Hey ,

Are you still using other vitamin A supplements? If so, you need to correct the dosage accordingly for it. I wouldn’t advise you to take more than 10.000 IU of vitamin A in total. If you are eating liver on a regular basis you will need to include this in your calculation.

To boost the immune system you can for sure use the protocol in this handout.

Vitamin A is fat-soluble, which means it will get better absorbed with food. Especially when the meals contain some fat.

I hope this helps!

Hey ,

In addition to Bernadette’s excellent advice, I would like to add that there is a distinction made between pseudo-croup and croup.

To make it more confusing, pseudo-croup is often called croup because it occurs much more often. With true croup (also called Diphteria – which is rare) you could see a greyish-white membrane in the throat or nose. This membrane can obstruct the airways and cause difficulty in breathing. The lymph nodes in the neck may become enlarged and tender as well.

With pseudo croup, the infection usually lasts a few days (3 to 5 usually) and the symptoms present in waves (often in the evenings). In the last few days symptoms are usually at their worst. Coughing could still continue for a couple of weeks, but eventually, this goes away as well.

If your gut tells you you should see a doctor, then definitely do so. The normal course is that the infection is well handled by most kids. Several viruses can cause croup (like influenza (flu), parainfluenza (the common cold) and some other viruses. Sometimes there are non-viral causes.

Seeing your kid can be quite disturbing especially when the coughing sounds harsh like a seal or dog or when the areas around the eyes turn red or when rashes are part of the symptoms.

Here are some do’s and dont’s with croup
• Coughing remedies don’t work. 
• Make sure he gets plenty of liquids. Drinking plenty of fluids helps to lubricate the throat. It lessens the harmful effects of a cough on the airways. Staying hydrated can help ward off more severe croup symptoms, such as a fever.
• Put your son in an upright position as much as possible because it makes it easier to breathe.
• Out of other people’s experiences, it seems that cool and humid air often brings relief because it reduces swelling in the lungs. A steam bath can help. 10 or 20 minutes in the shower can also help. 20 or 30 minutes in the bath is another option. Just don’t use a water cooker, this steam is too hot and will burn the skin.
• Some people use menthol with steaming, but I would advise against that. this will make symptoms worse.
• Staying calm while helping your son also helps your son to relax. This will prevent the waves of symptoms to become more severe.
• Coughing up mucus is ok. It is protective against inflammation in the air sacs in the lungs.

As I said, the infection often goes away in a couple of days, but if you are worried just contact your doctor. Just be aware that the typical treatment is the use of corticosteroids though. In more severe symptoms epinephrine could be used.

If the croup keeps reoccurring you could contact specialists like an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat specialist) or pulmonologist (breathing and lung disease specialist).

I hope your son gets well soon!

Take your time !

Hey ,

Do you know if the high blood pressure was there before the pregnancy? Or are you sure that the high blood pressure started during the pregnancy? And if the high blood pressure started during pregnancy, do you know around what week the blood pressure started to increase?

There are different variations of high blood pressure caused by pregnancy. Pregnancy itself can increase blood pressure since the blood volume increases during pregnancy – especially with the first pregnancy. Having a twin can increase the risk of high blood pressure as well. Some people can have a genetic predisposition to get high blood pressure. In this case, you could ask if high blood pressure during pregnancy occurred in other family members.

If high blood pressure is present in combination with water retention, make sure she sees a doctor immediately.

Normal lifestyle factors can play a role as well of course. Low potassium can contribute to elevations in blood pressure as well as a magnesium deficiency, blood sugar imbalance caused by insulin resistance, obesity, smoking, alcohol, etc.

Having an idea of the cause of hypertension helps to make more targeted plans to reduce hypertension. I don’t know if any labs were measured as well. Usually, liver function tests and kidney health will be measured in these cases. Blood sugars and electrolytes might be measured as well. If any labs are there, sharing will help us to five more targeted pieces of advice.

An essential lab when blood pressure is elevated that I often recommend my clients do is a Red Blood Cell (RBC) Magnesium test. If a deficiency is present, high blood pressure can be the result. Make sure kidneys are in good health when you start increasing magnesium.

Hypertension could be caused by insulin resistance. With pregnancy from the third-trimester insulin sensitivity can decrease as well due to hormonal changes (this article goes in-depth about insulin resistance during pregnancy). If some insulin resistance was already present before the pregnancy, high blood pressure might become more visible during pregnancy. Here are some easy tips that can help you address insulin resistance during pregnancy:
• Make sure you walk at least 30 minutes daily.
• Swimming is another option that can help increase insulin sensitivity.
• Removing sugar and fast digestible carb sources from the diet can help as well.

If emotional stress is at play then stress reduction can help as well. Setting boundaries and learning to say no can help. If she has a good support group, and this person feels like she has to do everything alone, accepting help might also be part of the solution. Other things that might help are journaling, meditation, grounding and even therapy can be part of a solution.

Do you know if she uses medications? Some medications can also contribute to elevations in blood pressure. If she does use medications, let us know so we can help provide better advice.

Here is a handout about the different causes of hypertension. Especially when hypertension was already present, this document can help you.

I know I have asked you some questions that can help us formulate better advice, but I hope these tips can help you give her some starter tips

Hey ,

H2 Blocker
When weaning off H2 blockers, you would like to do this slowly. The stomach lining needs to get used to acid production again. Stopping cold turkey can cause reactions because the stomach lining needs to adjust to the acid production again.

How to reduce stomach acid medication when the time is right:
If my memory served correctly, you were on a pretty low dosage, but I’m not quite sure. Still, everybody is unique and can react differently. I recommend my clients (in consultant with their doctor by the way!) to take half a dosage for 2-3 weeks. Then reduce the dosage again by taking a quarter dosage for 2-3 weeks. And then taking this dosage every other day for 2-3 weeks again, but as I started with every person is different. For some people rebuilding the stomach lining can take 3-6 months and decreasing medication should go much slower. If you decide to wean off, I would recommend the slower approach.

Autoimmune
Like earlier discussed, one of the tests showed autoimmune antibodies. As I discussed above, I recommend with my clients always go gluten- and dairy-free, supporting the immune system with the proper nutrients, reducing stress, etc. A lot of these recommendations you are following I believe, so those recommendations don’t really change.

But the expectations on how things develop do change. The healing process takes longer and it is more usual to see symptoms flaring up. Having vitamin D levels higher can reduce the flares, but they still can occur.

DUTCH Test
Bernadette already explained the benefits of having a proper cortisol spike in the morning. I would like to add to that, that having an appropriate Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) can help fight autoimmune problems since a good CAR helps break down improper working T cells in the thymus. When health problems are worse in the morning, this can indicate that the CAR isn’t optimal since cortisol is anti-inflammatory.

If you would like to learn more about the CAR I recommend you watch this movie here. The DUTCH Plus you can find here and I believe it’s 325 pounds right now.

Liver test
Are you talking about the aspartate transferase here? I wouldn’t worry too much about that if this is the case. The liver might have been a little busier than usual with these values, but this happens. Your value of 30 still looks great.

D-limonene
Sometimes biliary congestion can lead to pain in the centre abdomen or just under the ribs on your right-hand side. I believe you mentioned these types of symptoms right? If these symptoms are gone, this is a good indication that bile flow has improved. Are you still experiencing sudden pains in this area?

Hey ,

Let me think with you. Perhaps we could help you stir in a direction you didn’t consider yet. Perhaps you could answer some questions for me so I can get more insight into the situation:
• Is there a specific moment when the tinnitus started? Did it happen after an infection (this includes an ear infection)? Or after hurting your neck/head? After a hard sound perhaps? Or did it get there slowly? Are there any intuitions you have as to what might have caused it?
• Are there any steps you are currently taking in order to try to reduce the tinnitus? For example, are you momentarily taking some supplements?
• Are there any other symptoms you are experiencing? For example, do you experience cold hands & feet? Are you feeling fatigued? Are you experiencing tingling sensations somewhere? Are you experiencing concentration problems? Do you feel slow? Are you losing hair? How is your gut health? Are you experiencing constipation/diarhea? Do you feel bloated? Are you experiencing acid reflux? Are you feeling depressed? How is your joint and back health? Everything you can think of could provide us with some insight!
• Was your blood pressure ever measured? And if so, can you remember the numbers?
• Are you currently using any type of other pill or medication?
• Were there any labs measured? And if so, would you like to share them? From a functional medicine perspective, we often take a different look at them than your regular doctor. Perhaps we could help you find a new approach based on them.

Was Tinnitus Retraining Therapy(TRT) ever suggested to you? If not, this might be something you could consider.

Tinnitus can also have an emotional component. Stress can cause tinnitus as well. But being stressed from tinnitus can also keep the tinnitus ‘alive’. I have seen people successfully reduce tinnitus with therapy. This option is more successful when other medical causes have been ruled out.

Bernadette already shared a lot of medical conditions. It is our experience that a slow thyroid is often misdiagnosed in regular medical care. A full thyroid panel (just click here) might provide you with better insight, especially when slow thyroid symptoms are also present (an overview of symptoms you can find here by the way).

If I have more details, I might be able to help you!

Hey ,

How are things going? Did you made any progress on finding triggers in your gut?

Hey ,

I hope you are doing fine! How did things go with your friend? Were you able to help him?

Hey ,

I was wondering how you are doing. Did you make any progress with the tinnitus?

Hey ,

There is discussion about common components of sunblock. For example, oxybenzone, which is used in a lot of brands, has been linked to endocrine disruption (see this article here).

Personally, I don’t use sunblock that much as well. I do use non-toxic options occasionally – but not often.

Other ways to protect your skin from the damage of sunlight are astaxanthin supplements. They protect the skin against the forming of free radicals. Astaxanthin from Designs for Health is an excellent brand you can try.

Oily skin
Sometimes skin can become quite oily due to hormonal changes. Androgens like dihydrotestosterone (DHT) for example can increase oily skin. Sometimes other ‘symptoms’ can present themselves when androgens are elevated like: irregular or heavy cycles, acne and male pattern balding.

If you recognize these symptoms, we could give you some guidance as well.

Elevations in androgens can be caused by an imbalance in blood sugar regulation. In this case, improving insulin sensitivity can lower androgens. the nutrient Zinc has also been shown to reduce androgens in women (click here if you like to see the research).

I hope this helps!

Hey ,

To clarify some of your other questions: CRP and ESR can both elevate when inflammation is at play. CRP acts much quicker, while ESR is slower in rising and dropping. This could indicate that your ESR is falling and this is a good sign.

Interestingly enough (and what might be new) is the presents of gastric parietal cell antibodies which were tested in February. Did your doctor mention this? These antibodies mean there might be an autoimmune component to your gastritis.

Usually with auto-immune issues present, I advise avoiding gluten-containing products and milk products, avoiding processed foods, avoiding stress, and focusing on sleep and gut healing. Many things you are probably already doing. But with auto-immune problems at play, the healing time usually takes longer and problems can sometimes ‘flare’ up.

It might not change much about your approach right now, but it does explain why your gastritis sometimes gets worse even when you are doing the right stuff

Hey ,

Usually, my advice is to heal the gut in different phases: remove, replace, reinoculate, repair and after this rebalance. This is also called the ‘5R protocol’.

Every stage has its own importance and comes with its own supplement advice. You can find the supplement recommendations in the video!

I kept the advice general since the advice. I can be more specific in my recommendations but only based on additional tests. For example, you could try to heal the gut, but healing the gut won’t remove mold or other unwanted microbes that might be damaging the gut.

The supplements for healing the gut are in the video mentioned under repair. When you believe this is the only thing you need, you can think about zinc carnosine, aloe vera, and miscellaneous herbs like slippery elm and marshmallow root. Thorne GI relief, Pure encapsulations DGL Plus are great supplement blends you can try. These are supplements without L-glutamine.

L-glutamine is also a great amino acid that can help heal the gut. You could use it, but Designs for Health has a great blend with L-glutamine called GI Revive.

L-glutamine is not for everyone though. When you notice that you feel more anxious with glutamine, I would consider leaving the L-glutamine out.

,

Interesting. Sometimes these dosages can make people feel nauseous an hour after consumption. If this has happened to you, now you know why.  

,

There can definitely be a gut component to acne. It is hard to say what that component exactly is. Testing will provide deeper insights. As Bernadette mentioned, your gut can be colonised by mold when you have lived in a moldy environment. Mold can produce toxins, but mold can also alter the diversity and density of microbes in the microbiome. Mold can also impair the gut lining. As a consequence nutrient absorption might change.

If a coffee enema helps, this cleans the gut temporarily and the toxic burden might get lower. A coffee enema can also increase glutathione production, which is an important antioxidant that helps with detoxification. My best advice would be to make some time and dive into the Gut Health Masterclass which will help you to take steps in how to heal the gut. Mold & Mycotoxin Illness is a second course in B Better which can help you address mold issues. If you think mold is at play I recommend you start there.

To help you on your way I will provide you with a few tips. I also have made a selection of a few videos that I think are the bare minimum to watch:
• Make sure you aren’t vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D is necessary to keep the tight junctions (which you can consider as doors between cells in the lining of the gut) closed. This will make it harder for undigested foods or toxins to get in. Here is a handout that I love, that talks about vitamin D.
• Make sure you are having a bowel movement at least once per day. Anything less I personally consider as constipation and needs to be addressed before you start any detoxification protocol. Otherwise, you might reabsorb toxins which you are trying to detox. If you are experiencing constipation, this handout and this video will help you.
• Remove foods that feed unwanted microbes, like sugar, fast carbohydrate sources and processed foods. Avoid foods or things that you are allergic to or have food sensitivities to. Remove stress and improve sleep quality if you aren’t waking up refreshed. All these things influence your immune system. Binders can help bind to toxins when you believe they play a role. G.I. Detox from Biocidin Botanicals is a supplement that I often recommend to my clients because it has a combination of binders. It is important to take them on an empty stomach though. There needs to be at least one hour between your next meal when you have consumed them.
• Remove the microbes (mold, yeast, whatever might be at play) becomes part of the healing journey as well. The next videos will help you on how to do that, but for a more targeted strategy, testing first is important.• The Fight – Antimicrobial
• The Fight – Antifungal
• The Fight – Antiparasitic
• The Fight – Probiotics & Gut Immunity
• Make sure your immune system gets all the nutrients needed (Vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin B12 and zinc). Bernadette already provided you with some tips. This handout she shared as well, but I have put it here just to be complete.
• Reinocculate the gut microbiome with probiotic foods or supplements.
• Repair the gut lining can help if there has been some damage. This video provides some ideas on how to repair the gut lining. If you like to know if some damage is present, I would recommend you test first.
• Rebalance your lifestyle where necessary to make sure reoccurrence won’t happen. Sleep, stress, diet and exercise all play an important role in rebalancing your life.
• If you like to learn more about how to set up a good healing strategy: watch The 5R protocol video.

If you suspect mold is at play, I would recommend you to at least watch the full video section Detoxing from Mold in the Mold & Mycotoxin Illness course. The first video you can find here!

I hope this gives you a direction!

Hey ,

Just out of curiosity, what form of zinc were you using?