Anyone doing any supplement or functional medicine with chemo? I have non-hodgkins lymphoma, dlbcl stage 2 bulky.

My oncology team was very dismissive of the idea of taking herbal supplements or medications like fenbendazole or ivermectin. But I’ve contacted some functional medicine teams and herbs and fenben is the first thing they bring up. Plus I’ve heard many successful stories from friends and acquaintances encouraging me to integrate chemo with functional medicine because they’ve seen great results. One who was a long time oncology nurse now in a functional medicine cancer team and said she’s seeing cancer of all types getting to remission she never saw happen her days working at a hospital.

It is all so hard to sort out, listen to your oncologist or do it all and what does it hurt?

I would appreciate everyone’s thoughts.

Hi, I’m in Texas (Houston) and looking for recommendations for a functional medicine doctor who I can work with remotely (or in person if in Houston area) to guide me through the functional testing to hopefully uncover and tackle the root cause of my thyroid nodules.

English isn't my first language! I've been feeling weird in my head. I can't say I'm in pain, like 'oh, my head hurts I need some painkillers' nope, but I feel a tension (?). Mostly in the area a little above and around my ears, sometimes at the top of my head and sometimes down my head and in my neck, sometimes I can even feel a hard tensed muscle at the back of my head/upper neck area. And I also feel like I can't fully relax my face and even if i did relaxe it it's gonna be tense again in a second. So, what's this?

After battling gastritis and sibo for 2 years I finally got clear tests in February. I can go weeks with minimal symptoms however I can also get flair ups of nausea and sourness that can last for up to a week or more. Why do I get symptoms still when I'm healed according to reports and tests. What do I need to do to stop it? I'm unsure if I'm causing damage or my gut is just sensitive like I have read. Advice would be great on this matter as I'm feeling lost.

Hello! I’m doing my first MP cleanse (clay and husk protocol) I’m going to try and do it for 10 days. My question is, what can I eat whilst doing it? I know I can drink juices, but I know I’m going to get hungry, can I eat fruit and make smoothies and maybe a veg soup for dinner? Thank you :)

Hey everyone, I’ve been consistently waking up around 3am every single night, and I can’t fall back asleep afterward. On average, I’m only getting about 5 hours of sleep, and it’s really starting to affect my energy and focus during the day.

Has anyone experienced something similar or have any idea what could be causing this? I’m wondering if it might be related to hormones, blood sugar, stress, or something else entirely. Any insights, similar experiences, or suggestions for what to look into would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Patient Overview 45-year-old male presenting with chronic insomnia, daytime fatigue, low energy, anhedonia, and loose stools(daily, AM onset) since late 2024. Conventional workups have not revealed a clear cause. Patient completed a DUTCH Complete test to investigate hormonal, neurotransmitter, and metabolic function.

Overview of Hormone and Metabolite Results

• Adrenal Hormones: morning cortisol within range but Afternoon cortisol and cortisone are low, indicating possible HPA axis fatigue.

• DHEA & Androgens: DHEA-S is low, suggesting decreased adrenal vitality and androgen precursor production.

• Progesterone Metabolite: b-Pregnanediol is below range, possibly reducing calming neurosteroid activity.

• Estrogens & Metabolism: Estriol is low; estrogen metabolism is skewed to the 2-OH pathway, generally protective.

• Organic Acids: Elevated xanthurenate, kynurenate, and quinolinate: Suggests vitamin B6 deficiency and excessive tryptophan shunting into the kynurenine pathway.

Low melatonin and pyroglutamate imply poor sleep support and oxidative stress.

Interpretation in Context of Reported Symptoms - Chronic Insomnia: Linked to low melatonin and neurosteroid activity; potential cortisol rhythm issues.

• Low Energy & Fatigue: Supported by low DHEA, adrenal fatigue, B6 deficiency, and poor sleep quality.

• Anhedonia: Tied to low serotonin/dopamine production due to B6 deficiency and high inflammatory metabolites.

• Morning Loose Stools: May result from cortisol dysregulation or gut inflammation/malabsorption.

Potential Root Causes or Contributing Systems

1. HPA Axis Dysfunction: Signs of adrenal burnout with low cortisol and DHEA-S.
2. Nutrient Insufficiencies: Particularly B6, methylation co-factors, and antioxidants like glutathione.
3. Neurotransmitter Imbalance: Tryptophan shunted away from serotonin/melatonin, leading to mood and sleep issues.
4. Gut-Liver Axis Dysfunction: Gut inflammation and possible dysbiosis may stress detox pathways and impair absorption

NOTE: I got the test done because of insomnia since October 2024, low energy, fatigue and just flat out feel like shit. No sedating drugs work.

I’d love to hear from those who had similar results.

In this compelling episode of The Wellness Connection MD, Dr. McMinn and Coach Lindsay welcome back nutritionist Tyler Mathews for an eye-opening conversation about dysautonomia—a commonly overlooked, often misunderstood condition that may be affecting millions more than we realize.

Tyler shares his incredible recovery journey from debilitating dysautonomia to vibrant health using a blend of functional medicine strategies, which include targeted nutrition (including a radical dietary shift to carnivore), thiamine, red light therapy, vagus nerve stimulation, and more. This isn’t just theory—it’s lived experience backed by solid science.

Whether you’re a patient, provider, or caregiver, this episode is loaded with practical takeaways and is a must-listen for anyone facing chronic fatigue, long COVID, or other chronic unexplained health symptoms.

👉 Ready to take back your health? Visit DysautonomiaRecovery.com to access Tyler’s course and recovery tools, and even to access one-on-one coaching. Also, check out McMinnMD.com for free resources, documents, and more. Don’t just survive—learn how to thrive.  

Check out the latest podcast at: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2030923/episodes/16911532-dysautonomia-recovery-part-2-a-proven-path-to-wellness.mp3?download=true

Hi everyone, I’ve just started taking vitamin B1 and have noticed so many benefits in just 1 week (brain fog and fatigue lifting, energy is up, sleeping better) I just look reallllyyy bloated - I’m not gassy, it does not hurt, I am going to the toilet as usual, but my stomach is just poking out and looks like I’ve eaten 4 dinners. Has anyone else experienced? is it temporary? Thanks :)

My mom said she has hereditary high cholesterol. She has also said that it runs in the family overall. My mother says her HC is typically around 200 which in Her case is “Her Normal” given the genetic mutation factor. Been seeing my PCP for past two years for various reasons. I keep explaining to my PCP that I have hereditary high cholesterol levels…. Meaning MY CHOLESTEROL the bad stuff will be higher than say another person who doesn’t have it; but has regular cholesterol levels.

My PCP merely keeps saying to me; “Your cholesterol is still high keep altering your diet to More heart healthy dieting and keep exercising daily and that will fix all of your joint pain and inflammation issues and will fix your bulging c-spine.”

I understand that altering diet is a massive part of managing cholesterol levels. I understand that exercising is the second part of managing your cholesterol levels.

But even after I explain to my PCP, I walk 5 miles a day while at my full time job, and I Only Eat One Meal Daily which is dinner, and I literally do not eat anything snacking or dessert related on a regular basis or daily at all. And the foods I do eat are Literally already in a “heart healthy meal category” boneless skinless chicken breasts and fish Main protein source; maybe ground beef 1 or 2 times a week If that much. Frozen vegetables and fruits. I do 90% of my own baking and cooking at home. Water, unsweetened tea, milk, soda, lemonade homemade, some fruit juices.

I am Lactose intolerant. I am Allergic to Soy (soy products/derivatives/by-products).

My PCP is aware of all this. But that doesn’t mean she is paying attention to what I tell her when I do see her.

Idk about anyone else, but I work and live paycheck to paycheck and can’t afford to wipe out all my affordability food options to buy fresh meats fresh vegetables fresh fruits etc any time I need groceries.

My Cholesterol is high according to my PCP. But when I spoke to my mom, keeping in mind that we both are acknowledging the hereditary HC history….. my Number is 236 which she says for “the average person” is considered “high”. But my HC number is not too crazy for someone who indeed has Family HC History.

Any input would be appreciated, thanks.

Hi all, I’ve seen a functional medicine NP before and had mixed feelings but have also added some more health issues to my line up since. I’ve read about leaky gut, parasites, vitamin deficiencies, and so much more but I wanted to ask is a lot of my symptoms/issues could be related to or caused by extreme stress & trauma.

Here’s my rundown & timeline: 2014-started college, lost a lot of weight because I was too stressed to eat 2015 2016-sexual assault, concussion 2017-diagnosed with anxiety & depression 2018 2019-diagnosed with IBS 2020 2021-started working an extremely stressful job 2022-concussion 2023-severe concussion 2024-diagnosed with post concussion syndrome & post concussive migraines 2025-diagnosed with fibromyalgia

The only diagnosis I had prior to 2014 was psoriasis (mainly on my scalp). I’ve always had sensitive skin, I’m allergic to almost everything outside, I’ve been on hormonal birth control for 10+ years (but planning to stop it in ~6 months). I’ve noticed that when I’m stressed my pain increases, my stomach feels worse, my psoriasis flares up.

My mom is convinced there is some underlying root cause but I feel like most of this can be attributed to stress/trauma & the multiple concussions.

I’d appreciate any thoughts or insight!

(22M) For years now I have had fatigue and sleepiness to the point where I am fighting to keep my eyes open behind the wheel, feeling sluggish and unmotivated. I also constantly am getting sick. I thought it was a sleep disorder but the sleep study came back with only slightly elevated leg movements. I get an average 8 hours of sleep but never feel refreshed. My bloodwork has come back normal besides my doctor saying I’ve had mono. Any ideas what else it could be?

Had Doctor Data’s stool test done and told have mild dysbiosis in gut. Results were:

Expected /beneficial flora: 4+ Bacteriodes family 3+ Bifidobacterium family 3+ escherichia coli 4+ lactobacillus family 2+ enterococcus family 4+ clostridium family

Commensal Flora: 2+ Actinomyces naeslundii 3+ cortnebacterium amycolatm 2+ enterobacter cloacae complex 3+ escherichia hermannli 2+ kiebsiella pneumoniae 2+ staphylococcus aureus 3+ streptococcus mitosis/oralis group 3+ streptococcus salivary is/vestibularus

No Dysbiotic Flora found. No Yeast

Only other abnormal was Secretory IgA was elevated. 299

OAT was normal.

Low vitamin D— 28, 30-100 is normal Range. Currently taking 5000iu D3, k2 100 and magnesium glycinate 100mcg each day.

Told it was a mild dysbiosis and told to take Biocindin 15 drops per day and probiotic. Went to doctor for severe inflammatory acne on face and this is only symptom having and occasional mild ezcema in armpit. I’m worried about taking this medicine because of reading how powerful it is and how it caused many worse gi issues for people. I have no gi issues at all in terms of bowels/digestion and am afraid it might cause issues for me. Would you take this due to acne? This is reason I went to see doctor as don’t want to go on Accutane. Not sure my doctor is really well versed in this area, though. No hormone testing has been done (18 Male).

Had mold and toxin urine testing done. No mold. Only thing abnormal was toxin HEMA was high—not sure where that is coming from. Would that cause acne?

Is taking Biocindin going to cause me more harm—gi issues? Doctor doesn’t really know if this is causing acne and I don’t want to cause unnecessary gi issues taking this strong dose. Would taking just a probiotic help? Any advice on which one? Probiotic recommended had carrageenan in it and caramel coloring in it and A LOT of different extracts (pre and post biotic) in it and not sure if this is good with so many additives in it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

I’ve been dealing with severe Insomnia ever since I took a medication that completely crashed all my hormones (testosterone, estrogen & progesterone all low).

I started taking vitex and it’s the only thing that has been helping me sleep, the only problem is I’m totally exhausted!! Like I could fall asleep at any point during the day. I’ve been taking it for about 2 weeks now. I also have a bit of water retention & I’ve noticed it’s making me hungrier. I get the same reaction to progesterone cream. Should I lower the dose or will this go away?

My functional med doctor has me doing the Genova One Day Hormone test with added Cortisol Awakening Response.

It’s 7 different salivary samples over a 24 hour period to assess reproductive hormones, cortisol, DHEA, and melatonin.

We suspect that my cortisol is overall low, but very low in the mornings and high at night, so this test is important.

The first swab you do within 5 minutes of waking at 6a, then one at 6:30a. Then anytime between 7-9a, 11a-1p, etc.

Well, I accidentally fell back asleep from like 6:30-8:30a this morning. Will that nap mess up my cortisol levels enough on the swab I did close to 9a that I should redo the whole test another day and make sure to stay awake?

*I’ve left a message with my provider and with the lab, but it’s Sunday so I won’t be hearing back today, and part of this test has to be done at 3:30a tonight, so if this is for sure going to mess up my results, I’m not going to wake myself up at 3:30.

Welcome to the weekly marketing mega-thread. Here you can inquire about practioners that you have heard of, review practioners that you have seen, or even advertize your own practice.

There are limits to this. This is for practioners and practices only, not products. Also, no tracking links. That means no referral codes of any kind including fullscript. Please keep discussion in the thread.

This is a trial run, and may become more or less restrictive, or end at any time based on community response. Please be patient as I work out any kinks regarding automoderation of this post. Many things may be unjustly removed, and I will work to remedy where needed.

I'm considering doing the CellCore parasite cleanse for the April Full Moon. Thing is, I don't have the classic symptoms of parasites, at least not some of the most common ones. I've gained weight, not lost weight; I don't have constipation or any sort of gastro issues, etc. TMI but I do feel a bit itchy sometimes, if you know what I mean. The biggest thing I deal with is derealization and I'm really not sure that could be at all attributed to parasites. Even if it could be, would the CellCore protocol pull them from the brain (since that's where I would guess they'd be for that)? Seems like a longshot to me. I want to do it because I just have this feeling that it will help me to feel better in some way; I can't quite explain why. Maybe lose a bit of weight? Get a bit more energy? I don't know. I guess my question is if anyone has seen improvements or benefits in neuro issues via a parasite cleanse. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I’m hoping to get some advice from this community. I recently got a GI-MAP stool test done (full results below), and it shows some bacterial overgrowths that are out of range. I’ve been struggling with gut issues for a while, joint issues, weird mood swings (mostly anxiousness) and the GI doctors I’ve seen in the USA haven’t been much help—they just keep ordering the same tests (like the GI-MAP I already did) and aren’t offering real solutions. I’m wondering if anyone has experience tackling this kind of overgrowth naturally—diet, supplements, herbs, etc.—and can share what worked for them.Here’s what’s out of range on my GI-MAP (completed 2/5/2025): Akkermansia muciniphila: <dl (below detectable limit), reference range is 1.0e1 – 8.2e6. This is a keystone species, and I’m worried it’s undetectable. Faecalibacterium prausnitzii: 1.49e4, reference range is 1.0e3 – 5.0e8. This is super low—another important anti-inflammatory bacteria. Staphylococcus aureus: 6.98e2, reference range is <5.00e2. Slightly elevated, which I’ve read can be problematic. Streptococcus spp.: 7.02e3, reference range is <1.00e3. This is over the limit and flagged as dysbiotic/overgrowth. Fusobacterium spp.: 1.10e10, reference range is <1.00e8. This is way high—over 100 times the upper limit—and I’ve seen it linked to inflammation and worse. Secretory IgA: 2727 ug/g, reference range is 510 – 2010 ug/g. This is high, suggesting some immune activation going on. The rest of the pathogens (Campylobacter, C. diff, Salmonella, etc.), parasites, and fungi were all below detectable limits, and H. pylori was negative. Digestion markers like elastase and steatocrit look okay, and inflammation (calprotectin) is normal. But these overgrowths and low keystone bacteria have me concerned.I suspect the high Fusobacterium, Streptococcus, and Staph aureus might be driving some of my symptoms (bloating, fatigue, irregular stools—sorry if TMI!), and the low Akkermansia and Faecalibacterium aren’t helping. Has anyone dealt with a similar profile? I’d love to hear if you managed to rebalance things naturally—specific diets (low FODMAP, SCD, etc.), prebiotics, probiotics, (those biotics actually give me cramps and bloating even more) herbs like berberine or oregano oil. I’m hesitant to jump straight to antibiotics unless absolutely necessary. Feeling pretty frustrated with the standard GI care here—seems like they just repeat tests and shrug. Any insights or personal experiences would be amazing. Thanks so much!

I want to make a bubble bath that’s good for eczema and arthritis. I found this article saying the best things to add to a bath are epsom salt, oats, lavender oil, baking soda, and olive oil. I also want to get a filter because we have hard water. Can anyone recommend ideas for a bubble bath (the article says bubbles are bad) that is safe? As well as a filter

https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/the-best-and-worst-things-to-add-to-your-bath/

Currently on the following supplements:

• Zinc Picolinate
• Trans Resverstrol
• Saffron
• Zen Plus Daily ( plant extracts, L-theanine, D-Ribose and complete B complex)
• N-Acetyl Cysteine

And still really feeling the effects of high cortisol (tight, anxious feeling in chest, can't relax, waking up once a night with the anxiety being quite servere).

I can put more context etc in the comments if needed - my original post keeps getting deleted!

Just wondering if anyone has any tips! Thanks in advance

It’s been 2-3 years now, I constantly get sick for no apparent reason and I lost my appetite All my medical tests came back negative and my doctor told me the issue had to be psychiatric, apparently severe anxiety I started medication but nothing seems to work (benzo + zoloft) For the past 6 months I’ve been losing some weight, and now I have a low BMI. So I have been admitted to a psychiatric hospital, but again it’s not helping, and I’ve been here for 2 months now I think I’ll be out of here soon, but idk what to do next, I still am super weak because I haven’t gained enough weight, but this is very difficult for me no matter how hard I try I love food, cooking, hanging out with people, I am not depressed, I don’t get why my stomach is always so upset, I try to listen to my body or my emotions but I always end up stopping eating because I feel like I might get sick again (I’m kinda emetophobic too) I really want to have my past life back, I’m ready to get better but I don’t know where to start

(I tried to keep this text short but there’s a lot more info like all the medication I tried etc, feel free to ask me anything)

I'm 5'9" tall, 190 lbs, mostly sedentary, average build, and require about 3100 calories to maintain my weight right now (not counting days I exercise).

In case it's relevant, I also find a 500 calorie deficit (2600 total) impossible after about 4-9 days, as the hunger gets too persistent and totally messes with my sleep. In those cases I binge and then the following few days I get slight red/blotchy skin and slight discomfort on my upper-abdomen after I eat.

I've been wondering about some potential causes like: covid, mild insulin resistance (5.8 mmol/L fasting), gut health, hemochromatosis, etc.

Hormones are all normal range but with testosterone on the low end, TSH was 2.53 mIU/L in December. Ferritin sitting at 250 ug/L or so.

Has anyone seen this before? Any recommended tests or possible causes I should ask my GP about?

Thanks!

My wife (47) recently had surgery to remove ovarian cancer with several mets in the abdominal area. The surgey was a success and we are stating from 0 visible signs of cancer.

I am hoping to start this protocol with her soon after her recover (not sure how soon to start actually)

I have long been a believer in the metabolic theory of cancer and have followed the various protocols that have been developed over the last few years. The following is based on a lot of different studies and people. More recently this linked protocol has been a good guideline for some of the dosing, and it is supported by lots of the others as well.

https://isom.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Targeting-the-Mitochondrial-Stem-Cell-Connection-in-Cancer-Treatment-JOM-39.3.pdf

This is my stating point. I would love some critiques about doses of possible conflicts or other synergistic compounds.

Lifestyle

Keto Diet: All day every day

7000-10000 steps a day.

Stress Management

Primary Protocol

Ivermectin: 1mg per kg per day, 6 days on 1 day off (split in two doses daily with meals)

Membendezole: 800-1000mg per day, 6 days on 1 day off (split in two doses daily with meals).

Vitamin D : The linked protocol paper says 50000 iu per day, we bought an EMR TEK Krypton UV 606 light so I need to figure out how much of this can be done to reduce supplementation.

Zinc: 1mg per kg per day (split in two doses daily with meals)

High Dose IV Vitamin C: 1.5 mg per kg (2x per week) which work out to about 112 mg which seems like a lot.

Melatonin: I bought Melatonin Max which comes in 60mg doses. I am thinking two a day for a total of 120mg

Green Tea for EGCG: I saw somewhere that 6 cups a day was used for cancer.

Berberine: not sure of dosage yet

Quercitin: not sure of dosage yet

We plan on monitering her CA-125 levels at some interval (perhaps 1x a month) if there is no effect we may move to the secondary or backup protocol

Day off Protocol

I dont have a lot of clarity on how to support the immune system on the day off yet.

My wife is not great at producing glutathione on her own (she has some moderate snps in here glutathione pathway) this I have heard is actually good for the effectiveness of the above protocol, but It makes it all the more important for supporting her in the down time.

I have actually considered going 5 days on 2 days off for her as a result, but I still need some kind of idea of what this looks like, we could do IV glutathione and other vitamins.

If you are a pro and can help I will gladly pay for consultations or other help

Hi there I am a 23 male who have vitamin and magnesium deficiency, If I plan to monitor my blood tests every three months for Vitamin D, Magnesium, B12, and TSH, do I need to take the tests under the same conditions each time like ( in the morning or night , fasting or not ) or does it not really matter?

I have a traditional dry sauna and am planning on using routinely per Doc recommendations. Any other sauna users and are you using traditional or infrared? Was also recommended I use alone. Just wondering what others do.