Arthritis Testimonials

Health is like money, we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it.

Caroline Sproule

I have known Caroline for quite a few years now and she has helped me in the past with food intolerances and general well-being advice. Last year, I felt dreadful, no energy, bad skin.  The doctor said I had IBS and I just felt thoroughly unwell.  Then in May, I developed very still and very painful joints.  They swelled up to the point where I found it difficult to get around and felt like an old person of 90 !! My digestion was terrible and I developed what the doctor told me was eczema on my hands.  The entire palm side of my hands and fingers peeled down a good few layers of skin, leaving them cracked, bleeding and extremely sore.  I had to bathe them in creams and ointments everyday just so I could use them without severe pain.  I was then diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis, which 1 in 10 people with psoriasis develop and I just happened to be one of the unlucky ones. The doctor wanted to start me on very strong medication which comes with its own set of side effects and steroid injections.  Neither of which I was going to take after reading up about them on the internet. It was then that I thought I would look Caroline up.  Luckily for me, she was just opening her new clinic in Bromsgrove.  I was so glad I went along to see her on her open day.  I could hardly get up the steps as I was in that much pain and nearly in tears when I got into her office.  When I filled in the consultation form she could hardly believe the things I had suffered, numerous operations and illnesses, now the arthritis.  I was at my lowest.  Caroline put me on a strict eating regime, very plain and boring with lots of water.  I didn’t care.   I would try anything rather than take those drugs.  For 4 weeks I ate what I called ‘cardboard food’, but hey, I started to feel better and the skin on my hands was clearing up.  Slowly I was allowed to eat more food that my body could digest and after about 5 – 6 weeks my hands had cleared up completely.  I couldn’t believe it.  I have carried on with Caroline’s advice and six months on, I am managing my condition much better.  I have lost weight, (about one stone), my joints aren’t as swollen or painful, my digestion is great, no more IBS and people say I look ten years younger !! If I hadn’t known about Caroline and her clinic, it could have been a very different story.  I only take painkillers if my condition flares up, dig deep and live without strong medication.   So to anyone who is thinking of trying something other than drugs, I am living proof that a change in lifestyle and help from Caroline, has turned my life around and I can pursue a relatively normal life as long as I take care of myself.  If I hadn’t been for Caroline’s help and kindness, I don’t know where I would be now, but one things for certain, I know I wouldn’t feel this good. Alison H.
Alison H

For some twenty years I have suffered with stomach problems, severe cramps, extremely painful menstruation and chronic fatigue.  I have over the years sought medical advice from my general practitioner who could provide no explanation as to why this was happening and for a long time I just accepted the issues as ‘part of life’.

Approximately 12 months before attending the allergy centre these symptoms were becoming unmanageable and I was mentally and physically exhausted.   I did some research online and came across the allergy centre quite by accident, I was initially recitent but felt a lot of the described symptoms resonated with me.

I was given a complete change of diet, which initially consisted of very basic foods and excluded caffeine, gluten and dairy products.  Within weeks my sleep pattern improved, I no longer felt exhausted during the day and all my stomach problems disappeared virtually overnight.  Over the next few months different foods are then reintroduced and whilst still avoiding gluten and dairy, I can now eat most foods with no issues.

Whilst the method is somewhat unconventional, the results speak for themselves and have been way beyond my expectations,  I have so much more energy, my fatigue and other symptoms are now almost nonexistent. I can now much more easily recognise foods that aren’t appropriate and finally have a better understand as to why I was having the issues previously.

I would strongly recommend this course of treatment, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

Rose D  August 2019

Rose D

I suffered with intense fatigue and muscle pains, aching and general feelings of not being alert, lack of motivation, etc. I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and have been diabetic Type One for 15 years.

I started seeing Caroline after initially making an appointment for my mom.  I subsequently made an appointment for myself as being diabetic, I had heard that a gluten intolerance could be a cause of diabetes. However, the issue was not knowing what to eat in its place.  Caroline did say that with my mom’s discovered gluten intolerance, it was a thing that is passed on in families.

Caroline altered my diet and we discovered things that I had been eating that were contributing to my health problems.  After seeing Caroline for 6 months and having a gluten-free diet, I have noticed a difference in my aches and pains, but more importantly I feel more alert and have better motivation than I did before. Interestingly though, I am having to cut back on my insulin as it seems that my body isn’t need the same amount injected as it did before.</em></strong>

Thanks to Caroline, my mom and I are feeling a lot better so I would recommend Caroline to anyone who wants to improve their health and perhaps get over ailments they have had for years !</em>rong>

Gemma D

Gemma D

Where to begin, well I was always that ‘poorly’ child growing up if there was something going round I got it.  I was plagued with ear-aches, throat infections, tonsillitis, tummy troubles and regular visits to the doctors.  Then at university I was diagnosed as having IBS after having had food poisoning.  As the years progressed, I kept food diaries, trying to watch what I ate and having tried a collection of medications the symptoms persisted. In 2009 I was further diagnosed as having Rheumatoid Arthritis and preceded down a path of numerous medications and all their side effects and medications to control the side effects.  I literally accepted to learn to live a life filled with pain and a lack of mobility.

In 2016 it all came to a head.  I spent a summer struggling in discomfort and doubled over in pain almost calling an ambulance for myself, when my sister suggested she’d heard of someone that had helped a friend with Crohn’s disease through diet and had worked with other people with rheumatoid arthritis.  So I contacted Bromsgrove Allergy & Nutrition and made an appointment with Caroline Sproule.  Caroline put me completely at ease and by the end of my first appointment everything became clear all my illnesses over the years made sense. I was gluten, yeast, dairy and soya intolerant and suffering from Candida Albicans.

I left Caroline’s office with a very short list of foods I could eat, at this point I was slightly shocked about how little I could eat but completely relieved that I now had an explanation and was being taken seriously. Caroline told me that the first 3 weeks would be tough and she was right  I got sore throat, earache and felt generally lousy but by the time of my next appointment, (at 3 weeks) I had come through it and I was starting to feel better.  When tested I had a few more foods added to my list and my Candida levels were dropping. Again Caroline explained the next three weeks would be tough and she would see me again then, (at 6weeks).  I went and stuck religiously to my list of foods and yes there were days that I wasn’t great but I was in this for the long haul.

By 6 weeks I felt amazing.  I was revitalised, full of energy and had lost weight.  My next appointment went well with my Candida levels dropping and gaining a few more foods to my list.  We continued this process until my Candida levels were down to normal I had never felt so good.  I went from having to warm my joints up just to start a day to being able to walk up a mountain on my own!  When the hospital did blood tests the rheumatoid arthritis markers were not present in the blood and I am now pain free after years of suffering!!All this time and all those medications when all I had needed was to eat the right diet for me, I will be forever indebted to Caroline.

Something that most people don’t know about me is that for 14 years I had tried to start a family and we endured three unfortunate losses.When I first visited Caroline she told me I would need to wait a year I said, “no, I wasn’t willing to wait that long” as I was already 42, but Caroline explained that my body was currently too toxic and needed time to start to heal, and it would take at least 3 months to start to see this change.  So we set off on this journey knowing it was my health that we had to fix.

Almost a year after we first met I had the pleasure of phoning Caroline to tell her I was pregnant!  Caroline went on to guide me and regularly test me throughout my pregnancy to ensure I was a healthy host.  My beautiful daughter Iona was born this summer, happy and healthy and I am continuing to feel amazing.

When I look back I’m so glad I made that call at the end of summer 2016 because that is where I got to meet Caroline my Fairy Godmother and I will be eternally grateful to her for helping me achieve my Happy Ever After!

Carol M

Arthritis 

This client, a 34 year old keen runner, came to us with a condition called ‘Reactive Arthritis’. He was prescribed anti-inflammatory medication and strong painkillers to reduce pain and inflammation. However, two years on, he was still struggling with walking and was unable to compete in running competitions as he had done previously.

However, three months later after making changes to his diet and eating foods which suited him, he was able to come off all medications without experiencing as much pain and the inflammation reduced dramatically. He has remained off the medications for three years and in 2010 ran the London Marathon.

Psoriatic Arthritis

Alison was debilitated by a severe case of psoriatic arthritis.  Following a new diet, regime, which included avoiding her particular food intolerances, she recovered her health and was free of the psoriasis and the pain and inflammation of the rheumatoid arthritis.