Episodes
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Let's face it - being in pain sucks. That's kind of part of it, right?? So obviously people with pain, especially chronic pain, want some relief. That's why pain is a leading cause of disability, and pain management is a multi-billion dollar-per-year industry. But WHY WOULD SOMEONE BE IN PAIN IN THE FIRST PLACE??? That's what a functional medicine approach looks at!
Pain has many mechanisms, and as a chiropractor I have seen and successfully treated a lot of pain. In fact, I probably saw more straight-up "pain" in my former practice doing more musculoskeletal work, and chiropractic care is great for pain relief and much more. Nowadays, I see pain from other causes like autoimmune diseases, and see great success by taking a functional medicine approach to pain.
Pain can have many forms - it can be from wear-and-tear and old age, injuries, autoimmune inflammation, it can be exacerbated by overuse, stress, food sensitivities, anything that can drive inflammation - or it may be "unexplained". It can be called shooting pain, burning pain, stabbing pain, growing pains, osteoarthritis, "bone-on-bone", numbness, tingling, neuropathy, bone pain, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, muscle pain, soreness, mixed-connective tissue disease, fibromyalgia.....you may be told you have "degeneration", or "inflammation", a "pinched nerve", or you may be told "everything looks normal". There are a lot of possibilities!
The point is that there are many mechanisms to pain, and a functional medicine approach considers all the possible root causes, then we look deeper to evaluate the mechanisms, then we develop strategies to control the root source of pain.
That's what this podcast is all about - - how you can determine a bit more about your "pain" by evaluating the mechanisms, looking at lab tests, looking for and eliminating triggers, decreasing you inflammation by following different dietary and supplement protocols to not only get you out of pain in the short-term, but also decrease your pain in the LONG-TERM by addressing the real root cause(s). -
Genetic testing is fascinating, but I have a love-hate relationship with it as a practitioner. It is very trendy in the functional medicine/health world, and I think this makes sense - - so many people are trying to figure out WHY they feel a certain way or have certain symptoms, and testing can absolutely help answer some of the "why" questions.
BUT - - genetics doesn't always answer these questions, and in many cases can muddy the waters even more. I have seen TONS of people come to me with genetic reports who aren't any better off than before they tested their genetics, and are perhaps even more confused. One gene might say you NEED methyl B vitamins, while another gene might say AVOID methyl B vitamins. I have seen TONS of people who are taking certain supplements like methyl-folate for their MTHFR mutation, but they don't respond well to it and it's actually making them worse. I have seen TONS of people who spent a lot of money on genetic reports, or on "customized" supplements based on their genes, and still haven't found the good results that they were hoping for.
Does this mean it's worthless? Absolutely not, I have run TONS of genetic tests on myself and have found it very worth it, it's just not the whole story.
In this podcast, I dive deeper into these opinions of mine, which aren't necessarily PRO or CON, they are just the PROS and the CONS from what I have seen working with chronic and complex clients over the past 10+ years. I talk about the books I've read, people I've followed online, the tests I've run, I talk about the most famous genes (MTHFR and gang), the most important genes for autoimmunity, mold toxicity, etc, and I talk about definitions of genomics, alleles, SNPs, and a little bit of everything "genetic", which hopefully can help YOU make some better sense of genetic testing and how you can use this tool while solving YOUR health puzzle! -
Missing episodes?
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We have A LOT of pregnant clients in our office right now, it's honestly crazy. Many of these women have diagnosed autoimmune conditions like Hashimoto's or Rheumatoid Arthritis. Some of them have "undiagnosed autoimmunity", like positive ANA tests, but they have no "diagnosis" - - yet. Some don't have any autoimmune diagnoses, but they have Lyme disease or mold toxicity.....and yet others with no diagnoses who just came in for management of specific symptoms like migraines, bloating, or anxiety.
There is no special "formula" for pregnant women with autoimmunity - - we want to make sure you aren't deficient on any vitamins, minerals, or nutrients, we want to avoid toxins, we want to eat anti-inflammatory, we want to exercise, we want to minimize stress.......good advice for any pregnant woman.
The concern is that autoimmunity is known to flare around pregnancy., often presenting as an increase in inflammatory symptoms postpartum. We don't want that!!
This episode is filled with my knowledge and opinions around pregnancy that I have developed over the years of working with pregnant patients as well as my own experiences as a parent. In this episode, I talk about my wife and I's experience(s) with miscarriages, with hospital births vs. home births, with twins vs. singletons, with V or no-V, and our personal decisions and how we made those decisions. I also talk about all the important stuff like prenatal vitamins, genetics, methylation, and more.
As always I don't claim to have all the answers, but I hope my expertise, my opinions, and my thought processes help someone as they are trying to make these decisions for themselves, or I hope they help someone have a happier, healthier pregnancy! -
Whether it's allergies, asthma, autism, ADHD, or autoimmunity - kids have a lot more health concerns these days - and those are just the A's!
I see a lot of kids (parents) from all over the world asking me to help them with their health problems. Sometimes they are easy and see great progress from the right nutrients, killing yeast, or supporting detoxification. Sometimes they are really tricky cases.
Many of the common childhood concerns of today have an immune component - recurrent infections, skin issues, allergies, autoimmune conditions, inflammation.
Many of the childhood concerns have a neurologic component to them - inability to focus, hyperactivity, obsessive-compulsive behaviors, depression, anxiety, rage, inability to regulate.
Why have we seen such a rise in the incidence of childhood symptoms, diseases, and developmental issues? While there are many theories regarding the exact causes, the overload of environmental toxins, immune imbalances, infections, and gut dysbiosis are ALWAYS at the top of the suspected mechanisms, which are basically my specialties and the focus of my entire podcast channel - the drivers of autoimmune disease progression. Autoimmunity is often involved as a mechanism in children's health issues, but often isn't necessarily a diagnosed autoimmune "disease".
Throughout the years I have developed certain thought processes, opinions, and I have my favorite labs, supplements, and teaching tools - this podcast is basically an overview of all of it. I talk about everything from raising twins (mine are almost 10) and nature vs. nurture, Winnie the Pooh characters and neurotransmitters, I talk about some of my favorite supplements and their targeted mechanisms, and I talk about how each kid is just different and needs to be parented differently. I also talk about how I'm DEFINITELY not a perfect parent, and we all just try to raise the best kids we can! -
SO - the title of this podcast pretty well summarizes what this episode is about - how I'm doing since suddenly losing my dad.
3 months ago, my dad died. He had been fine 4 weeks earlier. He had just turned 68, he was still working, he was an 8 handicap golfer, and he was perfectly fine. On December 19th he was told he had cancer, and he died exactly 3 weeks later.
In this episode, I tell the whole story of what went down, but I also talk about my experience afterward handling this grief and heartbreak. It's still new, and I'm not an expert, and I think the highlight that I want people to take away is that "there is no right way", but I hope my experience and perspective is helpful and valuable to someone. This episode is just me rambling about my personal story, and then I'll be getting back to educational content :) -
Ok so, I knew Dr. K was awesome, but I didn't know he was THIS AWESOME.....
This is an interview with pediatrician Dr. Pejman Katiraei, DO from Santa Barbara, California. In this interview, Dr. K talks about how common it is to see mold involved in mental health issues for all ages, but especially in kids. We discuss how he evolved to where he is now regarding diagnosis and treatment and how mold and mycotoxins initially came onto his radar for these kiddos suffering from mental health issues - ADHD, OCD, anxiety, hyperactivity, etc - which I think is always interesting to hear how someone in the conventional medical field learned through experience and research how critical these mold (and other) airborne toxins can be to kids health.
This interview is seriously FILLED WITH GEMS. Most of this entire conversation we are talking about the connections between mold and mental health - mycotoxins are known to disrupt dopamine, they inhibit glutamate clearance, they are neurotoxic, they activate innate immunity and neuroinflammation, they drive histamine responses, and ALL OF THIS leads to neurotransmitter, mood, and behavioral changes....so the whole time we are talking basically about the problem(s) and the solution(s), which are both varied and complex, but our conversation includes topics like:
- Diagnosis or "suspicion" of mold in kids - in what kinds of cases are we (maybe) thinking mold?
- How do you KNOW if you have mold in the home?
- How do you KNOW if you (or your child) have mold in the body?
- What are (both of our) favorite tests and treatments or supportive supplements?
- How can we clean the air? HEPA filters, air purifiers, ionizers...
I think my favorite part about Dr. K is that his integrity shines through in our conversation, he clearly wants what is best for the patient's outcome, he considers realistic options and cost, and he is open minded and not trying just to defend his biases. I'd like to think we are really similar in those regards, I hope so, but I just know I had a GREAT time talking with him and have a lot of respect for him, and I think a lot of people will enjoy this episode!
Check out his website https://wholistickids.com/
Follow him on Facebook under Wholistic Kids
and on Instagram @wholistickids where he puts out GREAT CONTENT!!!!!
And - send this to 3 friends with kids, and leave a rating and review if you enjoyed it! -
I see a lot of neurological cases that experience symptoms like dizziness, vertigo, lightheadedness, inability to tolerate motion, flashing lights, sounds, etc. Many of these people are not local to my area, and they are all wondering "What else can I do to help myself get better?" so I am always looking for new ways to help them.
While I focus primarily on looking deeper into underlying mechanisms, root causes, neurotoxins, pathogens, gut health, autoimmunity, etc, one thing that anyone who is experiencing these symptoms can do is VESTIBULAR REHABILITATION, so we have recommended VizStim kits to many of our clients.
My guest on today's episode is Dr. Ashley Contreras, the creator and founder of VizStim. She is a physical therapist who specializes in vestibular issues and vestibular rehab, and throughout her 15-year career has developed this amazing kit of exercises to help people retrain their vestibular system. It's an inexpensive, easy-to-use, at-home kit with a wide variety of different exercises, journals, and levels of difficulty designed to walk through your progress as you are retraining your vestibular system. I've used it with my kids, it's super easy to use, easy to teach, and as long as you are willing to do the exercises and put in a few minutes of rehab each day, it is AWESOME.
The vestibular system is a complex system in the brain that detects how your head and body are existing in relation to their surroundings - are your eyes level with gravity, are you moving, what position are you in, etc. When those signals get disrupted, from concussions, infections, neurotoxins, spinal subluxations and other injuries, etc, even the slightest miscue in signaling can make your body feel uneasy, unstable, nauseous, like the room is moving, or can fire to the amygdala and create a lot of anxiety or fear. When this system is disrupted, it can be retrained and rewired. I discuss the vestibular system quite a bit more in podcast number 47 (Brain Regions), and we discuss this much more in this podcast episode, so listen to the episode to learn more, and check out VizStim , and follow VizStim Recovery on social media for some great tips and tricks! -
So many people in the functional medicine world, whether it be from their past adverse events, the pandemic, from Lyme disease, mold toxicity, from being gaslighted by doctors, or trying failed therapies, etc - - SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE SOME DEGREE OF PTSD, LIMBIC SYSTEM DYSFUNCTION, and now experience an IMBALANCED STRESS RESPONSE, DYSAUTONOMIA, and other debilitating symptoms.
Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve to decrease sympathetic dominanceTENS DeviceGargling/Gagging/HummingCoffee EnemaChallenge Your AUTONOMIC INPUTSBreath workTemperature - cold plunges, contrast showersHR - HeartMath or other HRV trainingChallenge Your Visual and Sensory InputsVestibular exercises like VizStim (next podcast episode!)ChiropracticChallenge Your Psychological InputsLimbic System Retraining ProgramsNeurolinguistic programming - Gratitude/Affirmations
So, we all know about stress. There is the mental stress that we all know about, but also physical stress (too much water is a stressor, too little water is a stressor, leaky gut, injuries, etc) as well as toxic stress (mold, mercury, pesticides, etc) - - and your body responds to stress as potential DANGER - you prepare to "fight-or-flight".
So, STRESS is your body's response to potential danger.....
DANGER is either real or perceived - you can tell someone they should be scared and they will be, or tell them they should NOT be scared and they will NOT be......but abuse is a danger, toxins are a danger, viruses are a danger.....
Your limbic system of your brain connects memories with experiences, and will "remember" these instances of danger and the stress response, and the limbic system includes regions like the amygdala (fear sensing), the hippocampus (memory), and the hypothalamus/pituitary (stress response).
Repeated exposure to (or perception of) DANGER leads to limbic system dysfunction, PTSD, and an imbalanced stress response.....your body begins to treat EVERYTHING as a danger.
All of this stress, true danger, and the perception of danger/stress triggers something called The Cell Danger Response, which is fascinating, I have a Youtube Video about it linked below, but your cells, your nervous system, your stress response system begins to respond to EVERYTHING AS A DANGER.
HOW CAN YOU REWIRE THIS RESPONSE???
This is gaining popularity in the healthcare world as an important piece to healing. It's increasingly being talked about at seminars and in practitioner circles as well as with patient stories, but there are a lot of different options, recommendations, programs, etc to choose from. In this podcast I go through 4 major "categories" you can work on for rewiring your nervous system, and within each of these categories I talk about many potential strategies, including:All that, and more, are discussed in detail in the episode. Give it a listen, give a 5-star review, and subscribe for more content, including my next podcast interview with Dr. Ashley Contreras talking about dizziness and rewiring the vestibular system.
Here are some of things worth linking to.....
VizStim
Gupta Program
How to Stimulate Your Vagus Nerve with a TENS Device
How to Use Binaural Beats to Shift Gears in your Brain
Why You Become Hypersensitive - Cell Danger Response and Limbic System Dysfunction -
Alright it's been WAY TOO LONG since I released a podcast, so I am starting to do some interviews to keep having good content come out on my channel :)
This "interview" is a discussion with my friend and colleague Dr. Mark Su MD.
Dr. Su is well-known in many practitioner forums because he chimes in often with really insightful and helpful replies to fellow practitioners' queries, questions, and concerns when trying to help complex health cases, which is why I thought he would be a great person to chat with. In clinical practice, Dr. Su blends together traditional primary care medicine with "functional", or root-cause medicine, and he has developed a broad knowledge base with expertise in traditional pharmacology, but also in nutraceuticals, lab testing, resonance/muscle testing, Lyme and tick-borne illnesses, mold toxicity and environmentally acquired illness - - all the things I love to talk about on this podcast!
There really isn't a "topic" or "theme" to this interview, but I have a lot of respect for Dr. Su when it comes to dealing with chronic and complex diseases, I share a lot of his viewpoints, and really just wanted to get him on here and pick his brain about some things, and this is what came from our conversation :)
ENJOY! -
Sinus problems are rampant. Americans spend over $1 Billion annually to treat sinus problems with over-the-counter medications, which is crazy. It's not just common in the chronic illness world and in the autoimmune world, and ESPECIALLY in the mold world, it's common in everyone.
Sinus inflammation is interesting. I have had really great success healing my own sinuses. I'm not recommending that everyone (or anyone) do what I did, but what I REALLY DID was I spent several years intensely studying deep immunology and the Ear, Nose, and Throat and Allergy literature, read 100s of studies, and used things like high dose supplements and essential oils to have really good success with nasal polyps and chronic sinusitis. I haven't had sinus issues for over 3 years. Here is a video of what I did to get rid of nasal polyps, it's crazy.
When I talk about sinuses, I'm also talking about ENT areas - ear infections, tonsils, sore throats, pharyngitis, which includes things like Strep and PANDAS, but most of my success was with the nose. The whole ENT region is a hotbed of infections and pathogens, and is right across the wall from the brain, and things like antibodies, histamine, chemical toxins, inflammatory cytokines, and mycotoxins from mold can ride the "olfactory elevator" (as Dr. Jill Crista calls it) right up to the brain - right to deep, midline areas like the frontal cortex (brain fog, etc), pituitary (hormones), amygdala (anxiety, fear, etc), hypothalamus (temp, dysautonomia, etc), neurological dysfunctions and more.
Sinus inflammation drives many immune mechanisms, including Th2 and eosinophilic inflammation, mast cell activation and histamine, and Th17 inflammation, which is tissue-damaging autoimmune inflammation and will drive autoimmune progression. THAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PIECE OF THE PUZZLE! One thing that can drive this immune activation are chronic biofilms including Strep, Staph (MARCoNS), and Mold/Yeast that are incredibly persistent and antibiotic resistant. Biofilm colonies, like in the gut, grow on sinuses, adenoids, tonsils (that's why they remove them!) and ENT surfaces - and when they adhere to a surface they are over 1000x harder to kill, and they are highly persistent and antibiotic resistant. THIS IS THE OTHER MOST IMPORTANT PIECE!
In this episode I talk about 4 levels of supporting sinus inflammation naturally:
1 - Breathe Clean Air!!!! Allergies are obviously an issue....You can't be living in mold....I talk about air purifiers, mold candles, HVAC filters, and more.
2 - Fix your Gut and Balance your Immune System - I talk about using things like probiotics, herbal killers, SCFA, vitamins D and A, glutathione, perilla, quercetin, luteolin, etc to support barrier integrity, mast cell activation, Th2 dominance.
3 - Break Biofilms and Kill Infections - Nasal Spray, Neti Pot, Nebulizer, Gargle - I talk about using essential oils, iodine, hydrogen peroxide, silver, propolis, aqualaurin, biocidin, etc to break up biofilms and help kill pathogens.
4 - Maintain - I talk about the importance of breathing clean air, doing regular nasal rinses, and more to maintain.
This is not medical advice, but many people have seen their ENT with very little answer besides antihistamines, antibiotics, or steroids, so these are just some of the things that people are doing out there, and hopefully it can help you solve YOUR puzzle!
I also mention this, my favorite newsletter and started by an amazing ENT surgeon:
www.sinusitiswellness.com -
Not everyone gets well in functional medicine. There are a lot of people sick and suffering in the world, and not everyone even becomes aware of the direct connection between diet, lifestyle, toxins, environment, stress, and other exposome factors as drivers of disease, but still sometimes even someone who seemingly does everything right still doesn't get great results. What separates those who DO HEAL from those who DON'T HEAL?
One of, if not THE MOST IMPORTANT THING, is a HEALING MINDSET. There are many big picture things that I discuss in this podcast about a successful healing mindset, using some actual examples, and some personal rants, but talking about things such as:
- Do they understand the big picture - that toxins, foods, infections, stress, other exposome factors cause dysfunctional processes on a cellular level, that lead to disease processes expressing over time?
- Are they connecting these mechanistic dots - this leads to this leads to this? You don't need to be an expert, but understanding the mechanisms helps understand the solutions.....
- Do they have the discipline necessary to make dietary restrictions, lifestyle changes, and stay the course? It's not about perfection either, it's about progression.
- Are they a "dabbler" and have they bounced around different practitioners, tried dozens of supplements? This is a red flag!!
- Are they committed financially? Do they even care about their financial investment?
These questions are important for practitioners to ask when attracting the right clientele, but also important for patients to ask about themselves, their motivation, determination, discipline, and mindset.
HERE IS THE IMPORTANT PART - - MINDSET CAN BE TRAINED!!!
It's so important to train this growth mindset with your health and constantly remind yourself of your goals, targets, intentions, motivations to stay the course. It's ALSO really important to retrain your cells and your Limbic System, and in this podcast I talk about ways to do this, including constantly filling your brain with thoughts and words of Safety, Gratitude, Epigrams, Affirmations, I talk about Limbic System retraining programs like DNRS and the Gupta Program, and this youtube video about Cell Danger Response and Limbic System Dysfunction. -
OK SO - -
I help people solve their health puzzles, and they are often complex puzzles. I love it, but it can be a little confusing to explain what I do, especially if you are just getting into the "chronic health problems" world.....but my expertise is in connecting the dots on symptoms, mechanisms, physical diagnosis and lab interpretation and using those clues to help people solve puzzles.
So we start with a very detailed health history (90 mins), then this guides us towards certain lab testing, then based on the history, symptoms, and lab testing I give recommendations consisting of diet, lifestyle, and supplement protocols. This is similar to many health practitioners, but what SETS ME APART is my clinical experience, knowledge, and ability to explain these mechanisms to people so they make sense, give them goals, keep them on track, and put their puzzle pieces in the right order. Hopefully if you have heard the podcast you have realized that they way I put puzzle pieces together is different than most, so we are able to solve puzzles that most can't solve. At least that's always my goal :)
Krystal was referred to my office, and initially she had A LOT OF SYMPTOMS - regular headaches, light sensitivity, vertigo, chemical sensitivities, hormone imbalances, she was taking 4 naps a day, she had a history of prednisone and other medication usage, she had to use her rescue inhaler all the time, she was sensitive to fragrances, foods, had gut inflammation with a severely restricted diet, you name it. I told her when she came in that she was one of my top 3 most sensitive patients, and that's a hard prize to win!! So then we ran labs, we took lots of supplements, we did parasite cleanses, coffee enemas, detox support, etc etc....and now she is doing great....
That's the long story short. The details are in the podcast, but we talk about the MINDSET required for healing, we talk about her journey, we talk about how we EXPECTED roadblocks and setbacks, but we figured them out and we worked through them.
This is a great podcast, but my favorite part is hearing Krystal's mindset and the way she thought about healing. My recommendations and protocols are NOT what separates who gets well and who doesn't get well, mindset does. This is YOUR health journey, not mine. It's YOUR responsibility. Krystal is a Life Coach, and we talk extensively about how her skills in that area helped her have the healing mindset necessary to get good results, and how she has helped other people change the way they THINK about their symptoms, illness, or healing journey.
If you are in need a great life coach, look her up!!
@krystal.stegmaier on Instagram
Kystal Stegmaier - Life Coach on Facebook
and her website:
krystalstegmaierlifecoach.com
If you are interested in working with me, you can schedule a New Client Consultation with me here, or check out my Instagram, Youtube, check out our website www.autoimmunedocpodcast.com or listen to more podcast episodes to learn more about my approach to complex illnesses. -
Autoimmune Doc Supplement Store
Limbic System and Cell Danger Response Video
Binaural Beats Video
Here is the final episode in my 4-part series on the brain - Brain Solutions. This episode ties together the previous 3 episodes: you have to understand some of the general targets you are aiming at - neuroinflammation, methylation, oxygenation, low omega 3s - that is episode one, Brain Overview. Next you have to understand the neurotransmitters - dopamine, serotonin, GABA, acetylcholine - this is episode two. Last, you have to understand the brain regions - the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hypothalamus, cerebellum - this is episode three, Brain Regions.
NOW, you can choose your tools from the solutions tool box, and that is what this episode is all about.
In this episode I focus on the tools that I personally use, which are typically inexpensive and non-invasive, but I also give my opinion on several other options that are out there available for people who can access them, such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy and neurofeedback. Many of these solutions are the specific supplements that I suggest to support neuroinflammation or neurotransmitters, when I might recommend using them, and how I would use them, but I also discuss other tools for vagus nerve stimulation, vestibular rehabilitation, and more. There are a lot of options out there and a lot of opinions, I hope this helps you choose the right tools for you. Purchase TENS Devices, supplements, and more at our online supplement store!
Schedule a New Client Consultation with me HERE. -
Here is episode #3 in my series on brain health.....let's recap.
The brain is complex. There are important mechanisms (neuroinflammation), functions (neuronal signaling), neurotransmitters (serotonin, dopamine, GABA), and regions that are helpful to understand for those out there trying to support their brain or support a certain symptom such as brain fog or heightened anxiety.
The first episode was about general brain health, the second was about neurotransmitters and their functions, and this episode is about specific brain regions, including the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the cerebellum.
For example, the amygdala is part of the brain's Limbic System. The amygdala is the "fear center" and increased amygdala activity is associated with heightened anxiety....but the neurotransmitters involved may be epinephrine and GABA, and the mechanism may be microglial neuroinflammation, which may be triggered by mast cell activation, and the underlying cause(s) could be gut inflammation, it could be a traumatic childhood, or it could be mold toxins, or gluten, or it could be a combination, and it's always a combination of factors that need to be addressed.
Understanding these brain regions and their functions can give you options (that aren't just supplements...) for training or rehabilitating a specific area, such as specific exercises you can easily do at home, or avoiding gluten and dairy to avoid cerebellar cross-reactivity.
My next episode will tie all of these brain puzzle pieces together. It's all about brain solutions (which I give a lot of in this episode as well...), including all the supplements, brain exercise programs, and dietary strategies that I employ when trying to help someone support their brain health and function, and all of the options available and when or why you might consider using them.
Enjoy! Leave a rating and review, and share this with a friend or family member with a brain! -
One of the most important things a healthy brain needs is appropriate neurotransmitter activity. Neurotransmitters regulate our brain function, our energy, our focus, our mood, and our lives. Imbalances in neurotransmitters can come from many things, including past trauma, unhealthy relationships, bad habits, chronic stress, poor gut health, crappy diet, toxins, autoimmunity, neuroinflammation....the list goes on and on, but it can be helpful to know which neurotranmitters are imbalanced in the hopes of supporting your specific brain functions and symptoms. The most important neurotransmitters, which I discuss in this podcast, are:
Serotonin - regulates some aspects of mood, appetite, happiness, enjoyment of activities, appreciation of art.
Acetylcholine - regulates working memory, computation, muscle contractions, and parasympathetic nervous system (vagus nerve) activity to the gut.
Dopamine - important for motivation, pleasure, focus, mood, addiction, thrill-seeking.
Epinephrine/Norepinephrine - aka "adrenaline", stimulates "fight or flight" stress response centrally in the brain and also peripherally from the adrenal glands.
GABA - the primary "calming" neurotransmitter, GABA is inhibitory and is often inadequate in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and neuroexcitation.
These neurotransmitters can all be modulated with lifestyle strategies and targeted nutraceuticals, whether it be providing the building blocks for the neurotransmitters itself (tyrosine for dopamine for example), or impacting the receptor sensitivity (L-theanine for GABA), or using nutrients to support certain pathways like the Kynurenine Pathway, Dopamine Beta Hydroxylase, or other genetic pathways (COMT, MTHFR, MAO) of neurotransmitter metabolism. Supporting neurotransmitter metabolism can be a game changer when supporting brain function, and my goal is to teach people how to solve their own puzzles, so I hope this is helpful, next episode is part 3/4, brain regions! -
Anxiety, Mast Cell Activation, and LPS (video)
Neurotransmitter Activity - serotonin, dopamine, acetylcholine, epinephrine/norepinephrine, GABAAdequate Oxygen - good blood flow, no anemiaSteady Fuel - no hypoglycemia, and no insulin resistanceProper Lipid Morphology - omega 3s, DHA, phosphatidylcholineHealthy Stimulation - learning, fun, skills, memory, coordination, visual complexity, connecting with other humansHormone Balance - estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, cortisol (steroid hormones), thyroid Gut-Brain Connection - good micro biome, bacterial diversity and abundance, no infections/overgrowths, good vagus nerve activityHealthy Circadian Rhythms - good light exposure, good sleep....
Cell Danger Response and Limbic System Dysfunction (video)
Anxiety, Neuroinflammation, and Autoimmunity (podcast)
Your brain is the most complex organ in an incredibly complex body, and it's running the show. I continue to see a massive uptick in brain-based symptoms coming into my clinic (and everyone else's), such as depression, anxiety, depersonalization, derealization, dizziness, vertigo, fatigue, brain fog, memory loss, panic attacks, bipolar episodes, nausea, pain syndromes, and so much more.
I have a lot of brain-related content available, and I linked some at the top of the show notes for this episode. My goal with this series is to help people understand how all these puzzle pieces fit together - neurotransmitters, brain regions, how to use all of the different tools available. Today's episode is an overview of some of the more important concepts in the brain, and reviewing what a healthy brain needs:I also briefly talk through a patient's case history and some of her symptoms, lab findings, and how we have kept her brain healthy and kept her symptoms under control over the past several years. The next several episodes will be more of this, teaching you how to solve your own puzzle!
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Long Haulers UPDATED (video)
Long Haulers Mechanisms (video)
SARS-CoV-2 and the gut-brain-lung axis (video review of a research paper)
From the onset of the pandemic through the last (almost) 3 years, we have continued to find out new things about how people respond after coronavirus infection. Not surprisingly, there is more and more research coming out indicating that an increased autoimmune response may be responsible for many of the lingering symptoms.
Early on in the pandemic, SARS-CoV-2 was nicknamed "The Autoimmune Virus" because it appeared to be triggering more of an autoimmune response than other viral infections. As science has continued to evolve our understanding, it turns out that COVID infection is absolutely associated with increased autoimmunity - both exacerbation of existing autoimmunity as well as new autoimmunity.
Autoimmunity is the process in which the body "loses self tolerance" for tissues of the body and begins to initiate an immune "attack" against self-tissue (thyroid, joints, brain, gut, etc) as if they were a foreign invader - which leads to chronic inflammation, tissue damage, and a gradual loss of function, and can eventually become a diagnosed autoimmune "disease" like Type 1 Diabetes or Rheumatoid Arthritis.
One of the ways that viruses can trigger autoimmunity is by means of "molecular mimicry", or what can be described as a case of "mistaken identity". In this podcast I describe it like this - I have a blue F150 pickup truck, extended cab, long bed. There are many blue F150s on the road, so what if the police were looking for a blue F150 and they accidentally pull ME over instead of the bad guy they are looking for? That's a case of mistaken identity. Well COVID antibodies can also misdirect their immune attack, and they can accidentally attack many tissues, and in this episode I go through dozens of different autoantibodies that have now been associated with COVID - - thyroid autoantibodies, neurological autoantibodies, mitochondrial autoantibodies, and more.
We now know that COVID infection can lead to a myriad of symptoms, and they can all be described as the "long-haul", but the mechanisms can be all quite different, so they are NOT all the same thing, and it's not fair to group everyone together as "long-haulers". You could have POTS, dysautonomia, clotting/coagulation, neurological (depression, brain fog, and TONS of anxiety...), digestive changes, fatigue, or you could develop post-COVID diabetes or arthritis.....as science continues to learn more are we going to find that it's ALL autoimmune in nature?? Only time will tell, but I believe that treating any condition as if it were an autoimmune case is never a bad approach - decrease inflammation, balance the immune system, and look for (and remove) any root cause triggers! -
Your liver is seriously pretty amazing. I'm a 'mechanisms' kind of guy, and the liver is the king of mechanisms, including:
- The liver is crucial for metabolism, regulating blood sugar, lipid, and protein metabolism.
- The liver participates in immune surveillance and pathogen clearance, and is intimately connected with the gut.
- The liver performs "hepatic biotransformation", or transforming toxins into things that can be excreted, aka DETOXIFICATION.
The liver can be damaged by many things including lifestyle, alcohol, viruses, parasites, and especially toxins. As liver damage progresses, the liver becomes more congested, toxins begin to accumulate, and metabolic dysfunction can follow. Liver damage is generally a spectrum of worsening fibrosis, and often starts with "fatty liver" and then progresses toward cirrhosis, which is liver scarring. Liver damage can be detected by several labs, and I discuss these labs in detail.
In the liver there are many functions, but this podcast focuses mostly on hepatic biotransformation, or detoxification. This includes Phase 1 and Phase 2 of liver detox, cytochrome P450, and includes processes like methylation, sulfation, conjugation, and more. These processes require many cofactors such as B vitamins and amino acids, and I discuss these all in detail.
There are also many genetic mutations that can affect liver and detoxification, so I discuss these as well, along with the common and popular liver supplements and what their mechanisms are. All together this is a comprehensive overview of everything I know about the liver and how I use that information clinically in helping sick people get well!
Youtube video about Liver, Carnitine, and Depression.... -
Parasites are interesting. That word means different things to different people, some people are terrified of the idea of worms living inside their body, but at the same time parasite cleanses are super trendy on Instagram and social media, and yet some people think that parasite cleansing is the solution to all health problems....which one is it?
Parasites are paradoxical in the research world, many areas of the world that have endemic parasitic infections have virtually no autoimmunity, and helminth therapy is actually an incredibly promising treatment for certain autoimmune cases. The reason that parasites are so relevant in the population of people that I see is because of our junk food supply, the toxins everywhere, and the rampant metabolic and immune disruption - - but they aren't always the ONLY culprit, they show up more often with the presence of heavy metals, Candida, SIBO, mold and other toxins. When they are recognized as bad, they elicit a strong and specific immune response that I talk about in detail in the podcast, triggering a Th2 immune response via IL-4 and activating mast cells and histamine, and often keeping someone stuck there (sound familiar??) as they become allergic to more foods, chemicals, and more sensitive to their world. They can also drive inflammatory bowel processes, cause liver and gallbladder issues, disrupt neurotransmitters, infect the brain, and much more.
While I certainly do NOT believe that parasites are a piece of every person's health puzzle, I do think "parasite cleansing" can be incredibly helpful in the right situation. In this podcast I share my personal opinions and personal experiences that I have had with parasites (including when I passed one!) and many stories of helping people with them, and they are pretty drastic stories. I also talk about the testing available and what I personally look for, as well as the supplements and protocols I recommend for people and how those are given, and basically everything that I know and think about parasites!
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Ok so let's talk about gut health. Gut health and detox are pretty much the two most important topics, and toxins affect gut health....but good gut health is necessary for proper detoxification.....I think gut health wins. At least for this next podcast series :)
Diarrhea - I talk about IBS, IBD, low microbiome and good bacteria/probiotics, glutamine, mast cells, and hydrogen SIBO....Constipation - I talk dysbiosis/methane, and a LOT about vagal motor outflow and vagus nerve activity that controls motility as well as HCL, bile, enzymes....Bloating - When I hear bloating I think small intestine and fermentation. Dysbiosis is often at the root, which includes proper digestion (HCL and bile), and I touch on SIBO/SIFO, avoiding FODMAPs foods....Digestion - This is critical!! Chewing your food, being in parasympathetic mode, then proper stomach acid - it can be too high (mast cells) or too low (more common), pancreatic digestive enzymes, bile from the gallbladder (steatocrit), and of course VAGUS BABY!Dysbiosis - The 10 lbs of bacteria in your gut can become imbalanced. Low good bacteria, general microbiome imbalances…..and LPS!!!!!Leaky Gut - Everyone can have some intestinal permeability, is yours pathological, and if so what kind is it - paracellular or transcellular? Food Sensitivities - IgG testing, and how food sensitivities can drive autoimmune reactivity, general inflammatory tone, and initiate T cell mediated tissue damageSIBO - Bloating! Fermentation of fibers, starches, sugars, FODMAPs ...why you need HCL, bile, vagus outflow……Why I think SIBO testing is dumb….Candida - OMG….the single biggest thing I see. Antibiotics, sugar, stress, birth control, mold exposure, can drive a Th17 inflammatory response (autoimmune), can also drive Th2 (and both will decrease Th1)......and why I love urinary organic acids testing for fungal issues.Parasites - this I am going to do a whole episode on because it’s crazy, it’s quite frankly pretty controversial in the autoimmune world, is it better to have or to not have them??? The answer is IT DEPENDS. But I do talk about someone who was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and it actually seemed to be a parasitic infection, pretty interesting story :)
Gut health is foundational to health, inflammation, and aging. It's so crucial, but so few people seem to have it mastered IF they are still experiencing symptoms, and I mean ANY symptoms - joint pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression, bipolar, metabolic, certainly autoimmune flares, not just digestive symptoms. I'm going to go deeper into some specific topics in the next few episodes, but this one is an overview, and I made a list of the 10 most important things for gut health. The first 3 are symptoms, the next 4 are mechanisms, and the last 3 are infections, and understanding these 10 things will give you a pretty good grasp on understanding gut health and digestion overall!Share this with someone, subscribe, leave a rating and review, and follow me elsewhere!
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