What to Consider When You’re Not Fully Healing

Perhaps you found a good holistic practitioner, had good tests done, found imbalances, got a treatment plan, but you just didn’t stick with it long enough or you didn’t take enough of a therapeutic dose. Or, maybe you tried the autoimmune Paleo (AIP) diet for 30 days, couldn’t tell a difference, so added back inflammatory foods: gluten, grains, dairy, eggs, etc. Perhaps you searched Dr. Google, self-diagnosed, dabbled in supplements, and quit. It’s my personal and clinical experience that you need to find and work with a skilled practitioner who will oversee a comprehensive treatment plan. You should see beneficial changes within 3 months; but full healing may take a year or more.

If you feel constant bloating, chronic fatigue, aches & pains, slow starter, sugar cravings, itchy skin, mood swings, consider candida/yeast. If you have insomnia, restlessness, cramping gut pain, spastic bowel, think parasites. If you feel bloated after eating, worse at end of day, have IBS (diarrhea or constipation), it could be SIBO. If you show any yeast growth on a comprehensive stool test like GI Map, GI Effects, or GI360, you’ve got yeast. The best test for parasites is at ParaWellnessResearch.com; and the best SIBO test is a Genova 3-hour lactulose breath test.

Lyme (Borrelia) and its myriad co-infections are, sadly, one of the most overlooked and misdiagnosed category of infections. If you have joint pain, tinnitus, irritability/anger, balance issues, numbness & tingling, consider Lyme. Standard blood tests for Lyme by conventional doctors notoriously show false negatives. The best Lyme panels today are: MDL, iGeneX, and Vibrant Wellness. If you have chronic fatigue, feel super tired after exercise, or a persistent cough, ask your doctor to do a simple blood test for mycoplasma and chlamydia pneumonia, two well-known infectious autoimmune triggers.

If you have persistent low energy, anxiety, depression, tremors, brain fog, headaches, insomnia, skin, digestive disorders, low hormones, infertility, it could be chronic, low level heavy metal toxicity. Doctor’s Data provoked urine test is the gold standard for heavy metal toxicity. Whatever you do, don’t just follow internet advice and start trying to detox on your own, or before your “detox pathways” are open and flowing. You need to be pooping at least once daily; your bile needs to be flowing; and your liver/gallbladder may need extra herbal support.

If you have skin rashes, belly fat, weight loss resistance, middle of the night waking, constipation, acid reflux, gallstones, headaches, fatigue, light-colored, foul-smelling, greasy stool, dry skin, hair loss, and an achy feeling in the liver area (upper right quadrant); men may develop “man boobs”, chances are you have poor liver/gallbladder function.

If you know your home/car/office has had water damage; and you feel better out of your home/car/office; or if you have sinusitis, memory issues, brain fog, vision problems, headaches, and/or dizziness, it could be mold. I see this all the time. You know you have had water damage but it costs too much to remediate or move. I also know that you may not fully heal until you address mold head on. Step one, get the data. Use plates (not air samples) to test rooms in your home, like ones from Immunolytics. Step two, get the data on mold/mycotoxins in you with a urine test. Two good labs are Great Plains and Vibrant Wellness.

If your gums are inflamed and/or bleed when you brush them; if you have had your wisdom teeth removed; or if you have one or more root canals, there is a chance you’re dealing with oral infections or cavitations (unhealed holes in your jaw which can become infected). Make it a priority to see a holistic dentist and get a “cone beam” x-ray to check for cavitations. 

People with chronic illness almost always have nutrient deficiencies, notably, B12, B6, all B vitamins, vitamin D, magnesium, trace minerals, omega 3 fatty acids, and essential amino acids. And, sometimes, even if you supplement well, your gut may not be absorbing key nutrients. Best to start by healing your gut.   Testing can be very useful. Ask your doctor to check your nutrient status. 3 good ones are NutrEval (Genova), Organic Acid Test (OAT) (Great Plains), and ION profile (Genova).

Do any of these sound familiar? Unforgiveness (of others and/or yourself); a type A personality, perfectionism, overachiever;  leaky boundaries; over-giver, can’t say “no”; you don’t feel worthy of wellness; if you get really honest with yourself, maybe you’re not willing to give up illness identity. Healing from trauma and resulting beliefs and behaviors is imperative for full healing. I have found these books to be very useful: How to Heal Yourself When No One Else Can: A Total Self-Healing Approach for Mind, Body, and Spirit by Amy Scher; The Transformation: Discovering Wholeness and Healing After Trauma by James Gordon, MD; and 8 Keys to Safe Trauma Recovery: Take-Charge Strategies to Empower Your Healing by Babette Rothschild. If you need help, please find and work with a skilled trauma therapist.

Trauma or chronic infections can result in a dramatic loss of zinc, vitamin B6, biotin, and other important nutrients via the kidneys. Dr. Klinghardt notes that 4 out of 5 patients he treats for persistent Lyme, as well as many of his patients with MS, heavy metal toxicity, autism and Parkinson’s test highly positive for KPU. If you are dealing with any of these conditions, and/or have symptoms of depression, nail spots (leukodynia), parasites or poor dream recall, you may be dealing with KPU.

A growing body of research from Europe shows that EMFs both amplify the virulent effects of pathogenic microbes including Lyme and mold toxins and reduce the growth of beneficial bacteria, leaving you more vulnerable to immune challenges. Some practitioners like Dr. Klinghardt will not work with patients until they address chronic EMF exposure.

Scars are natural byproducts of wound healing from cuts, scrapes, surgeries or even our own birth (belly button) or episiotomy (vaginal scar from childbirth). Scars can create abnormal electrical signals which can alter the function of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and interfere with healing. A practitioner trained in Autonomic Response Testing (ART) or Nutrition Response Testing (NRT) can use muscle testing to see if scars are impeding your healing. Scar treatments often include acupuncture, cold laser therapy, pelotherapy (mud or clay therapy) and/or topical wheat germ or sesame oil.

Could it possibly be this simple? Maybe you’re just dehydrated. To support your body in all its functions you need to be drinking about 3 quarts of water per day. Super simple solution: fill up 3 quart-sized containers at the beginning of the day, and make sure you drink all over the course of the day. Or get one 3-quart container. Whatever you will do.