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!
On the 11th February 2010 I went to see Caroline after a recommendation from a family member. I had been suffering with terrible bowel problems, mood swings, depression, low motivation and many others; all of which led me to go to the first appointment to see if there were any changes I could make to my diet to improve the situation.
My first appointment was very informative and Caroline soon explained why I had been feeling the way I had and the diagnosis also explained a lot of my other symptoms which I had tried to overlook or I used other reasons to explain them. The upshot was I was suffering with a severe case of Candida overgrowth in the bowel, which because it had gone untreated for so long had started to affect my internal organs and my reproductive cycle.
Caroline immediately put me on a detox diet to starve the Candida and I took a supplement to build up the good bacteria in my bowels in order to fight off the fungus. By my second appointment my Candida levels had started to drop and my liver and kidneys were functioning a lot better. I then started a course of supplements to destroy the Candida and flush out my liver. Both of these supplements worked wonders and I soon started to feel 100% better, most of my old symptoms had disappeared and I also had my first monthly cycle for 6 months.
By my third appointment all my symptoms had disappeared and my Candida levels were well under control and almost at a normal level. I am now able to eat all foods in moderation and feel so much more positive about food in general and have a better understanding of what I am eating and how it will affect my body and what its nutritional value is.
Finally I have just found out the wonderful news that I am 14 weeks pregnant after 5 years of trying for a baby with my husband. I can’t thank Caroline enough for all her help and support over the last 5 months.
Julie – a very happy mother-to-be 2010
I had a 20 year history of problems with thinning hair and hair loss with countless trips to the Dr’s and specialists that amounted to nothing. Nobody offered an explanation to why it was happening or a solution to stop it – just that it was hereditary. I came to terms with it and learned to live with it but occasionally I would have bouts of dramatic loss which caused much stress and upset. The onset of these periods usually started with severe itchy scalp. I had been researching food allergies and wondered if my hair loss could be due to an allergy to something I ate. Desperate to find out I l Googled my nearest allergist and found Caroline at The Bromsgrove Allergy Centre.
During the hour consultation that I had with Caroline I got more answers to my questions than I’d had in 20 years from Dr’s and specialists. Not only what Caroline told me made perfect sense it tied up all the loose ends and connected all the dots of my childhood health issues through into my teens when my hair loss started, as to the cause of all the problems and even better she told me that they could be corrected. Caroline tested me for food intolerance’s and diagnosed Candida Albicans and Zinc deficiency. She suggested a diet which I should stick to and some supplements to take.
During Caroline’s analysis I asked If Candida could be affecting my infertility. My husband and I had been trying to conceive for two years with no success and we were about to try IVF. Immediately Caroline said she could fix the problem and I would be pregnant in no time. I was a little sceptical but hopeful. She suggested my husband should also go for a consultation and together we started our strict diet and supplement programme that Caroline outlined. We were both shocked but elated to find out that just three weeks later I was pregnant.
I cannot thank Caroline enough for all her help and advice, she has a very positive and sympathetic approach and I have never felt so uplifted and hopeful at finding the solution to all my health issues as I did when I walked out of Caroline’s office. Caroline has incredible knowledge and ability in being able to diagnose many conditions and suggest possible solutions to the cause through diet and supplements without the need for often harmful medications that only mask and can often exacerbate the problem.
I am so happy to have found this wonderful woman who has changed my life and now I have a beautiful 3 month old baby girl and my hair is improving all the time.
Don’t hesitate in contacting Bromsgrove Allergy Centre to discuss your health issues. It will be the best thing you ever did.
Amanda W