If you’re dealing with gut, thyroid, or autoimmune issues, you know how overwhelming it can feel. Today, I want to share how I helped one of my patients resolve her autoimmune hepatitis in just a few short months using a natural, functional medicine approach.
My name is Dr. Tom Rofrano from the Natural Medicine Clinic in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and author of the FreeDiet®.
Her Diagnosis: “No Known Cause, No Cure”
One of my favorite patient success stories is a 75-year-old woman diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis. She had been told:
- There was no known cause
- There was no cure
- She would need prednisone and an immunosuppressive drug for life
- At best, medication would keep her in remission
- If not, she would need a liver transplant
She came in feeling depressed, fatigued, bloated, and discouraged. She had gained 17 pounds from the medication and struggled with:
- Gas
- Multiple bowel movements per day
- Diverticulosis
When she tried reducing prednisone by just 5 mg per month, her liver enzymes shot right back up.
She came to me hoping only to manage medication side effects.
A Different Question: “Do You Want to Get Better?”
I asked her:
“Do you want to get better and be able to get off the medication?”
She said she did—but had been told it wasn’t possible.
I explained that I had helped many patients with autoimmune conditions improve, and I believed we could uncover her root causes and help her heal.
Step 1: Identify the Root Causes
Autoimmune and chronic health conditions typically fall into five main root-cause categories:
- Deficiencies
- Toxins
- Food reactions
- Infections
- Hormonal imbalance
Her Root Causes
- Deficiencies She had a vitamin D deficiency.
- Toxins She had been prescribed a statin drug six months earlier. That’s when her liver enzymes first spiked. Even after discontinuing the statin, her liver enzymes continued rising for eight months until she was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis.
- Food Reactions She tested positive for gluten sensitivity and other food sensitivities.
- Infections She had candida yeast overgrowth in her gut.
- Hormonal Imbalance She had hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s autoimmune thyroid disease.
Gluten sensitivity and candida overgrowth are common root causes of Hashimoto’s and other autoimmune conditions.
Step 2: The Anti-Inflammatory Diet (The FreeDiet®)
I put her on the FreeDiet®, which removes the most common inflammatory foods.
Foods to Avoid on the FreeDiet®
- Gluten
- Grains
- Sugar
- Yeast
- Dairy
- Eggs
- Soy
- Legumes
- Nightshades
- Processed foods
She also received approval from her doctor to stop her two medications so she could try a natural approach.
Step 3: Targeted Supplements
She took the Functional Five™:
- Multivitamin
- Fish oil
- Vitamin D with K
- Magnesium
- Probiotic
Plus:
- Liver support (milk thistle, NAC, alpha-lipoic acid, selenium)
- CoQ10
- Vitamin C
- Yeast Defeat
- Curcumin for inflammation and immune support
Her Results: Liver Enzymes Normal in 3 Months
After three months:
- Her liver enzymes were normal
- She lost most of the 17 pounds gained from medication
- Her gut symptoms improved
- She had more energy
- No more bloating
- She felt like she had a new lease on life
At four months, her autoimmune hepatitis smooth muscle antibody—which had been positive—was now negative.
Her liver enzymes remained normal the following year.
She continued sending me test results for the next five years, all showing normal liver function.
Her ferritin, which had been elevated due to inflammation and liver dysfunction, dropped from 212 to 50, an optimal level.
This wasn’t just remission—five years later, she still had no signs of autoimmune hepatitis and remained off medication.
Her Words: A New Lease on Life
In her own video testimonial, she shared:
- She had been told autoimmune hepatitis had no cure
- She expected to be on medication for life
- She felt depressed and hopeless
- After switching to the FreeDiet® and supplements, her liver tests normalized
- She lost the weight she had gained
- She felt healthier, happier, and more energetic
- She finally felt like herself again
Why This Approach Works
Autoimmune conditions often stem from:
- Gut dysfunction
- Food sensitivities
- Infections
- Nutrient deficiencies
- Hormonal imbalance
- Chronic inflammation
When you identify and address these root causes, the body can rebalance—and symptoms can improve dramatically.
The Bottom Line
If you’re suffering from autoimmune, gut, thyroid, or other chronic health conditions, remember:
**Proper testing is the first step. Root causes matter. The right solutions can change everything.**
When you uncover what’s driving your condition and are provided the right solutions, I believe almost anyone can get better.
Go here if you would like a free copy of the FreeDiet® phase 1 food chart.
