From Debilitating Ulcerative Colitis to Street Tacos & Marathons

Narjit’s Story for Colitis & Crohn’s Awareness Week

When we talk about Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis during “awareness week,” the message is usually some version of:

“This is lifelong. You’ll be on medication forever. Try not to flare.”

For Narjit, it wasn’t just a script. It was her lived reality.

Rectal bleeding started in 2019, right after having her baby. A colonoscopy and biopsy confirmed rectal ulcerative colitis, and she was told she’d need lifelong rectal meds and a drug with liver toxicity risk. Diet and supplements were written off as “useless.”

Her family history was brutal: her mother with ulcerative colitis, her brother ultimately losing his large intestine. This is how most IBD stories are framed: progressive, inevitable, “managed” but never truly improved.

“I felt debilitated.”

In her words:

“I would say I felt debilitated. I wasn’t able to do things like take my kids to the park or eat in restaurants or eat when I’m out. So it was just very restrictive.”

Bleeding with every bowel movement, four to five times per day. Urgency within minutes of eating. Uncontrollable bowels in the car. Years of avoiding food if she had to leave the house.

This is what “stable enough” can look like for someone with colitis.

Five Years of Trying “Everything”

Before she ever landed in Root Cause Revolution, she did what motivated IBD patients do:

• Followed her GI’s plan: suppositories + a medication she was told could affect her liver for life

• Multiple colonoscopies (she stopped after one more — she was done being scoped without a plan that worked)

• Was told repeatedly: “Diet can’t do anything. Supplements won’t do anything.”

Then she went all-in on integrative:

• Naturopathic care

• Homeopathy, acupuncture, energy work

• Ayurvedic diet

• Six months on a full liquid diet

• Water-only fasting

• Parasite cleanses, Medical Medium protocols, enzymes, probiotics, herbs

  
  

As she put it:

“All these things were helping but not curing what the root cause was… They didn’t really help the root cause.”

Five years. Serious effort. Still bleeding. Still living around bathrooms.

What Her GI-MAP Actually Showed

When she finally came into RCR in late 2024, we ran a GI-MAP stool test.

The inflammation was off the charts:

• Calprotectin: >3000 (ref <173) – that’s severe intestinal inflammation, full stop.

• Occult blood (FIT): >200 (ref <10) – microscopic bleeding in the gut.

• Eosinophil Activation Protein (EDN/EPX): 9.02 (ref <2.34) – immune system on attack mode in the gut.

• Low pancreatic elastase (196; ref >200) – digestion under-supported.

  
  

Nothing about this picture says “mild.” This is what a colon under siege looks like.

Her microbiome also showed patterns we often see in IBD: low diversity in some protective species and overgrowth of inflammatory players like Staph aureus at baseline.

Why She Looked for a Different Kind of Care

After yet another round of being told meds were the only path and diet couldn’t matter, she hit her limit:

“After about 5 years of trying everything, I was like, there needs to be something. There needs to be a root cause. So I Googled root cause… and here we are.”

What she wanted is exactly what most people with Crohn’s and colitis want but rarely get:

• Someone to actually map what’s driving the inflammation

• A plan that respects meds + lifestyle + microbiome + nervous system, not one piece in isolation

  
  

A team to sequence the work so she wasn’t just layering random protocols

The RCR Plan: Not One Magic Trick, a Whole System

We didn’t promise to “cure” her colitis. We promised to:

1. Calm the inflammatory fire

   • Remove obvious triggers and quiet the immune system response in the gut.

2. Rebuild the barrier & digestion

   • Support the gut lining and back up low elastase so she could actually absorb nutrients.

3. Address the microbiome

   • Target dysbiosis without blowing up an already-inflamed gut.

4. Work on stress physiology

   • 4–7–8 breathing, nervous system tools, and pacing so her gut wasn’t being hammered by chronic stress chemistry.

5. Wrap it in real support

   • Coaching, nurses on hand, DM access, and a clear plan beyond “call us if you flare.”

Her experience:

“It’s amazing having a nurse on hand whenever you need. You can call the nurse, you can message the nurse. I got responses every other day. I love the fact that it’s mind, body, soul — not just physically what’s happening.”

What Changed: Lab Wins + Life Wins

1. From >3000 to 35: Her Gut Stopped Bleeding and Calm Returned

On her follow-up GI-MAP about a year later:

• Calprotectin dropped from >3000 to 35

• FIT occult blood dropped from >200 to 3

• Eosinophil Activation Protein normalized from 9.02 to 0.76

  
  

Same woman. Same diagnosis. Completely different inflammatory picture.

Her words match the labs:

“My top three wins?

1. That I’m not bleeding anymore.

2. That I can control my bowels fully and they’re normal.

3. And I feel happier. I for sure feel happier… life is just a bit easier and less stressful and I feel truly happy.”

   
   

She describes her gut now as:

“Oh, it was like a zero. Now it’s a five. I feel like I have such a strong gut — I feel proud of my gut.”

2. From Bathroom-Planning to Marathon Training

Once the fire was down and the gut wall was healing, her capacity exploded.

• She began marathon training with increasing weekly mileage.

• Crushed a 20-mile training run.

• Gained weight from 95 lbs to around 109 lbs, with visible muscle and strength.

• Feels “stronger, powerful mentally as well as physically” — not just “not sick.”

This is what “rebuilding the system” looks like: not just fewer symptoms, but more life.

3. From Food Fear to Street Tacos in Mexico City

Old life: she wouldn’t eat if she had to leave the house because she couldn’t trust her bowels.

New life:

“We went to Mexico City… I ate everything — deep fried taco with potato, spicy food, all these things I could never even think about eating. I was going to the bathroom normally. I never in my wildest dreams thought I could go to Mexico City and enjoy all the food they have to offer and not feel guilty or have my stomach freak out.”

She also spent days in El Salvador with her remote team — running strategy, ziplining, literally rolling down hills in giant inflatable balls with her staff — without her gut hijacking the trip.

“Lots of good connections… and everything was good stomach-wise.”

This is the opposite of the tiny, bathroom-centered life she had before.

4. Nervous System & Life Upgrades

It’s not just gut metrics and miles:

• She’s calmer with her three young kids.

• Feels more empowered in conversations with her husband.

• Has tools: “In the moment of stress, I can do my 4-7-8 breath. I can meditate while running.”

She can eat milk, cheese, chocolate when she chooses and knows how to read and respond to her body’s signals.

"Isn’t This Just Colitis? I Have Crohn’s.”

Her label is rectal ulcerative colitis, not Crohn’s. But the bigger point for IBD Awareness Week is this:

• Whether it’s Crohn’s, UC, or “IBD-NOS,” your gut isn’t just a passive victim.

• Meds can absolutely be necessary and life-saving — but they are not the full plan.

• Microbiome balance, gut barrier integrity, immune overactivation, stress chemistry, and nervous system regulation are always in the room.

Her story is an IBD story — just one where the chapter doesn’t end with “lifelong meds and coping.”

What She’d Tell Someone on the Fence

“I understand it’s a lot in terms of a monetary amount and also dedication… but I truly believe that with root cause health the amount of work you put in, you get that much as a result. I wouldn’t be here today living the life that I am without Root Cause. Whenever I hear about anybody having issues like me… I just send them the link.”

— Narjit P., Orlando, FL — CEO, Google SaaS Company.

For Colitis & Crohn’s Awareness Week, Here’s the Message

If you’re living with IBD and:

• You’re still bleeding, still urgent, still planning life around bathrooms

• You’ve been told diet doesn’t matter and supplements are a waste

• Your labs show severe inflammation and the only plan is “more meds or more scopes”

You deserve more than symptom suppression and fear of your own body.

At Root Cause Doc, we:

• Map the drivers of your inflammation (gut, immune, nervous system, environment)

• Remove what’s pouring gasoline on the fire

• Rebuild digestion, resilience, and nervous system capacity

• Coordinate with your GI and primary to work toward less reliance on symptom-managing meds when it’s safe

If you want your IBD story to move from “debilitated and restricted” to “street tacos in Mexico City and marathon finish lines,” it’s time to watch the free training and see if this framework is your next step.