“In January 2022, I contracted COVID. I was in good health and shape for a 38-year-old man with a high-pressure job, but the virus took a massive toll on me that I wasn’t expecting.
From then on, even after the virus passed, I found myself dealing with constant brain fog, a complete inability to multitask and finish work, and no capacity to plan, strategize, or focus. My resting heart rate was 110 bpm, and I was having massive adrenaline dumps 10, 15, even 20 times a day.
Between the end of January and October 2022, I went back to my conventional doctor 12 times to try and sort out my symptoms. They were convinced that my symptoms were attributed to a bad case of anxiety, and they continually wanted to put me on anxiety medication. I had a feeling that wasn’t the whole story — they couldn’t explain how that would cause some of those symptoms.
During that period of time, my symptoms were rapidly amplifying. I was only sleeping an average of 2 hours a night and my heart rate was ever-increasing.
By the end of October, my body felt ready to shut down completely. I was at an extremely high risk of stroke, as I learned later. I decided, around this time, to take a leave of absence from my job and try to figure out what was really going on with my health.
I did a lot of research and talked to several people around St. Louis about my situation, and was advised by many to look into functional medicine. This led me to find PALM Health, of which I’d heard outstanding reviews.
I met with Dr. Scott Jamison, who took me through a series of new tests, including an MRI. As it turned out, I had very high inflammation markers and other biomarkers which led us to believe I was dealing with brain inflammation. This, I was told, was likely a residual side effect of COVID and a huge contributor to my ongoing symptoms. That information alone was a game-changer in my treatment plan. My conventional doctors had never tested for inflammation — the only tests I’d done before had come back with unhelpful results; only a fragment of the whole picture.
Dr. Jamison started me on a health protocol to decrease inflammation, which included one medication, dietary changes, supplements, acupuncture, cryotherapy, steam room, infrared sauna, salt room, PEMF mat, BioMat, and more.
Within three months, I felt immensely better than I had in over a year. But some things still weren’t quite right.
As the cognitive symptoms eased, I still had residual anxiety, and I noticed some digestive symptoms — bloating, indigestion, and diarrhea. They’d likely been there for a while, but I hadn’t even noticed them with everything else going on.
Dr. Lily Liu, whom I continually worked with on acupuncture at PALM, also noticed that her tests indicated GI imbalances. So, I went back to Dr. Jamison, and we did an in-depth specialty lab to analyze my gut health.
As it turned out, I tested positive for two rare parasites, both of which are known to cause not only GI symptoms, but also neurological and physical symptoms like the ones I had been experiencing.
My team at PALM started me on another treatment plan for the parasites in addition to my anti-inflammatory protocol, and now, for the first time in 17 months, I feel like the clouds have parted in my brain and I can finally think clearly again. I am still working through my treatments, but the progress I’ve made is incredible.
I feel like I’m well on my way to not only healing my health issues, but also becoming the best version of myself I’ve ever been. I’ve even started seeing Dr. Linda Moll, our trauma therapist at PALM, to work through some of the post-traumatic stress I’ve had from my illness.
None of this would have been possible if I hadn’t come to PALM for the perfect intersection between holistic, Eastern, and Western medicine. The conventional approach was only masking my symptoms, not truly finding what was going on under the surface. Now, I’m continuing to work on my health and preventive care as an Executive Member at PALM.
Dr. Jamison, Dr. Dal Farra, Dr. Lily, Dr. Moll, and the rest of my team at PALM gave me my life back — thanks to them, my health is transforming.”
