Posts

Showing posts from 2021

Is Your Home Making You Sick?

Image
Most people think mold is only a problem if they have had water damage or a visible leak in their home. This is not the case, as mold can develop with high humidity levels, encouraging mold to grow. Not everyone is affected by the same levels of mold, and your response or ability to handle mold exposure has to do with your immune system and what else you have going on in your microbiome. If your immune system is struggling to deal with toxic burdens, dysbiosis, or microbial imbalance, then you are more likely to be affected by mold and airborne fungus.  Strengthening your immune system and detoxification is key to better handling exposure from mold or airborne fungus, but finding ways to remediate the mold may also be necessary. One way to test for mold in your home is through the MSQPCR at-home test. It is a self-swab test in which you swab dust in 10 separate areas. You can send in your kit to get it analyzed by a laboratory that uses very accurate lab analysis. The nose knows, so p

Histamine: It's Not Just About Allergies

Image
 Histamine: It's Not Just About Allergies If you say the word histamine to someone, they will probably think of sneezing, watery eyes, itching, a runny nose, or any other typical seasonal allergy symptom. As a kid, I suffered from seasonal allergies and remembered taking plenty of anti-histamines to deal with the miserable onslaught of an allergic reaction. If the allergic reaction wasn't enough, I could recall the moodiness that often accompanied these episodes. I thought it was the sneezing and watery eyes that were making me feel glum, but as you'll read below, histamine is garnering a closer look by many researchers. Let's start with new research published in the Journal of Neuroscience, July 28, 2021, from the Imperial College of London and The University of South Carolina may explain the connection between high histamine and mood, specifically how histamine affects the release of the neurotransmitter serotonin. The study in mice suggests that Inflammation-induced

Natural Chemicals in Food That Could Be Causing Inflammation

Image
 Natural Chemicals in Food That Could Be Causing Inflammation The concept of eating healthy is a bit more complex than most people understand. Our genetics and our microbiome play critical roles in determining what foods, and how many certain foods, are healthy for us. In this newsletter, I will be discussing foods that are considered healthy by the general population but can be unhealthy for some people with a sensitivity to specific natural chemicals in foods that are known to be good for us.  Isothiocyanate is a food chemical in celery, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, kale, watercress, garden cress, mustard greens, turnips, kohlrabi, horseradish, cauliflower, and bok choy. Isothiocyanate is considered an anti-cancer phytochemical, but it can cause inflammation in the body for some people. Celery juice is commonly used by many and can heal the gut lining and help strengthen the immune system and kidneys. However, if someone is sensitive to an isothiocyanate, then the inflammatio

Immune Support Supplements

Image
Immune Support Supplements I was recently excited to read that the Government of Thailand has approved the herb Andrographis to treat the early stages of Covid-19. I have been aware of this herb for many years and have recommended it to patients for antiviral and immune support. Andrographis is native to South Asian countries. The leaves and root/stem are what’s used in herbal medicine. It possesses anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, immune-stimulating, anti-inflammatory, anti-heart disease, and anti-diabetic properties. Specifically, I have recommended the product Andrographis Complex by Standard Process for immune support, which also contains tulsi and the root of echinacea. Many patients have reported that it has reduced the severity of colds and cases of flu substantially. At the time of this writing, Thailand, a country of 70 million people, has had 13,104 cases and 71 deaths. These low numbers are remarkable. Nasal saline irrigation is a typical daily practice that many in Thailand a