Woman diagnosed with deficiency no one has had ‘since 1800s’ after Googling symptoms
A woman in the US was the first person to be diagnosed with a deficiency which hasn't been seen 'since the 1800s' after suffering from severe 'energy crashes'.
Kristin Dainis, from Pennsylvania, first began to notice something was off with her health around 15 years ago when her energy levels would plummet so drastically that she'd be left 'gasping for air'.
After being told by doctors was that she was simply 'working too hard', the 39-year-old persevered with her symptoms, which also included brain fog.
"Out of nowhere all the energy would leave my body," Kristin - who now works to help others identity overlooked health conditions - recalled.
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"I'd be left gasping for air. I couldn't sit, I couldn't get up."
After undertaking research on Google and paying for a private test, Kristin approached her doctor to request screening for an iodine deficiency.
According to the NHS, iodine is mineral which is responsible for helping make thyroid hormones, which are important for helping the body keep healthy.
An iodine deficiency occurs when the body isn't able to get enough iodine to function properly, which in turn causes problems with your thyroid.
Symptoms include severe tiredness, muscle weakness, difficulty concentrating and depression.
After learning about iodine deficiency, things began to make sense for Kristin, however, her doctors were hesitant to accept her concerns.
"They said 'no one has had an iodine deficiency since the 1800s," she explained, despite a private test result showing that she was 'severely deficient'.
Kristin was diagnosed officially with iodine deficiency and hyperthyroidism in early 2011.
Her symptoms would continue to get worse, leaving her unemployed and housebound for two years.
"I really felt on my own," she recalled.
Fortunately, Kristin was ultimately able to find a health coach to work with and was able to slowly get her life back on track.
By 2013, she was able to begin working remotely before returning to work a year. However, her optimism would soon be dashed when she suffered a 'devastating' relapse in 2015.
But she refused to be beaten by the setback and began working with a health practitioner who did 'extreme testing' to help identify another nutrient deficiencies in her body.
The treatment has paid off and Kristen has now found a way to get back to health - and maintain it.
"I have got to a place in my body where I can push it," she said. "I'm more intentional about when and why and how I do it and I plan for recovery."
Revealing that she has spent the last five years finally feeling back to full health, Kristin added: "I feel confident that I have found all the root causes and I'm addressing them all."
Brenna Cooper