442: Burning Sensation, Food Elimination, Pre-Diabetes, Alzheimer's, Hives, Fibromyalgia, Tourette's Syndrome & LPR (HouseCall)

Welcome back to this weekend's Cabral HouseCalls! We have a biggest Q&A ver this weekend answering over 16 of our community's questions! LaSandra: Hi, Dr. Cabral. I found your podcast a few weeks ago and have been obsessively trying to catch up on previous calls. My good friend has been struggling with some neurological issues and cannot get answers from her physicians. A few months ago she had a cervical disc replacement in her neck, but her symptoms continue to worsen. She has burning sensations in her mouth, tongue, upper shoulders and head. She also feels like she has a lump in her throat. She recently found out that she has extremely high B6 levels even after quitting her multivitamin. I told her that I had heard you talk about the MTHFR gene and that it might be related. Because she can't find information on it with the Mayo Clinic, she is skeptical. She is unsure of where to go from here. Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! Angela: Hi Dr. Cabral! First off, thank you for your amazing work. I've been listening to your podcast for only a few months now and it has become a part of my daily routine. I have already seen rewarding progress by the numerous little changes you have suggested. I have also spoken very highly of you to friends, colleagues and family, and I'm borderline becoming that Nutrition nerd that is full of facts and guidance! Now for my question: I have always struggled with acne and digestion issues since I was a kid, but not anything acute or serious. My mother was always hesitant with antibiotics and always work to heal me as gently as possible. I have been detoxing bi-annually for about 3 years now and two days ago I finished your 14 day Dr. Cabral Detox. WOW! I feel amazing. However, before I started the detox I completed an IGG food sensitivity test with my local Naturopath, and the results show that I have way more sensitivities than what I expected. The top 5 foods of my elevated intolerance are: egg whites, Cow's milk, Baker's yeast, cashews, and rice. I also show high sensitivity to every dairy and wheat source that was tested, as well as, almonds, amaranth, beans (kidney, white, and soy) and peas. I am concerned with how I should continue my diet due to the fact that I am also sensitive to the main alternatives of wheat and dairy, and the great protein source of beans. I have a few plans and would like your opinion on their validity: - I am continuing to not eat any fruit or starch vegetables for another week and then I am going to introduce starch carbs, Quinoa, and oats back into my diet like you have suggested on an earlier podcast. I am looking forward to balanced sugar levels and hormones. - Suggested by my Naturopath: I am going to test the strength of my stomach acid with a burp test and if needed, taking acid capsules at meals to test the strength (I can't remember the name of the acid) REAL QUESTION TIME: - How long should I cut out these foods to see results and what should I be doing to heal my gut? - What is the best way to naturally increase my stomach acid to healthy levels? - Can I ever eat these foods again that i'm sensitive to and how should I plan this? - What exactly is food combining and will this help with my digestion/absorption/stomach acid health? Thank you so much for your time, I really appreciate everything you offer! Angela Emily: Hi Dr Cabral, thank you for doing this podcast and spreading knowledge. I recently got my blood test back and my Hgb A1c is 5.4%. ESTIMATED AVERAGE GLUCOSE is 108 mg/dL. How do I prevent pre-diabetes and get my Hgb A1c down? My mother has pre-diabetes and my grandmother (on my mom's side) has diabetes. Thank you Amanda: I would like to know what my mom can do to improve her memory, as it appears she is in the early stage of Alzheimer's or dementia. She is 61, not over weight, eats a relatively healthy diet and is active. She drinks maybe 3-5 glasses of wine or rum and cokes a week. She does not have any other health concerns that we are aware of. She has been forgetful for about the last 5 years. However this last year her short term memory has gotten worse. She will ask me a question and then ask me the same question 5 minutes later. She knows she is struggling. I would love to have her work with you if you feel this is an area you can help with. Love the show Thanks, Amanda Rau Allison: well. I was listening to an episode Dr. Cabral previously did on hives and was hoping to ask a question regarding my situation. I am 34 years old. Four months ago I started to get hives on my body. I now have hives every day and they are severe. The doctors I have seen have not been able to help me. Detail are as follows. Originally there would be small outbreaks of hives on my arms, pelvis area, legs and stomach that usually would go away with antihistamines. After a couple months the hives started getting worse, covering larger portions of my body, and the antihistamines stopped working. For the past 6 weeks, the hives have become constant, covering my back, legs, arms, neck and some days, my face. They seem to get worse from pressure and heat so I wear light loose cotton clothing to cover my body. I also have swelling to my eyes and lips occasionally. I had a son 5 months before the hives began so initially thought it was hormone related and stopped nursing. When that didn't resolve the issue, I stopped eating gluten, dairy, sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. This was 6 weeks ago. I also changed all products in our house including laundry detergent, dish soap, hand soap, diaper wipes, etc. 6 weeks ago I also started taking probiotics, vitamin D, B12, a multivitamin. I also started taking fresh garlic and coconut oil daily. My doctor has done the standard blood tests and found no obvious problems. Outstanding results from various tests include low RBC (3.84), C reactive protein of 13.9 ( very high), no hepatitis B immunity detected. H. pylori IgG was 0.59. Allergy testing for common allergens and inhalants did not show any issues. I had an ovo parasite test done that showed I had many blastocystis hominis and I was treated with 2 courses of antibiotics which has not helped. Specifically I took paromomycin – 1000 mg x 2/day and metronidazole – 750 mg x 3/day for 10 days. I have been prescribed the following antihistamines by my doctor, allergist, and the emergency room but none have helped consistently. Cetirizine, Loratadine, Bilastine, Hydroxyzine, Zantac and Rupatadine. I started getting Xolair (omalizumab) injections of 300mg yesterday. Today the hives were not as bad as they have been the last 3 weeks but they are still all over my body and constant. I am nervous to stay on Xolair given the side effects and it is not solving the problem, just trying to mask it. Other potentially related symptoms: I am often tired. I have undigested food in my stool which is relatively recent (last 2-3 months). I am usually cold. I do not seem to be sweating as much as I used to or at all. I have seen my doctor several times as well as two allergists, an emergency room doctor, a naturopath and an infectious disease doctor. No one has been able to help. I have had hives every day since mid December. I would be very grateful for any help you could provide. Thank you. Maria: Hi Dr. Cabral thank you so much for everything you do. Listening to your podcasts I know I have yeast overgrowth I was given antibotics 3 times in one year. Have all the systems, now feel like I have fibromyalgia. Feel like its getting worst. Will a gastrologist help me dont know where to turn. Im really scared. If so is there someone I could see for this on the northshore in MA. I never would have know this if it wasnt for you. I would try on my own listening to what you say to do but I get a little mixed up on all the things. Thank you. Maria Aiden: Hi Dr. Cabral, I have Tourette's Syndrome and have lived with it for at least 20 years. When I was younger I was given medication and I took it blindly until I started to feel like I wasn't myself. I accepted it as part of who I am and accepted that I will live with it and stopped searching for a "cure." It's been so long since I've given much thought to treating it. Is there anything I can do to help control my tics? Anything I could focus on adding or taking away from my diet to reduce them? Thank you for your time and insight. Aiden Edward: I am currently battling the various symptoms of LPR: asthma, chronic, recurring, cough, occasional lump in throat, and general discomfort in lungs and throat. Is this disease something you have dealt with, in your practice, and, if so, what advice would you give? LPR seems to be notoriously hard to beat. I hope you enjoyed the show and be sure to tune back in tomorrow for 8 brand new questions! - - - Show Notes: http://StephenCabral.com/442 - - - Get Your Question Answered: http://StephenCabral.com/askcabral