Natasha and I are SOOOO happy to share with everyone that October 15th is the due date of our first ‘little one’!

Some of you may know the good news already if you have been following our social media accounts.

If you are just now finding my website and reading through the blogs, I want to share with you our story.

Mold, Epstein Barr Virus and Hashimoto’s Disease

It all started when Natasha was diagnosed with Epstein Barr Virus about 6-years ago.

This was triggered due to living in a home with black mold in Laguna Beach, CA. The EBV caused Natasha’s immune system to attack her thyroid tissue, resulting in Hashimoto’s Disease.

During her numerous treatments, we thought she would never become healthy enough to conceive. Much less carry to full term.

We discussed harvesting her eggs, and even adoption.

All we have wanted was a family, so we began looking at Plan B and Plan C.

Fortunately, Plan A came to fruition!

As we are expecting Babe to arrive soon, I want to share with you some of what Natasha did to get to the point of conception. I hope her story can be in inspiration to you if you are in a similar position with your health.

Here We Go…

First, we got to the bottom of what triggered her EBV and Hashimoto’s Disease. Detoxifying mold from Natasha’s body took a lot longer than we expected due to being re-exposed after leaving California. Note: make sure to discuss mold testing with me if you suspect you have been exposed. We learned the hard way when testing and detoxifying mold.

Second, we did A LOT of testing. Specifically, we tested for the following:

1) Candida – this is commonly seen in mold patients
2) Lyme Disease – luckily she was negative for this
3) Genetic mutations – we all have them, and supporting her mutations was crucial

Third, we did a lot of detoxifying. Genetically, Natasha doesn’t detoxify very well. Specifically, she doesn’t detoxify mold well. I see this with a lot of patients. This is why a I didn’t get as sick as Natasha, even though we lived in the same house and were exposed to the same toxins.

Natasha doesn’t make glutathione very well. We learned this from her genetic testing as well. Being low on glutathione played a role in her inability to get rid of toxins from the mold.

Fourth, we supporting her methylation mutations that impacted her immune system. Autoimmune disease runs in Natasha’s family. Her mother and two sisters have Hashimoto’s Disease. Genetically, Natasha has mutations that impact how well her immune system functions. You may have heard of the methylation genes. Some doctors check for MTHFR mutations. However, those are only two out of thirteen methylation genes that can impact the immune system.

Fifth, we followed up on her thyroid markers, religiously. I know after working with many families through the years that miscarriages happen when thyroid hormones are low. In order to feel confident in beginning to try and have a family, I wanted to see Natasha’s thyroid hormones look perfect!

Sixth, I finally looked at iodine levels. I feel this was a huge piece of Natasha’s puzzle. Since testing her iodine, I have made it part of my routine blood panels for those with thyroid disorders. Like most Hashimoto’s patients, Natasha was really low on iodine.

We developed our own thyroid supplement when we found this out. The supplement has thyroid, pituitary, hypothalamus, and thymus glandulars, along with a small amount of iodine.

If one has Hashimoto’s Disease, you must be VERYcareful supplement with iodine. You can make yourself feel worse if iodine levels get too high.

I was taught to NEVER give a Hashimoto’s patient iodine. But, I am stubborn and hard-headed…I used my wife as a guinea pig. I will say this, I have great mentors and teachers, but sometimes even with the best people in your corner you need to think for yourself and challenge the traditional dogma.

Iodine was HUGE for Natasha and many of my patients since.

This process may sound easy, but it took almost 6-years.

Why Did it Take so Long?

We had to figure it out on our own.

We consulted with other specialists, but it all came down to use putting the pieces together over time.

Unfortunately, Natasha’s story is very common. I have other women share similar stories to me on a weekly basis.

The good news, now I can speed up the healing process for them after years of developing protocols based on what Natasha and I went through.

If you are struggling conceiving or having multiple miscarriages, reach out to me. Let’s chat about what may be missing. You are not in this battle alone!

I am Seeing a Trend

Trends come and go.  Every year there is a new diet that promises to be the best thing since being a caveman/woman.  The holidays are sure to “release” a new weight loss gadget that “guarantees to help you lose 125 lbs while sipping your Starbuck’s pumpkin spice latte”!

I say, GO AWAY you horrible trends…I can see through you!

Although, there is one trend that I see picking up steam…you may have heard of it due to great marketing from companies like 23andme.com and Ancestry.com…genetic testing.

However, I am speaking of a little different genetic testing.  While knowing your ancestral history and chances of having a baby with blues is really cool, I am referring to learning about your genetic mutations.

Your genetic mutations, in my opinion, are going to dictate how you respond to LIFE!

Are you more predisposed to developing an autoimmune condition, such as Celiac Disease?  Should you eat that piece of genetically modified sliced bread?  Is developing a thyroid disease in your future?  Can you detox the junk your body is exposed to every single day?  If you are on birth control, can your body clear the excess hormones being released into your blood stream?

These are all questions you can find answers to by looking at genetic mutations.

What does having a genetic mutation mean?

The layman’s definition of a gene is: a unit of heredity which is transferred from a parent to offspring and is held to determine some characteristic of the offspring.

This means that our parents pass down genes that determine who we are.  The color of our hair, how tall we may be, and even our personalities.

Many times, and in all of us, these genes are not perfect.  They can be broken, or mutated.

If I know what those mutated genes are and understand the role the genes play in your body, I can figure out why you may have an autoimmune condition, or why you have ovarian cysts, or why you have low testosterone.

Back to this trend…

More and more patients are reaching out to me to run their genetic markers to get to the root cause of their health condition.

Quick story…I have a patient that I helped many years ago.  Back in those days, I didn’t utilize or understand genetic testing because not many people were discussing it.

I was able to help this patient reach her goals!  She was a hairstylist at the time.  Hairstylists tend to be some of the sickest patients I encounter.  Why you ask?  Think about what you smell when walking into most salons.  Think about what the stylists are putting on their clients’ hair/scalps.  Heavy duty chemicals are routinely used.  Although, more and more salons are beginning to switch to more natural products.  Awesome!!!

Even though I was able to help this patient years ago, she slowly began battling symptoms that were taking their toll on her health as years went by.

She knew I have been running genetic testing on patients and reached out a few months ago requesting to test her mutations.  Specifically, I ran mutations looking at detoxification pathways, how she clears hormones, and her neurotransmitters (how she feels emotionally).

Today, she requested I order the same genetic tests for her daughter and son (albeit, male hormone mutations).  Why?  Because after seeing her mutations, I was able to put together a healing plan addressing what we learned about her genes.

Guess what?  Her hot flashes have gone away.  The “sludge” she had on the layer of her stomach has disappeared and she is seeing results.  Wooohoooo!!!  Genetic testing saves the day, again!

How Do You Test Genetic Mutations?

Super simple!  You collect saliva and send the sample to the lab.  I use a lab called GX Sciences (www.gxsciences.com).  Not all labs are created equal, and for this reason I put my trust in these fellas.

The lab sends your results to me and I began playing detective, combining the genetic results with blood testing, and other specialized lab tests.

Gathering many pieces of the puzzle will help me help you!  The more I see and understand about you, the better game plan I can create to help you reach your goals.

This Trend Will Change Healthcare!

I firmly believe the more we can get to the root cause of people’s health conditions, the healthier they can become. 

More and more people are realizing the medical model’s Band-Aid approach to chronic disease is not working for them.  They are not healing and living life as they did in the past.  It is for this reason more patients are reaching out to me asking for more in-depth testing to get to the bottom of their issues.

Are you still having a difficult time reaching your health goals?  If so, consider running some genetic tests to figure out why.  Getting a sample of saliva is a heck of a lot easier than struggling with health symptoms for 10 or 15 years.  Plus, there is no needle!!!

Could Genetics be Your Answer for Healing?

How many times have you heard people say, “I have XYZ condition and it runs in my family”?

Before studying genetics, I thought that answer was an excuse the patient would give for not maintaining a healthy body.

The more I studied genetics, I thought, “some of these patients may be right!”

Whether We Want Them or Not!

Genes get passed down to each of us from our parents.  That is out of our control.  What is in our control is the environment that we live in, and we can only control this to a certain extent.

What do I mean by environment?

We are all exposed to environmental toxins, which we can’t control.  We breathe in toxins in our air, no matter where we live.  If you live in LA, you breathe in more compared to living out in the country in Kansas. 

However, we can control HOW we live in our environment!

We can control what eat, our stress levels, our exercise routines, our sleep habits, the people we are around…

We can control A LOT…BUT, with genetic mutations this “control” of ours may not be enough.

What Size is Your Bucket?

What do I mean by that?  

This is an analogy I use to describe why we become sick.  All of us have different size buckets that fill up with toxins throughout or life.  Our genetics will dictate the size of that bucket.  

For example, Natasha and I were living in a home with mold.  Natasha became extremely sick, but I did not.  WHY?  Our buckets are different sizes.  Her bucket filled up and start over-flowing = she became sick.  Natasha has more genetic mutations than I do.  I didn’t get as sick as she did because I have still have plenty of room in my bucket to collect more toxins.

Also, she is a slow detoxifier.  How do we know?  We looked at her genetic mutations that impact her body’s ability to detoxify.  If you can’t detoxify, your bucket is filling up, and you can get rid of those toxins on your own = bucket overflows = you become sick!

Watch the Video Below!

Now that I have taught you a little about genetics, the video below will dive a little deeper for you.

I hope you enjoy!

Free Genetic Sample Report Below…

Would you like to receive a sample genetic report?  Feel free to download it below.  Starting on page 11, you will find the definitions of each gene that is tested, and you will learn more about why that gene is important!

Candida Recipe – Blanched Greens and Amazing Sauces

If you have ever gone through a candida protocol, you the eating can be a bit tough. 

Last night, Natasha and I (I help clean) made a great dish that we wanted to share.  To me, the sauces made the dish, below are the recipes to make the sauces. 

The items we made were:

1. Blanched greens with walnut lemon dressing
2. Mixed green salad with a pumpkin seed cilantro sauce (salad not pictured)
3. Steamed broccoli – you know how to make this 🙂 
4. Avocado – slice ’em up
5. Pickled onions 

Here is how we prepared them:

Blanched Greens – Collards, Spinach, and Swiss Chard

Remove leaves from stems. (Swiss chard stems are edible, so save and cook them) Blanch greens in a large pot of boiling salted water, 15 seconds (spinach and chard) to 2 minutes (kale and collards); drain. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out excess liquid.  Let the veggies cool completely,s in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Greens can be stored in an airtight container in refrigerator up to 4 days.

Walnut lemon dressing

1 c. lightly roasted walnuts
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 cup lemon juice
1 TSP Ume plum vinegar
Pinch of real salt (I prefer Himalayan sea salt; it provides essential minerals that benefit the body)
3/4 c. pure, filtered water
Optional for a variation: add 2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped

To make:
Roast walnuts at 350 degrees until lightly browned. When cooled, add all ingredients to a blender or food processor, and blend until smooth.

Pepita (pumpkin seed) Cilantro Sauce

1 c. pumpkin seeds toasted

2 c. cilantro leaves

1 – 1 ½ c. water

2 Tbsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed

½ Tsp. Ume plum vinegar (you can substitute another kind if you don’t have this)

Dash of salt

To Make: 

Toast seeds until golden (keep the pan moving so you don’t scorch the seeds). Add all ingredients including seeds to the blender and blend until smooth.

5-Step Candida Protocol

Many chronic gastro-intestinal patients are suffering from some form of an infection.  Did you know that many have Candida overgrowth?

Here is a 5-Step Protocol that will help kill of any candida that you may have.   Granted, some patients have been battling candida for many years, and may need a more in-depth approach.  If that is you, I would consult with a doctor that understands candida.  If you can’t find one, give my office a call and schedule a complimentary consultation to discuss your health condition: (866) 375-4641.

CLICK BELOW TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE eBOOK:

5-Step Candida Protocol