'Go After the Upstream, Root Cause Effect First with A Functional Medicine Approach'
Jordan Kelly • November 18, 2024

Two Functional Doctors Discuss the Wisdom in A Test-Based, Phased Approach with An 'Upstream' Root Cause vs 'Downstream' Symptoms Approach

This half-hour interview between high-profile U.S. functional practitioner, Evan Brand, and a (lesser-known?) Texas-based functional practitioner and chiropractor, Dr Justin Marchegiani, is one of the fastest-moving conversational exchanges I've come across in my mold illness research to date.


Which is both a good thing and a not-so-good thing, depending on the specific point you're at in your own learning curve. If you're way back at the beginning - while everything I choose to include in Mind the Mold is of significant informative value - some of this content is going to be way past the end of your current curve. If you're further along in your self-education, you'll be picking up value point after value point . . . if you stay sufficiently attentive to follow along with their cracking pace.


However, while they flip back and forth between the highly technical (e.g. the many different types of mold by name) and the more immediately useful for the layman (e.g. why molds grow more readily in certain types of building materials than others), there's definitely enough here to hang onto, if you have the time. Overall, it's a wealth of information for the mold patient and the practitioner, alike.


Gut Health As the Starting Point for Effective Detoxification . . . And Why


One of the central points they return to over and over again is gut health . . . and why this is the starting point for effective mold detoxification. In this context, they constantly raise the issue of probiotics, and specifics relating to these.


Prominent among their other (and directly related) key points of focus is (no surprise) binders. To be noted, every practitioner featured on Mind the Mold (except for one, and I'll flag that in those articles) is in violent agreement regarding the criticality of these to any detox protocol - although different practitioners use these in different ways and at different times. For better or for worse? I don't know. What I find is that the more research I do, the more I see commonalities of preferences and the associated espoused logic. My own general rule of thumb is that the more agreement I see between practitioners in a certain regard, the more credence I attribute to it.


Quoting from the commentary under the podcast:


"When the liver processes toxins, they get excreted through bile and to the small intestine. If the toxins are not meant to do anything, most of them will get reabsorbed in the gut," explains the written commentary. "This is called enterohepatic recirculation.


"Binders can be used to attach to the toxins that pass through the digestive tract to be eliminated. Different binders have affinities for toxins based on the net charge and other molecular bonds.


"One commonly used binder is Chlorella - a living organism that has evolved to bind only to toxic metals, not essential minerals. Thus, it can be used long-term with no risk of nutritional deficiency over time.


"Charcoal, on the other hand, is a broad-spectrum binder that will bind a little bit of everything. It will bind not only toxins, but also vitamins and minerals. So, it's more suitable for acute situations, not long-term.


"Humic and Fulvic Acids are made of decomposed plant matter, essentially dirt. They have been shown to detox glyphosate.


"The binder that suits someone can also differ significantly based on the specific load of toxin. What works well for someone can also change during different phases of treatment, especially when the root cause is identified and fixed."


There's a whole lot more discussed in this podcast, and again, it's worth your time regardless of where you sit in your mold and mold illness learning curve.

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