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!

@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!

@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.

@Bahareh fibroids (either uterine or breast) are usually due to estrogen dominance, which is a result of 1 or all 3 of these scenarios:

1. Exposure to xenoestrogens – outside sources of estrogen from environmental chemicals like phthalates, glyphosate, triclosan, parabens, etc which have estrogenic effect in the body. You can share this post of mine on social media. You can also share this handout on toxin avoidance.
2. Lower progesterone to estrogen ratio. Is there a PCOS dynamic that can lead to anovulation and therefore no progesterone production? Possible insulin resistance?
3. Lack of hormone clearance. Once we make and use hormones, we need to clear them from the body. Being on birth control depletes B vitamins which are needed for phase 1 detox. Is she constipated and not flushing toxins and spent hormones in stool? Is there gut microbial overgrowths perhaps causing a re-circulation of spent hormones? Is there liver-biliary tract congestion? She’d likely benefit from the Gut Health Masterclass if you’d like to recommend she joins.

For rapid relief, black cohosh is usually helpful for uterine fibroids. You may also want to share with her our Fibroids handout from our Symptom Dictionary HERE.

With regards to adenomyosis, it is similar to endometriosis except the location of growths happen inside the uterine lining. It is also worsened with estrogen dominance. It can cause debilitating pain for some women. When working with clients, I always consider it to be immune related. So how is gut health? Are vitamins D, A, and zinc optimal? Are there any heavy metals, mold, root canals, or other toxicities including traumas at play? Here’s a brilliant article by Dr. Lara Briden on the issue of endometriosis: https://www.larabriden.com/endometriosis-is-a-disease-of-immune-dysfunction/

Hope this is helpful.

@Annie there are several ways to mitigate any potential effects from radiation exposure from phones and electronic devices.

The best way is through lots of outdoor grounding/earthing! Walking barefoot on natural surfaces like grass, sand, or soil can balance the body’s electrical charge and mitigate the effects of EMF.

Another way to combat oxidative stress from EMFs is by increasing antioxidant intake. Consuming more berries, leafy greens, nuts, and seeds, can be beneficial. Supplements like vitamin C, vitamin E, and glutathione are also helpful antioxidants.

You can also look at EMF-shielding products for phones and iPads. I bought a few Defender Shield pads for laptop and iPad use to prevent my kids putting their devices directly onto their laps. I share the links here in “Succeed>Discounts”. The same company also makes covers for phones and other products you can look into.

Finally, I recall telling you about Epsom salt baths as a great way to get in more magnesium through the skin. Epsom salt baths are thought to help neutralize EMF exposure effects, and it’s something I do after international travel as a way to relax and help “detox” from radiation exposure high up in the sky.

Hope these tips helps you feel more at ease that there’s something that can be done!

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@Annie do you know what type of contrast they’ll be using? In the meantime, I tagged you in a previous discussion on MRI contrasts, as I think that might help your mom. You can also get to it by clicking here.

@Annie tagging you on this thread.

@LAK the need for vitamin K2 when supplementing with vitamin D is less clear in children than in adults, primarily because children often have different dietary patterns and nutrient needs.

In adults, vitamin K2 helps direct calcium to bones and teeth rather than soft tissues, which is important to prevent issues like arterial calcification. Children, however, generally have a higher rate of bone remodeling and calcium use, and they naturally absorb and direct calcium more efficiently during growth phases, often without the need for additional K2.

If a child is eating a balanced diet including dairy, leafy greens, and fermented foods, they may be getting in enough K2 without the need to supplement.

Hope that helps answer your question.

Hi @LAK it’s OK to take both collagen and protein powders at the same time but depending on the intended purpose of each one, you may want to take them at separate times. For example, protein powder can be effective post-workout for muscle recovery, while collagen is often recommended on an empty stomach or with a source of vitamin C to support collagen synthesis.

With that said, do keep in mind that all supplements are in fact processed products and should only be used as a substitute to whole foods when there is a known insufficiency or deficiency.

@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.

@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:

• Reasons for overall high cortisol
• Solutions to reduce overall high cortisol
• Reasons for high CAR + solutions

@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!

@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!

@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.

@sheetalramchandani1 thank you for clarifying. So was a food or environmental panel ever done at a doctor’s office to see what’s causing her IgE level to be high? Her immune system is obviously reacting to something in her environment. If she hasn’t already, suggest she sees an allergist to run some basic food/environment panels as a first step.

Also, the peeling skin may or may not be a response to the elevated IgE, so keep an open mind and consider other possible root causes for dry, flaking skin in those specific areas.

I’m sure you’ve already explored and asked her about the soap, body wash, topical creams, lotions, shampoos, etc she is using that could come into contact with the face?

Since you mentioned she’s had dandruff, this could be a big clue. Very often yeast overgrowth is at play with dandruff and it could potentially contribute to dry, flaking skin on the face as well. An OAT urine test could help reveal if there are any bacterial/fungal overgrowths. But before going that route since it’s costly, has she been to see a dermatologist yet? They could properly assess her skin and provide a diagnosis if it’s a form of dermatitis, psoriasis or if it’s fungal.

Other tests you may ask her to consider is to test thyroid function and possible nutrient deficiencies, specifically Omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A and RBC zinc as these are critical for skin health.

Hope this helps give you some additional direction to help her.