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How your microbiome directly impacts your immune health

More science to show your microbiome affects your immune system! Your gut, skin, nose, and airways are home to trillions of tiny bacteria and other microbes—some of which might help your immune system fight off unwanted infections. It’s called your microbiome. We’ve known the microbiome interacts with the immune system for a long time, but when the pandemic hit New York City, some researchers at Rockefeller University asked this question: “Can the human microbiome produce metabolites (small molecules) that inhibit the growth of this new virus?” They thought it was a long shot and the answer might be no…but they were happily surprised! Turns out they found three major metabolites produced by bacteria in the human microbiome that blocked growth of the novel virus by more than 90%. When they tested those metabolites on other RNA viruses, they found some effect against other viruses as well. What’s even crazier is that each of these three metabolites has a synthetic medication that is chemically similar to it. The researchers don’t know for sure whether that was by chance or design. So, what can we learn from this and take action on? 1. This is a great reminder that your microbiome harbors beneficial bacteria that interact with your immune system to support your defenses. 2. Even though we can’t specifically supplement the metabolites discovered in this study, we can make choices with our food and lifestyle to support a healthy microbiome. 3. The study of the microbiome and immunity is ongoing. More details will unfold, and we may never fully understand the synergy nature has created between us and the teeny tiny microbes that live in and on us. In the meantime, we think it’s worth taking simple steps to support microbiome health. You might consider things like eating less sugar, consuming more fruits and vegetables, including fermented foods, or taking probiotic supplements. All of these choices depend on your current level of gut and immune health. To fully support your gut health, look at underlying pathogens, check inflammatory markers, see how you are digesting things, check microbiome diversity, and view immune function I like to take a look using this test. Here is a SAMPLE REPORT. To receive your gut boomer as well as treatment plan sign up for The Gut Transformation. We love to help our patients with personalized and individual plans to support the health of their microbiome AND immune system. Apply for a complimentary discovery call here. Reference: Piscotta FJ, Hoffmann HH, Choi YJ et al. Metabolites with SARS-CoV-2 Inhibitory Activity Identified from Human Microbiome Commensals. mSphere. 2021. [link]

How Do I Know if I Have EBV?

What is Epstein – Barr Virus? Epstein – Barr virus is a very common virus. It is from the herpes family of viruses, and is known as human herpes virus 4. It is found all over the world and most people get infected with EBV at some point in their lives. Once infected with Epstein – Barr virus, you have it in your body for good. It’s DNA stays in your cells, most commonly affecting B cells, but can also infect other immune cells as well. You may have heard of it more commonly as the viruses that causes mononucleosis, mono, or the kissing disease. It is primarily spread through saliva and bodily fluids. What symptoms does Epstein – Barr virus cause? When you are first infected. Typically when you are first infected with Epstein – Barr virus the symptoms include: fatigue fever inflamed throat swollen lymph nodes in the neck enlarged spleen swollen liver rash Usually these symptoms only last for a little bit ( 2 – 4 ) weeks and then you feel better. The virus is considered self – limiting and is sometimes mild to where you may not have known you had it or you just thought it was a cold or the flu. Typically doctors just recommend rest and fluids during this time. What about Reactivation? Remember how I said that EBV stays in the body for good? Well, turns out it can turn back on and make you sick again. This is termed going back into a lytic state. Reactivation has become more concerning as research continues to come out about EBV’s involvement in cancers and autoimmune conditions. Typical reactivation symptoms. In my clinical experience I have seen that reactivation symptoms are usually more severe and broader than acute infection and may include: Flu – like symptoms Anxiety Depression Brain fog Insomnia Hormone problems Digestion problems Neuralgias Vagus nerve dysfunction Hepatomegaly EMF sensitivity Testing When it comes to getting tested for EBV, it is actually really simple. You can do a good old fashioned blood draw with your doctor and insurance may or may not cover it. The key is to order a complete panel! If you communicate your symptoms with your doctor and ask for a complete panel they should listen and order it for you. If not there are also private labs available. Complete panel EBV VCA IgM: This is positive during acute infection and sometimes during reactivation. It is showing your body’s first response to the viral capsid antigen. This is your body’s first immune response to Epstein – Barr virus. EBV VCA IgG: This is positive after you have been infected. It can stay positive even after initial infection. Often times it is very elevated during reactivation. EBV EBNA IgG: This may be positive after you have been infected. It is showing you developed antibodies to the nuclear antigen of the virus. Similar to EBV VCA IgG, it may stay positive after initial infection and often times shows extreme elevation during reactivation. EBV EA – D: This is looking at the early antigen. This is positive during reactivation. As you can see, when a complete panel is run it gives a picture of how your immune system is responding to Epstein – Barr virus and that paired with a thorough history and your symptoms helps your doctor understand if you are having a first time infection, reactivation, or if you are experiencing chronic reactivation. P.S. Whenever you are ready, here is how I can help you now: 1. Work with me 1 on 1 in my 3 month transformation plan. Click Here for Details. 2. Learn more about EBV Bootcamp Here. 2. Sign up to learn when I share my next webinar Here. 3. Check out my podcasts where I talk all about Epstein – Barr virus Here. References: https://www.cdc.gov/epstein-barr/about-ebv.html Kerr JR. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation and therapeutic inhibitors. J Clin Pathol. 2019 Oct;72(10):651-658. doi: 10.1136/jclinpath-2019-205822. Epub 2019 Jul 17. PMID: 31315893.

Long haulers and POTS

What are long haulers? More people are reporting symptoms that linger for months after infection with COVID-19. Sometimes called “Long Haulers,” these people experience everything from exhaustion to headaches to shortness of breath and a racing heartbeat. Some doctors have noticed similarities between these symptoms and a rare condition called postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS). What is Pots? POTS is a disorder of the autonomic nervous system. People with POTS experience a sudden drop of blood pressure when they stand up because their blood vessels don’t respond quickly enough to return blood to the heart and brain. With POTS, the heart races and heart rate can double or triple upon standing up. Other symptoms of POTS include dizziness, headaches, shortness of breath, and brain fog. People can become sensitive to lights or sound or temperature. They can even develop digestive problems. In many ways, POTS is similar to chronic fatigue syndrome or fibromyalgia. The cause is unknown in conventional medicine, the symptoms are vague, and there is no definite cure. In my experience I have commonly seen POTS present with Epstein – Barr virus, mold, and Lyme disease. Complete list of pots symptoms This is the complete list of symptoms related to POTs from the Cleveland Clinic: High/low blood pressure High/low heart rate; racing heart rate Chest pain Dizziness/lightheadedness especially in standing up, prolonged standing in one position, or long walks Fainting or near-fainting Exhaustion/fatigue Abdominal pain and bloating, nausea Temperature deregulation (hot or cold) Nervous, jittery feeling Forgetfulness and trouble focusing (brain fog) Blurred vision Headaches and body pain/aches (may feel flu-like); neck pain Insomnia and frequent awakenings from sleep, chest pain and racing heart rate during sleep, excessive sweating Shakiness/tremors especially with adrenaline surges Discoloration of feet and hands Exercise intolerance Excessive or lack of sweating Diarrhea and/or constipation How to deal with pots When dealing with POTS, it is important to get to the root cause and take a holistic look at how all of the body systems interact. In POTS, there are interactions between the nervous system, adrenal function and overall stress response, immune system, gastrointestinal system and more. Whereas the conventional approach to treating disease gives a medication to cover up a symptom, a functional approach looks under the hood for the root cause. We begin to balance the body systems from the inside out rather than just taping on a band-aid. We are still learning how COVID-19 affects the body in the long run. We do, however, know a lot about the long-term effects of some other infections (like EBV and Lyme disease). It’s in these complex cases and unique presentations that root cause medicine and Naturopathic care shine. Practicing medicine is a continuous process of learning and connecting what we already know with new situations. We are here to support all patients—but especially those who are not getting the results they want and deserve elsewhere. Please reach out to our office at support@drkaseyholland.com if you have any questions about how we can help. References: Rubin R. As Their Numbers Grow, COVID-19 “Long Haulers” Stump Experts. JAMA. 2020;324(14):1381–1383.https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2771111 National Institutes of Health. NINDS POTS Dysautonomia International. General Information Brochure on Orthostatic Intolerance and its Treatment NHS. Postural Tachycardia Syndrome PoTS. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/16560-postural-orthostatic-tachycardia-syndrome-pots

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How your microbiome directly impacts your immune health

How Do I Know if I Have EBV?

Long haulers and POTS

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