, this patient improved her CRP inflammatory marker by 77%, and her glucose, insulin, and ferritin all improved to normal or optimal levels. Her thyroid antibodies decreased by 60%, and her symptoms resolved. She regained her energy, dropping 41 pounds to her desired weight in eight months, and she was sleeping much better.

Health Improvements with The FreeDiet®

She had a lot more improvements on the FreeDiet® including hives resolved, clear sinuses, improved memory, and better concentration. She was feeling so well she started training for a half marathon. One of the most popular things from the FreeDiet® is a super smoothie that contains protein, fruits and vegetables, essential fats, and fiber. There’s a recipe for that included in my book, and for lunch and dinner you can eat protein, vegetables, and healthy fats. On The FreeDiet® phase 1 food chart there is an allowed section and avoid section which is very helpful.

Why Does The FreeDiet® Work?

Why does the diet work so well? Besides being free of those foods most commonly responsible for inflammation, it’s also low in oxalates and histamine while having ketogenic properties to it. It’s an elimination diet and candida diet as well. There are many different components to it. 

The supplement recommendations for this patient were what I call the  Functional Five™: ActivMulti™, OmegaSorb™3X fish oil, D3 5000 +K2 with K, Magnesium Malate, and PriobioXtreme™. In her case, I also recommended Curcumin Protect for healthy inflammation support and CardioMetabolix™ for healthy insulin support. CardioMetabolix contains berberine and Alpha Lipoic Acid. I also recommended supplements for gut and immune support, leaky gut, and candida as well as Vitamin C with bioflavonoids.

The Best Anti-Inflammatory Diet

I believe The FreeDiet® is the best anti-inflammatory diet because it not only worked for me, it has helped many patients such as this one. 

It was the only thing that would allow me to resolve my autoimmune disease, gut, and other health issues. 

I check CRP in patients to track for inflammation and high sensitivity CRP in particular. Less than three is normal and less than one is optimal. Patients typically have a significant decrease in one to three months. 

From my own personal experience and experience with many patients over the past 37 years, I believe that The FreeDiet® is the best anti-inflammatory diet.

If you have gut, thyroid, or other chronic health issues, I encourage you to take a look at The FreeDiet®. Here is the link to receive the The FreeDiet® Phase One food chart. We’ll send you some other resources with that as well. 

If you need help, feel free to email us at info@nmcwellness.com.

Lower A1C Fast: Amazing 5-Week Transformation

August 30, 2023
Lower AIC fast

My name is Dr. Tom Rofrano from the Natural Medicine Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. I’ve had the opportunity to see over 100,000 patient visits over the last 37 years, many of whom often have had thyroid issues and ferritin abnormalities. Today I’m going to talk about a 60-year-old patient who had gut symptoms, fatigue, skin issues, and lack of memory and concentration. He was overweight, had high blood pressure, and was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago. 

Lowered A1C 8.6 to 5.6 in Five Weeks

I did an evaluation, lab testing, and recommended a specific diet and supplements. We did a follow up test, and he had lowered his A1C from 8.6 to 5.6 and his glucose from 174 to 80 in just five weeks.

His A1C improved 35% and his ferritin improved 30%, from 204 to 131. And this is while he was eating beef and taking vitamin C, so you can lower your ferritin while you’re doing both. A ferritin level of 204 is out of range, and some doctors will say a ferritin level up to 1000 is okay, but optimal ferritin is approximately 50 to 80 ng/ml.

More Physical and Lab Improvements 

The patient’s inflammation decreased by over 50% in  five weeks to optimal levels, and his kidney/liver function and adrenal function markers improved. One thing that did go up was his testosterone levels that increased over 200 points in five weeks without taking hormones. When the body is in a healthy state, you start to optimize other things. He said in the first six weeks he had lost 30 pounds while his glucose levels dropped dramatically. He was also able to decrease his diabetes medication by 50%. 

Get a More Complete Lab Test  

The first step is getting the proper testing. Your doctor will typically order CBC, chemistry panel, lipids, and TSH. I think it is very important to also check ferritin, iron TIBC and saturation, CRP, GGT, LDH, liver function, insulin, A1c, uric acid, and a full thyroid panel. Besides TSH, free T3, free T4, TPO and thyroglobulin antibodies. l also check adrenal function-DHEA and cortisol, testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, IGF1, SHBG, and homocysteine.

Uncovering the Root Causes with Functional LabTests

Functional lab tests can tell you the underlying root causes. These include testing for deficiencies, toxins, infections, hormonal imbalance, and food reactions. For instance, this patient had multiple deficiencies, toxins, above optimal levels of mercury, infections, and Candida yeast overgrowth.

He had hormonal imbalance, adrenal dysfunction, low testosterone, and food reactions. He had celiac genetics and gluten sensitivity as well as leaky gut. Once discovering the root causes, I developed a treatment plan to help him get better. 

Treating the Patient with Diet and Supplements

The first step of treatment is diet and supplements. I start patients on the FreeDiet® that I developed years ago when I was figuring out how to treat my own issues. I had autoimmune thyroid Hashimoto’s, rheumatoid arthritis, fatigue, and skin issues. In the process, I came up with an anti-inflammatory diet that I call the FreeDiet® which is free of gluten, grains, sugar, yeast dairy, eggs, soy, legumes, nightshades, and processed foods—those foods commonly responsible for inflammation, digestive, and other chronic health issues.

 Go here if you would like a free copy of the FreeDiet® phase 1 food chart.

I started this patient on what I call the Functional Five™, which I find almost everyone needs, which includes ActivMulti™, OmegaSorb™3X fish oil, D3 5000 +K2, Magnesium Malate, and  PriobioXtreme™.

For this patient I added in curcumin and cardiometabolic support for healthy inflammation and blood sugar. The CardioMetaboliX™ has berberine and alpha lipoic. I also recommended Resveratrol + Quercetin. I added in vitamins to address the nutritional deficiencies he had, including Vitamin C. He took vitamin C and ate beef, and his ferritin still went down 38% in five weeks. 

Let Us Help You Optimize Your Health

Many patients can notice tremendous improvement in energy, digestion, skin, and other physical improvements as well as blood markers when they follow the diet and supplements I put them on. With this patient, he had much improvement in just five weeks.

I believe that if the root causes are discovered and the right solutions are provided, almost anyone can get better. If you’re struggling with health issues, reach out us at info@nmcwellness.com to see if we can help you. I look forward to working with you!

The Unexpected Truth Behind Lab Testing

August 15, 2023
Truth Behind Lab Testing

What is the truth behind lab testing and how you can use this information to improve your health? I’m Dr. Tom Rofrano from The Natural Medicine Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. I have had the opportunity to see over 100,000 patient visits over the last 37 years. One of the main ways that I use to determine someone’s root causes in order to help them is through comprehensive lab testing. 

Standard Lab Tests Aren’t Enough

What many people don’t realize is that when they go to their doctor’s office to get testing done it is just very basic testing that only looks for a few different things. You get a CBC (complete blood count), chemistry panel, lipids, and TSH. They’re looking for high cholesterol, diabetes, and thyroid issues, so anything beyond that is being missed. When you go in and you’re having fatigue, gut issues, pain, headaches, insomnia, and anxiety, they just check these things and say it is very comprehensive. They say they are checking everything but they’re only looking for those three things. 

Does Your Doctor Say It Must Be All in Your Head

If you don’t fall into those categories, and many don’t, then the response is “oh, everything’s fine, your lab work looks good, and it must all be in your head. Why don’t you just take this antidepressant? Take this for anxiety. Oh, you’re tired and have a lack of focus and concentration so take some Adderall. Is that eczema? Take this medication.” You leave not knowing what’s going on and thinking it’s all in your head. You must be depressed and feel even worse about everything.

Uncover the Root Causes

Most medical doctors aren’t searching for the root causes of all these ailments but instead write prescriptions to mask symptoms. Coincidentally, the top three prescribed medications in the United States are statin drugs for cholesterol, levothyroxine or Synthroid for hypothyroidism, and metformin for diabetes. Those are the main three things doctors run lab work to check for. What I like to do is take a comprehensive approach, and when you get lab testing, I suggest more comprehensive lab testing besides the basic three. 

Case Study of a 26-Year-Old Woman

I saw a 26-year-old female patient who was having fatigue, anxiety, gut symptoms, pain, headaches, insomnia, eczema, was feeling miserable, couldn’t lose weight, and she was overweight. 

Besides the basic three panels I also checked her iron levels. She had low ferritin, low iron, low saturation, and I also checked CRP (C-Reactive Protein), GTL, DHA and ANA. She had high CRP which indicated inflammation. Her ANA, which is an autoimmune marker, was high. She also had elevated uric acid, which can contribute to joint pain and inflammation.

Complete thyroid labs include TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Reverse T3, TPO, and thyroid antibodies. Those thyroid labs were normal. Her DHEA and cortisol for adrenals were normal yet she had high testosterone which causes its own set of issues. We check other hormones as well, and with this health panel, often check these basic three or four vitamins or markers: Vitamin D, folic acid, red blood cell, magnesium, and homocysteine.

Lab Test Results Lead to Root Causes

When I get these results back and see these findings, a question I like to ask is what’s causing the pain and this autoimmune condition? I want to know what’s causing the inflammation, low iron and all of these issues. I like to take a root cause approach and do some functional testing, and the five main areas of testing are deficiencies, toxins, infections, hormonal imbalance, and food reactions. 

In the above-referenced case, this patient had multiple deficiencies including vitamin A, some B Vitamins, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. She had high levels of heavy metals and Candida yeast overgrowth. Her hormonal imbalances showed low levels of adrenal hormones and high estrogen. She had a very high gluten sensitivity as well as sensitivity to yeast, dairy, and almonds. She had a leaky gut on top of that, and high inflammatory markers in her gut. 

Treating the Root Causes and Balancing the Body

Once we discover what the root causes are, we can work on solutions. I do this through diet and supplements. The diet I developed years ago when I was discovering how to help myself with the autoimmune Hashimoto’s, elevated rheumatoid antibodies, chronic gut issues, IBS, fatigue, and skin issues. 

The diet is called The FreeDiet® because it is free of gluten, grains, sugar, yeast, dairy, eggs, soy, legumes, night shades, and processed foods—those foods that are most commonly responsible for inflammation, gut and other chronic health issues. 

 Go here if you would like a free copy of the FreeDiet® phase 1 food chart.

In addition to The FreeDiet®, I add our Natural Medicine Formulas® supplements.  I start most patients on what I call the functional five: ActivMulti™, OmegaSorb™3X fish oil, D3 5000 +K2, Magnesium Malate, and  PriobioXtreme™. 

Depending on the lab tests, I’ll add in other supplements like Curcumin Protect, which helps with inflammatory support, gut support, as well address the nutrient deficiencies the patients have. This patient had low adrenal hormones so I add in supplements to support that as well. And then  Metal Cleanse™.and  Liver Support to support detoxification. 

Her Improvements at One Month

After lab testing at one month, her ANA autoimmune marker was normal. Her CRP inflammation marker, uric acid levels, liver enzymes, iron, ferritin, iron saturation, and her high testosterone were all normal.

Her gut symptoms improved, eczema was better, had more energy, and dropped 17 lbs. At 3 months, she dropped 26 lbs reaching her goal weight. Her eczema was still cleared up and her gut was even better.  

When you find the root causes and are provided with the right solutions, I believe almost anyone can get better.  

If you need help with your health issues, feel free to contact us at info@nmcwelless.com.

Uncovering the Truth About High Ferritin: Debunking 3 Myths!

August 7, 2023
high ferritin

The Truth About High Ferritin: Debunking 3 Myths

Here are three myths about high ferritin and how you can use this information to improve your health. My name is Dr. Tom Rofrano from The Natural Medicine Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. I’ve had the opportunity to see over 100,000 patient visits over the last 37 years. 

Myth #1: High Ferritin Means You Have Iron Overload

Many of my new patients have thyroid and gut issues, and ferritin abnormalities—either high or low—and high ferritin is a common thing I see. The number one myth surrounding this is that high ferritin means you have iron overload. While it can mean that, it’s not the most common cause, so when people find out they have high ferritin they automatically want to start donating blood or are told to donate blood. They often will feel worse if it’s not due to high ferritin. How do you find out what to do? You get proper lab testing. 

Proper Lab Testing For High Ferritin Causes 

The testing you want to get besides ferritin is iron, percent saturation and TIBC. This determines if you have iron overload, along with the CBC and chemistry panel. Other common causes of high ferritin are inflammation, infections, and insulin resistance, so that’s why the CBC,  chemistry panel, CRP, GGT, and LDH, lipids, insulin, A1C, uric acid, TSH, free T3, free T4, adrenal hormones, DHEA, cortisol, and other hormones testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, are all important labs to have done. If you do have high ferritin along with high iron saturation over 45%, then you can have hemochromatosis DNA testing done to see if that’s the issue. That’s the minimum testing to find out what is going on. You can also look further at functional testing to determine the root cause. 

Patient Case Study

I had a patient in his 30s who was having a lot of symptoms: gas, bloating, diarrhea, headaches, joint pain, fatigue, brain fog, and insomnia. He’d been to many different doctors and had been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, along with another autoimmune condition, and they gave him prednisone, gut anti-inflammatories as well as immunosuppressive drugs that he had to take. He did that for a while. He still felt miserable and was unable to be active or do sports. I dod an evaluation and ran this comprehensive health panel testing that I described and other functional lab testing.. 

High Ferritin Without Iron Overload

We found out he did have high ferritin but it was not from iron overload. He had above optimal insulin levels and high CRP (inflammatory markers). He had a high white blood count which indicates infections. Infections, inflammation, and insulin resistance- he had all three of those. 

I could have stopped there, but I like to check for root causes. I looked at deficiencies, toxins, infections, hormonal imbalance, food reactions, and found out he did have multiple nutrient deficiencies. He had toxins, high mercury levels, environmental, mycotoxins and he also had gut infections, bacterial overgrowth, C. diff, candida overgrowth, and markers for ulcerative colitis showing inflammation in his gut. There you have the underlying high ferritin root causes of infection and inflammation so now we know how to work on that. 

Additional Lab Testing for High Ferritin Root Causes

When we look at food reactions, like almost everyone I see with high ferritin, he had gluten sensitivity and celiac genetics, along with leaky gut that causes other food reactions that he had. He also had a hormonal imbalance with low testosterone, DHEA, and cortisol. The adrenal hormones cortisol and DHEA can promote inflammation when low. This patient’s inflammatory markers were very high. What do we do to turn all this around now that we have the root causes? We have to provide the right solutions.

Treating High Ferritin with Diet and Supplements

So the first thing is an anti-inflammatory diet called The FreeDiet®. When I was dealing with Hashimoto’s autoimmune condition, rheumatoid arthritis, gut and skin issues, and fatigue, I had to figure out how to get myself better. I ultimately did and the diet I came up with is called  The FreeDiet® because it is free of gluten, grains, sugar, yeast, dairy, eggs, soy, legumes, nightshades, and processed foods. Free of those foods that are commonly responsible for inflammation, digestive and other chronic health issues.

Go here if you would like a free copy of the FreeDiet® phase 1 food chart.

I put patients on the diet as well as the proper nutritional support. The supplements I start patients on are what I call the Functional Five, ActivMulti™, OmegaSorb™3X fish oil, D3 5000 +K2, Magnesium Malate, and start with a strong probiotic in his case PriobioXtreme™. In this case, additional gut support supplements, and nutrients for correcting his deficiencies. 

Myth #2: Avoid Vitamin C with High Ferritin

A second myth for high ferritin is you have to avoid vitamin C. This patient was taking 500 mg twice a day and his ferritin still decreased significantly. I also put him on Curcumin for inflammation and immune support. He took Metal Cleanse™ because of the high mercury in his body. I also gave him Liver Support, and Adrenal Support supplements because he had issues there. After a month’s time he was feeling so much better. He had more energy, focus and concentration. His pain is gone now, and he’s able to do his sports activities for the first time. 

Improvement in Lab Results 

At one month, he was feeling so much better. His ferritin was initially 323 and it went down to the two hundreds and then at six months it was 137. His initial ferritin was high but his iron saturation was low. During this time his ferritin decreased from 323 to 137 and his iron saturation increased to optimal levels. 

Myth #3: You Have to Be on a Low Iron Diet

A third myth for high ferritin is you have to avoid iron, be on a low iron diet and can’t eat any beef. You have to eat a plant based diet, no beef whatsoever, all low iron foods. He could have all the beef he wanted because iron was not causing his high ferritin. During this time he had vitamin C and beef on a regular basis and his ferritin went down dramatically at the same time as the iron saturation improved to optimal levels.

His insulin and uric acid decreased to optimal levels.  His C-Reactive Protein (CRP) for inflammation decreased from over 4 to less than 1 in three months. We were looking at insulin resistance, inflammation, and infections. He had high WBCs 13,000 which went down to 7800 in three months.

Lab Testing is Important to Discover the Root Causes

He had three root causes of high ferritin: insulin resistance, infections, inflammation. His testosterone, which was low, went up almost 300 points in one month from 452 to 734. Did we give him testosterone? No, it normalized just by finding out the root causes and providing the right solutions. Resolve the root causes and you’ll see secondary benefits like optimizing your hormone function. When you take medication for things like this, the drugs may temporarily help you feel better but it’s important to get to the root cause to help you actually get better. 

The number one takeaway is that you have to get the right testing to find out what’s causing your high ferritin. Once you’re provided the right testing, then you can be provided the right solutions. If you do that, I believe almost anyone can get better. 

When Ferritin Levels are High but Iron is Not

July 31, 2023
high ferritin levels

Can you have high ferritin without high iron levels? Here you’ll learn about this common cause of high ferritin and how to fix it. 

Causes of High Ferritin Levels

One common thing I see in patients is abnormal ferritin levels. In this case, we’re going to talk about high ferritin. One of the more common causes I’ve seen for high ferritin is not iron overload, but metabolic syndrome, which is also known as insulin resistance. Some of the symptoms can include high blood pressure, high cholesterol and triglycerides, excess belly fat, high glucose, A1C, and insulin. 

So how do you know what is the cause of your high ferritin levels? Proper lab testing is the number one way to discover the cause of high ferritin levels.

High Ferritin Labs

A patient came in recently who complained of fatigue, diarrhea, gas, abdominal pain, insomnia, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and frequent urinary tract infections.  One of the most common tests we do is a comprehensive health panel where we check ferritin, iron, TIBC, and percent saturation, CBC (complete blood count) chemistry panel, CRP (C-Reactive Protein) for inflammation, GGT, LDH, lipids, TSH, free T3, free T4, uric acid, insulin and A1C. Some of the other tests I like to run include DHEA, cortisol, B12, folic acid, vitamin D, and the hormones testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and IGF1. 

High Ferritin with Anemia Case Study 

This patient’s results showed high ferritin at 512 and high insulin at 24.2. Even though it’s within the normal range of 2 to 24.5, optimal insulin levels are between 2-4. His glucose and A1C were normal; however insulin was very high indicating insulin resistance and he had high inflammation. 

He was also anemic. He had high ferritin, was anemic, had low hemoglobin, low red blood count, and many other positive findings. This patient had certain nutrient deficiencies, toxins, infections, yeast overgrowth, gut inflammation, leaky gut, hormonal imbalance, low DHEA, testosterone, and food reactions. Besides gluten sensitivity and celiac genetics, he had other food sensitivities as well. 

Diet for High Ferritin

Treating insulin resistance is quite simple between diet and supplements. The diet I  to put patients on is an anti-inflammatory diet I’ve developed over the last 37 years of practice. I call it The FreeDiet® because it’s free of gluten, grains, sugar, yeast, dairy, eggs, soy, legumes, nightshades, and processed foods. Free of those foods that are commonly responsible for inflammation, digestive, and other chronic health issues. 

For breakfast you eat a smoothie that is high in protein, essential fats, fruits, vegetables, and fiber. For lunch and dinner you can eat protein: meat, chicken, or fish, and plenty of vegetables and a lot of healthy fats. It’s important to avoid snacks in between meals. There is a link below for the FreeDiet® food chart and a recipe for the smoothie. 

Supplements for High Ferritin

I started the patient on the supplements that I call the Functional Five: ActivMulti™, OmegaSorb™3X fish oil, D3 5000 +K2, Magnesium Malate, and a  probiotic in his case PriobioXtreme™. When someone has insulin resistance issues, I use a product called CardioMetaboliX™ to support healthy blood sugar regulation. Curcumin Protect™, Liver Support, C-BIO™ 600, gut support supplements, and some other nutrients that he was deficient in. 

Follow up Testing for High Ferritin

After one month, his ferritin dropped from 512 to 316- almost 40% reduction (and 248 or 52% at 3 months). His insulin had over 75% reduction in four weeks. There was a decrease in uric acid, his kidney function and liver function numbers improved to normal, and his inflammatory marker CRP went down 65% to optimal levels. 

He was no longer anemic after four weeks and platelets decreased to normal, his ANA (autoimmune marker) was normal after four weeks, and Hashimoto’s thyroid antibodies improved. His DHEA increased dramatically to normal levels and his cortisol decreased to the normal range. His testosterone went up over 50% or 164 points to normal and his PSA decreased at the same time to optimal levels. 

Improved Quality of Life

The best part was he was feeling more energy; sleeping through the night and got off his sleeping pills. He dropped 17 pounds in four weeks, and his joint pain and back pain improved dramatically. He was feeling so much better.

So the number one thing for high ferritin is to do the proper testing, because if you find out the underlying root cause, then you can be provided with the right solutions. When you do this, I believe almost anyone can get better. If you’d like a complimentary copy of  The FreeDiet® phase one food chart, click here. 

Immune Support and Gut Health

April 7, 2023
Immune Support and Gut Health

A common question I get is, “How can I have a healthy immune system?” I’m going to discuss why having a healthy gut is so important to having a healthy immune system and some tips on how to optimize your gut health. 

My name is Dr. Tom Rofrano, the founder of the Natural Medicine Clinic and the author of The  FreeDiet®, a clinically proven plan to heal your gut and thyroid and free yourself from pain, fatigue, fogginess, and fat. Not only does everything regarding your health depend on the health of your gut, including your immune system, but approximately 70% of your entire immune system is located in your gut. 

Healthy Immune System from a Healthy Gut

It stands to reason that having a healthy gut plays a large role in having a healthy immune system. I had a patient recently let me know that ever since she’s been a patient of mine she hasn’t been sick, had a cold. or anything in months, even though people around her were sick. The reason she became a patient wasn’t to strengthen her immune system but to address a gut issue. I’ll give you some tips on how you can also improve your gut, and in turn, your immune system. 

She came in with severe digestive symptoms she had been suffering from for many years. She was in her 30s and was experiencing bloating, constipation, nausea, and vomiting. With all the chronic digestive issues, she was feeling miserable, tired, had shortness of breath, and she was so tired she could barely workout. She would get dizzy when she stood up quickly, had shallow breathing, and cold hands and feet while feeling cold all over. She needed a lot of sleep and had heart palpitations. She was feeling overall terrible, and whenever she ate, she would feel bloated and get heartburn. 

If you felt like this, do you think you would have a strong, healthy immune system? Of course not. When she went to doctors, they would say it’s IBS or irritable bowel syndrome. I think more accurately it should be called irritable bug syndrome because in a lot of these cases, people have “bugs”—yeast, parasites, or bacteria—in their gut that are a root cause of their IBS. 

She went to a functional medicine doctor who was more thorough and at least found out that she was anemic, low on iron, and that was causing a lot of her tiredness. He gave her iron supplements and a natural supplement for her gut, but she still had all these symptoms. When she came in, I did an evaluation, did some thorough testing, and several things came up. She had deficiencies of iron, vitamin D, and many other nutrients. Her white blood count was low, which meant her immune system was compromised. 

When you have somebody that is weak and borderline anemic with an under functioning thyroid, you must figure out what’s causing all these symptoms. Someone just doesn’t become anemic unless there’s some gut issues or malabsorption. We did a stool test that came back showing that she had H. Pylori and yeast overgrowth. H. Pylori are bacteria in your gut that can cause ulcers, reflux, heartburn, gastric bleeding, and other symptoms, and cause deficiencies including low iron. 

Root Causes of Gut Issues

We must address getting these infections cleared out and then we have to address the deficiencies. If your gut is compromised, then you can have malabsorption and on top of that food reactions like gluten sensitivity. Gluten can cause a leaky gut, more malabsorption symptoms, and these can lead to other food sensitivities. She had true allergies and needed to avoid these allergenic foods along with her sensitivities. These foods were wreaking havoc on her gut, so no wonder why she had nausea, bloating, gas, constipation, and infections. 

Malabsorption from infections and food reactions also caused her to have hormonal imbalances. On top of this she had high levels of mercury, which is another issue. If you’re not eliminating and are constipated, you’re not clearing out toxins. All these different things need to be addressed to get healthy and improve your immune system so that you stay healthy and avoid getting sick. With the Coronavirus currently going around, the people that are avoiding getting sick are the ones that have a healthy immune system. 

Diet for a Healthy Gut and Immune System

You want to do everything you can to strengthen your immune system, and having a healthy gut is so important. I came up with a treatment plan of diet and supplements. The FreeDiet®  is what I created to help with gut and other chronic health issues like this. It is a diet free of gluten, grains, sugar, yeast, dairy, eggs, legumes, nightshades, and processed foods.

It’s free of all those common allergenic and inflammatory foods, so that allows your gut to heal while you’re avoiding those. As you get better, you can start reintroducing foods later in phases two and three. Since the diet is free of so many of these foods, yeast, overgrowth of bacteria, and any parasites are all starved out because they thrive on sugar, yeast, grains, and starches. 

Supplements for Gut and Immune Support

As far as supplements, we start with what I call the the Functional Five™, which includes ActivMulti™, OmegaSorb™3X fish oil, D3 5000 +K2, Magnesium Malate and a probiotic. When you have yeast overgrowth and bacterial overgrowth, you want to have a very strong probiotic. In this case I used ProbioSupreme™350 which is a very powerful therapeutic dose.  As far as the other supplements, I use GI Mend™, Yeast Defeat™, and a product called GastroBlast™ for stomach support with H. Pylori.  Gut Immune Repair™, and GI Mend™ are helpful to supporting leaky gut situations. 

For iron deficiency, I had her take  Iron Glycinate with C-Bioflavanoids 500 for absorption, which is also helpful for your immune support. When I rechecked labs in four weeks, her iron levels were back to normal and most of her symptoms had cleared up. Her energy was back, she could exercise, and the shortness of breath cleared up as well as the palpitations. Her gut symptoms cleared up after having them for years. 

Get Help Today

It’s a matter of finding out what your underlying root causes are, and it doesn’t matter how long you’ve had a symptom, if you take the time to investigate what the underlying causes are, then you can most likely clear up these chronic gut issues. In turn, you can have a healthy strong immune system so that you can live a healthy life. 

If you’d like a complimentary copy of The FreeDiet® phase one food chart, go here and enter your information. If you have health challenges and would like our help, call us at 561-627-5800 or email us at info@nmcwellness.com. We would love to help you experience vibrant health.

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    Natural Medicine Clinic

    Chiropractor Palm Beach Gardens, FL
    2401 PGA Boulevard Ste 132
    Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410
    561-627-5800

    Serving the Florida communities of:

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    Content on this website is based upon the opinions of Thomas Rofrano, D.C. and is not considered medical advice. It is designed to be a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Dr. Rofrano and his community. Dr. Rofrano encourages you to make your health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional. Dr. Rofrano is a chiropractic physician and offers physical and nutritional support and guidance to those seeking alternative or complementary care to traditional medicine. His care is not meant to replace that from your primary doctor and specialists but rather to help you on your path to achieving life-long vibrant health.

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