HouseCall: Acid Water, Copper IUD, Camp Fire Cough, Gout, Infertility, Ear Issues
Welcome back to our weekend Cabral HouseCall shows!
This is where we answer our community’s wellness, weight loss, and anti-aging questions to help people get back on track!
Check out today’s questions:
Carla: Hi Dr. Cabral, I live in a Canadian city that fluoridates its water and have been using a tabletop distiller to make drinking water for the past 5 years. I’ve been adding mineral drops to the water as I’ve heard that distilled can leach minerals from your body. Is this true and am I doing enough to make the water safe to drink? I’ve also heard that distilled water is acidic and also not good to drink for that reason. Unfortunately, I rent and can’t afford to add special filters to the household system. Thank you very much for any advice you can give! Carla
Meghan: Hi Dr. Cabral! I’ve searched through your podcasts for your take on copper toxicity and couldn’t find what I was looking for so here it goes. I had a copper iud in for 10 years and then replaced with another one year ago. I had it taken out today. I’ve been suffering with; brain fog, insomnia, recurring UTIs, bladder urgency, recurring yeast infections (chronic), extreme fatigue, dry skin and most recently – dermal hyperpigmentation above my upper lip out of no where. I’ve been to dozens of specialists and taken countless tests with no help. I’m gluten and dairy-free. I’ve tried the candida cleanse and recently your 21-day detox with no results which I know is abnormal. I did the OAT with you and subsequently ordered the yeast protocol from you while waiting for the results because I know I have candida overgrowth. My OBGYN said NONE of this is related to my copper IUD and it couldn’t cause copper toxicity but I just don’t believe it so I decided to have the IUD removed against her recommendation. Do you recommend I do the hair tissue mineral analysis for copper? Will I have any success on the yeast protocol of yours without cleansing myself of the copper? I am so tired of trying everything with such high hopes and then no success. Do you have any recommendations for someone with suspicion of high copper? I know that copper toxicity can cause candida overgrowth and most of my other symptoms as well. Thank you for all you do and looking forward to my coaching session this week to go over my OAT results.
Melisa: Seeking your guidance. We have a 3-year-old son who at the end of last winter we realized our wood fire was causing him to cough at night, we stopped immediately & the cough went away. Several months later we had a camp fire to cook dinner (forgetting about the cough) and again our son woke at 3am with asthma symptoms & very restricted airways. I have tried using essential oils, diffuser, garlic teas, salt, coconut oil, to open his airways but it has been two nights now where we are awake all night. In the past he has had symptoms the same on two occasions & as his father suffered from serve asthma as a child & can relate to the tight chest & short of breath feeling we have given him an asthma puffer as recommended by a doctor. Can you suggest anything else I can do to quickly open his airways & allow him a nights rest without having to resort to the puffer? Also is it your recommendation to never use wood fires & instead of using electric heating if living in a cold climate? Thank you!!!
Cynthia: Hello. Without getting into my whole story…one condition I have is gout. I am curious what your view is. Some say it is a liver issue some say methylation, without knowing the individual do you think there is a common thread? Thank you!
Anonymous: Hi Dr. Cabral! I recently discovered your podcast and you are amazing! I really enjoy your podcast and have learned a great deal about how functional medicine can help heal the body.
I’m writing based on a severe infertility issue I’m having, so I apologize for the lengthy question. At 37 years old, I was diagnosed with premature ovarian insufficiency (POI), which has been heartbreaking. I’m now 38 years old, 130 lbs, 5’4″, and have been trying to conceive my first child. I had a failed IVF cycle and made it all the way to egg retrieval, but unfortunately, there were no eggs to retrieve.
I developed this condition fairly quickly, which leads me to believe it can be reversed. At the time of my diagnosis, I had food sensitivities, weird rashes on the side of my stomach, itchy skin, severe bloating, and weighed 145 lbs. I also went through extreme stress (moving, job dissatisfaction, money woes, one parent diagnosed with cancer, other parent died unexpectedly).
Currently
-My periods are now irregular (40-72 days)
-FSH reading on two separate cycles were 32 mIU/ml and 27 mIU/ml
-AMH was 0.21 ng/mL
-Extremely low estrogen, progesterone DHEA, testosterone.
At 36 years old, I had fertility workup and everything was normal
-Regular periods (27-29 days)
-FSH 9 mIU/mL
-AMH 3.8 ng/mL
-Normal estrogen/progesterone.
I do have a history of an autoimmune disorder (mixed connective tissue disorder), and my POI is not due to a genetic mutation. I want to try another cycle of IVF but I’m worried about the low rate of success based on my stats. I’ve lost all the excess weight and bloat through dietary changes (mainly paleo diet) and walking. What do you suggest I work on leading up to my next IVF cycle? Also any ideas as to why this severe infertility disease happened to me in such a short time? Would you be willing to work with me to help me get back to optimal reproductive health? Thanks!
Zach: Hi Steven! I am currently dealing with problems with tinnitus, and strange sensations in the ear that makes them sometimes feel plugged, and I am wondering if this is a sinus issue, blood pressure issue, or something else. Also, I had my lipid panel done a few months back and everything was fine except my LDL was high. Could the LDL have some sort of connection to this? And what can I do to find out what type of nutrition will work for me to get to optimal health?