Parasites & Your Vagus Nerve
Episode 118
In this episode of the Integrative Wellness Radio, Dr. Nicole is joined by Dr. Stephanie Canestraro of the Vagus Clinic to discuss the issue with industry specialists, their personal histories dealing with parasites, and the often overlooked vagus nerve! Dr. Stephanie shares how she got into functional medicine and how nasal parasites propelled her journey. Dr. Nicole discusses the vagus nerve connection and IWG’s tool in regulating this pathway. Interested in working with IWG? Book a complimentary consult call to learn more using this link: https://bit.ly/IWRcall2021 Noteworthy Time Stamps: 2:29 Dr. Stephanie’s journey 9:15 Uncovering the foundational issue 10:22 Branches of medicine 12:33 Muscle testing & “woo woo” medicine 18:30 Learning from your patients 19:30 Dispelling myths & the lowdown on parasites 23:00 Nasal worms 36:32 Vagus nerve
Topics: medicine, because, vagus, time, parasites, nerve, stephanie, couldn
Key takeaways from this episode
- Nicole to learn more about the top trends in integrative medicine to learn about what the limitations are with testing and what you can do to start your health journey.
- Like time flies cuz you were like, I couldn't even tell you were pregnant when we Yeah.
- My name's Stephanie Canistero, as you said, and I got into functional medicine through my own story.
- And it's even honestly being overlooked, I feel like, in the functional medicine space.
- So, I want you to tell everyone just a little bit about yourself, um, because we bonded over our conversation about our broken Vegas nerves and our parasite issues, which more to come, people, so don't you worry.
Pull quotes
Imagine if medicine actually looked at you as a whole opposed to looking at you as a bunch of separate systems.
Nicole to learn more about the top trends in integrative medicine to learn about what the limitations are with testing and what you can do to start your health journey.
I'm going to totally say your last name wrong, so I'm just not even going to try, but you can say it.
Transcript
I've been up all night, no sleep. Imagine if medicine actually looked at you as a whole opposed to looking at you as a bunch of separate systems. Dive into Integrated Wellness Radio with Dr. Nick and Dr. Nicole to learn more about the top trends in integrative medicine to learn about what the limitations are with testing and what you can do to start your health journey. Sometimes I tend to lose myself. Hello everyone. Welcome to Integrated Wellness Radio. I have my lovely friend, Dr. Stephanie here. I'm going to totally say your last name wrong, so I'm just not even going to try, but you can say it. It's Canistero. You probably would have said it right. Canistero. All right, I got it now. Yeah. Um, so I'm super excited because we actually uh met each other at a Cellcore event, which I'm sure we'll talk all about shortly because we're both like die hard Cellcore products. But we met each other and kind of had a brief conversation and then realized, we're like, whoa, we have all these similarities and we have such a similar vision on how we work with with clients and I or patients and I just love that because it's really just thinking bigger in this functional and integrative space. So, I want you to tell everyone just a little bit about yourself, um, because we bonded over our conversation about our broken Vegas nerves and our parasite issues, which more to come, people, so don't you worry. Um, but, you know, we're we're both, you know, kind of started our journeys on on these similar paths and now have broken out and are doing different things. So, I would love for you to just tell our audience a little bit more about yourself, what are you doing? What's your philosophy on this world of functional medicine? Yeah, for sure. Thanks for having me and I was excited to talk with you because we're on the same page about literally everything. Um, and I'm sure, well, uh, we'll see each other soon, too, at the Cellcore, right? Yes. Yes. Well, maybe not because I'm giving birth two weeks later. Oh my gosh. Like time flies cuz you were like, I couldn't even tell you were pregnant when we Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, Dr. Nick will be there, though. Okay, yeah, cuz he's talking, right? Yes. Yeah. My name's Stephanie Canistero, as you said, and I got into functional medicine through my own story. Like like a lot of us do. Um, I, you know, was pretty sick even as a baby. I was like the sensitive child, like the one that had all these skin rashes. I couldn't have like plastic diapers on me. I couldn't drink out of a plastic bottle. Like you know, at a time when that wasn't popular, my mom was having to find like, you know, glass bottles. And then I was like the one who was always carsick, the one who was always like the weak kind of gut kind of thing. And you know, and I think it just progressed and progressed into a time where, you know, as things do, the perfect storm when I was, um, in Chiropractic College, it was my last year and I I started getting severe neurological symptoms and my G.I. issues like worsened to the point of like, you know, only going to the washroom blood and a diagnosis of, you know, inflammatory bowel disease tentatively and a tentative MS diagnosis, but no like real path because you had to have five lesions for it to be MS and you had to like And then they couldn't tell if it was like an acute infection or if it was irritable inflammatory bowel disease. And I was really sick and I was having panic attacks, like, and impending doom and, you know, I couldn't sleep. My muscles were twitching. I got days of Bell's Palsy. I got days where my eye was bulging, my hair's falling out in clumps. Like, you know, to say I was a mess is like an understatement. And and you know, and then this is what you see with people. You go I went into the emergency time and time again. And you know, this was from never going into the emergency for anything. Like I, you know, to like, you know, every second day like something was coming up. And no one had answers for me. So, you know, once I was kind of told that like, you don't really have anything, but, you know, you might have something. I I took my health into my own hands. And I was in Chiropractic College and not none of those practitioners were thinking outside of the box the way that we do and the way we started to learn. So, that's when I, you know, went to the internet and found, um, a TED talk by Dr. Terry Walls. She was in a tilt recline wheelchair with M.S. and fixed herself. She was a vegan and she changed to like this organ based diet. And I'm Italian and I was more on a high carb diet. Like, you know, pasta like sandwiches, toast for breakfast, like, you know, margarine was my choice of spread. Like just like things that I'm like, wow, how did I even survive, really? But I really wasn't surviving that well. And, you know, I did a whole revamp and like that helped me a little bit. And it introduced me to the next thing where, you know, the way the world works. I was introduced to someone who did muscle testing on me and he said you have low stomach acid. And then I started taking Betaine. And then I started digesting food a little bit better. And then, you know, down the road I found out I had parasites. I found out I had Lyme. I found out I had molds. Like I had to like, and it's just been a layer by layer like releasing of all of these different toxic levels of infection and, you know, whatever else that we've kind of peeled back. And, you know, mine's been kind of like broken into pieces. And I think, you know, having that kind of understanding with my own story and then, you know, really diving into learning functional medicine, um, starting to learn more and more about muscle testing and, uh, you know, even just all the other little hacks, basics that like, we're not really taught of how to keep yourself healthy. Um, just like, you know, bringing those together for patients and and trying to lay it out for them and really explain what's going on, um, has been like empowering. So, I kind of went from I was a chiropractor. I got myself better enough that I could actually treat cuz I didn't think I ever would to the point where I was seeing like 30 patients a day. And I work with a lot of athletes. So, I've seen like these NHL players after work and I was flying to see NFL players. And I was so proud that I got my body to that point and I I wanted to do more for people, even these athletes I'm working with, right? I started feeling like your tissue feels like crap. Yeah. Like, what's your diet? And like just the basics. And then starting to tell my story and then they would tell me, I have anxiety, too. And I'm like, and then, you know, they're embarrassed to talk about their poop, but they're like, I, you know, my poop's not good. Like, you know, so, So, just getting people more comfortable with that and then and then just seeing these amazing results with them. And then, you know, it started taking on some of their family members that were a little bit more complex cases. And then, you know, learning more. And then Cellcore came I I found Cellcore like right when it came out. And that's the company that you and I use a lot. And that's when I that parasite cleanse with them was I'd done other parasite cleanses before, but that was the one that kind of brought me from being like, okay, I'm pretty good, but then I flare up every so often to like, you know, pretty stable human. And then I released parasites from my nose and brain, I'm pretty sure. And that's what I want to talk to you about, too. Um, after. But, um, and then to a point where I think, you know, I really felt good and feel like I'm healthier than really ever before, which is sad. And this is the the cool thing about it, though, because my story is somewhat similar in the sense of once I did the established or the foundational testing, all these things, you know, come to the surface and really you you only know what you know at the time. Yeah. And I know that in my first interaction with functional medicine, it was really starting to understand the dietary piece. And then there was, you know, some basic blood work. And, um, I got into heavy metal testing. So, I went in and was like, oh, I have heavy metal toxicity. And that was a really big focus of mine. And then you hit a roadblock or an obstacle and then you start to learn about, oh, you could have dysbiosis in your gut. And, oh, you could have parasites. And, oh, there's the thing called mold. And, oh, Lyme disease is real. Yeah. And you start to see all of these things. And you see what role they play in yourself, in your own journey. And then the people that you're working with. And, you know, I wish that I had our knowledge base now when we were in that beginning stage because it would have saved both of us so much time, money, and got us to a point a lot faster. But, you know, our own journeys and learning experiences made us who we are today as practitioners. And this is why when we're working with the individual, and you can, you know, probably speak to this in your own manner, is it's very difficult when someone's like, I just want to lose weight. I just want the pain to be gone. I just want my migraines gone. And we have this this bank of knowledge of you've been putting lotions on your body and shampooing your hair with toxins for about 45 years. You've been eating foods covered in pesticides. You are chalk full of heavy metals cuz you grew up in a city and drank tap water, and, you know, the list goes on. And, you know, what's even, you know, I know the percentages vary, but the percentages of my patients that have parasite infections is like 100%. Exactly. I I say that to people. It's not like do you have a parasite? It's like what's your parasitic load? Yeah. Right? Like Solid. Yes. 100%. And and you know, I always explain to people is that this is not about being a scary conversation and, oh my gosh, there's a laundry list of things wrong with you. But I find, personally, with some individuals, they have parasites as an adaptation. Those parasites are eating the harmful chemical toxicities that are in their body, like cyanide or DDT. Yes, people. We get exposed to this stuff still to this day. Yeah. And these are things that are being overlooked. And it's even honestly being overlooked, I feel like, in the functional medicine space. Agree. You know, there are there are all these branches of functional medicine. There're the branches of the individuals that are pharmaceutical oriented that, you know, provide some level of vitamin therapies or vitamin I.V.s. And then we have the other functional medicine branches that they're like, oh, well, I'm just a Lyme expert and I only focus on Lyme. And I was just talking to my team earlier. I'm like, I think the idea of specialists is one of the biggest detriments to both conventional and functional medicine. I agree. Is you're only you have such a linear view and you're trying to work with one thing that might not actually be the foundational issue. Exactly. Exactly. And I think that we see like the best practitioners are ones that can open their minds to all of the The weird stuff. Yeah. The weird stuff, too. You're talking about muscle testing. There are people that probably heard that and shut down or like muscle testing, weird, woo woo. People, we do this because we kept hitting the roadblock personally. And we kept seeing the roadblocks with our clients is that you want to think that everything is research based and objective in medicine. I know. Oh my gosh. I cannot even tell you how subjective opinionated it all is. I know. Take this medication because I saw it work with someone else who had similar symptoms. Yeah. Like that's what we're working with. I know. And then read the laundry list of side effects that you could have from that medication and nothing is like individualized. And, you know, whenever you get that more and more and more like in specific and shut one thing off, like our body is Like that's why, you know, working with plants and stuff much can be much safer because like there's synergistic effects. There's like an up regulation here and a down regulation there of stuff we still as humans do not understand the way that nature interacts with with with us. We don't understand all of the compounds that are in, you know, even like so much so much research is going into like marijuana because of like CBD, THC, but then there's like terpenes and this and that. Like, you know, it's like there's so much more to know. So, I, you know, and we're energetic beings. And I I thought it was woo woo at first with with muscle testing. Yeah. Like I had a conversation with one of my high school friends who was always a little bit more natural. When I was all like cuz I wanted to go to med school and I was so like, you know, allopathic for no reason. Like it had never helped me before, nothing. Just like I guess the way we're raised, like. And she said the other day, she's like, I just sometimes I can't believe what I'm hearing from you because you were so like painfully the other way. I'm like, I know, I'm sorry. I wish you could tell half of my patients that because like, you know what I mean? We're trying to explain to them kind of this like more fringe now like way of getting information And they're looking at you like you're crazy. And, you know, it's not where I started to be honest, but it's where I got because out of necessity and it works. And I try to like share that as much as I can because 100%. I and that's kind of going back to this idea of the specialty is Yeah. When you think about the foundation of medicine. And I'm talking conventional and I'm also talking about the the lesser developed functional medicine practices. And what I mean by that is it's all biochemical based. When I learn functional medicine, my toolbox was diet and supplements instead of pharmaceutical. And at the end of the day, Pharmaceuticals manipulate your biochemistry, supplements manipulate your biochemistry, and diet manipulate your biochemistry. But we're completely bypassing all of the other aspects of the body. The fact that the heart and the brain are electric. The electric. And the fact that electrons are also, um, they're they're energy, they're vibration, which is energy which is going back to the energetic system. So, we're ignoring this. And then we all consciously know that stress is bad. We know Yeah. Oh, I'm stressed, my stomach hurts. Oh, I'm stressed, my heart speeds up. Oh, I'm stressed, I poop myself. Yeah. But we will then often laugh at the idea that the stress created a chronic illness. Yeah. I know. I know. Um, that was the things that I just kind of kept feeling I kept ignoring, ignoring, ignoring, even in my own self cuz I didn't want to even go there. I didn't want to go to the childhood trauma. I didn't want to deal with the the repressed emotions. I was just like, no, no. No, no, we're not going there. We're just going to keep, you know, doing the the gut reboot. We're going to keep taking the liver supplements. We're going to we're going to stay in that arena. Yeah. And it's just my husband has pushed me outside of the comfort zone tremendously because he is the polar opposite. And everything is energy. And he's like, you can't fix anything or any symptom unless you deal with the foundation of the energy and the emotions. And I'm like, okay. Yes. But I do feel like it's all relevant and it's all it's all varies person to person. Yeah. You know, you have some individuals that they start their biochemical approach and they take their supplements and change their diet. And they're like, I feel like a radically different person in a positive way. Yeah. And then you have other people that do all the things. They do the fanciest therapy, the I.V.s, the ozone, the this, the that. And they're like, I have zero change. Mm-hmm. And it's like that foundational piece is probably being overlooked because it might be emotional or energetic. Yeah. I found for myself like, you know, peeling back a couple of the layers using like the food, which is biochemical, but also can like change your vibration, right? If you're giving your yourself what they need. I felt like that brought me to a point where I could then be strong enough to address those kind of repressed. I feel like I was so bottomed out that that's that's not where I started. I don't even think I was capable of it. Yeah. And then that became something that you then work through. And then you're that's another step ahead. You know, so I think that everyone is is different and you know, I had I think we all have trauma, but I didn't have like trauma trauma, like, you know, like some people do like awful trauma. But, um, you know, life gives us trauma. Like there's no one without it. So, Being sick is a is trauma. Yeah. Yeah. 100%. 100% it is. Um, but I'm saying like the cause for my my thing may like But then there's like past life trauma. Like Yeah. You know. Then we get there and we're like, oh, I got more to do. I've got a generational. Yeah. Patterns of like, right? So, Yeah. Yeah. I think it just all like is a stepping stone to the next thing where you can kind of elevate, you know, vibration, your own health. And and then get to a point where you're elevated enough that you can help other people. But I think the beauty of this conversation is just everybody like you said is so so different with where they need to start or or even what their journey looks like. But it's the fact that we're even considering the possibilities. And that's really what I love, you know, to teach other practitioners about is to start thinking outside the box and start asking better questions, asking different questions and kind of go go to the unknown territory that a lot of other practitioners don't want to go to. They don't want to ask how are things at home. Like Yeah. You're doing all these great therapies here with me, but are you going home to a toxic environment? You know, are you living in mold? Are you Do you hate your job? Do you feel like you don't even know what your purpose is? Yeah. So, being able to at least like maybe not have all the tools but to ask better questions in order to say, hey, this might be a piece and this could really it it enhance what we're doing together. Yeah. 100%. Like there's so much that like And like you can't do it all in one sitting. Like these things even come up That's why you work closely with people and then you move on to the next thing because like you can't go through one call and go through everything that you need to do to heal. Like it's not possible. So, there has to be some sort of commitment to like you have to feel like that practitioner resonates with you and then you have to like, you know, just it's like a it's you grow together as well. Like we learn from our patients, right? I don't know about you. 100%. If you really listen to them, like. Yeah. Yeah. It's amazing. I it's, you know, one of the the best parts of the job. Mm-hmm. But you did tell us that parasites came out of your nose. So, we're not going to like just, you know, like graze over that and not really go into that story. And then I'll probably tell my horrific story about parasites. I, um, I know that like we live and breathe the idea of parasites and working on it with patients and, you know, I'm sure that we talked about it when we had dinner together. Yeah. But, um, it is something that, you know, my team they're always constantly doing market research. And they were talking about how on Tik Tok, everybody's talking about parasites and doing parasite cleanses and, you know, there's always like the new craze and the new trend. So, I would love to dive into this conversation with you because I do think that there's myths around it. I think there is misinterpretation of the best way to go about it. There's obviously a lot of different information about what like How to go about it? How to do it right? How to not make yourself sick? Um, but then also we have our own personal experiences with it, too. So, you mentioned you've done parasite cleanses, but then you got to the Cellcore products. And this was a little bit of my story, too. So, I'm curious, like, what what happened for you with that? Um, from, you know, certain products to then using Cellcore. Like what was that big difference for you? Yeah. Um, I mean, I think mimosa pudica for me personally was like the biggest thing, which is what's in their Pare One. Um cuz the other, um, cleanses I did were more like, okay, we and the binders. Obviously, the fulvic and humic acids. But the, uh, like I did Bentonite Clay and then I did it was all the herbs, but like a lot of the there wasn't like, oh, let's support your liver first. Like I went right into like killing parasites and like taking the Bentonite Clay. And I literally was like bedridden for 24 hours. Like like the the deepest exhaustion, like flu-ish symptoms, like, you know, purging whatever and like it was very, very, very tough on the body. I didn't know anything about supporting, you know, it's just like all of a sudden you're eating clean. All of a sudden, so you're already detoxing from that. All of a sudden, I'm taking a whole bunch of, you know, plant medicine that I've never taken before. You know, the clay is meant to help a bit, but I know it pulls some stuff as well. And yeah. So, that one was like I still was better in the end, but it was like a scary kind of Yeah. few days to get through. Um, yeah, there was no real support there. And, um, and then, you know, and then at someone, oh, it's Candida and so then we did a Candida with protocol and then symptoms crept back up. And then it was like, you know, oh, it's SIBO, maybe. SIBO protocol. And then it was like, you know, I you're still I was still like teeter tottering on being healthy or feeling like, you know, vibrant or not having anxiety or sleeping through the night. So, um, you know, someone's like, you know, you have to try Cellcore. And they were brand new at that time. And it was within days. Like So, I I didn't even do the full support cuz I I did do like liver and gallbladder support from like another company. And they didn't even have it. It was Biotoxin Binder. They had Biolyte, they had CT. So, there's are the three different binders. And then they had Pare One, Pare Two. And I think that was it. Yeah. And but it it changed it literally changed my life. Like my anxiety was down within two days. My bowel movements were all solid, which I'd never had in years. Like, um, I I was dropping weight like inflammatory weight like crazy. Um, and my mood changed and and I just like was like shouting, everybody has to do this. You know, like Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, it obviously then you find it doesn't work exactly like that for everybody. Yeah. You know, and judging all the other things that I'd done, but it's all a learning process in it and but it helps like even just following the basics from 2016. Like I was revisiting other patients that hadn't like got the results I wanted. We're trying that. And they're like, oh my gosh. You know, so Yeah. That was kind of And then, you know, Cellcore came coming out with new things. And then we started thinking of different ways to use them. And so then I started flushing my nose because I had like, you know, when on our parasite questionnaire, it's like, do you have a buildup of boogers in your nose. We talk about such sexy things. So, like disgusting. Like couldn't breathe properly. Like and, you know, started again not really sleeping through the night. And, um, so, I started taking a neti pot. And I would do the saline. And then I would put I started off with oxygen and it helped a little bit. That's one of the Cellcore's, the Hydrogen. But eventually, I got to the point where I was using one of the binders. And so, I was putting the binder through with some Biocidin, another herbal mix through my nose. And all of these things start coming out of my nose. Like down the sink. And I stopped the sink to see what it was. And it's these filarial worms. Like Wow. A whole it was crazy. But then and then I blew my nose. And there they were in there. And oh my goodness. And I and I was like I felt so like a release. And I So, I felt that and then I felt my liver, which is always a problem go like like like gurgling and like Yeah. Like And it just felt like something released. And I felt like Yeah. lighter. Yeah. Uh And, you know, and then I continued that that nose flushing for honestly, I still do it now and still some stuff is coming, but the stuff that started coming out deep from in my face, like biofilms, like all of this, like and first it started off green and yellow. Then it was like worms. And now it's like a a deep mucus. Is all Like it's clear mostly now. But clearing it out of my face gives me like like I feel like I can breathe. Like And so now I'm all obsessed with the sinuses now because I'm like I didn't even know that it was deep in there. I just thought I had it in here, right? Mm-hmm. But that's not the case. And I didn't have sinus headaches. Or I didn't really feel pressure. But Yeah. when I noticed, I use I thought back. And I'm like, when I'm working out, so increase my heart rate, whatever, I would get like snot just came out of this nose. And this is the nostril that everything's worse in. Mm-hmm. And it would be this big like gob and then it would just go away and I'd be like, eh, whatever. Yeah. And then I realized, you know, if I kissed my husband and he blocked this nose, I couldn't breathe at all. And then I realized like one nostril was never working. It was fully blocked with worms. And then I started researching filarial worms and M.S., which I had some of my flats. Whatever. And they found like they did uh a cadaver study of C.S.F. fluid, this guy Dr. Alan McDonald. And they found filarial worms and like 30, 40%. They found Lyme disease in 100% of the brains. Yeah. cerebro spinal fluid. And then they found filarial. And then he did Even two of them had the larva of cestodes. So, tapeworm larva in the brain. Oof. Yeah. So, you know, these things people don't think like get into your brain and like hijack your brain and make you have anxiety and make And so, you know, I I just found that super interesting. And you know, But the thing that always interests me about this conversation of saying, you know, this is the people are not even thinking about it is one of the primary recommendations when you're pregnant is do not change the cat litter when you are pregnant. And most I ask this question all the time. I go, do you know why they say that? Yeah. Yeah. And people are like, no. No. I just thought like, you know, you just don't want to be exposed to the feces. I'm like, exactly. But the reason is because they are carriers of a parasite called Toxoplasmosis, which can affect your nervous system and your brain. And they're like, what? Yeah. And so, the idea of parasites is known, but is completely overlooked in conventional medicine and even in the infectious disease branch. Yeah. But when we're talking about like people are probably sitting here like, how the heck do you get things in your nose? Like, people, think about swimming, swimming in lakes. Yeah. Swimming in rivers and there are parasites that even can go in via walking barefoot through bodies of water. So, these are things that are common, more common than you may realize. And there's obviously a whole slew of issues with what we're getting exposed to from a food perspective. Of industrial and factory farming. So, it's not uncommon as the point that we want to make, but you have to take that bet that step back. Like you had a very serious diagnosis. You know, they're sitting there telling you, how old were you when they said that you had potentially had M.S.? 25. Yeah. So, there is there are many individuals that would be stricken with fear and do very aggressive therapies. And most of those therapies are immunosuppressive. Because they say, well, your immune system is attacking your brain or a part of your body. So, let's shut the immune system down. But very typically the foundation is a massive infection or toxicity, which now can thrive in an environment that has no immune defenses. Yeah. Yeah. It's backwards. And sideways and upside down. Like but what when will it become mainstream? I don't know. They're so resistant to anything parasite if is what I've noticed. Except if it's acute and you've been in a third world country. Like chronic parasites don't exist to them. Meanwhile to us it's the almost the cause of every single or one of the causes of every single named disease in this day and age. Yeah. I don't know if you agree, but I personally feel like a huge driving force behind I don't want to say mental illness, but a lot of mental triggers, you know, from anxiety to depression to rumination, holding grudges, like resentment, anger. There is a lot that is attributed to individuals that are harboring significant parasite infections. Oh, I couldn't agree anymore. And, I can relate to this because my story, I did not have them come out of my sinuses, but I am totally doing your little regimen and I'll keep I'll keep everyone posted. Keep everyone posted. But, um, it's interesting, cuz I do, um, some unique testing. So, we're collaborating together for a client now, you know, to do some of this D.N.A. testing. So, when I did the D.N.A. testing a long time ago, I had parasite infections coming up. Specifically, roundworm. And, you know, I did a variety of different things. I actually took mimosa, but I took mimosa leaves. So, guys, when you're talk when we're saying this term mimosa pudica, just understand that there is a very big difference between consumption of the leaves versus the seed. Yeah. But I've taken that. I've taken wormwood. I've taken, um, cat's claw and I, gosh, I can't even remember all the artemisinin. I've taken some pretty powerful products. And very similar to what you were saying is that went in gung ho with the killing mindset without actually preparing the body for elimination by supporting the the liver and the bowels and the lymphatic system. So, that's problem number one with the individuals that are purchasing these random killing agents on the internet. You have to make sure you can get it out. Dead matter sitting in your body is going to cause a whole boatload of problems. Yeah. But fast forward, it was actually like two years ago that I re-did my D.N.A. testing in office and I had my whole, uh, right side of my small intestine came up. And it was coming up with active roundworm. And I was just annoyed. Honestly, just like, you gotta be kidding me. Like all the crap that I've done for myself, like I don't have time for this right now. Like, maybe the D.N.A. testing is wrong. So people, I understand frustration. Like, I do in that moment. I was just like, denial. Like total denial. Like I just was over it. So, I did nothing about it. And then, uh, Cellcore came into our lives. And Cellcore came in and they did a lunch and learn and one of our team members, um, started taking some of the samples they left. And she was taking MitoATP and Pare One, which is one of their parasite products. And she and I was like, oh, how like how is it? She's like, dude. She's like, you should see the things coming out of my body. And I was like, okay. Do we have more samples? Yeah. Yeah. So, I literally started doing the same thing. I started taking MitoATP and the Pare One. And I usually will test. So, we do muscle testing in our office as well. And I usually will have them test to make sure it's good. But I was just like, whatever, I'm just gonna take it. Yeah. So, my gut was kind of acting a bit off and it felt um a little bit sluggish. Almost like paste was moving through my bowels. And I I was two weeks in and I was like, I'm stopping this. Like I'm gonna stop it because I don't think it's good for me. I probably should have had them test me to make sure, but I don't think it's good. So, literally, the day that I made that decision, I had a bowel movement and passed a two-foot parasite. Oh my gosh. Two feet. Like you know, People, do you know what that is like? Like that is the most horrific moment of your life. I screamed at the top of my lungs. My husband thought I like died in the bathroom. It was And and by the way, backtrack. I know Dr. Steph knows this, but you have to have a parasite for like a solid 30 years for it to grow that big. That big. So, I was a walking parasite. And everyone asked me after that, they're like, wow, you must feel like a new person. Like your gut must feel amazing. And I was like, to be really honest, I don't feel any changes in my gut, but what I felt was massive changes in my psyche. I felt like I I felt like I let go of yeah. a pound of I don't want to say trauma. It wasn't trauma. Like I just let go of energy that was sucking the life out of me, literally. And I just That low vibration. Right? And they're they're toxic and like It was just. Like you said, they're absorbing our toxins. So, they're helpful in some ways. That's why we bind up stuff and get rid of stuff. But like they're just like they are. And people have releases. Like I've been with someone who like goes flush and pale right before they're going to pass worms. And they would like go to the washroom and come back and then they have like all this color again. Like Yeah. It's it's so profound stuff too. Like. And, one side note, I want to say for the audience because a lot of people might be thinking like, well, why can't you find these in testing? I've done a stool sample. You know, where are these coming from. So on and so forth. And just remember, these are organisms that they feed off of you. You are the host. You are the food. So, your food is their food. The different pathogens in your body are their food. So, they thrive in an environment where they can consume. So, once they leave your body, they do not have that host anymore. So, they autolyze. They self-destruct. So, by the time your stool sample reaches the lab and they process it, there is no traces of parasites. This is why in veterinary hospitals if you suspect parasites in your dog, they get the fecal sample and they put it under a microscope immediately. Right away. Yeah. Within like 15 minutes or something. Exactly. We have better practices for pets than we do for humans. Well, and I mean, the fact that you de-worm your dog, but you don't de-worm you. And you have a dog and the dog licks your face and, you know, and and like if you there are like great papers even on like all the different parasites that are are are common in your central nervous system. And that can cause all these like anxiety behaviors and even schizophrenia. And one of them is from a dog. Like I can't remember what it's called right now. Uh I don't know. Cariy I don't know. We can put it in the notes or something, but I can't remember what it's called off the top of my head. Cariy is Toxocariasis. Yeah, that's what it is. Got it. From your dogs. And that goes it loves your like So, people think, oh, cats are the dirty ones and they have toxoplasmosis, but there's there's there's multiple ones that like can cross the blood brain barrier, especially in people that already have a disrupted gut barrier. And then we know that's, you know, those same chemicals make it to your blood brain barrier and and it gets breached. So, there's such like a connection that people don't understand. And I get it cuz it took me years of studying to understand, but like it's a real thing. 100%. Mm-hmm. All right. So, we have talked about many different things today. But, um, one of the things that we want to really just kind of circle in as we wrap up is we both have had these experiences with parasites and we both have had actually had very intense experiences with Vegas nerve dysfunction. And I was actually having this conversation the other day of how connected this can be. And I think our experiences were a bit different. But, um, your vagus nerve is innervating your gastro gastrointestinal system. So, having parasites and pathogens that are creating that inflammation can really be one assault on your vagus nerve. Let alone, if you've had a head injury or a neck injury. And so, it this compounding effect is and you tell me what your thoughts are on this. I think it's one of the driving forces behind um POTS syndrome. And dysautonomia is, you know, they're calling it dysautonomia. They're calling it, you know, orthostatic tachycardia, also known as POTS syndrome. But when I was young, I was fainting. I was fainting but it was I was being told cuz it was always close to my menstrual cycle, that it was happening because I probably had a cyst, they they couldn't confirm, and it was becoming inflamed around my cycle. Or like bursting. They tell people a lot, it's a burst cyst. And that's why you faint. Yeah. Or yeah. Yeah. Um, no. I I mean, like, you know, just toxins in your gut, like can ride up the vagus nerve and then, you know, cause the vagus nerve to not work properly. Or it can be like a it's like a bidirectional pathway. Like that's how certain bugs can get into the brain. Um, you know, and our our gut lining has has more nerve endings in it than our spinal cord, right? So, like Yeah. people call it the second brain and, you know, it it's it's above and beyond that, I think. But so, you know, our it also innervates our heart, our vagus nerve, every single organ. And they say not the adrenal gland, but I don't know how much I believe that. But, you know, I'm sure they'll figure that out one day. But, you know, even like people I have people who have POTS. Or and I suffered with tachycardia. It was one of my things. Um, and almost fainting and all of that. But I have had people with seizures who I teach I'm like a simple vagal nerve stimulation that I created to take myself out of anxiety, using a toothpick, and they can stop their seizures by activating their vagus nerve because also straight you can your vagus nerve can get almost let's call it paralyzed or like it can't do its job to regulate your parasympathetic nervous system, which is your rest and digest side because of toxins. Or even like we know viruses can infect it. Lyme like the the vagus nerve. Um, but if you strengthen it, you can actually that increases your immune system to fight things off. So, it's like we're not like we just need to take herbs to get it, uh, Do you say herbs or herbs? I don't know, Tomato, tomato. Whatever. Um, so, you know, one of the things that we do is try to make people do different lifestyle things to turn on their vagus nerve. I know you use the Amp Coil, which I'm learning more about because of you. Um, you know, and it's it's such a powerful thing and then people can respond better to treatments. And, you know, I I think things need to be done in tandem, but the vagus nerve is responsible for so many different things in through like things like your heart rate, just like we were talking about for POTS. Right? And we talk about heart rate variability a lot because your heart rate isn't supposed to be like beating at the exact same pace. Like think about us, is this good for something? Like we want it to be beating like it's whole and and it's and when you don't have that variability, that's when people feel anxiety. And they feel stress. And they feel that. And then if you stimulate their vagus nerve, you can measure their pulse and pressure and blood pressure and you can see it go down. So, we've had people stop seizures that they have never been able to stop before and they're in their twenties by activating their vagus nerve. So, like in the moment. So, I think it's a huge, huge, huge part of it. And I think that I don't know what comes first, sometimes the chicken or the egg? Are we stressed? And then we lower our immune system. And then we get the parasites. And then the toxins get the vagus nerve. But, you know, sometimes we have to go after them in tandem. Some sometimes people can just handle turning on the vagus nerve first and then treating the actual underlying cause. You know, that's a thing that we learn as practitioners and we kind of play around with. But there's lots of different cues that your your vagus nerve isn't functioning like anxiety. Like stiff neck, like even stiff hands is a big one. Um, dry mouth, shallow breathing, um, inability to swallow pills, um, like monotone voice, like because it has a hand in so many different things, right? So, It really does. Yeah. And, you know, some of the things that I see, too, is I have anxiety. I always ask people nowadays, I'm like, what does that mean to you? Is that like, you know, you have panic attacks? Your heart races? Is it random? Is it warranted? And they're like, well, randomly I'll have my heart start racing in the middle of a grocery store. And I'm like, that might not be anxiety. That might be a vagus nerve tissue. Uh, and that's getting triggered for whatever reason at that moment. And I know for myself, I think I already had a vagus nerve vulnerability because of the gut issues that was going on cuz I had a compounding factor of mercury saturation and then parasite issues. But, um, I had a very bad head injury when I was in, uh, was I No, I was in college. And I walked away with 13 staples in my head, a severe concussion, and a sprained neck. And that was the icing on the cake because that's when I started having random dizzy spells, which it happened when I got up too fast, so it was no big deal. And then that quickly turned into full-blown losing my vision after exercising, which then turned into fainting. And nobody could help. And it really wasn't until I started doing my own protocols and cleaning out my gut and doing chiropractic that I started to see glimpses that I wasn't having the fainting or losing the vision. And I was like, oh, there's a connection here. Exactly. Yeah. And it's I tell people all the time, it doesn't seem obvious. Like it does to us now, but like it's like toxic load. And once you get a head injury, like your blood brain barrier opens up for a reason. It's like, we're damaged. We need to let some stuff in here. And we need to figure this out, right? That's why our body even has a a chemical called Zonulin. But when that Zonulin's released, it also opens up our our gut barrier. So, if we already have parasites and mercury and SIBO and whatever toxins are in there, then we get that into the bloodstream. And then that's getting into the brain. So, like, you know, it's kind of like our body tries to help us, but sometimes we don't even know how toxic we were. And then it's something traumatic like that that pushes us over the edge. And then I find that people who are more toxic, it can be a slight bump to the head and they have full-blown concussion symptoms because of how toxic they are. Right? So, Yeah, it's it all kind of very very interestingly goes together. Like it's just Yeah. I it's amazing. I think even just, you know, wrapping it up, it's what you just said was I think huge for the audience to take away is that everything's connected at the end of the day. And to focus just on gut or just on vagus nerve or just on pathogens or parasites, you're going to see limited results. And if you have the ability to look at it all and say, okay, maybe there is a couple of different pieces to this puzzle, but where do we start? Where do we start for you? What's the foundational problem for you? And that's really where we're gonna see the the most results. So, for those of you that feel failed by conventional medicine, first of all, there is hope. For those of you that have tried even functional medicine and felt like you hit a roadblock, there is hope. It's just I personally feel strategy is key. It's asking better questions, doing better diagnostics and then creating a road map that works from foundation up. You can't kill if you don't have elimination pathways working. So, it's looking at all of those pieces is is huge. And I I'm so happy to have met you. Because you it's awesome to be, you know, just working side by side, you know, with our core clients and being able to really shift how people are thinking about medicine and just to give them answers and give them solutions that actually work. Yeah. And I know that we plan to collaborate more and more because I think the more people like us together, the better we can spread the word or impact people's lives or maybe shift a whole paradigm at some point because God knows it needs it now more than ever. Like in the state of the world right now. 100%. I 100% agree. Well, thank you guys for being with us. We hope this was not actually horrifying, but super insightful. There's plenty more to come on this topic. Thank you so much. We thank you for being a listener and subscriber to Integrated Wellness Radio. If you're looking to learn more about Integrated Wellness Group as well as Dr. Nick or Dr. Nicole, you can check out integratedwellnessgroup.com. I've been all right, no sleep, cuz I feel like I'm always dreaming. Where am I? That's so okay.
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Integrative You Radio is a root cause medicine and integrative medicine podcast hosted by Dr. Nicole Rivera and Dr. Nick Carruthers — two integrative doctors who build personalized wellness protocols from your DNA, minerals, hormones, gut, and nervous system rather than from a population template. Looking for an integrative doctor who reads your labs together instead of in isolation? This is the show.
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