[Bernadette]

@Reshmika Chandrashekar yes please do! We hope to do another one in November when the weather gets nice again. Maybe something outdoors…

[Bernadette]

@Yasmin atassi I cannot provide specific dosage recommendations as I do not know your full health history. However I can provide general guidelines.

For non-pregnant women, the general recommendation to help raise suboptimal low levels is ~5000-7000 IU per day for 1-3 months. This would equate to ~2 tsp of the cod liver oil (liquid). And then retest in 2 months to see how levels are progressing and if there’s a need to stop or continue.

Hope that helps give you better direction.

[Bernadette]

Dr Hazan is such a force! “The future of medicine is poop!”

[Bernadette]

@Sara let me know what you think might be at play after going through the links. I trust your intuition.

[Bernadette]

@Yasmin atassi yes, breastfeeding can definitely deplete your stores of zinc. So definitely make an effort to replenish those levels and retest your zinc levels in ~3 months if you choose to do so with supplementation. Typically, I’ll have my clients take 30-45mg zinc only for 30 to 60 days depending on how severe their deficiency is, and then switch to a zinc/copper blend (ex. Jarrow Zinc Balance) for another 1-2 months or so as needed.

As for the Rosita cod liver oil, it’s actually available in Dubai at that link I shared above so hopefully you can get it before travelling. But the one by Seeking Health is also a good brand. As for the duration, again, re-test in ~2-3 months to help you determine sufficiency.

[Bernadette]

Hi @Naveed Aslam – our protocol “Rapid Relief for Allergies/Congestion” can help you with that.

When quercetin is not enough on its own, I usually recommend stinging nettle leaf and butterbur as well. Their mode of actions, studies, and suggested dosages are discussed in the protocol as well.

[Bernadette]

@Annie Sye OAT won’t show if his pathways are blocked. It will show if his body is being burdened by toxins and his glutathione status which is needed for detox. For that, I recommend a symptom assessment which you can find HERE from our Parasite Cleanse program. You can also watch THIS VIDEO from our Mold & Mycotoxin Illness course on how to support each pathway if he scores 2 or more in each section.

And no, generally you don’t need to send them all back at once, but you’ll probably have to pay for additional shipping because the lab usually only provides 1 prepaid return shipping envelope with an “order”. Best to check with the lab directly on that though.

[Bernadette]

@Annie Sye yes it will help give a better perspective for sure. Which brand of urine test did you get? Genova? Mosaic? Quicksilver?

[Bernadette]

@Yasmin atassi Aha! Ok, we’re getting some root cause answers! Zinc is clinically low, and vitamin A is suboptimal low (you can see it’s near the lower end of the reference range instead of being in the upper 2/3rds of the range)! And both of these nutrients are critical for skin health and immune health.

So the next question is why would zinc be low? Are you vegan or consume little animal proteins? Do you smoke (cadmium can replace zinc in the body)? Please watch THIS video on other risk factors for low zinc from our Mineral Balance course. Let me know what you suspect might be at play in your case. Correcting a zinc deficiency (watch THIS video) will likely be helpful in many ways, but ultimately, we have to figure out why you’re not getting in enough zinc into cells.

The same goes for vitamin A. Is it diet related? It is liver/gallbladder related? Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin so if you’re getting in enough in your diet, is it a fat absorption issue due to issues with bile production and/or flow? You can fill in this short assessment form to help determine if gallbladder issues might be at play, and if you should test liver function. Please let me know your score.

Liver is an excellent source of vitamin A. My favorite supplement source of vitamin A is cod liver oil by Rosita.

[Bernadette]

@Bianca Chalfoun for starters, make sure vit D, zinc (test RBC zinc) and vit A are optimal.

Then remove any potential immune insults. With a regular sore throat and blocked nose, I’d consider a dairy & gluten elimination challenge. Would he be willing to do that for a month each to see how it makes him feel after reintroducing them?

Then help improve his microbiome. Encourage him to eat a variety of fermented foods and/or a broad spectrum probiotic. Immunoglobulins (like MegaIgG2000). S boulardi. Larch/ arabinogalactans. Omega 3. All of these can help support the gut microbiome and gut immunity. I discuss it more here inside the Gut Health Masterclass.

If he’s prone to viral surges, then yes, cat’s claw can be taken preventatively or when dealing with an active illness. I share more viral options HERE in Protocols.

[Bernadette]

@Jennifer Schwartz

Oh no worries about that. All of them are either powder or liquid which can easily be sprinkled and mixed into food. The only one that is a capsule is the systemic enzyme. And you can always open up the capsule and dump contents into a bit of bone broth to get her to take it away from food.

All can be taken with food except the systemic enzyme. And rotate between Fido’s Flora and Healthy Gut.

For more detailed info on how to administer those supplements, the links I shared above have details about each one.

I’m going to assume it’s the same reason as humans, which is due to meat being acidic in the body, and the need to keep the body more alkaline with an active cancer diagnosis. Fish is less alkaline than chicken/turkey then lamb and then meat. Take a look at this attached acid/alkaline food chart (I’ll be sure to add it in the library for next month). I’m pretty sure that’s the reason why.

I thought that’s what you’ve always fed her, so was wondering why no meat, organs, etc., but the docs recommendation makes sense actually. That’s why most cancer patients become largely vegetarian during their treatment, to help reduce inflammation in the body as quickly as possible.

I hope you can find an integrative doctor to be treating and monitoring her as well!

Please keep us posted… hope she makes a comeback!

[Bernadette]

@Annie Sye yes, do not stop meds. Without DMSA (or other chelator), we’re relying on what levels are currently in circulation and his body’s ability to excrete heavy metals in urine so with anyone who is “skeptical” and has blocked elimination pathways, low levels may give them a false sense of security.

DMSA is a chelator that will pull metals out of tissues so results are often much higher than without provocation. The downside is that DMSA preferentially binds to lead, so if there’s both high mercury and lead in the body, it may not reflect the level of mercury because of the type of chelator.

There’s also a risk of using a chelator because you’re pulling toxins into circulation. So kidney function is important. That’s why they usually try a low dose first to see how a person feels, before increasing the dose before testing.

[Bernadette]

@Annie Sye I just remembered… since your husband and mother-in-law are both physicians, discuss with them the possibility of doing a provocation test for the urinary heavy metal test.

Typically physicians will do a trial of 50mg initially to test if it’s well tolerated, and then provoke with a 500mg dose of DMSA the night before the first-morning urine catch.

Something worth discussing…

[Bernadette]

Can’t wait to connect in person!

[Bernadette]

@Bianca Chalfoun what will help you make a more informed decision is to know the side effects and risks of acquiring chicken pox naturally as a teenager or adult vs. the risks of getting the chicken pox vaccine.

Here are the manufacturer-listed adverse reactions of the chicken pox vaccine: https://www.justtheinserts.com/chickenpox/ (GBS is one of them unfortunately)

Here is a study that shows the complications of acquiring chicken pox naturally as an adult (note that these risks increase if in the immunocompromised group p.2 – also look at the flow chart on p.3 for treatment options): https://sci-hub.se/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2008.03.004

For starters, supporting immunity is clearly good overall prevention, and his vitamin D is clinically low. Here’s our handout on vitamin D guidelines.

Also, was he sick when this test was done? His higher WBC, neutrophils and lower lymphocytes point to an active infection, possibly bacterial. Watch THIS video in the Interpreting Basic Blood Chemistry course for an explanation (jump to 3min14 sec).