Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Speaker A: Welcome back to Integrative lyme Solutions with Dr. Karl Feldt. I am so excited about the show that we have ahead of us. We have some phenomenal information that could save lives.
You're gonna need to tune in to what's going on today. The information is jam packed, so don't step away.
Have you ever wondered why some people just don't get better? Even after years of treatment, clean diets and detox protocols, they try everything, yet their body stays inflamed, their energy never returns, and symptoms just morph from one form to another.
Today we're going to dig into why that happens and more importantly, what actually moves the needle. I'm Dr. Michael Karlfeld and you're listening to Integrative Lyme Solutions. I just got back from the ILADS conference, that's the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society, and I want to share some of the biggest takeaways from the brilliant researchers and clinicians there, along with highlights from my own presentation on infections, the tumor microenvironment, and cancer's hidden microbial roots. Here's what we'll unpack together in the next half hour. First, why inflammation isn't the root cause, but rather the smoke from a deeper fire.
Second, how to spot the telltale mold and tilt patterns. That's toxicant induced loss of tolerance that keep your immune system in overdrive. And finally, how a terrain first roadmap can restore your body's ability to heal itself, whether you're battling chronic Lyme mold toxicity or even cancer. Because once you understand how infections, mycotoxins and immune dysregulation shape your biology, you stop chasing symptoms and start creating an environment where health becomes inevitable. This is where integrative medicine meets a frontier on microbiology and oncology. And it's time to look beneath the surface, where the real healing begins. When we talk about Lyme disease, most people picture a single infection, a tick bite, a round rash, maybe a course of antibiotics.
But what we're really dealing with, and what I heard echoed again again at ILADS this year, is something far bigger. It's not just Lyme. It's an entire ecosystem of infections and toxins that work together to keep the immune system in a constant smoldering fire state.
Lime, Bardonella, Babesia. Epstein Barr. Mold. Mycotoxins. They layer, they entangle, and they rewire the immune system itself. Think of your immune system as a fire department. When it's calm, the crew rest, ready for a real emergency. But when hidden infections and toxins are Smoldering in the background. The alarms never stop blaring. The firefighters are constantly on call, exhausted, overwhelmed. The and soon they start making mistakes. They begin spraying water on everything, even healthy tissue. And that's when autoimmunity, chronic fatigue and even cancer start to appear.
In my eyelads presentation, I showed evidence straight from peer reviewed science that infections don't just trigger inflammation.
They actually remodel the terrain of your tissues.
Microbes can hijack signaling hubs like NF, Kappa Beta and STAT3, the same molecular switches that cancer cells use to survive and evade the immune system. These are not random coincidences.
They're shared survival strategies between chronic infections and malignant cells.
A fascinating study published in science in 2020 and expanded in 2021 revealed something revolutionary.
Every tumor type studied harbored its own distinct microbiome.
Not contamination, not coincidence. Actual bacteria and fungi living inside the tumor microenvironment, shaping how the cancer behaves and how it responds to therapy.
So when we see patients with long standing lyme, mold or viral infections who later develop cancer, the link isn't mysterious. The same mechanism that allow borrelia to hide from the immune system are the ones cancer cells exploit to grow unchecked. Different players, same playbook. Here's plain English metaphor I like to use.
Cytokines are the noise, the smoke alarms. Microbes and mold are the firewood.
If you only focus on silencing the alarms with steroids, anti inflammatories or even symptom based detoxes, you're missing the point. The smoke may clear for a moment, but the fire's still burning underneath.
Healing begins when you stop chasing the smoke and start removing the fuel. The infections, the toxins, the trauma patterns that keep the immune system trapped in defense mode. And once you clear that fuel, the body's innate intelligence, the true healer can finally get back to its job.
It is important to recognize that you can't out supplement an exposure. You can take all the binders, glutathione and adaptogens in the world.
But if you're still breathing in mold spores every night from that crawl space, or sitting in an office with a water damaged ceiling above you, your body never gets a signal that it's safe.
That's why for so many of my patients, treating mold exposure first becomes the turning point.
Once the exposure is gone, even if we haven't yet rebuilt mitochondria or cleared infections, their nervous system starts to quiet down, the anxiety eases, the sleep, sleep deepens and their reactivity begins to fade.
Only then can we see what's truly underneath. What's microbial, what's inflammatory, what's emotional.
Over the years, clinicians working with complex chronic illnesses have seen a familiar mold and mast cell pattern. And if you lived it, you'll recognize it instantly. These bizarre shifting sensations, those deep internal vibrations, sudden ice pick pains or tingling that doesn't follow a nerve map. It just jumps around the body. Then there's the heightened sensitivity to smells. EMFs, perfumes, cleaning agents, even other people's laundry detergent. And of course, the emotional rollercoaster. Irritability one moment, tears the next, panic over nothing obvious. These aren't random. They're signs of a nervous system and immune system that have lost tolerance. What Dr. Claudia Miller calls tilt, or toxicant induced loss of tolerance. Tilt explains why one whiff of gasoline or a sip of wine can send someone spiraling. Not because they're fragile, but because their biology is doing exactly what it was trained to do. Protect them.
Mast cells, those microscopic first responders, are the frontline of the defense.
When they sense danger, they release histamine, cytokines, and dozens of other mediators meant to alert the immune system.
But after repeated exposure to mold, toxins, chemicals, or infections, they become hair triggered. Now, even a tiny exposure, a new candle scent, a change in barometric pressure sets off a full body reaction.
It's not in your head. It's your cells trying to save you, just overreacting because they've been burned too many times.
So how do we track progress in a terrain this complex where one day you feel calm and the next day you're back in the storm?
So how do we track this?
One of the best ways to start understanding your own body's responses is through the work of Dr. Claudia Miller that I mentioned. She's a true pioneer in the field of environmental medicine.
So to help both patients and practitioners recognize and measure these sensitivities, Dr. Miller developed the Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory, or QUEASY. It's a simple, validated questionnaire that helps link your symptoms to your exposures, and it also measures how much those intolerances are impacting your quality of life.
Researchers in more than a dozen countries use it, and it's now considered the reference standard for identifying chemical intolerances.
If you're wondering whether tilt or environmental sensitivity might be part of your story, I encourage you to fill out the quesi self assessment.
We've included actually a free PDF link in today's show notes so you can download it and track your results over time.
Understanding your unique sensitivities isn't about labeling yourself. It's about seeing the patterns that have been hiding in plain sight and using that awareness to begin real healing. Because when you're dealing with these type of symptoms that are hard to explain and hard to pinpoint, or you go to doctor after doctor and they diagnose you with this disease, with that disease, it is frequently not just one infectious agent or one chemical.
So what we're needing to do is that we're needing to assess the whole bucket. We need to assess, you know, what are the chemical exposures that I'm dealing with and, and what are some of the mold that I'm seeing in my environment?
And am I dealing with mold? Am I also, what other infectious agents am I dealing with? And by assessing all of that, you can then start to kind of clear all that junk that's in that bucket that's starting to spill over, making you symptomatic.
And so frequently what we do as a mistake is that we start blaming just one infection and we don't look at all these other components. That's why this queasy assessment is so important.
Along with working with mold, along with working with these other infectious agents. Mold, chemicals, mast cells and tolerance loss are not separate stories. They're chapters of the same book. And if we don't address the environment, the biology will keep rewriting the ending.
Now that we've looked at how mold, chronic infections, chemicals can keep the immune system on constant alert.
[00:11:47] Speaker B: Hello, dear listeners, this is Dr. Michael Karlfeld, your host of integrative Lyme solutions. Today I'm excited to share an exclusive opportunity from the Karlfeld center where we blend healing power of nature with groundbreaking therapies to combat Lyme disease and its associated challenges.
At the Karfeld center, we're not just fighting Lyme, we're revolutionizing the way it's treated with cutting edge therapies like photodynamic therapy, full body ozone, IV therapy, silver IVs, brain rebalancing, autonomic response testing, laser energetic detoxification, and more. We aim to eradicate Lyme. Our approach is comprehensive, supporting your body's immune system, detoxification processes, hormonal balance and mitochondrial health, ensuring a holistic path to recovery. Understanding Lyme disease and its impact is complex, which is why we're offering a free 15 minute discovery call with one of our Lyme literate naturopathic doctors.
[00:12:48] Speaker A: This call is your first step towards.
[00:12:51] Speaker B: Understanding how we can personalize your healing.
[00:12:54] Speaker A: Journey, focusing on you as a whole person, not just your symptoms. Our team, led by myself, Dr. Michael Karl Filtz, is here to guide you.
[00:13:02] Speaker B: Through through your recovery with the most advanced diagnostic tools, individualized treatment plans and supportive therapies designed to restore your health and vitality. Whether you're facing Lyme disease head on or seeking preventative strategies, we're committed to your wellness. Take the first step towards reclaiming your health. Visit us at thecarlfulthscenter.com or call us at 208-338-8902 to to schedule your free discovery call at the Karlfield Center. We believe in healing naturally, effectively and holistically.
[00:13:36] Speaker A: Thank you for tuning in and to.
[00:13:37] Speaker B: Integrative lyme Solutions with Dr. Karlfeld. Remember, true health is not just the absence of disease, it's achieving the abundance of vitality.
[00:13:45] Speaker A: Let's discover yours together.
Let's talk about how we actually find what's driving it. Because that is where many patients and even many doctors get lost.
If you don't test the environment first, you're shooting in the dark. And here's why. Most air tests, when you're testing for mold, completely miss the problem.
They only capture what's floating around at that moment. But the real issue is what's stuck in your dust and hidden behind walls or in your H Vac system.
Think of it this way. Mold doesn't politely circulate in the air waiting for a test. It hides, it settles. It grows quiet in your vents and carpet fibers. That's why the experts emphasized room by room testing not one sampler in the living room, but plates or PCR dust tests in each space you actually live and sleep in.
Methods like ermi or hertzme2 use DNA based dust testing, a kind of environmental fingerprint to show exactly what moles are there and how serious the load is.
If your results show species like Stachybotrys catomium or Aspergillus, you've got a story worth listening to. And don't forget the H Vac system, the lungs of your home. If that's contaminated, you're essentially breathing through a moldy filter 24, 7.
Once we have the environment handled, then we look at the body.
That's where urine mycotoxin testing comes in. And at ilads, there was a lot of discussion about how to do it right.
Two main methods ELISA and lcms. ELISA is more of a screening tool. It's good for detecting families of toxins.
LC ms, on the other hand, uses mass specto spectometry. It's much More precise identifying specific mycotoxins like ochratoxin A or gliotoxin. But here's the key. Don't provoke unless the patient is ready.
Some clinicians use sauna glutathione or binders before testing to flush out toxins that can give you clear results. But if the person's drainage and detox pathways are open, if not, it can make them miserably sick. And if, while you're doing that provocation, the patient feels sick, test them at that moment, because that is when the body is mobilizing a lot of mold at that time. Don't try to continue with the provocation.
So I tell my patients, it is so important that you're ready to do the provocation. And again, if you do the provocation and you become symptomatic, then make sure you test at that time.
From there, we can run supportive inflammatory markers, not because they diagnose mold illness, but because they help paint the bigger picture.
You get markers like C4A, TGF Beta 1, MMP9, VEGF, and CRP can show us how activated the immune alarm system really is.
They're the smoke signals that tell us just how hot the fire is burning. And again, these markers are not specific for mold, but they show how the immune system and how the inflammatory system, how it is behaving in relationship to.
And for some patients, we also bring in the genetic testing because that provides an extra layer of insight.
Certain HLA Dr. Haplotypes, detox, SNPs or methylation variants can explain why two people in the same moldy house react completely differently.
One develops migraines and fatigue, the other one feels fine. Genetics doesn't dictate destiny, but it can reveal vulnerabilities we need to support.
Finally, I like to step back and look at the terrain itself, something I highlighted in my ILADS presentation. This includes testing immune reactivity to various pathogens like Candida mold, Borrelia, Epstein barr, human herpesvirus 6, and even parasites. It's not about hunting every microbe down. It's about mapping the immune burden. Because if the body is reacting to five different pathogens at once, that's not coincidence. It's a terrain that's lost its balance, one where the immune system can tell friend from foe. And that's where interpretation, real clinical correlation matters. Most lab numbers are just coordinates on a map. It takes context, intuition, and time to navigate the terrain they describe. When we put all these layers together, environment, biology, and immune response, that's when the story of chronic Illness finally start to make sense. When it comes to healing from mold and chronic infections, sequence is everything.
And that was one of the strongest takeaway that I had from I lads this year. Too many people, patients and even practitioners jump straight into killing protocols. Antifungals or detox stack before the body is ready. I don't know how many patients, after they have diagnosed and show, well, I have borrelia, they go after the borrelia and think that that is the only solution. And not recognizing that there's so much more that needs to take place. And by going after the infections by itself, without preparing the body, without looking at what else is there, we are frequently just shooting ourselves in the foot.
So I liken that to trying to renovate a burning house. You've got to put out the fire first. And that starts with your environment.
So rule number one, secure the environment.
If you're still living or working in a moldy space, progress will stall every single time. You might get temporary relief, but symptoms come roaring back the moment you return to the exposure.
I don't know if any one of you gone through cpr, but the first step, and this is funny, when we just had that here at the center where we had everyone getting recertified in cpr.
And the first step is to make sure that the scene is clear and safe.
So we do that kind of sweeping motion with our arms just to kind of show it's clear it's safe. And now I can proceed to do the cpr. And we need to do the same thing when we're dealing with mold, is that we need to make sure the environment we're in is safe. And also in regards to chemicals and toxins, we need to make sure that we're not continually being exposed.
And by living in an environment that are continually making us sick, it's going to be impossible to be able to fight off infectious agents and turn around your health.
Once the environment is addressed, we move to rule number two, binders before antifungals.
So the order matters. Binders mop up toxins. Antifungals break apart colonies and biofilms.
If you start killing before you can carry the debris out, you just flood the system with inflammation and mycotoxins. So the mantra is start low and go slow. If you're sensitive, use one binder at a time.
Avoid combo binders that make it impossible to know what's helping or causing reactions. Precision matters here. You can even match binders to toxins like a lock and key. For example, okra toxin, a The mold responds beautifully to cholestyramine or welcol, the classic bind bile sequestering agents.
Gliotoxin, on the other hand, tends to clear better with Saccharomyces boulardii and nac, which supports both gut and liver detox.
And remember, if binders slow down your bowels, you're just recycling those toxins. So make motility a priority.
Hydration, magnesium, gentle movement and even vagal nerve support like humming, deep breathing, cold exposure all help keep things flowing.
Once binders are tolerated and bowels are moving, we can carefully introduce antifungals. This is where tailoring matters most. For sinus condensation, we might use amphotericine B, nasal rinses or low dose itraconosol spray.
Or we may use a silver spray.
For gut overgrowth, we may go into nystatin, itraconazole.
And so these can be then very effective, but only when the detox pathways are ready to handle what's released. Because if we're killing and your body can't handle the debris, then your body is going to be overwhelmed and, and you're going to feel very sick.
And one thing to not forget as well are biofilms, those protective layers that microbes and fungi use to hide.
Many eyelash practitioners and myself, you know, use edta. You also have other products like biocidin lumbrokinase. You know, these are different biofilm disruptors or example of biofilm disruptors. And they're often paired with, you know, like the enzyme lumbar kinase to gently unmask what's underneath. But there's a warning here too. You still gotta go slow. Die off is real, but it's not a badge of honor. Pushing through extreme symptoms doesn't mean you're healing faster. It usually means you've overwhelmed your system.
And one myth that came up, the fear of antifungal resistance from short term use. In reality, the bigger issue is under dosing or incomplete sequencing, not resistance. When you use antifungals within a broader terrain based plan with binders, liver support and environmental control, they're remarkably safe and effective.
And then finally, let's talk about diet. There's a lot of confusion and fear around mold free diets. Here's my take. And it matched what was echoed by a number of speakers@ilads. Focus less on perfection, more on stability.
A high protein, lower carbohydrate framework works well because it stabilizes blood sugar and it doesn't feed. Fungal metabolism, moderate fruit intake, so you don't need to eliminate every berry or that green apple. But stay mindful of dried fruit juices. Obviously, lots of fruit can also feed fungus and parasites and also high sugar smoothies. So keeping that low sugar content, you know, like a paleo diet or ketogenic diet or low glycemic Mediterranean. Mediterranean diet. So whatever works for you that makes you feel good, that has that low glycemic where we're not feeding the bugs becomes important.
The concern also has been in regards to things like yeast, things like things that have or mushrooms, thinking that that feeds mold. And what was communicated, which I think is very fascinating, is that there are studies done where people included these foods and the majority of the people that were battling mold, their mold content actually decreased instead of increasing while introducing these types of foods. So it doesn't seem to be a strong correlation with including those foods and mold toxicity or fungal toxicity becoming worse.
So again, what matters most and strict list is how your body feels after eating.
If your energy dips or your head gets foggy after certain foods, listen to that. It's data.
Your body is always communicating.
So remember, clean the environment, calm the body, open the drainage, then move into microbial and fungal clearing. That's a rhythm of healing. And it's the difference between chasing symptoms and truly restoring terrain.
Something I highlighted in my own presentation is how chronic infections literally remodel the tumor microenvironment.
And this fascinates me in regards to the correlation between infectious agents and the development of something as severe as cancer.
So these infectious agents actually impact how the immune system is responding within that micro tumor environment.
So for decades, we've known that infection and cancer share similar hallmarks. Inflammation, immune invasion, metabolic chaos. But now molecular biology is showing us how these two worlds intertwine.
So let's map the cascade I presented on my slide. When you have a chronic infection, whether it's Borrelia bartonella or a viral reactivation like Epstein Barr, the immune system stays in a persistent state of alarm. This activates the two master control switches that I talked about earlier. NF, Kappa Beta and Stat 3. These are the same signaling hubs that cancer cells hijack. To stay alive, they turn on genes for growth, blood vessel formation and inflammation. And they actually shut off apoptosis, the natural cell death process that keeps tissue healthy. Once those pathways are lit up, the next domino falls. And if Kappa beta and STAT3 recruit myeloid derived suppressor cells and regulatory T cells, MDSCs and Tregs, the peacekeepers of the immune world, in a healthy person. They calm an immune response after the job is done. But in chronic infection, they become bodyguards for the pathogen and by extension, for any cancer cells hiding nearby.
These suppressor cells upregulate PD L1, one of the main off switches on the immune dashboard. And just like that, the body's antitumor response is muted. The infection doesn't just cause inflammation, it reprograms immunity to tolerate disease.
Meanwhile, deep in the tissue, another process unfolds. Ongoing inflammation creates hypoxia, a lack of oxygen and reactive oxygen species that damage mitochondria.
Cells shift into the Warburg metabolism, which is fermenting glucose instead of burning it into cleanly for energy.
That shift fuels vegf, the signal that tells the body to sprout new blood vessels, Highways that feed both infection and tumor growth.
Add biofilms to the mix, those sticky microbial fortresses, and you've got the perfect storm. Pockets of tissue where oxygen is low, toxins build up and immune cells simply can't reach.
I call these the immune shielded niches.
And it's not theoretical anymore. Groundbreaking studies in science in 2020 and 2021 revealed that every tumor type examined contained its own distinct microbiome. Breast tumors had certain bacteria, pancreatic cancer, completely different set.
These weren't surface contaminants. They were microbes living inside tumor tissue, influencing how it responded to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. In some cases, tumors with certain bacterial strains were more resistant to drugs. In others, the microbes actually enhanced immune recognition. It's a mind bending new field. The microbiome immunity axis inside the tumor itself, some emerging hypotheses, and I flagged this in my talk as exploratory but very worth watching. Even suggest a kind of intercellular infection pattern, what some call the cell suppression theory. The idea is that stealth microbes might integrate into host cells, altering the communication and making them forget how to die on schedule. It's early science, but it challenges us to think differently. Maybe infections doesn't just cause cancer from the outside in. Maybe it reshapes cellular behavior from the inside out.
All of this reminds us that cancer, chronic infection and immune dysfunction are not separate diseases.
They're different expressions of the same terrain imbalance. And if we we want to restore health, we have to treat the terrain, not just the tumor or the tick bite. We covered a lot of ground today.
Infections, mycotoxins, the immune system, even the tumor microenvironment. So let's bring it down to something you can act on, whether you're patients trying to make some sense of your symptoms or practitioner guiding complex cases, here's your terrain checklist for next step. Step 1 Know the red flags if any of these six signs sound familiar, it's time to investigate for mold or tilt Again. TILT stands for toxicant induced loss of tolerance.
So number one Unexplained sensitivity. You react to perfumes, cleansing products or even other people's fragrances. Number two Fluctuating migrating pain or tingling that never fits or clear nerve pattern.
Number three Internal vibrations or buzzing that come and go.
Number four Sudden mood shifts or anxiety out of nowhere, especially after exposure to certain environments. Number five Cognitive fog, word finding trouble or feeling unplugged.
Number six A pattern of relapsing symptoms whenever you return home or into a damp space.
If that list rings a bell, you're not crazy. Your body's intelligent. It's signaling that something in your environment is hijacking your tolerance. And step number two follow the smart sequencing healing isn't about throwing 20 supplements at your system, and it's about sequencing.
Start with an exposure audit. Do room by room. Dust setting or ERMI hurts me so you actually know what you're dealing with.
Run a urine mycotoxin test, but only when your body can tolerate it. If you're fragile, wait until your drainage is open before provoked testing.
Add binders, match to findings again. Okra toxins needs bile binders, gliotoxins love it. Sacromises, boularity and nac. So tailor your tools. Number four Introduce antifungals and biofilm support slowly. Don't knock down colonies faster than you can clear them. Order immune and terrain labs to identify CO pathogens like Borrelia, bartonella, Babesia, Epstein Barr virus, human herpes virus, six Candida parasites. You can see See the full map instead of chasing single infections and retest no sooner than three or four months. The terrain takes time to shift. Rushing the labs just feeds the anxiety loop. That's a general rhythm environment.
Then detox antifungal, antimicrobial, immune balance. Retest. It's not glamorous, but it's sustainable. The caveat is that every patient is unique and based upon clinical judgment. The order or combination of steps in your healing journey may be altered. So just know that this is kind of a general rhythm. But it is important to work with somebody that can guide you through this and have been able to pivot at any moment.
So step number three is when cancer is part of the story.
This is where I want you to advocate fiercely for yourself or your loved ones. If you're navigating cancer, especially after years of chronic infection or toxic exposure, ask your healthcare team the deeper question.
Have we considered how infections or chemicals and the tumor microenvironment interact?
Because cancer isn't just about cell mutations, as I shared in my therapeutic implications slide at ilads Pathogens and toxins shape the very soil tumors grow in. They influence immune checkpoints again like PD L1 drive edge F and angiogenesis and remodel signaling pathways like dimension NF kappa beta stat 3.
When your care team understands that treatments become more intelligent and far more personalized, you deserve a plan that sees the whole picture. Your terrain, your exposures, your immune story, not just your diagnosis code. Because when we listen to what the body's been trying to say all along, healing finally has a voice.
Before we wrap up, I want to shine a brief spotlight on one of the therapies I share in my ILADS presentation my the photodynamic therapy or pdt. And then I want to also discuss some of the other therapies. You know, like ozone, vitamin C, glutathione, phosphatidylcholine as well. You know what how they can be used while going on this journey.
So PDT photodynamic therapy is one of those rare tools that bridges the gap between biology and light. You know, photo meaning light.
It's not kill everything approach.
It is a precision oxidation therapy that uses targeted wavelengths of light to activate natural compounds called photosensitizers inside abnormal or infected tissue.
When lights hit those molecules think methylene blue, chlorine, E6, even 5 ala.
We have riboflavin, curcumin.
It triggers the production of reactive oxygen species or ROS for short. Those ROs act like guided missiles, damaging only the dysfunctional or infected cells that have absorbed the photosensitizers and while leaving healthy tissue untouched. So in a terrain first framework, PDT becomes the finishing tool. Not the first strike. It's most effective after the inflammation load has been lowered, biofilms have been softened or cleared, and the detox pathways are open.
Otherwise you risk creating more oxidative stress than the body can handle. So what makes PDT so elegant is that it mirrors nature. Just as sunlight helps plants use photons to generate life through photosynthesis, PDT uses light to generate a controlled burst of oxidation.
Not to harm healthy tissue, but to intelligently going after pathogens, cancer cells that are not needed, that should not be there. And then with that help to reset the body.
It restores balance and tissue that have been hijacked by these pathogens or even cancer cells.
In our integrated programs, we often pair PDT with metabolic and immune support like intravenous vitamin C to buffer oxidative stress, poly mva, DCA or EGCG to target cancer. Metabolism and immune modulating therapies like mistletoe or the peptide thymosin alpha 1 to ensure the terrain stays responsive and resilient.
So at I lads, what resonated for me with me was the alignment between infection, medicine and oncology.
So when I prepared for my presentation, that was just fascinating to me.
Both requires precision and timing.
So you can't light up the battlefield until you've cleared the smoke. Once the terrain is calm, light becomes medicine. PDT reminds us that healing isn't always about force.
Sometimes it's about illumination.
I love light. I love oxygen. I think if we move medicine towards a basic principles, I think we are going to have much more of an impact.
Light, oxygen frequencies, I think that is phenomenal.
And you know, one of the things I love most about medicine, especially integrative medicine, is how beautifully nature repeats its pattern. We just talked about how light through photodynamic therapy can use controlled oxidation to restore balance and trigger healing in damaged or infected tissue. But here's the fascinating part. Oxygen itself can do the same thing.
That's why I love oxygen when it's used with precision. For years, oxidation has been viewed as the villain, the thing we're supposed to fight with, antioxidant. But the truth is oxidation is simply energy in motion. It's how your cells communicate. Definitely defend and adapt when guided wisely. It's not destructive, it's transformative. That's where the therapies like ozone, high dose vitamin C, glutathione and phospholipid IVs come into play. They're the biochemical counterpart to what PDT does with light. Instead of photons, we use oxygen, electrons and nutrients to recalibrate the body's terrain.
Think of it this way. PDT shines a light on dysfunctional tissue. And these IV therapies bring oxygen and life through the bloodstream to rebuild what's been damaged.
Together they complete the cycle. Oxidation to clear, restoration to repair.
Next, I'll walk you through how we use ozone, both through UBI or ultraviolet blood irradiation and eboo, along with vitamin C, glutathione and phospholipids to help patients recover from the exhaustion of chronic infection and rebuild cellular resilience from the inside out.
Let's start with one of my favorite tools for restoring the body's redox balance. Ozone therapy. Now, when most people hear ozone, they picture that crisp, fresh smell after a lightning storm. And that's not far off. It's that same molecule. But in medicine, it's used in very precise therapeutic ways. The approaches we use most often at the Karl Falls center are ubi, ultraviolet blood irradiation, and eboo. So ubi, here's how that works. We draw a small amount of the patient's blood exposed, and then we put that into a saline bag, we add ozone into that, and then let it run through a device that expose it to ultraviolet light as we are gently reinfusing it back into the body. The ultraviolet light exposure acts like a biological reset button. It inactivates pathogens. In addition to the inactivation of pathogens with the ozone, it also reduces inflammation and most importantly, modulates immune function. Rather than suppressing it.
Ozone restores redox balance, meaning it helps the body recalibrate its oxygen and electron flow. It doesn't shut down the immune system's alarm. It teaches it when to ring the bell and when to rest. In that sense, UBI doesn't just calm the cytokine storm. It. It brings weather control back to the immune system.
So the result, improved oxygen utilization, more stable energy production, and a body that can finally distinguish friend from foe again.
And then the other tool that I really like is eboo, and that stands for extracorporeal blood oxygenation and ozonation.
Now, take that concept and multiply. Take the concept of UBI and multiply it. So IBU is like dialysis for inflammation. During IBU session, blood circulates outside the body through a special membrane while being oxygenated and ozonated in real time.
So blood is moving actually from one arm through a machine that filters it and oxygenates it and ozonate it, and then it goes into the other arm. And it's fascinating when you do that. You can see how dark and dirty the blood is coming out of one arm. And after being filtered, oxygenated, ozonated going into the other arm, it just looks beautifully red. It always fascinates me. And the nasty gunk is that's in that filter. Once we're done, I. Yeah, we just thank our lucky stars that it's not in our bodies still.
So that is a very, very powerful therapy. And as that happens, you know, biofilm fragments, toxins, inflammatory mediators are then filtered out. You know, so that's a gunk in that little Filter while then the freshly oxygenated blood is then returned to the patient. So it's one of the most profound ways to reset the immune system.
EBOO changes how blood carries oxygen and electrons, Giving the immune system a new baseline.
Patients often notice it almost immediately. A sense of calm, clearer thinking, warmer hands and feet. All signs of improved circulation, oxygenation, and mitochondrial resilience.
And again, mitochondria is your energy producing factor within the cell. So whenever I say mitochondria, think energy within your cell. Where chronic infections and toxins deplete oxygen, Ozone brings it back safely, systematically and powerfully. It restores the train's most fundamental ingredient for healing life giving oxygen. When used correctly, Ozone therapies don't just fight pathogens, they retrain the immune system, find its balance again. And once that oxygenation foundation is laid, we can move on to the next phase, Restoring antioxidants, rebuilding the very structure of our cells. After ozone, One of the most powerful ways we support the body's redox balance is with high dose vitamin C IV therapy, A therapy that's far more dynamic than most people realize. At everyday doses, Vitamin C acts as an antioxidant, protecting cells from free radicals. But when given at pharmacological levels, it actually flips its role, Becoming a pro oxidant, Selectively creating mild oxidative stress that targets, targets, pathogens and abnormal cells. It's that paradox that makes it so effective. Vitamin C helps neutralize mycotoxins, viral debris and oxidative waste that accumulates during detox and infection die off. It works beautifully in synergy with ozone, balancing oxidation with restoration.
While ozone wakes up immune function, improves oxygen delivery.
Vitamin C cools that excessive flame, supports collagen repair and enhance the integrity of every connective tissue in the body. It is a, an electron donor that is so needed for the mitochondria in order to be able to produce energy.
So it has its so many different functions that vitamin C does. It's a phenomenal iv.
It also regenerates glutathione, the body's master antioxidant, and reactivates detox enzymes that keep cellular chemistry running smoothly.
So rather than being just an immune booster, High dose vitamin C becomes a redox orchestrator where you're reducing oxidative stress and we're using oxy ox, we're oxidizing tissue and pathogens that we don't, don't want. So it actually orchestrates both sides at the same time, Harmonizing the oxidative therapy so the body heals without being overwhelmed. And after we've introduced oxidative therapies like ozone, high dose vitamin C, and again, the high dose vitamin C has that initial oxidative burst, but then after, it then supports as an antioxidant on the healthy tissue to restore their, you know, to calm down that fire, to build the collagen, to build tissue integrity and to support mitochondrial activity.
So after we've done those two, the next step is about repair and protection. That's where glutathione comes in.
So glutathione is often called the master antioxidant, and for good reasons. It's made in every single cell in your body, constantly neutralizing toxins, quenching free radicals, and keeping inflammation under control.
But in chronic illness, whether from infections, mold, or heavy metal burden, those reserves get drained. Your body simply can't keep up with the oxidative demand.
That's why IV glutathione can be such a game changer. By delivering it directly into the bloodstream, we bypass poor gut absorption and give immediate support to phase two liver detoxification, where toxins are conjugated or kind of connected with something, so we can see safely eliminate them. It's also one of the best ways to shield mitochondria during ozone antimicrobial or photodynamic therapies, helping the body manage that oxidative stress without shutting down its signaling.
Here's a clinical, a critical clinical pearl. Timing matters. Glutathione should always come after ozone or high dose vitamin C, never before, because we want to have that initial oxidative burst and then we want to kind of calm down the remaining oxidative stress in the body after.
So if you give it too early, you can actually blunt that redox signaling, the very spark we're trying to ignite for healing.
So we let oxidation do its job first, then follow with glutathione to restore the reset signal system, as Dr. Paul Anderson explained so well. Dr. Paul Anderson, he's a, a leader in this field and he's someone that I lean on for advice. And the majority of our naturopathic, integrative doctor community lean on for guidance and, and understanding.
So he's explained it so many times, and I love it each time when he explains it.
Glutathione doesn't work in isolation.
It's what he calls a nutrient hog. So glutathione requires a large amount of nutrients in order to be able to do its job efficiently.
So for the body to regenerate glutathione effectively. It needs things like N acetylcysteine, alpha lipoic acid, vitamin C and E, selenium, B vitamins, especially like B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, B6, you know, to fuel that redox cycle inside the mitochondria. And then also we have three vital minerals like magnesium, zinc and germanium, which helps to stabilize the enzyme systems and improve cellular energy transfer. When all of these nutrients are present, glutathione transforms from a simple supplement into a self renewing antioxidant system. It becomes part of an elegant redox network, oxidizing, reducing and regenerating in perfect rhythm. But here's the catch. Giving a glutathione iv, especially if an individual is nutritional depleted without these supporting nutrients, can actually do more harm than good. Without the cofactors in place, unrecycled glutathione can accumulate in its oxidized form, behaving more like an oxidizing agent, which is very detrimental to the body than a protector.
So we don't use glutathione or its supportive nutrients to fight oxidation. We use them to complete the oxidative dance, to ensure the body can process what's been released, restore balance and emerge stronger on the other side. That's the art of redox medicine. Knowing when to spark the fire and when to restore the calm.
Every process in your body, every heartbeat, nerve impulse and detox reaction, depends on one thing. We'll rarely talk about the health of your cell membranes. And that is the next thing that I really want to highlight. And it was fascinating, one of the talks during I lads that really brought this to light.
So the cell membranes, these membranes are the communication lines of, of the body. Thin, delicate layers of phospholipids that allow nutrients in, waste out and messages to travel between cells. But chronic infections, toxins and oxidative stress damage those membranes.
They oxidize the fats that make up the structure, creating what I call cellular rust. When that happens, the membranes stiffen and lose their charge and detox slows, mitochondria misfires, hormones can't dock properly onto the cells and energy plummets. This is where things like phospholipid IV therapy, especially phosphatidylcholine, becomes one of the most restorative tools we have. Phosphatidylcholine acts like a cellular cleanser and rebuild material all in one. It helps flush out the toxic, rancid fats and heavy metal residues that have embedded themselves in the cell wall. And mitochondrial membranes, the same toxins that block oxygen flow and nutrient exchange. Then it replaces them with fresh, healthy phospholipids, allowing the membranes to regain their flexibility and electrical charge.
And remember, healing begins when the cell membranes are fluid again, not rigid and toxic. That fluidity is what allows communication, detoxification and regeneration to resume.
Phospholipid IVs, you know, which we do here at our center, and I know many other centers do as well, work in beautiful synergy with glutathione and alpha lipoic acid.
Think of phosphatidylcholine as the carpenter rebuilding the structure, while glutathione and ala are the electricians restoring the power lines. Together they clean up, oxidize fats, escort out lipid soluble toxins, and reboot mitochondrial membranes so that energy production, your body's ATP engine, runs clean again when we combine these IVs in sequence.
Ozone and vitamin C to clear the terrain. Glutathione to neutralize what's released, and phosphatidylcholine to rebuild what's been damaged. The result is a recharge, resilient terrain capable of sustaining true healing. Because ultimately, recovery isn't just about killing microbes or removing toxins. It's about restoring the architecture of life itself. Itself, one membrane at a time. So when we look at the bigger picture, PDT and ozone therapies are the tools that are used.
Control oxidation to reset biology, Clearing pathogens, toxins and dysfunctional cells from the system. Then vitamin C, glutathione, phospholipid, step in to restore what the oxidation has cleared, Rebuilding structure, recharging mitochondria, and rebalancing redox chemistry, you know, so vitamin C can be both a oxidative therapy and also can become a restorative, calming down that oxidative stress, phenomenal kind of redox vitamin C or iv.
So that's the art of terrain medicine. Not choosing between oxidation or or repair, but knowing how to balance the two. It's that rhythmic dance between breaking down and rebuilding that allows true healing to unfold. And when we combine these therapies in the right sequence, remove, refuel, restore, patient, don't just survive. They regain vitality, clarity, and the energy to live fully again.
So as we bring today's conversation towards a close, I want to leave you with a dose of reality and reassurance.
Real healing takes time.
So when you're unraveling gears, sometimes decades of chronic infections, toxins and immune confusion, it's not a 30 day reset. Most patients see meaningful change over nine to 12 months, and deep recovery can take longer. That's not failure, that's biology.
The terrain is learning how to trust again. One of the biggest pitfalls we see is over provocation, pushing the body faster than is ready to go. More binders, more antifungals. More detox doesn't mean better results. In fact, it often means more inflammation, more fatigue, and more frustration.
At iLast, Dr. Neil Nathan reminded us, some is good.
More isn't always better. Healing is a conversation with the body, not a tug of war. Another trap chasing every biomarker. Every week, your labs are a snapshot in time, not a measure of worth or progress. When patients fixate on every shift and C4, a VEGF or mycotoxin levels, they miss the bigger picture.
Improved energy improvements. Deeper sleep, brighter mood. Those are the metrics that matter most and perhaps the most important principle of all. Personalization. What works for one person may completely overwhelm another.
This isn't a one size fits all detox plan. It's an evolving dialogue between practitioner and patient. Your sensitivity isn't your weakness, it's your compass.
So go slow. Celebrate small wins. Trust the process because healing isn't a straight line, it's a spiral upward. If today's episode resonated with you, if you found yourself thinking, that's me, that's my story, I want you to know there's a roadmap forward.
Because the goal isn't just to fight illness. It's to rebuild trust between you and and your body. To create a terrain where healing is no longer a battle, but a return to balance.
I'm Dr. Michael Karlfeld and this is Integrative Lyme Solutions. Thank you so much for joining me.
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