Bernadette_Abraham
Forum Replies Created
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Hi @sheetalramchandani1 – thank you for sharing this case. This is one of those examples where medication may be contributing to the problem over time. Since the largest majority of our immunity resides in our gut (about 70-80%), frequent rounds of antibiotics is going to further suppress his immune system by decimating his microbiome which modulates the immune system, leading to more frequent illnesses over time. And not to mention the susceptibility to yeast overgrowth and other opportunistic infections.
From the symptoms you described, my initial thought was that this could be caused a parasitic infection. When I checked the CBC result that you shared, his eosinophils are in fact suboptimally high (should be <3%) and his hemoglobin, hematocrit, MCV and MCH are all clinically low, which points to some form of anemia. Parasites LOVE iron so my suspicion is that this child may need a parasite cleanse. You can learn more about interpreting white blood cell differentials HERE.
They could try to test for parasites at the doctor’s office with a stool test, but it’s not very reliable. Parasites are masters at hiding – they shed their DNA very quickly once they’re out of their host. They could get a GI Map or GI Effects stool test, but again, they aren’t very reliable for parasite detection specifically.
If this was my son, I would put him on a parasite cleanse preventatively because he’s showing symptoms. If they need help with that, please encourage them to join B Better and follow the Parasite Cleanse program if they need more guidance.
What I would want to test however are his immune nutrients vitamin D, vitamin A and RBC zinc, and optimize these if they are low. I would also pursue an iron panel.
Encourage his parents to feed him probiotic-rich foods daily for several months to help repopulate his gut microbiome.
Hope this helps provide some direction and next steps to consider.
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Hi @Annie – was your husband able to provide a diagnosis of what it is? Providing us with as much info as possible about your daughter’s health status, and this specific case would help us guide you better.
Thanks
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Hi @iryna_klevetenko – sorry to hear that. Was the tick sent in for testing? Is she working with a Lyme literate doctor? Does she live in a Lyme endemic area?
In Succeed>Protocols, you can find a lot more information and guidance in our “Tick Bite: What to Do” protocol including symptoms, where to send in tick for testing and how to find a Lyme literate doctor. Please read through it and let us know if you have any other questions.
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Hi @yasminatassi – well done for supporting her overall immunity during this period. If you’re worried, don’t be afraid to take her to see a doctor to make sure her lungs are clear.
In the meantime, there are other natural remedies that may help clear mucous. This Flaxseed Cough Remedy (in Succeed>Protocols) works great for both wet and dry coughs because flaxseeds have both demulcent and expectorant properties.
If that isn’t strong enough to break up/expel mucous, you can also read through the Lung Health protocol to better understand which herbs can help with specific situations. For example, elecampane, coltsfoot, and yerba santa leaf all help clear mucous, and can be found in lung formula solutions such as this one.
Hope she feels better soon!
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@Kkol you’re correct. Heavy metals are pervasive and in everything we consume today. This is one of the big reasons why autoimmunity and other chronic diseases are on the rise in my professional opinion, and the reason why I created the Heavy Metal Detox program in “Succeed>Programs” (and soon releasing the 10-Day Cleanse at the end of this month).
The good thing is that our body’s are super robust and have more than just 1 elimination pathway for detoxification. We have the lungs, kidneys, liver, lymph, gallbladder, microbiome/intestines, and skin! So we’re designed to detox. Watch this video on opening drainage pathways from the Mold & Mycotoxin Illness course (another BIG environmental threat today!) for ways to support these emunctories.
With regards to the “fearmongering”, I don’t see it that way. I see it as raising awareness and empowering us to make better choices (if a better choice exists!). Safe consumer product advocates such as Tamara Rubin (aka LeadSafeMama) for example, is stating scientific facts and asking companies to do better, while also trying to change legislation. She was our guest in the summer if you’d like to watch her session HERE.
Unfortunately, since not many companies offer products with low detection levels of heavy metals, it seems as though there’s nothing safe to eat! But again, our bodies are robust and if we focus on supporting our natural detoxification processes, then we can help reduce the overall body burden without having to stress and fear (which is an even bigger toxin!).
I always say “we can only do better when we know better”. If we know chocolate is naturally high in cadmium, maybe it’s best to avoid daily chocolate protein shakes for example. That’s empowerment.
When it comes to heavy metals, we can only improve as the industry improves. This may or may not happen in our lifetime, but I envision a day when, similar to the organic label, consumers will have a label indicating whether a food product or supplement has low detectable levels of heavy metals.
Until that time, stick to the basics: consume a whole foods organic diet (as much as possible) and limit food products (including supplements unless medically necessary or take regular breaks).
You can also consider twice yearly cleanses (10-Day Cleanse) followed by the Heavy Metal Detox programs if you wish to take it to the next level.
Hope that helps!
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@LAK you did not mention your age, but I’m going to assume that you are NOT perimenopausal, correct? Because during the perimenopausal years, it’s normal for progesterone to decline and treatments such as bio-identical HRT may be suitable for this age group/population.
If you are not perimenopausal, then yes, stress alone will lead to lower levels of progesterone and hormone imbalance.
When the adrenals are taxed from stress (all forms), the body prioritizes survival over fertility & reproduction. Therefore, when stress is high, precursor hormones (such as pregnenolone) prioritize cortisol production over progesterone, reducing the availability of progesterone, which is essential for reproductive health and fertility. This is often referred to as the “pregnenolone or cortisol steal”.
If there is less progesterone production, this can lead to estrogen dominance since the ratio of estrogen (even if it’s normal) will be relatively higher than progesterone. That’s where you can get into issues with being late and spotting. Estrogen dominance also leads to other symptoms like weight gain, headaches, anxiety, moodiness, sore breasts, heavier periods, etc. Not fun!
So I have to agree with the practitioner who said to hold off on HRT replacement. Remove the stressors first, focus on regaining optimal HPA axis function, and hormones should balance out again naturally. If you’re really struggling however, those suggestions of inositol and chaste tree berry can help offer rapid relief by supporting ovulation and progesterone production in the meantime.
For a deeper understanding of how cortisol affects other hormones, I’d also encourage you to watch this video from the Adrenal Balance course.
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Hi @LAK – I would strongly recommend that you consider removing gluten 100% for at least 6 months. To the immune system, gluten resembles thyroid tissue (called molecular mimicry) so with each exposure (even if it’s just a small bite), your immune system attacks the thyroid thinking it’s a foreign entity. This is a non-negotiable if you want to address autoimmunity. Gluten also increases the permeability of the tight junctions in the intestines – in plain English, gluten makes the gut more “leaky”, which can set a person up for food sensitivities by allowing normal, everyday foods to enter the bloodstream. This can also trigger an immune response and more inflammation.
The easiest way to think about removing gluten is to eliminate anything made from flour! So no bread, pasta, flour-based desserts, etc. These are all “simple carbs” which should be low in our diets anyways. Instead, replace these simple carbs with naturally starchy foods like potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, squash, zucchini, and perhaps some grains like rice, quinoa, millet, buckwheat (although grains for many people with autoimmunity can be a triggering food group so an elimination trial is suggested). These are all naturally gluten-free starches to replace flour-based products which naturally removes gluten. Check this handout as well for more “sneaky” sources of gluten.
In addition to gluten removal, work on gut healing during that time period as well. You can find solutions for that in THIS VIDEO form the Gut Health Masterclass course.
Now regarding the high levels of bacteroides and the antibiotic/antiparasitic metronidazole, this is actually an endemic bacteria so while antibiotic treatment is certainly an option, there are other ways to rebalance the microbiome without using such a strong medication – especially if you didn’t do well with it. The recommendation to address overgrowths is to bring better balance to the microbiome by focusing on the 5R protocol. Also remove dietary sugar and refined carbs to avoid feeding the overgrowth. And if it’s really an entrenched case, natural antimicrobial herbs can also be very effective with much less side effects. You can see those options HERE.
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@LAK are your thyroid and liver results being interpreted from a conventional or functional lens? As you may or may not already know, clinical reference ranges are very wide and represent 95% of the population whom do not have a formal disease diagnosis. There can be a lot of symptomatic people within that “normal” range.
If you have your results, please feel free to share them here if you’d like me to take a look.
Thyroxine provides the body with T4 thyroid hormone, however if someone does not convert that into sufficient free T3 hormone, they will still present with hypothyroid symptoms despite “normal” T4 levels.
And since you have a formal autoimmune diagnosis, the primary issue is immune dysregulation so that’s where your focus should be in terms of root causes. The thyroid may or may not be affected as a result.
Aside from your thyroid medication, are you doing anything to address thyroid autoimmunity? What is your current diet like? Have you checked your vitamin D, zinc and vitamin A levels?
I encourage you to watch the section on Thyroid Autoimmunity in the Thyroid Balance Course starting HERE. There are 4 videos.
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@iryna_klevetenko did you get a chance to read through the protocol I shared? She can still work with a Lyme literate doctor – many work virtually. And if the tick was saved, she can still send it in for testing. In the protocol, it also mentions that if someone lives in a Lyme endemic area, it’s probably a good idea to be on antibiotics for longer than just a short course, especially if symptomatic.
With regards to supplements post-antibiotics, we have another protocol called “Antibiotic Support (Before, During, and After)” that might help.
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@LAK thank you for sharing the adrenal results from your DUTCH test. Although these are irrelevant now since they were done last year, it does provide some valuable information. Your metabolized cortisol was low. You can see the dial for the metabolized cortisol is all the way to the far left (low side), and so is DHEAs. Metabolized cortisol represents the total amount of cortisol we produce and excrete in urine. However your free cortisol is high (dial is all the way to the right side). This type of pattern can indicate sluggish cortisol clearance and can be due to a few factors.
To better understand this dynamic and possible root cause reasons, please watch:
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@Kkol so could be a chronic low-grade simmering type of viral load perhaps. If you retest when he’s not sick, take a look to see if it follows a similar pattern.
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@LAK yes working on stress reduction (mental/emotional, physical & also physiological) should be a priority. Give your body time to adjust. Chaste tree berry may be enough for now in the early phase of perimenopause as well before considering bHRT.
Was it the DUTCH test that you’ve done? Do you know if it’s high free and metabolized cortisol? I suggest you watch the following videos from the Adrenal Balance course to help you look at possible root cause factors beyond mental/emotional stress as well as solutions:
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@Annie so with iodine based dyes, it’s really only a concern for those with kidney issues. So to help flush out the dye afterwards, the strategy is to support the body’s natural detox pathways:
1. Number 1 best thing to do is to drink plenty of filtered/spring water to help flush out the iodine through the kidneys for several days after the scan.
2. Boost antioxidants to reduce any oxidative stress caused by the contrast dye. Include foods rich in vitamin C (like citrus fruits and leafy greens), vitamin E (like nuts and seeds), and other antioxidants or consider a supplement such as astaxanthin or resveratrol.
3. Dandelion root tea and milk thistle can help support the liver/gallbladder and kidneys. Green tea and parsley (think tabouli!) are also supportive of the kidneys.
4. Ensure she’s pooping well and eating lots of fibrous veggies to help with elimination; fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.
5. Daily mild exercise like walking will help move her lymph and detox. Teach her the Big 6!
6. Support gut health with probiotic-rich foods like kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, etc which plays a role in detoxifying various compounds. If she doesn’t want to make it, I really like Fermenting Fairy’s products.
Hope these help!
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@LAK this handout that we recently added on Proteins, Protein Powders, Collagen & Gelatin might be of interest. We share a few brand suggestions of each. It also shares a really cool protein calculator to see how much you should be getting in depending on your circumstances. Hope it helps!
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@Bahareh feel free to share her results here as well (of course, please remove her name & other identifying info to respect her privacy) if you need help puzzle piecing.
Yes, hormones are often affected by more upstream root causes and when those are addressed, the oral birth control will more than likely not be needed.
