Hello  – welcome to B Better! Yes, those are the supplements I shared in my post on UTIs.

I cannot tell you what dosage to take specifically since we aren’t working on a 1-1 basis, however I can share my own protocol and general guidelines for prevention and acute situations:

Here’s the protocol I used to stop a brewing UTI infection in 3 days, and luckily not need antibiotics (your needs may be different and dosage should be discussed with your practitioner):
1.  Uva ursi (leaf): 4 capsules (~2g), 3 x per day with LOTS of water. Very important for flushing out the bacteria!
2. D-mannose with cranberry: 2 capsules (~1g), 2 x daily

On day 2, I was still feeling the twinge, so I added in 1 tsp of Biotics Research IAG powder (arabinogalactans), 3 x per day, to help my immune system fight off the brewing infection.

Day 3: UTI gone!

Of course dosing needs to be discussed with your practitioner but generally speaking:
• 1-2g daily of D-mannose has been shown in literature to help with prevention (if someone is prone to UTIs) and 1-2g, 2 x daily to help counter an existing infection.⁣
• Similarly, 1-2g per day of uva ursi and should not be taken longer than 7 days

⁣⚠️ NOTE: While d-mannose is quite safe for everyone, uva ursi is not recommended for children or those with liver disease.⁣

Hope this helps.

Hi  – Dr. Google will scare the best of us, and so I just want to put your mind at ease that her labs are not that scary. In fact, it is normal for white blood cells to be higher and differentials to be skewed after an infection (even after a week), and I would not solely rely on these markers since her body was clearly still fighting an infection.

Just for your knowledge, higher basophils can indicate parasitic infection, and higher lymphocytes can indicate acute or chronic viral/bacterial infection.

A high ferritin is also the body’s way of sequestering iron to prevent feeding an infection, so it’s also a normal reaction when someone is sick.

Hair loss after an illness is also unfortunately normal, and usually settles itself in a few months if that was the reason.

But to be proactive, I would recommend retesting her when she’s feeling 100% herself again (if she doesn’t mind being pricked – that’s also a concern with children), and also checking her thyroid markers, and the following markers given the hair loss:

-Thyroid: TSH, Free T4, Free T3, anti-TPO, anti-TG, Reverse T3
-Vitamin A
-Vitamin D
-RBC zinc, copper, ceruloplasmin
-Iron, ferritin, TIBC, % saturation
-Urine test to check if there’s any infections

If your finances allow, I really like the OAT test (organic acids) for children. Especially that you suspect yeast overgrowth on her skin, it provides the biggest bang for your buck. It checks yeast and bacterial markers, and gives some indications if mold is present, as well as measures key nutrients needed for methylation and detoxification. It costs $349 USD plus shipping. Here’s a sample report.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Hello – severe anxiety following an infection is usually due to a need for more tryptophan – an essential amino acid protein that we cannot make, but need to get through food.

So question #1 to you – do you consume enough animal & plant protein sources rich in tryptophan? Here’s an expanded list of foods rich in tryptophan.

Given that you have hypothyroid function, stomach acid production may also be compromised since everything in the body becomes “sluggish” with underactive thyroid function. We need good strong stomach acid to break down our proteins from food, including tryptophan and other amino acids which are critical for neurotransmitter production (and regulating mood!).

So from a root cause approach – how would you rate your overall digestion and gut health? Given your recent bout of food poisoning, I suspect low stomach acid might be at play since stomach acid acts like a “cleansing tank” preventing pathogens from entering our GI tract.

Supplemental support with hydrochloric acid betaine (if confirmed there is no H. Pylori bacterial overgrowth) or digestive bitters might help offer rapid relief. Have you ever done a comprehensive stool test like the GI map to get an idea of your gut health? I know you’re new to B Better, so here’s the video on GI map interpretation inside the Gut Health Masterclass to give you an idea of what this test offers.

So going to back tryptophan for a minute… it helps with mood and sleep. Has your sleep also been affected?

When we get sick, our immune system needs support. Tryptophan helps with immune activity, so instead of those resources being used to make neurotransmitters like serotonin, which help us feel calm, and sleep well, it will instead be used up to support immunity.

Here’s a diagram that shows these 2 pathways where tryptophan is used in the body. When there’s an infection, the body shifts tryptophan away from the right (down the serotonin/melatonin pathway) and instead shifts it to the left down the “kynurenine” pathway, leaving a person feeling more anxious since low serotonin will lead to anxiety and poor sleep.
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Increasing your animal protein intake (if it’s been low) and/or supporting digestion (stomach acid), or supplementing with tryptophan with B6 its cofactor might help. You can search for it in the B Better Fullscript dispensary. Here’s one possible supplement option.

For rapid relief, you can also try the ice water face dunk to stimulate the vagus nerve and parasympathetic process or some of these other tips shared in this post. Gargling and humming can also help as they all stimulate the vagus nerve.

Please let me know if you have any questions. Let’s keep the conversation going and get you feeling better again soon.

just to clarify – I’m referring to vitamin D3, not D2

bingo!

Hi  – support his immunity to help his body fight off whatever pathogen it is. Here is the protocol I use for my kids.

Also ensure he stays hydrated with all that vomiting. Coconut water diluted in water, with some magnesium (open up a capsule and dump contents in), and a pinch of salt or 1/4 tsp sole will help.

For nausea relief, brewing ginger tea can be helpful as well if he tolerates it (add honey otherwise). I also give my kids Nox Vomica 200c homeopathy for nausea.

Wishing him a speedy recovery!

– vitamin D is amazing, but again, only when needed. So step 1, test your levels. If they are low, then ask why – no sun exposure? liver/gallbladder dysfunction? kidney health issues? low magnesium?

If someone does want to supplement or get vitamin D IV infusions, it’s important to make sure magnesium, and vitamin A are optimal first, and combine it with vitamin K2.

You might find this handout in the library resources on Vitamin D helpful. It provides dosages and timeframes for supplementing with D3.

 keep in mind that cortisol rules over the thyroid, so it makes sense that you have sluggish T4 to T3 conversion. And yes, as I stated in my initial reply about the possible causes of high cholesterol, hypothyroid function and stress are both root cause reasons. So I think we’re onto something for sure.

Your electrolytes also point to a pattern of parasympathetic dominance, which usually happens after a period of “flight or fight” chronic stress. It’s the way the body protects itself from ongoing stress.

Helping your body feel safe, and in “vacation mode” is the best way forward.

Do you have GI related symptoms? If so, I would also consider a GI map since your white blood cell differentials are pointing to some sort of low-grade simmering infection. This can also be taxing the immune system and thyroid conversion as well.

In addition, ensure that your iron/ferritin, selenium, vitamin A and zinc are optimal since these are needed for thyroid conversion as well.

Hi  – I’ll also add that supplementing with selenium (through food therapy or supplement) before taking iodine is a good idea for those with autoimmune thyroid disease.

 please note that if her detox pathways were blocked when she did the Mycotox test, she may not be properly excreting mycotoxins in her urine, so a low level on the test may actually be reflecting poor detox status instead of the actual level of mycotoxins.

Very often when clients begin to feel better, and their drainage pathways are beginning to open up, when they repeat the Mycotox test, the levels become much much higher. And that’s because they’re now actually excreting them in urine.

This is where the Mycotox test can be a bit tricky and misinterpreted, especially if you know there was exposure to mold. Is she still living and working in the same moldy environment? If so, was an ERMI test done to test the level of mycotoxins in that environment?

As for testing for histamine, yes, there is a test that can be done to see the level of degradation of histamine (DAO). But instead of spending more money on testing, a trial of Seeking Health’s Histamin Block or Histamin Block Plus (which contain DAO enzyme to process histamine) could be telling. Here’s more literature about DAO gene and enzyme to figure out which one is best.

Please re-read both posts I shared carefully, as I did share some product suggestions for those with methylation issues (with links).

Regarding stomach acid support, she can consider a dosing challenge to determine the dose she needs with Biotics Betaine Plus HP. Here are the instructions in the Resources section.

While all of these measures will be helpful, I’m sensing that mold is at play. I could be wrong since I’m just getting bits and pieces of her case, but if she’s still exposed to mold, parasites will continue coming back, creating a vicious cycle. So for me, step 1 should be to check her environment with an ERMI test if that hasn’t been done. Let me know if you need guidance with that.

Hi  – I’d like to add my thoughts as well since one of the labels my son was diagnosed with was dyscalculia. This makes math really hard for even some of the brightest students. He’s in grade 9 but is at a grade 7 level of math as a result of these struggles.

If you’d like to explore her brain health further, I would recommend reaching out to Dr. Shiess at German Neuroscience Center in JLT and discussing these issues with her. She might recommend a qEEG map test like we did, and then be able to devise a customized treatment plan which may involve biofeedback/neurofeedback therapy.

The idea is that if there is a weakness in neural connections somewhere in the brain, they can target and train them with electrical stimulation (like exercise) to create new connections and links (i.e. neuroplasticity).

But I must warn you – it is very costly and not covered by insurance. I was able to get partial reimbursement fortunately, but it’s not typical.

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

Hi  – I’m sorry your daughter is struggling with vertigo right now.  Did she explore toxicity/heavy metals/mold/histamine overload as the possible root cause and try any of the recommendations I had shared previously in this post for symptom relief?

Please let me know what has been done/tried since that post so I can better guide you.

Addressing the H Pylori was a great first step. Please re-test to make sure the overgrowth was properly dealt with. Her stomach acid likely needs support if she had an H Pylori overgrowth, and this is important to be able to absorb proteins needed for mitochondrial health (specifically carnitine and CoQ10). Poor mitochondrial health can be a major contributor to migraines and toxins also affect mitochondrial health.

I have had clients do a trial of 500mg L-carnitine and 100mg ubiquinol (form of CoQ10) – both twice daily – to see if it helped with migraine incidence and/or severity. It has worked for my clients many times!

Adding in binders (if tolerated) 30-45 minutes before a sauna/sweaty exercise session will also help reduce her toxic burden whatever it is (if that’s at play). This has also helped many of my clients suffering from migraines.

Her DUTCH test showed a need for B12 and phase 2 liver detox support, which is dependent on proteins and good stomach acid production. So what is her diet like? Does she eat animal products? Supporting stomach acid will help with protein absorption and phase 2 detox. She may also need a B complex that emphasizes B6 (P5P form), B12 and folate (B9). Seeking Health has great methylation products (here’s one for example).

I would also investigate her blood sugar status since there seems to be some androgen dominance at play. Stress and higher insulin can increase testosterone in women.

For rapid relief of the migraine, she can try the frozen socks method which I share in the new Protocols section. This helps pull blood away from the head to relieve the pressure.

For migraine prevention, clients have had success with magnesium supplementation to relax any tension in the body, and therapeutic doses of riboflavin/B2 (400-500mg). (Seeking Health has a good one)

Let’s keep the conversation going… 

Hi  – it lasts about a week or so. I had a little left that I forgot about and it went moldy after about 2 weeks. You’ll be able to see and tell from the smell/look. It’s real food at the end of the day, so it won’t have a very long shelf-life.

 Daniel shared great insights about detox. In addition, I would add in bile binders to help eliminate toxins from the body. Here is a passage from Dr. Jill’s book about binders: 

“Environmental medicine guru, Dr. Walter Crinnion has been treating environmental illnesses of all kinds for decades (including mold). He uses fiber that have been shown to bind bile and reduce toxin burden. In his book, Clean, Green and Lean, Dr. Crinnion recommends rice bran fiber. Rice bran fiber and other similar fibers work very effectively at grabbing toxin-laden bile from the intestines so they’re pooped out and not reabsorbed.”

Knowing that you’ve struggled with mold and is likely the case for your son as well, the following list of insoluble fibers are mycotoxin-binding in order of least constipating to most constipating:

Flaxseed 
Chia seed
Rice bran
Oat bran
Psyllium husk

In children, I always prefer to use a food first approach. And lots of sweaty, outdoor play!! If he doesn’t sweat easily, draw up a hot bath for him and add 2 Tbsp ginger powder to the water to help him sweat.

Bitter foods and bitter supplements like QuickSilver’s Bitters No. 9, can also help stimulate production and flow of bile – all in the name of supporting our body’s natural detox process.

I do not have experience with that brand of zeolite you shared so I can’t comment, but in general, zeolite can be an effective binder that is utilized (and so can activated charcoal, bentonite clay, fulvic & humic acid (ex. Cellcore’s Biotoxin binder), etc), depending on what your son is dealing with.

Hope this helps!

 I’m also relieved for all of you. It was likely missed all of these years because he didn’t present with the “classic” symptoms of appendicitis – which can happen with children. And no, elastase will not be directly affected by the appendix as far as I’m aware.