E290: The H. Pylori Case That Stumped Everyone (Until We Fixed the One Thing They All Missed)

What causes relentless belching that can clear a room - even after four rounds of H. pylori treatment? A 55-year-old retired dental hygienist had been treated for H. pylori four times. Two rounds of medical intervention and two different functional medicine practitioners tried to help - without success. The infection kept coming back, along with the belching so severe she could clear a room. The problem? Everyone missed the most important thing: the biofilm. In this episode, Ronda walks you through the exact three-phase protocol that finally worked: Prep & Prime (biofilm disruption + gentle antimicrobials), Target & Eliminate (targeted killing agents), and Gut Remodeling (barrier repair). You'll learn why starting aggressively often backfires, how to track progress using frequency/duration/intensity, and the unexpected supplement reaction that triggered severe anxiety. This case is a masterclass in clinical thinking; knowing when to slow down, when to reassess, and why treating the same infection the same way will always give you the same result. What You'll Learn: Why biofilms protect pathogens from antibiotics and antimicrobials - and how to disrupt them The 4-supplement Prep & Prime protocol Ronda used for 2 weeks before using antimicrobials How to balance aggressive treatment with patient tolerance (and when to pull back) Why one supplement caused dark, ruminating thoughts - and how we figured it out The difference between managing presenting symptoms and addressing root cause Resources Mentioned: Free download: 6 Principles of Clinical Thinking at rondanelson.com/6principles Learn the "how" of functional medicine inside Clinical Academy at rondanelson.com/clinicalacademy Connect with Ronda: Clinical Academy: rondanelson.com/clinicalacademy Free Resource: rondanelson.com/6principles