(Some reminders are worth repeating so I am running this reminder about where mold hides in our lives.) Mold Detox Can Be Challenging Caring for patients with mold toxicity can be a challenging task, faced with not just body-problems but problems in their environments. In caring for their bodies and the symptoms they are experiencing,…
A preliminary vote just got cast in the debate between functional medicine’s dietary emphasis in treating IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) and conventional GI doctors who dismiss the diet’s role, and it was cast for functional medicine’s side. Further, for those who hate spinach, the good news just keeps getting better: the oxalates it contains may…
None of us like pain or like getting a surgery, and we can all agree that we want as little pain as possible after any necessary surgery. This research suggests that getting our vitamin D levels checked and optimized before needing surgery, despite what a recent mainstream medical association said (see links at end). Optimizing…
In the old days, understanding toxicity meant studying a toxin’s effects on our metabolism, but today we know that the roughly 4,500 different types of bacteria in our GI tract also matter to the toxin’s effects. While many of the present world’s identified chemicals may not directly affect our metabolic processes, their effects on the…
Investigating common health advice in-depth drives us to better answers and equips us with better recommendations for our patients. In this case, knowing that so many people across the world believe that eating bread leads to weight gain, we ask two important questions. First, is it true? Second, why is it true? Before we tell…
The best NRF2 activator supplements are not necessarily the products with the longest ingredient lists or the strongest claims. A useful supplement should contain a well-studied ingredient in a form the body can use, disclose what is in each serving, and fit the individual’s health needs and medications. NRF2 is part of the body’s built-in…
When people search for the best toxin binders for humans, they often expect to find one product that works for everyone. In reality, no single binder is best for every person or every type of toxin. The right choice may depend on the suspected exposure, the substances a binder can hold, digestive health, medications, age,…
The exposome is the total load of chemicals good and bad that we are exposed to in daily life, and it continues to make headlines with a study showing that flares of rheumatoid arthritis joint inflammation may be triggered by increased levels of particulate matter in our air. Having found connections linking the development of…
What You Feed Your Baby Picking healthy foods for our babies in a grocery store can be a lot like finding something decent in a dumpster: full of ultra-processed foods. Our little ones depend on us to bring home foods with nutrients and without harmful substances. They can’t go out and shop for themselves. We,…
Mold v Kid’s Brains Many skeptics challenge functional MD’s like myself when we diagnose mold toxicity as the explanation for a chronic illness whether in adults or in children. The refrain goes like this: “Mold is everywhere! How could that explain the symptoms?” We understand that patients or their parents desire proof and certainty before…