Jordan Katzman, a tech entrepreneur and dad, first turned to gut health testing when his young daughter, Rave, started dealing with eczema. The results revealed imbalances in her microbiome, and after making a few targeted changes, her skin issues improved quickly.
Seeing her progress sparked Jordan’s curiosity, prompting him to test his own gut health as well. With personalized recommendations and the support of a trusted microbiome specialist, he not only helped resolve his daughter’s eczema but also saw surprising improvements in his mental health, chronic acid reflux, and overall health. This case study explores their journey, the personalized steps they took to balance their microbiome, and the lasting impact on their well-being.
Seeking holistic solutions for baby eczema
Jordan’s concerns for his family began when his daughter developed dry, itchy patches on her skin that didn’t respond well to typical treatments. Despite being breastfed and avoiding early antibiotic exposure, her eczema persisted. “I really wanted to set my daughter up for the best health,” Jordan shared.
He decided to try a Baby Gut Health Test when Rave was just 7 weeks old, hoping to address her skin issues early in a holistic way. While her first gut test revealed no major imbalances, her action plan included recommendations for an evidence-based probiotic for eczema symptoms, as well as natural ways to tackle eczema symptoms.
Within a few months, Rave’s eczema flared up, so Jordan scheduled a coaching session with Amy Orlandi, a Tiny Health microbiome specialist. Amy recommended a specific probiotic for Rave and a hypochlorous acid spray. To Jordan’s amazement, Rave’s eczema completely cleared up in a few weeks.
Monitoring the microbiome during the transition from breastmilk to formula
Jordan ordered another test for his daughter when she switched from breastmilk to formula, wanting to track changes in her microbiome. “Predictably, there were areas that now needed support,” Jordan recalls.
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With new recommendations from Amy, Jordan took action with a probiotic to help Rave increase her Bifidobacterium. These beneficial bacteria should dominate the infant gut in their first year of life since they train a baby’s immune system and keep unfriendly species in check [1]. Since Rave’s infant formula did not contain human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) which feed Bifidobacterium, Amy also recommended adding a prebiotic supplement containing HMOs.
A follow-up test two months later revealed Rave’s Bifidobacterium and HMO-digesting species were improving, and her Microbiome Summary Score jumped from the 35th to 53rd percentile. They were on the right track.
Looking for the gut connection to digestive and mental health conditions
Having seen his daughter’s progress, Jordan ordered a test for his own gut as well. Not only was he passionate about health optimization, but he’d faced long-standing health issues since childhood and wanted to know if there was a microbiome connection so he could keep his daughter from experiencing the same things.
At age 8, Jordan had recurring strep throat and underwent numerous rounds of antibiotics, missing weeks of school. Around that same time, he developed a severe stutter, which he still lives with today.
Into adulthood, Jordan was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), characterized by intrusive thoughts, compulsive behaviors, and anxiety. And in his early 30s, he started experiencing more issues with chronic heartburn, to the point that he couldn’t eat pasta with tomato sauce.
“Generally, I was not feeling healthy,” Jordan shared.
Test results: Uncovering imbalances in the microbiome
Jordan’s first Adult Gut Health Test revealed several imbalances, including 13 areas where his results showed impaired digestive functions and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production. He met with Amy to discuss choosing a probiotic supplement and his diet, coming away with key areas to focus on to rebalance his gut.
The top priority in Jordan’s Action Plan was adding fermented foods to his diet, which play an important role in supporting a healthy microbiome. Fermented foods introduce live cultures of beneficial bacteria into the digestive system, which helps create a balanced and diverse community of microbes [2].
Jordan also learned from Amy about the importance of diversity in the plants we eat. “I would always try to eat fruits and vegetables, but I’d eat the same two things. Amy was really big on expanding the diversity, sort of a big insight which I didn’t intuitively know.”
Following his Action Plan, Jordan started a probiotic, a prebiotic supplement, and added daily fermented foods like sauerkraut, kombucha, probiotic yogurt, and kefir to his diet. “I’d never had kefir a day in my life, but I started drinking it every day and found I really love the taste,” he shared.
In only a few weeks, Jordan noticed a dramatic change in his digestive issues, which had troubled him for years. “My acid reflux was just… gone. I was able to eat foods like tomato sauce again without any heartburn,” he shared. “It was such a big shift for me.”
Having experienced frequent illnesses throughout his life, Jordan had come to rely heavily on hand sanitizer, a habit that may have damaging effects on the gut barrier and the microbiome [3]. He noticed that as his gut health improved, he got sick less frequently.
“After working on my gut health, I felt more confident in my immune system,” Jordan shared. And his subsequent tests reflect evidence of his progress. When he first tested, his Microbiome Summary Score was in the 30th percentile of adults. In just 5 months, his gut microbiome scored in the 58th percentile, and his most recent test score jumped into the 83rd percentile.
Supporting brain health and reducing OCD and anxiety symptoms
The most surprising change for Jordan, however, was the impact on his mental health. “It reduced the frequency and intensity of my intrusive thoughts,” he explained. “And it reduced my propensity or need to do a compulsion.” Jordan does exposure and response prevention therapy for his OCD and felt his health improvements made his therapy easier and more successful.
Jordan supported his brain health by nurturing his gut, boosting his SCFA production between his first and second tests. And this is important because SCFAs produced in the gut regulate immune function, reduce inflammation, and stimulate the production of serotonin—our “happy hormone” [4],[5].
Balancing his gut didn’t cure Jordan’s OCD, but he’s noticed significant improvements in his mental health. The change wasn’t instantaneous but a slow and steady shift over time.
“OCD is a very distressing condition,” Jordan shared. “My compulsions quieted down, I am able to handle stressful situations better, my overall anxiety and stress lowered. Now, it’s just easier to function on a day-to-day basis. It just helped a lot.”
Working with Tiny Health: personalized, actionable support
Jordan’s experience shows the power of personalized support in his family’s wellness journey. “The level of detail and care was amazing,” he said. “It wasn’t just about taking a test—it was about understanding what to do next and having someone guide us through it.” Having a dedicated microbiome specialist, Amy, to reach out to with questions was crucial.
When his daughter was sick and started a short course of antibiotics, Jordan got probiotic recommendations to counteract the medicine’s negative effects. Having tested her gut beforehand, the family knew Rave’s baseline and could work proactively to maintain or restore her gut’s balance.
Jordan’s experience made him an advocate for gut health testing, especially for families. He continues to monitor their gut health and make adjustments as needed. “I’ve told so many people about this,” Jordan shared. “It’s not just about fixing digestion; it’s about the whole picture—mental health, immune health, everything.”
Jordan’s story is a powerful example of how personalized microbiome support can transform lives. By testing and addressing imbalances in the gut, his family was able to resolve eczema, reduce OCD symptoms, and build sustainable healthy habits to improve their quality of life. Tiny Health gives families a tailored, science-backed approach to create lasting positive changes, setting the stage for a healthier future for the entire family.
