D-limonene is often enough alone, but sometimes PC and taurine can be added in addition to d-limonene, and in cases where citrus extract is not tolerated.

Please remind me of your iron/ferritin levels again please. Knowing that there are likely parasitic infections, I usually ask my clients to hold off on supplemental iron until after a parasite cleanse or unless they are severely anemic and symptomatic.

unfortunately, the technical glitch has still not been resolved, but I do have all the videos saved to my computer so I will share the Dropbox links in the meantime as a workaround:

Here were the 3 videos I had previously recommended you watch to help with diet:
• How to protect your thyroid (this highlights the things to avoid)
• Foods for a healthy thyroid
• Supplements for a healthy thyroid

Do let me know if there are any other videos you wanted to watch but couldn’t open, and I’ll send you my Dropbox links as a workaround until they solve this mystery glitch.

Please let me know if you can access those videos.

I’m incredibly sorry for this technical glitch that I’m now losing sleep over!! The development team has been working to solve the mystery for a week now, to no avail.

Luckily I have all of the videos saved on my computer so I will share the dropbox links in the meantime as a workaround:
• Thyroid testing video
• Foods for a healthy thyroid video
• Protect your thyroid (things to avoid) video
• Reasons for Low T3 video

My apologies again but hopefully you can access these videos now. Please let me know.

 have you tried the DAO enzyme yet to see if it helps reduce histamine related symptoms? Doing a parasite cleanse followed by an anti-fungal cleanse, will likely reduce your overall histamine burden, but not until your biliary tract is decongested and your detox pathway is open.

Gut healing agents for mucosal and intestinal lining support other than slippery elm include: marshmallow root, aloe vera, DGL licorice, glutamine, glucosamine, zinc carnosine, chamomile, okra, MSM

email us at support@bernadetteabraham.com with the tests you are interested in pursuing and we can help connect you to the lab in Dubai. We’ll need your full name, date of birth, shipping/billing address if different, email address and phone number. You pay them directly and they ship the kits to you within 2-3 business days.

the link is correct. Below the 35 “lessons”, you’ll see the pdf document attached on the right under “Files”. Here’s the direct link to it as well.

Ok, great – so with preconception preparation in mind and lower energy, here’s a revised list:

-Full thyroid panel (markers in the handout)
-Blood sugar panel (fasting glucose, fasting insulin, HbA1C)
-Full iron panel (markers in the handout)
-Vitamin D
-Vitamin A  (critical for fetal development)
-Zinc (protects sperm from oxidative damage and increases chances of conception and reduces risk of miscarriage. Also important for stomach acid production and all downstream consequences)
-copper (to see the ratio of zinc & copper)

The above tests are all blood tests. If you’re interested in pursuing functional tests (not typically done with a conventional doctor but ordered directly through a functional lab which we can connect you to), below are some additional suggestions:

-testing adrenal function. If stress is a factor (mental/emotional, physical, physiological), I would also run a test to check adrenal function, as it will directly impact thyroid function. One of the most common causes of infertility and miscarriage is hypothyroidism/Hashimoto’s – and adrenal health goes hand-in-hand. You can watch this video here to better understand how cortisol impacts thyroid function.

I have added a few different testing options for adrenal function in the latest adrenal balance course, which you can watch:
->At-Home
->In Blood
->In saliva/urine (my favorite is the Dutch adrenal or Dutch plus test which checks all sex hormones)

-And since fatty acids are critical for sex hormone production, ensuring enough healthy fats are in the diet is key. You can test your levels of fatty acids as well (but this is another functional test – here’s the video on testing fatty acid status).

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 as I shared in the Liver & Gallbladder support video and slides, for biliary tract congestion, I would focus on d-limonene, taurine, milk thistle, curcumin, and choline (PC).

Digestive bitters help increase bile flow and emptying of the gallbladder, so that would not be my choice for you at this stage as it may cause nausea due to the sludge/congestion. I would focus on decongesting the biliary tract first for 30-60 days, then re-test direct bilirubin. If still >0.2, continue for another 30 days. Then I would consider bitters.

Hi – first of all welcome to B Better! We’re glad you’re here with us and I look forward to supporting you and your husband on your health journeys the best I can.

My apologies for the technical glitch that is still affecting those of us in the UAE (including me!). Have you tried logging into the library dashboard through your phone? That’s working for me and others; but I still can’t access the site from my computer. The development team in California are back to work today and I hope they can figure it out by the end of their day today.

Regarding your question about general testing, are you or your husband experiencing any symptoms so I can be more specific with my suggestions?

If not, you can take a look at this handout in the Resources which shares different lab tests to consider for different symptoms. At the end of the document, I share the full panel markers.

If you’re just interested in a general wellness check-up, then I can recommend the following panels (which are included in the handout):

-CBC with differentials
-Complete metabolic panel
-Thyroid panel
-Iron panel
-Inflammatory marker (CRP or homocysteine)

In the same handout, I also share different functional tests and their use. Please take a look and let me know if you have any questions about any of them.

In terms of blood testing, you can try to go through a functionally-trained doctor and to get it reimbursed by insurance if you have good coverage. But you’ll have to pay out of pocket initially, and then submit it to insurance. I can recommend Dr. Makk at Zia Medical Center – you can mention my name.

If you prefer to avoid doctor visits, you can always pay out of pocket for at-home blood testing service. B Better has partnered with Valeo Health to give you a 15% discount on their already competitive prices compared to other labs. You can click here in the Resources section for all the details on how to book them and avail the discount.

Hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions.

Hi – I know you mentioned that you’re making your way through the Gut Health Masterclass, so if you haven’t yet made it to the section on “Understanding Your Stool”, here’s the video on the possible root causes for constipation.

Let’s go through some of the basics together so we can start ruling out some of the basic possibilities before getting into more esoteric reasons:

1. Dehydration. Do you drink enough water? How much do you drink?
2. Insufficient magnesium from green leafy veggies, nuts, etc. Do you supplement with magnesium by any chance? If so, what form? Magnesium citrate supplementation is a good rapid relief remedy to ensure a daily bowel movement, while working on the root cause. I have my constipated clients who have no kidney disease start with 400mg with dinner or before bed, and then increase daily by 100mg if needed to bowel tolerance (or up to 1200mg). If stool becomes too loose the next day, they took too much, and they should decrease their dosage accordingly. I like this magnesium citrate by Pure Encapsulations.
3. Insufficient intake of dietary fats. Do you consume avocados, olives, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, nuts & seeds, nut butters, grass-fed butter, etc.?
4. Hypothyroidism. Have you ever measured your thyroid levels? Here’s a video with the suggested markers. If thyroid function is the root cause, then we can guide you to help you figure out what’s affecting thyroid function as this opens up a whole new set of possibilities like insulin resistance, stress, nutrient deficiencies (iodine,  protein, zinc, vitamin A, iron, selenium). But step 1, test thyroid function if you haven’t already.
5. SIBO or SIFO (Microbial overgrowth) / not enough serotonin. You mentioned candida, so I’m assuming you’ve done a stool test before which confirmed you have high candida? Having high levels of microbial overgrowths can affect the production of serotonin, which not only helps regulate mood and sleep, but also motility. Low serotonin can therefore lead to constipation and yes, hemorrhoids from straining. The supplement 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) with P5P (vitamin B6) taken during the day and before bed would help in this regard, if slow motility is due to low serotonin production. Pure Encapsulations has a supplement called MotilPro which can also be used as a rapid relief remedy while addressing the root cause.

To answer your question about getting rid of candida – I can recommend watching this video on antifungals, but again, the bigger question to be asking is “what allowed the overgrowth to happen in the first place?”. As to not overwhelm you, I will leave this one for now and focus on getting to the root cause of constipation/hemorrhoids because this will help in the process of eliminating candida as well.

And finally, I did not mention it in the video, but since you mention hemorrhoids being an issue, I wanted to bring up a 6th possibility.

6. Low cortisol (hypoadrenal function). Low adrenal output of cortisol (usually due to sustained stress – either mental/emotional and/or physiological stress) may impair circulation, especially in veins that must work against gravity to return blood upward. This is the same dynamic that contributes to orthostatic hypotension when one stands up quickly, and low cortisol impairs optimal vein function in returning blood to the brain against gravity. Do you get dizzy when you stand up quickly? Do you suspect stress might be a factor in your case? Low cortisol affects thyroid function, and when thyroid function is affected, everything in the body slows down, including digestion and motility. Does this resonate with you?

I know I’ve thrown a lot of possibilities at you, but if you reply back with what you feel are possible root causes in your case, we can start narrowing it down and getting more specific so you can start to take action.

Let me know if you have any questions in the meantime.

Hi  – unfortunately, the 2 most common problems I’ve seen with conventional thyroid treatment is 1) sometimes T4 only medication is not enough, especially if patients are still experiencing symptoms despite a “normal” TSH and free T4, and 2) most doctors solely rely on TSH and free T4 as markers of thyroid function, which is a far cry from the whole picture.

In the thyroid balance course, I share tests in this video here that would constitute a full thyroid panel which include TSH, Total T4, Total T3, free T4, free T3, reverse T3, and the antibodies anti-TG and anti-TPO.

If her T4-only medication is not helping her feel better, there’s a chance it’s not enough or she’s not converting it well to T3, which is the “active” hormone that has effect in the body. The conversion requires nutrients (which I discuss here), and it also requires good liver and kidney function where the conversion happens. There could also be reasons that can block thyroid conversion. I recommend you watch the video on lifestyle factors of things to avoid here and other reasons why she might have low T3.

Hope this helps give you a starting point to share with your friend. And of course, we’d also be happy to help support her as well if you’d like to invite her to join us too.

it’s in the gut health masterclass under troubleshooting gut health here.

 yes correct – mcg. I corrected it.

As I mentioned above, there is a recommended daily allowance for vitamin K. If you’re not getting it in through food, then supplementing with K2 is important especially with vitamin D supplementation to prevent calcification of tissues and ensure calcium gets into bones. Vitamin K and D have a synergistic relationship so they’re best taken together, and either in a liposomal form (encapsulated in a fat) or with dietary fat since they’re both fat soluble and better absorbed with fat.

Children and teens who do not consume enough leafy greens, grass-fed dairy, or fermented foods can also supplement with that combo.

 for clients who are worried about taking a high dose, they usually start off with a lower dose HCL per capsule/tablet as I mentioned above like the HCL Plus by Biotics Research for example.