My Approach to Diagnosing and Treating Parasite Infections

Many people don’t realize how common parasites are or how often they’re behind chronic symptoms like bloating, fatigue, and digestive issues. In my practice, I see a large number of patients who’ve been treated for conditions like small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and candida overgrowth, yet they still don’t feel better.

But when we take a deeper look, testing will often reveal the underlying cause: a parasitic infection.

Because this is such a frequent pattern in my patients, I want to share how I approach these cases. So let's start by looking at the tests I use most often to uncover these infections.

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The 3 Different Types of Parasites That Infect Humans: Part 1 of Parasitic Infections

When people think of a parasitic infection in humans, many imagine parasites as just problems in developing countries. But the reality is that they're common throughout the United States.

The most recent data show that about 12 million Americans have parasitic infections.³

So in this blog, we'll discuss the different types of parasites found in the United States that infect humans, the symptoms they cause, and how these infections spread. Knowing the signs of these infections can help you get the right treatment and avoid long-term health problems.

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How To Pick Out the Best Air Purifier and Air Filters for Your Home

Indoor air is much more toxic than outdoor air due to dust, allergens, and other chemicals.¹ But by using the right air purification system, you can drastically lower your exposure to harmful indoor pollutants.

In this guide, we’ll break down exactly why you need an air purifier, what you need to know about the different air filters, and how to choose the best air purifier and filters for your home and health needs.

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Wildfire Safety: Eight Ways To Prepare for Wildfires and Protect Your Home

Wildfires are happening more often and spreading faster, putting lives and homes at risk, especially in the state of Oregon. Being prepared with a solid plan can help you stay safe and know what to do if you need to evacuate quickly. 

The National Association of Environmental Medicine has a detailed guide on how to prepare for a wildfire, and I want to walk you through it. In this blog, we’ll cover eight actions you can take right now to protect yourself, your home, and your loved ones.

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Melatonin For the Treatment of Long COVID

Since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, a condition called long COVID has emerged. Long COVID is a chronic, sometimes debilitating, condition that develops after an acute COVID infection or after getting a COVID vaccination.

Even though research surrounding the treatment of long COVID is in the early stages, we know that it’s primarily a result of immune dysregulation. Because of this, researchers have been able to identify already well-known medications and supplements that are safe and work remarkably well for the treatment of long COVID. 

One of these supplements is melatonin. While melatonin supplementation is best known for its positive effects on sleep, it also improves inflammation and helps regulate the immune system - both of which are essential for overcoming long COVID. 

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The Role of Vitamin C in Long COVID Treatment

Long COVID is a condition that affects some people who have been infected with the COVID-19 virus. The symptoms of long COVID can be devastating, and have even resulted in complete disability for some of my patients.

There are several vitamins and minerals that have been shown to work well at managing the symptoms of long COVID. One of these vitamins is vitamin C. 

Vitamin C is best known for helping to support a healthy immune system. But its benefits extend far beyond this - especially when it comes to treating long COVID.

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Ivermectin: A Natural Treatment For Long COVID

In my practice, many patients that I see suffer from a condition called long COVID. This condition, originally called Long-hauler syndrome, got its name from a group of patients who never recovered from getting COVID-19.

Research surrounding long COVID and the treatment options are continuing to emerge. One of the natural treatments for long COVID that I've seen work for a portion of my patients is the medication Ivermectin.

This medication has been used for decades throughout the world to treat numerous infectious diseases. And now, it's being used for viral infections like COVID-19.

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Beyond Bone Health: The Role of Vitamin D in the Treatment of Chronic Pain

When you think of vitamin D, there's a good chance that you think of the effects it has on bone strength. Maybe you also think of the effects it has on energy levels. But did you know that vitamin D supplementation plays an important role in the treatment of chronic pain?

Many of my patients have chronic pain and vitamin D deficiency, and I've seen firsthand how much treating their low vitamin D levels has helped with pain. So this blog is going to go over the ins and outs of vitamin D and how it helps with the treatment of chronic, painful conditions.


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6 Natural Ways To Prevent Fatty Liver Disease: Part 3 of Liver Health

Fatty liver disease is a condition that happens when too much fat is stored in the liver. Over time, these fat stores build up in the liver and replace healthy liver cells. This can cause liver damage and even lead to cirrhosis.

When it comes to the treatment of fatty liver disease, there's currently no FDA-approved medications that specifically treat it.³ But there are many different vitamins, supplements, and other medications that have been found to improve and even prevent fatty liver disease. 

And like any other disease, prevention is key.

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9 Surprising Things That Can Lead To Fatty Liver Disease: Part 2 of Liver Health

In recent years, I’ve observed that the environment we live in has gotten sicker and sicker. And when our environment is sick, those who live in that environment get sick as well. Many toxins and chemicals are used to make many of the foods we consume and products we use on a daily basis. And unfortunately, the harmfulness and long-lasting effects of these toxins are just now starting to be realized.

One of the main things in the human body that’s affected by all of these toxins is the liver. The primary function of the liver is to filter out harmful toxins from the body. But when our bodies are being exposed to so many toxins, it can be hard for the liver to keep up.

The amount of toxins that we’re exposed to on a daily basis is large and probably hard to believe. We don’t have to work directly with chemicals in a factory to be exposed to chemicals and pollutants. In fact, most of them can be found at our local grocery stores.

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An Overview of Fatty Liver Disease: Part 1 of Liver Health

In the human body, each organ that we have has a role to play to keep us balanced and healthy. One of the organs we have is the liver, and its functions range from filtering out harmful toxins to making compounds that breakdown the food we eat. Without the liver, we cannot survive. 

Like other organs in the body, the liver can become diseased and not work properly. The most common type of liver disease is called fatty liver disease, which results from excess amounts of fat being stored in the liver. And while fatty liver disease is typically treatable and reversible, it can sometimes progress to conditions that cause permanent scarring, damage, and even cancer of the liver. 

For this reason, it’s important to me that patients understand what fatty liver disease is, what causes it, how it’s diagnosed, and how to treat it while it’s still reversible.

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Testosterone and Heart Health in Men: How Testosterone Replacement Can Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease

Similar to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in women, HRT in men has had a controversial past regarding its risks and safety when it comes to something called cardiovascular disease (CVD). The most common types of CVD include heart attacks and strokes, but it includes any type of disease that affects the heart and blood vessels in the body.  

A lot of research has been done to study the relationship between testosterone replacement and CVD. While the majority of research has shown that replacing testosterone in men can decrease the risk of CVD and death, a small amount of studies between 2010 and 2013 suggested otherwise. 

This past summer, this research was published, and the results have changed everything. 


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Unwinding the Knot: A Brief History of The Safety of Female Hormone Replacement Therapy and its Cardiovascular Benefits

During menopause, the hormones progesterone and estrogen drop, and this causes symptoms like hot flashes and mood changes. The severity of these symptoms range from woman to woman, but they can sometimes be severe enough to require treatment.

Over the last 25 years, HRT has been proven time and time again to be safe and beneficial for menopausal women. For this reason, I prescribe HRT for many of my patients, and many have had improvements not only in their health but their overall quality of life. 

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How High Homocysteine Levels Can Affect Your Heart and Blood Vessels

Cardiovascular disease is a group of diseases that affect the heart and blood vessels in the body, and it’s the number one cause of death and disability in the world.¹

Two of the most common types of cardiovascular disease are heart attacks and strokes. 

The majority of my patients are looking to improve their overall health and decrease their risk of having heart attacks, strokes, and other types of cardiovascular disease. So while my initial appointments with them include reviewing the above risk factors, there is something else that I always add to their initial blood work: homocysteine levels.

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Book Review: Heart: A History by Sandeep Jauhar, MD

In his most recent memoir, Heart: A History, Jauhar walks us through his path of sacrifice, discovery, and, ultimately, clarity.¹ He explains that since the middle ages, there has been an understanding of the importance of the heart. Only over the last several hundred years has there been an advancement in knowledge and treatment methods of the heart. 

These advancements in cardiology were made alongside a great deal of time, effort, and sacrifice. Jauhar discusses the great lengths that brilliant minds went to in order to develop many of the treatments and devices that we so heavily rely on today.

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How Hormones Can Disrupt Your Sleep (And How To Fix It): Part Four of the Science of Sleep

As we know, there are many different factors that can influence your quality of sleep. From simple things like your sleeping environment to certain signals and messengers in your body, there are many ways that sleep quality can be affected. 

In addition to these messengers, or neurotransmitters, there are certain hormones that regulate sleep. And because of their importance in the body, detection of these hormonal imbalances, usually on blood work, is crucial. Especially in those that struggle with their sleep. 

In my last blog, we reviewed the different neurotransmitters in the body that regulate sleep, and we discussed some ways to treat abnormal levels of these neurotransmitters. There are many more treatment options for high levels of neurotransmitters that also offer additional benefits.

So if you’ve tried what seems like endless therapies and lifestyle changes to improve your sleep without any luck, don’t worry. Many difficulties with sleep involve many different parts of the brain and body. So your treatment may involve targeting more than one pathway, neurotransmitter, or hormone at a time. Or maybe even treating an underlying medical condition.

But first, let’s review two of the most important hormones involved with sleep: cortisol and progesterone. 

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Natural Sleep Aids and Medications To Help Improve Your Sleep: Part Three of the Science of Sleep

From the timing and amount of light we are exposed to, when we use electronic devices, and the temperature of our environment, there are so many factors that can influence the quality of sleep we get.


However, despite their best efforts and lifestyle modifications, many of my patients continue to have trouble falling asleep, have trouble staying asleep, or suffer from daytime fatigue due to poor sleep quality. This may be because of certain medical conditions or because of imbalances of certain hormones and neurotransmitters within the body.

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Changes You Can Make To Get Better Quality Sleep - Part Two of the Science of Sleep

As we know, sleep is vital to maintaining health, wellness, and balance within the body. Without adequate amounts of sleep, not only is it difficult to function, but we put ourselves at risk of many life-threatening health conditions.¹

Even though many of my patients understand the importance of sleep, many of them still struggle to get enough good, quality sleep. Despite their efforts, many people still:

  • Lay in bed for hours before falling asleep.

  • Toss and turn all night.

  • Wake up feeling groggy.

Our ability to fall asleep, stay asleep, and get sound sleep isn’t just determined by what we do in the few minutes before we go to bed; it’s based on decisions we make throughout the day. 

As soon as we wake up each morning, our body starts an internal “timer” that basically counts down to when we’re going to get tired and fall asleep again. This is also known as the circadian rhythm. And as much as our body tries to maintain a consistent schedule, our circadian rhythm can be influenced by certain things we consume, expose ourselves to, or do throughout the day.

Exposure to light, the use of electric devices, the time we exercise, and even the way we breath are all ways that our circadian rhythm and overall quality of sleep can be affected. By making small adjustments to the timing and amounts of things we do on a daily basis, we can optimize our circadian rhythm and reap the benefits of good, quality sleep.

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