Explore Holistic Health Through Faith: The Christian Natural Health Podcast
Join Dr. Lauren Deville as she delves into the intersection of natural health and Christian faith. Each episode offers insights and practical advice to enhance your well-being through a holistic approach.
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Moses' Story and the Red Sea: Ex 2-14
Gen 15:13: God said the Israelites would be servants and afflicted for 400 years; Ex 12:40-41: it was 430 yrs. They were 30 yrs late. Perhaps bc Moses killed the Egyptian and fled?
Ex 2:10: Moses became Pharaoh's grandson
Ex 2:11-15: he kills an Egyptian and flees (he's 40 years old here: Acts 7:22-29)
Ex 2:24-25: "God remembered… God saw… God knew"
Ex 3:2-4: the burning bush (bushes often lit up in the desert) — this is 40 years later (Acts 7:30)
Ex 4:10-13: Moses asks God to send someone else
Ex 4:14: Aaron, Moses' brother, becomes his mouthpiece
Ex 4:24-26: the angel almost kills Moses for it, but blood saves him
Ex 4:31: initially the people believe and worship
Ex 5:7-23: Pharaoh won't let them go, and makes them work harder; the people blame Moses, and Moses blames God
Ex 6:12 and v30: Moses is still protesting to God that Pharaoh won't listen to him
Ex 7:3-5: God tells Moses that he will harden Pharaoh's heart
Ex 7:7: he is 80 now
Ex 7:13, 8:15, 9:12, 9:35, 10:20, 10:27, 11:9-10, 14:4: Pharaoh's heart is hardened, as God said
Ex 8-10: the first nine plagues:
- the Nile turns to blood
- frogs
- gnats
- flies
- death of their livestock
- boils
- hail
- locusts
- darkness
Ex 8:18-19: the magicians could not make gnats too, though they did turn their staffs to serpents and the Nile to blood and made frogs come up out of the waters. They told Pharaoh the gnats were the "finger of God."
Ex10:1-2: God says again why he is doing this.
Ex 10:7: Pharaoh's servants plead with him to let the people go - "do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?"
Ex 11: pause from the plagues while Moses prepares the people to flee after the tenth.
11:2-3: they plunder the people
12:1-13: explanation of the Passover feast and the blood on the doorframe: a type of Christ. Resets their calendar to this as the first month.
12:15-20: Passover is followed by the Feast of Unleavened Bread: leaven (yeast) is a type of sin (Gal 5:9)
12:29: the tenth plague: death of the firstborn
13:17-18: God doesn't lead the Israelites to the Promised Land through the land of the Philistines bc he knows they might change their minds if they meet war that soon. That's why they go to the Red Sea.
Ex 13:19: Moses takes Joseph's bones with him, as he instructed (Gen 50:25) and was later commended for this as an act of faith (Heb 11:22).
Ex 13:21: Pillar of cloud by day and fire by night
Ex 14: the people grumble, Moses cries out to the Lord, and God is annoyed; the Red Sea parts. Egyptians pursue; God throws them into a panic, and they retreat. Then the waters cover them (v28). The path is about 9 miles.
Probiotics, Prebiotics, and SIBO
Today's podcast comes from this article, Probiotics, Prebiotics, and SIBO
The Story of Joseph (Genesis 37-47)
Today's meditation comes from Genesis 37-47 on the life of Joseph.
Gen 37:2: he was seventeen
37:3: Israel loved him more than his brothers and gave him the coat of many colors
v4: but the brothers hated him
v5-9: He makes it worse by sharing his dreams (double dream: it's decided)
v18-22: the brothers conspire to kill him, but Reuben to spare his life
v27: They sell him into slavery
v32: they lead Israel to believe he's dead
Ch 39:2-3: even in slavery, Joseph is blessed.
v12: his master's wife tries to sleep with him. He flees, and she accuses him of attempted rape (v14-15)
v20: Joseph gets thrown into prison (no idea how long this took — months at least I'd assume)
v21-23: Joseph gets blessed in prison and is in charge there.
Ch40: years later at least, the cupbearer and the baker get thrown into prison and have dreams Joseph interprets for them.
v12-14: Joseph tells the cupbearer he will be restored, and to remember that he's innocent and in prison
v23 but the cupbearer forgets.
Ch 41: two whole years later, Pharaoh has two dreams.
v9-13: the cupbearer finally remembers Joseph to Pharaoh
v14: Pharaoh calls for Joseph. They bring him out, shave him, and change his clothes.
v25-31: Joseph interprets his dream
v32: the doubling of the dream makes it sure. (He had to remember this about his own dream?)
v34-36: he proposes what to do about it
v40-44: Joseph promoted
v46: he was thirty (so 13 yrs passed)
Ch 42:6-9: Joseph's brothers bow before him (he must be 37 at least by this time). But he messes with them
v1-5: because he wants to see Benjamin, his full brother
v21-24: the brothers discuss their guilt regarding Joseph, and that is why this is happening - and Joseph gets to hear it.
v27-28: he gives their money back
Ch43: They go back when they run out of food
v16: Joseph sees Benjamin with them, and prepares food
v29-30: He meets Benjamin and goes off privately to weep
v34-35: he seats them according to birth order and gives Benjamin 5x as much. trying to give them a clue? Does he want them to guess?
Ch 44:2: puts his cup in Benjamin's sack
v4-5: then accuses them of theft (still messing with them?)
Ch 45:1-4: FINALLY Joseph reveals himself
v5: he apparently forgives them; so he was messing with them for some other reason besides spite
Ch46:8-19: ALL the Israelites who originally go into Egypt
Ch 47:5-6: This Pharaoh favors Joseph
v20: Jacob blesses Pharaoh
Top Habits to Maximize Longevity
Today's podcast comes from this blog post, Top Habits to Maximize Longevity.
Perfect Love Casts Out Fear: 1 John 4:18
Today's meditation is on 1 John 4:18. We also jump around to some other verses:
This is different than fear of the Lord:
"from everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear him" Ps 103:17
Fear of man/evil/circumstances is the one to avoid:
"The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? The Lord is on my side as my helper; I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes." Ps 118:6-9
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over." Ps 23:4-5
"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."John 14:27
"Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded." Isaiah 54:4
"I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass." Isaiah 51:12
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof." Ps 46:1-3
"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'" Romans 8:15
Faith and fear are opposites:
"And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?" Mark 4:40
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." 2 Tim 1:7
Why have faith?
"You will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you." Lev 26:5-8
"Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you, declares the Lord." Jer 1:8
"When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. ...For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory." Deut 20:1-4
Isaiah 41:10-14:
"So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
all who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish.
Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all.
For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand
And says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob, O little Israel.
for I myself will help you," declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel."
Spotlight on: NAC (N-Acetyl Cysteine)
Today's podcast comes from this blog post, Spotlight on: N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC)
Is Anything Too Hard for God? Jeremiah 32:27
Today's meditation is on Jeremiah 32:27.
We discuss context, and blood covenants a bit. Then we jump to Isaiah 26:3-4 and 1 Peter 5:7.
Your Mind Affects Your Fitness Level
Today's podcast comes from this blog post: Your Mind Affects Your Fitness Level.
Sowing and Reaping: Galatians 6:7-8
Today's podcast meditation comes from Galatians 6:7-8, but we jump around quite a bit. Here are the verses discussed:
Galatians 6:7-8 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (8) For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
Prov 22:9: The generous will themselves be blessed, for they share their food with the poor.
Matt 5:7: Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Prov 11:27: He who earnestly seeks good finds favor, But trouble will come to him who seeks evil.
Prov 26:2: Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow,
So a curse without cause shall not alight.
Matthew 7:16: You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?
No matter what a man sows, unless something intervenes to interrupt the cycle, more will be produced than was sown.
This does NOT mean that when something bad happens to you, it's necessarily because you earned it or did something evil. (Job's comforters: Job 11-15)
Paul in Acts 27: 14 days at sea in a storm, famished, shipwrecked on an island of barbarians, only to be bitten by a viper… but that wasn't where his story ended (nor was it where Job's story ended). Paul shook off the snake, healed the sick of the land, and they "honored him greatly".
Bad things happen because we live in a fallen world, and because we have an enemy. (And sometimes good things temporarily happen to those who are evil.) But in the long run, this principle will out.
Psalm 27:13: I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
David wrote that, and he went from a shepherd of the fields to the palace (though it took him 17 years on the run to get there).
Thanks to Ben Sound at www.bensound.com for background music.
Parasites
Today's podcast comes from this article, Parasites: Do You Have Them?
Prophecies of Jesus: Isaiah 7:14
Today's meditation comes from Isaiah 7:14 but we bounce around scripture quite a bit. Here are a few of the verses we address:
Isaiah 7:14 is repeated Matt 1:23
Jesus would be preceded by a forerunner (John the Baptist): Malachi 3:1
He will come from Bethlehem: Micah 5:2 (repeated Matt 2:1)
He will be from Abraham (Genesis 12:3)
He will be of the line of David: Isaiah 9:6-7 (hence the geneologies)
He will bring a new covenant: Jeremiah 31:31
Thanks to Ben Sound at www.bensound.com for the background meditation music!
The Low Lectin Diet
This week's podcast comes from this blog post, The Low Lectin Diet: Should You Try It?
Balance Between Faith and Action?
Today's podcast is in response to a listener question:
At what point should one focus on prayers of healing in faith vs. nutritional interventions?
To address this, we'll dig in to the following scriptures:
1) Trust God to give wisdom — sometimes it's time to act and sometimes it's time to be still and trust:
- James 1:5-8: If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
- Prov 2:5-7: Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
- Prov 16:9: "The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."
- Jeremiah 6:16: This is what the Lord says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."
2) There is a time to act:
- Phil 2:13: it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.
- 2 Chron 15:7: But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.
- Prov 13:4: The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
- Prov 14:23: All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. (Hebrew definition of poverty: a need, thing needed, poverty)
3) There is a time to be still and let God act on your behalf:
- Hebrews 10:35 Therefore, do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward; for you have need of endurance, so that you may do the will of God and receive what is promised.
- Hebrews 10:23: Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.
- James 5:7-8: See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
- Hebrews 6:12: do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
4) It is wise to ALSO listen to the wisdom of the world (not instead of, but in addition to):
- Prov 11:14: "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety."
- Prov 12:15: "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice."
- Prov 13:20: "Whoever walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." (So hang out with people who have healthy habits! https://www.health.com/weight-loss/friends-weight-loss)
5) Ultimately: Prov 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
Probiotic Strains and What They Do
Today's podcast comes from this article, Probiotic Strains and What They Do. As always, all of the studies are linked.
You Are Heirs According to Promise: Galatians 3:9, 16, 29
Today's meditation jumps around in Galatians 3, and to Genesis and Deuteronomy.
Make Every Effort to Grow in the Fruits: 2 Peter 1:3-8
Today's meditation comes from 2 Peter 1:3-8.
Faith and Patience: Hebrews 6:11-12
Today's meditation is on Hebrews 6:11-12.
Metabolic Endotoxemia
Today's podcast comes from this article on Metabolic Endotoxemia.
God's Rest: Isaiah 30:15
Today's meditation comes from Isaiah 30:15. But we also jump around to:
- Hebrews 3-4
- Jeremiah 6:16
- 1 Kings 8:56
- Deuteronomy 33:12
- Matthew 11:28
- Psalm 139:17-18
- Luke 12:7
- Ephesians 3:17-19
Background music courtesy of Ben Sound at www.bensound.com
Glutathione and Autism
Today's podcast comes from this blog post, Glutathione and Autism.
Jesus Raises Lazarus: John 11:39-44
Today's meditation comes from various parts of John 11.
We also jump around to John 5:19, John 14:12, John 16:13, and Mark 11:23.
Periodontitis and Chronic Disease
Today's episode comes from this article, Periodontitis and Chronic Disease.
He Will Make A Way: Isaiah 43:16-19
Today's meditation comes from Isaiah 43:16-19
Blastocystis Hominis: Food Allergies and Hives
Today's episode comes from this article, Blastocystis Hominis, Leaky Gut, and Chronic Hives
Dr Kelly McCann: Mold and Biotoxin Illnesses
Dr. McCann received a B.A. in Music from Brown University and a Master's in Library Science from University at Albany. She went on to receive her Doctor of Medicine degree (MD) and simultaneously earned a Master's in Public Health (MPH) in Tropical Medicine (TM) at Tulane University in New Orleans. She completed both an Internal Medicine residency at Banner Samaritan Medical Center and a Pediatrics residency at Phoenix Children's Hospital in Phoenix, AZ.
Dr. McCann practiced medicine at the Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine where she worked and trained with renowned Andrew Weil, M.D., as one of 35 distinguished fellows in residence throughout the world.
Dr. McCann also became certified in medical acupuncture through the American Academy of Medical Acupuncture, studied environmental medicine and chelation with Dr. Walter Crinnion and biotoxins with Dr. Ritchie Shoemaker. Dr. McCann is on staff at Hoag Memorial Hospital in Newport Beach, California and has been in private practice in Costa Mesa since 2008. She founded Partners in Health at the Spring Center in August 2009.
- Do you specialize in mold primarily, or biotoxin illnesses in general? She specializes in functional and integrative medicine. It turns out that a lot of people who come in have at the root of their issues biotoxin illness and env't toxicity.
- And along those lines: what is your take on why mold and Lyme seem to occur together so often? She thinks that Lyme and chronic infections are ubiquitous. Ticks are spreading and there is more global warming, so we're seeing an increase in the level of burden and incidence of infection. Many people are walking around asymptomatic at some level. It takes an inflammatory response, like being in a moldy building that will exacerbate the situation. You can also see it the other way. People might be living in a moldy env't but tolerating it ok. But then if they get bit by a tick, then suddenly they have Lyme and can't tolerate their environment anymore. On top of that, our world is so toxic with env't chemical burden, so heavy metals, solvents etc also contribute to our inability to manage our body burden. She sees these things interplaying quite a bit.
- Can you describe for our audience what some of the symptoms might be that would tip you off to consider a biotoxin illness as the root of their issues? Generally it's a laundry list of symptoms and it will cover many different systems. The more weird, wacky symptoms people tend to have that aren't easily explained, the more she thinks of this. Some of the big ones: chronic fatigue especially. This is the most common symptom. They can look like they might have other illnesses too. Could look like an osteoarthritis or fibro case, but they'll have other symptoms too: GERD, bloating, IBS, etc. Neurological symptoms, memory, word finding problems, issues concentrating, light and sound sensitivity, blurry vision. Often neurological symptoms: tremors, tingling, numbness. Respiratory symptoms. Asthma as an adult. It's good to think of mold and biotoxin exposure with that. When she's thinking about mold, patients can also get dysautonomia issues, temperature regulation, balance issues, etc, Static shocks, skin sensitivity, rashes. In her own case, she had fatigue and worsening food sensitivities. She went from being gluten and dairy free to suddenly reacting to everything. The list got really long, because she was living in a moldy house.
- What is your take on why mold toxicity is suddenly such a huge problem? Why now? It is getting worse. Some of it is because we're using a lot of antifungals in agriculture, plant stores, etc. Those are self-selecting for more toxic molds in an indoor environment that weren't there before. Also, in CA at least, construction is very poorly done. If the house is up in 6 mo, and we build with wood and paper which are fuel for the mold. It's a combo of the way we're building and poor construction. We just can't handle the total load too.
- If someone is looking to buy a house, or build a new one, are there any red flags to look for in terms of building materials or construction that make a house more susceptible to mold, even if there isn't any already present? When looking for a house, if it's current construction, part of it depends on the market and part on the level of sensitivity. Patients need to become advocates for themselves and have a sense of their level of sensitivity. If they're feeling relatively healthy, they might be better able to walk into a building and smell mold. If you smell a musty smell, there's mold there. Check out the place using nose and eyes, and look for areas where there might be water damage. Usually it will be hidden, though: in the walls, water leaking behind the walls or a sprinkler system hitting the walls. Those are things that need to be considered. If they want to make sure, there are a variety of tests we can talk about to do pre-emptively. In a hot market, it's tricky. No seller is going to wait for you to get a mold test back. When looking at new construction, she watches places go up fast: frames aren't covered, and if it rains, it rains. If it hasn't totally dried out, then you seal that in. In many instances, you're better with concrete, bc that won't become moldy, and plaster instead of sheet rock (older forms of building). Then also take into consideration what your materials should be, if concerned about env't chemicals. Most of the chemicals we're exposed to are in our homes. We want to avoid formaldehyde in particle boards, and the chemicals in the foam that they use in building, too.
- What exactly is an ERMI vs a HERTSMI test? If someone is looking to test their house or workplace for mold, why is it so important to get these rather than a non-specific mold test? What are the kinds of tests they DON'T want to get, that won't give them the right information? This is hotly debated: Dr Shoemaker maintains that ERMI is the best, and that's what we should use. We could use HERTSMI too ? some indoor professionals will argue that the air trap test is better. We have to ask what the question is that we're asking, and from that standpoint, pick the best test. If you smell mold in the bathroom and you think there's a water leak in the bathroom, you want to test in a way that will access that information. So collect the dust with ERMI or HERTSMI under the sink. Or even open the wall socket and swab in there. If the question is "is the house moldy in general," that requires a different way of looking at the problem. You might want to do a whole house screening, and you might still want to test in the areas where you're more likely to have a problem (where the water pipes are). She's sometimes recommended collecting the dust off the HVAC system as a way of testing the whole house. In terms of ERMI and HERTSMI: the former is DNA PCR looking at 36 different molds. Some are mycotoxin producing and some are not. You get a composite score. The higher the score, the more concerning the situation: the more mycotoxin producing molds. HERTSMI is just looking at 5 mycotoxin-producing molds and they grade the spore count to give you a HERTSMI score. They don't always correlate, so you have to use the information and understand the info you're trying to answer when interpreting it. If they think the house is moldy, and it has a musty smell, and it may be in a particular part of the house, do you need a mold inspector? They will analyze the entire house, in all the places that there might be water damage. They can hopefully help the patient identify where they want to do additional testing. Usually a combination of tests can be most helpful. She was in an incredibly moldy house and had an inspector come in to get a baseline outside and a sample in the kitchen where they knew there was a problem. Then they did wall samples in all the places in the house where it appeared there was water damage. With those pieces of information, they could compare the outside ambient air to the inside house air to what was actually in the wall cavity and make a good determination overall.
- If someone is looking to hire a remediation company for mold, what are some of the most important questions to ask to make sure they do it right? She's been more reliant upon her inspectors to refer her to a remediation company. You want to make sure that whoever is doing the inspection doesn't have a vested interest in finding more mold than there necessarily is. The inspectors write the treatment plan for the house. The more thorough the inspection, the more thorough the remediation should be. Understand that the remediators are there to remove the moldy parts of the house. They aren't necessarily going to identify plumbing leaks contributing to the problem and solve it. They probably won't rebuild and reconstruct whatever has been removed. You would need a contractor to do that. She learned the hard way: she had to become her own general contractor. She needed to find a remediator and find the people who would identify the leaks and fix them. They weren't the same people. In terms of other questions: find out how they will protect the rest of the house. They should put up negative pressure barriers so that any of the work and materials that get removed won't be spread throughout the house. You need to ask how they're going to use air filtration systems and what they'll do to prevent it from coming back. Some remove the damaged material, paint or do fogging. Sometimes the inspectors will recommend a level of cleaning.
- What binders do you prefer for biotoxin elimination (cholestyramine, colestipol, activated charcoal, Zeolyte, bentonite clay)? She tends to gravitate toward activated charcoal and clay. Those are generally well tolerated. It depends on the person's tolerance. Some people prefer one over the other. She doesn't love cholestyramine or colestipol; she'll use them if necessary. The former is a powder and it smells foul. If you're prescribing from a conventional pharmacy, it contains aspartame. Some of that may be financial too: they can't afford the compounded, clean cholestyramine. Colestipol and Welchol are 25% as effective at binding some of the biotoxins. One of her mentors teaches that the cholestyramine is better at binding ochratoxins and less at some of the other toxins. There may be a possibility of the urine mycotoxin testing to see which is most appropriate. She sometimes will use chlorella and adjusts the dose by tolerance: 1 cap once a day of one of them and titrate to bowel tolerance. Sometimes she'll do muscle testing. She doesn't do Zeolyte. The other supplements: phosphatidylcholine is invaluable in helping patients recover from biotoxin illness and chronic infections. Not necessarily the liposomal version. Mycotoxins are tiny and they can pass in between cells. This is a building block of every cell of the body, and it is well tolerated by most people. No toxic effects. The only caveat is that in sensitive people, if you give it to them too fast, they might have a detox reaction, so she starts slowly and then works up. With bentonite: just puts it in water and people drink it. Sometimes they might encapsulate the powder.
- Do you ever test for mycotoxins directly, or do you just stick with indirect markers like TGFb1, complement c3a and c4a? She doesn't test everyone for mycotoxins bc the tests are expensive: $300-700 or so. She does one of them through a test that accepts Medicare. It may depend on the person too, how sick they are and how high a priority it is. Personally she doesn't find that it is essential to have that test. In terms of the blood testing that Shoemaker has taught us: the TGFb1 requires special handling. It has to be sent to Cambridge Biomedical. Has to be spun down twice and sent on dry ice to Cambridge. Then they started sending it to Viracor instead. The reference range changed and the numbers changed a little bit. She has done thousands of TGFb1 on people over the years. Most of the time, people would have it between 4-5000. But the levels didn't always correlate with the severity of illness. There are some cases where it will be high and some where it will be low. Not just mold drives TGFb1 so it's harder to interpret. She will still occasionally order it as a screening. But taking a good history of the medical complaints and a house history. The same thing with c4a: it has to be sent on dry ice, has to go to National Jewish. Quest did it for awhile and they stopped. She's had patients with c4as who are deathly ill around 3000. Others feel totally fine with 20K. It's more about the history.
- Do you have any great testing recommendations for solvents? She hasn't found a good test for this. Genova has a test; so does Great Plains and US Biotek. If the primary treatment is going to be some form of detox: sauna, binders, alkalinization, coffee enemas, colonics, etc, then we don't necessarily have to know exactly what the toxin is. They'll feel better just with the detox protocol.
- Why does mold exposure so often lead to MARCoNS? What is the causal connection there? She doesn't have the answer to this. Some colleagues find that it's really important. Some don't test for it and don't think it's relevant at all. She's decided that it's not a requirement of the Shoemaker protocol. But if there's chronic rhinorrhea, chronic sinusitis, some kind of URI issue ? even if she doesn't suspect mold, she might check.
- When might you send a patient for a NeuroQuant MRI? Dr Mary Ackerley has done more on this than she has. She's looking at all the money that these patients have to lay out and whether that will change what she does. Is it necessary A young man came to see her asking for a NeuroQuant, and he had substantial atrophy based on the reports: and he now is terrified of this. But what she's doing isn't any different than it would have been without the NeuroQuant, and now he's scared about that. Some of the benefits: she does order them sometimes, and there are a few additional reports on the NeuroQuant that Dr Ackerley is teaching the community about (the morphology report and the flare lesion report and the triage report) ? she's still learning about some of these additional reports as to how useful they might be in managing patients.
- Do you ever use VIP nasal sprays? What are the concerns associated with this? She uses this very little. For the most part, she focuses on doing detox. By the time they get to the VIP in the Shoemaker protocol, they don't need it. She hasn't used it much. She was given it personally and didn't notice a thing. Shoemaker is very clear that you have to be out of the moldy building, give the first dose in the office, and check labs immediately afterwards. Her sense from her colleagues is that generally it's well tolerated and it may be very beneficial in some patients. Sometimes they may have to take tiny doses and take a long time to ramp up. We have a lot of other tools in our tool kit. If her patients are doing sauna, colonics and coffee enemas, IVPC and the binders, they generally don't need VIP.
- What does an MMP-9 elevation tell you, and is there anything you specifically do about this in terms of treatment, or is it the same protocol you'd use regardless? Same question for VEGF and ADH. She has found them less and less valuable over time. Since we're still in the learning phases of how to manage biotoxin illness ? maybe start with urine mycotoxin testing as a baseline and some of these tests. If the VIP is less than 23, at LabCorp only (can't send it to Quest), then we can follow that. If, doing all the other things we know to do, it doesn't come up, then perhaps consider VIP. Hers went up without taking it. The MSH ? she used to use it a lot more. She would test it and some people would be non-detectable. A normal range is supposed to be >35, but most people are in the 20s or less. It's not supposed to change. The MMP-9 means a lot of other things. It's not just about biotoxins: it could be high in COPD and a variety of other states. She hasn't found it useful. ADH: she's tested that and if it's low, she gave one person DDAVP to try to help their urinary frequency and they didn't tolerate it. Ask the question, what will you do with the information?
- What's the deal with the low amylose diet? Why is this helpful, and who is it helpful for? Low amylose: amylose is grains. Want to avoid those, but on this diet, corn is ok. But corn is the most moldy food source out there. This isn't useful if people are going to eat a lot of moldy corn. She has a slide in her lecture about the contamination of the corn in the horse feed in Texas in the 70s. They developed liquefaction of the brain. The owners realized this was from the feed. The horses recovered ? but that same corn continued to be used in the human food sources. Lots of hispanics ate a lot of corn in that area and the rates of neural tube defects skyrocketed. The usual rates of spina bifida are 4/10K and the rates were 3 and 4 times that in that area. So the diet: her recommendation is a modified ketogenic diet, removing the grains for people in a moldy environment. We have to stop eating moldy food. Shoemaker didn't think this was important, and she does.
- You mention ISEAI: The International Society of Environmentally Acquired Illness. Can you tell us what that is? She's on the board. Several of the early adaptors with Dr Shoemaker had a philosophical split and they went on to create this. These folks were interested in learning and teaching about mold exposures and environmentally acquired illness, including env't chemicals and toxicants in this rubric, working together to be more inclusive of the practitioners and more expansive in their ways of getting people to wellness. There is no right way to treat these folks. We have to use all the tools in our tool kit. We need to identify food sensitivities, heal leaky gut, etc. They are in the process of formulating their inaugural event in the Phx area in May 2019. They anticipate an amazing panel of speakers. She thinks this is a place where practitioners and lay people alike can learn about how to get themselves well. There are different levels of membership too. It will be a fabulous conference and a great resource. They intend to create a certification program so people can have a good foundation of how to treat biotoxin illness and will be pooling resources so that this is as scientific as possible. For more info, see https://iseai.org/
Contact Dr McCann: https://www.thespringcenter.com/
A few extra resources: to deal with the trauma of mold illness, check out Annie Hopper's work, Wired for Healing.
For vagus nerve dysfunction, check out the work of Steven Porgus on the Poly-Vagal Theory, or Stanley Rosenberg: Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve.