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 want proof and certainty before they embark on a…
While the internet and its many medical practitioners have launched telemedicine from science fiction into everyday habit, the ability to see your provider from home does not always equate into being good enough for every type of medical visit. Though it is true that the foundation of a diagnosis rests on the patient’s story, there…
Mold detox advocates have entrenched themselves around their particular ways to treat those who have been exposed to these natural toxins. Who, though, is right? One researcher looks solely to a pharmaceutical called cholestyramine. Another tries to a variety of binding agents. A third eschews any binder and just advocates anti-fungals. The outcome can be…
Some would say the world is a rat-race, but today we focus on a food race between old-fashioned whole foods delivered by nature and new-fangled ultra-processed foods delivered by Big Food and its technology. In a sense, striving for excellence, especially in producing food for growing populations, is not inherently a bad thing. Understanding food,…
The world of conventional medicine seems to continue its doubt of natural therapies at every turn- at least until its own methods prove a natural therapy works. Then conventional medicine hijacks it for a medication. Once again, researchers have found omega 3’s, in this case the EPA form, to have significant benefit for patients with…
With a reported 65 million people worldwide dealing with Long COVID at some point, we have enough research (about time) that indicates that a variety of mechanisms contribute to Long COVID including micro-clots in blood vessels and ongoing inflammation. However, despite a few years under our research belts and millions of people affected, the article…
God created an immune defense which, compared to how often we face microbial threats, only occasionally needs backup. Despite practically non-stop assault, our immune system handles most issues without needing anything more than the basic supplies we have discussed in past articles. However, threats to our immune defenses intermittently arise which require some extra assistance,…
Everyone wants big news from Autism research, but this was not the biggest news of the year that we might hope for. In fact, for those of us in functional and natural medicine, it was quite disappointing that some natural therapies got a negative report. So how do I, functional medicine doctor who has seen…
The wrong thing in the wrong place at the wrong time has bad results- including bad mouth bacteria moving into your gut, triggering brain inflammation that looks like Parkinson’s disease. In assessing gut brain interactions, we must remember two things. First, our guts start at the mouth. Second, different sections of the gut should have…
Biohacking may not help those with complex chronic illness. Like many other areas of life, Medicine is divided into camps or approaches with different names and different camps work better for different issues. That makes some sense for why you should see a GI for gut problems versus a neurologist for brain issues, but it…