Healing Complex Illness; Dr. Dave Ou

Of all the energetic tools you have used for patient evaluation, what are the ones you have found most helpful and why?

For many years, I have been wanting to master a form of bioenergetic or bioresonance testing to get a better understanding of how someone is functioning beyond the information available from laboratory and radiological tests. This type of testing is a form of biofeedback in which one measures the response of the body to various stimuli. It is similar in principle to how lie detectors work. Bioresonance testing has been used for thousands of years and I’ve witnessed many gifted healers use it to help people who have stumped other practitioners. One of the oldest systems is pulse diagnosis in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Most of my main mentors, including Drs. Savely Yurkovsky, Simon Yu, Dietrich Klinghardt, and Robert Cass, all use some form of bioresonance testing to help understand their complex patients.

It has been a frustrating experience trying to find the right tool for me. Over the years, I have tried machine based tools, such as the Asyra and EAV, and manual tools such as leg length testing and arm length testing. While these tools may be invaluable for other practitioners, I did not find that the information made consistent sense to me. Ultimately, I have found that in my hands, Autonomic Response Testing (ART) by Dr. Klinghardt is the tool that works best for me. I have since been certified in ART by the Klinghardt Academy. ART was created by Drs. Klinghardt and Louisa Williams by taking classic kinesiology and making several improvements to improve the quality of information. Before ART, I had to rely on lab tests and symptoms to attempt to determine if a chronically ill person had Lyme, Lyme co-infections, mycotoxicity, heavy metals, parasites, etc. Patients have become so complex now that they often have all of these issues and it’s important to identify and address the top priorities. Labs for these issues can be expensive and have limitations such as false negatives. They also don’t tell you what are the most important issues. Without ART, I constantly needed to make educated guesses about what to address and in what order and hoped it would work without adverse effects.

In combination with the history, physical, and lab results, ART helps me to hone in on what are the most important issues to address and what treatments will be most efficacious with the fewest adverse effects. One of the challenges with working with the chronically ill is that the sicker ones can have paradoxical reactions to treatments. For example, using standard protocols to treat weak adrenal or thyroid function can make them feel worse. ART allows me to individualize treatment plans instead of following protocols. Since using ART, I’ve gotten much fewer phone calls about reactions to treatments. More importantly, my patients are reporting better and faster clinical results than I’ve ever seen in my practice.

Bryan Rosner’s book, Freedom from Lyme Disease, has an excellent discussion on how different layers emerge as one is treating chronic illnesses such as Chronic Lyme. As some symptoms start to clear, other symptoms may emerge. Patients often fear that they are getting worse or are adversely reacting to treatment, when they may actually have uncovered another layer to address. Bioenergetic tools, such as ART, are the only ways I know of to understand what is happening other than educated guesses. Rosner refers to the benefits of bioenergetic testing throughout his book.

It’s important to understand that no matter what bioresonance testing technique one uses, the knowledge base of the practitioner is key. For example, the world’s most accurate system is useless if the practitioner is not aware of mold toxicity when a mold toxic patient comes in. In other words, just being able to use a technique such as ART will not guarantee a successful outcome. ART is flexible enough to allow me to integrate the best of what I’ve learned from the countless conferences I’ve gone to and books I’ve read as well as what I will learn in the future.

What treatment options have you found to be most effective in treating parasites?

I have had the fortune of training with Simon Yu, MD, the author of the Accidental Cure. As the title of his book suggests, he accidently discovered that a wide variety of symptoms would greatly diminish with the use of prescription anti-parasitics. He uses a bioenergetic testing tool called Acupuncture Meridian Assessment (AMA) to measure the status of the acupuncture meridians. Most of his chronically ill patients have multiple acupuncture meridians that are out of balance. In the majority of difficult cases, he is able to help balance most of the abnormal meridians just by using prescription anti-parasitics. While herbals options do help, he has found that prescription anti-parasitics are more balancing.

Drs. Klinghardt, Yurkovsky, and others have also reported it is crucial to address parasites in the chronically ill. In my practice, I prefer to use a combination of prescriptions, herbs, and homeopathics. I use ART to determine what is most balancing. There are studies that suggest that parasites thrive and persist in the presence of toxicity such as heavy metals and pesticides. Therefore, it is important to also address the toxic burden for sustained improvement.

It’s important to note that parasite testing in the U.S is highly prone to false negatives. Dr. Klinghardt has reported in his conversations with parasitologists that in order to get accurate results, stool must be examined within minutes, otherwise parasites begin to self- destruct once they leave the body. By the time stool samples reach labs in the U.S., most of the evidence has vanished. Because parasite testing is so poor, most clinicians aren’t aware of the presence of parasites. There’s also a frequent misconception that one has to travel to exotic countries to develop a problem.

In addition to Dr. Yu’s book, there is information on the benefits of treating parasites on Dr. Yu’s website at http://www.preventionandhealth.com and Freedom From Lyme Disease by Bryan Rosner.

Have you seen major improvements in some patients after cavitations were addressed?

Definitely. Cavitations can occur in the jaw where teeth have been extracted, especially where wisdom teeth have been pulled without removing the periodontal ligaments. The standard of care is for dentists to leave the periodontal ligaments behind due to the increased difficulty of removing them and potential complications. The residual periodontal ligaments can promote poor blood flow which can lead to an infection which we call a cavitation. Each tooth is connected to an acupuncture meridian. Cavitations can contain amoeba and bacteria which can release toxins such as thioethers disturbing the meridians and weakening the immune system. The majority of patients have no symptoms in their mouth so they never suspect that their teeth are the source of their problems. Depending on which meridians are affected, they might have symptoms elsewhere in their body such as fatigue, palpitations, poor memory, digestive problems, pain, and much more.

Cavitations are reportedly discussed in dental textbooks but they are not discussed in dental schools. Only a few biological dentists are aware of cavitations and their effects. They do not show up on dental X-rays unless there is over 40% destruction of the bone. Even then, unless a dentist has special training, they won’t recognize it. With newer technology such as 3D cone beam scans, they are easier to see. I’ve been told that conventional dentists see cavitations on 3D scans frequently, but they don’t understand their significance. The highly skilled use of bioenergetic testing such as ART or AMA are good methods to determine if there is a cavitation disturbing acupuncture meridians. This has been confirmed by pathology reports after surgery. If that’s not available, 3D cone beam scans in the hands of a highly skilled biological dentist are the next best alternative.

I first became aware of cavitations when one of my patients had surgical treatment of her cavitations which led to dramatic improvement of her symptoms. Since then, I have seen many patients get good improvements in their health when their cavitations were effectively taken care of. I’d say that the majority of my very ill patients have cavitations as part of their overall toxic burden. The most common treatment options are ozone injections and surgery by a biological dentist. Ozone injections are less invasive but multiple injections are needed and may not be effective if the cavitations are too large. Surgery is more invasive, but tends to be covered better by insurance and can usually, but not always, resolve cavitations in a single sitting. There is continued debate on which is more effective in which patients.

It is also important to know that most root canals also disturb acupuncture meridians and affect the immune system. Research by Dr. Weston Price found that it is impossible to completely sterilize a tooth so there will always be some degree of infection. He did some interesting experiments such as taking a root canaled tooth from a rabbit with a chronic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis and implanting the tooth in a healthy rabbit. Soon, the healthy rabbit would develop the same illness as the sick rabbit.

I’ve heard that at the renowned Paracelsus Clinic in Switzerland, they send their patients to biological dentists first to address their dental issues such as cavitations or root canals before starting any medical treatments. Dr. Simon Yu says that when he sees a new patient who hasn’t been helped by multiple practitioners, he finds that addressing parasites and dental issues helps most of them significantly.

There isn’t a lot written about how dental issues affect the body. Radical Medicine by Dr. Louisa Williams is one of the better sources. The Root Canal Cover-Up by George Meinig, The Accidental Cure by Dr. Simon Yu, and Saved By My Dentist by Dr. Douglas Cook are also good resources. Dr. Weston Price’s research is also available.

What role do colonics and coffee enemas play in a patient’s recovery journey?

I first learned about colonics through taking a course from Dr. Walter Crinnion, author of Clean, Lean, and Green and former Chairman of Environmental Medicine at the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine. In his book, he described a study years ago showing that most of his patients with autoimmune disease reported clinical improvements after a series of colonics. His hypothesis was that autoimmunity is a consequence of an excessive body burden of toxins and that lowering the load with colonics would be helpful.

The mechanism of action of colonics and coffee enemas was actually reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association decades ago. They basically trigger the liver and gallbladder to dump bile. This is important because the liver pulls out toxins from the blood and puts them in bile. Anything that is done to facilitate the movement of bile into the toilet such as colonics, coffee enemas, or the use of binders, accelerates the excretion of toxins. Conversely, anything that slows the exit of bile such as constipation, slows the excretion of toxins.

Anecdotally, many patients report feeling better with colonics and coffee enemas and are often listed as a favorite tool among those recovering from Lyme. They are generally safe, but I recommend that patients be supervised by a qualified health care provider.

Do you find that mold plays a role in neuro immune illness?

Absolutely. I was first introduced to mold illness though the work of Ritchie Shoemaker, MD, author of Surviving Mold. I have since completed his physician certification program. Most people don’t know that in a water damaged building (WDB), there is more than just mold. There are also amoeba, bacteria, and Actinomycetes growing along with mold. This complex ecosystem releases numerous compounds into the air. According to Dr. Shoemaker, mycotoxins comprise only a small proportion of all of the toxic substances released. Other substances released include beta glucans, hemolysins, proteinases, mannans, c-type lectins, spirocyclic drimanes, and volatile organic compounds (VOC).

Together, these compounds cause neuroinflammation and greatly disturb normal physiology in the genetically susceptible. Dr. Shoemaker found that certain variations in one gene, called HLA DR/DQ, predisposes about 25% of the population to chronic inflammation when exposed to a WDB. The genetically susceptible appear not to be able to clear out the toxins from a WDB as efficiently as the non-susceptible. This is why in a sick building, only some people feel ill and the rest feel fine. Because most people feel fine, they often conclude that the sickened minority are “crazy.” Curiously, in my practice, I have found that 98% of my patients have the genes that predispose them to CIRS.

In the genetically susceptible, inhaling air from a WDB causes inflammation which causes the immune system to dump a variety of chemicals into the bloodstream with numerous consequences. Dr. Shoemaker calls this Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS). One of the consequences of CIRS is decreased blood flow to the brain. This can be demonstrated by SPECT Scans or MR Spectroscopy. This can cause fatigue, brain fog, memory problems, depression, and anxiety. Another consequence is dysregulation of the hypothalamus which can cause a deficiency of anti-inflammatory neuropeptides. One common deficiency in those with CIRS is a relative ADH deficiency. ADH, or antidiuretic hormone, tells the kidneys to conserve water. When ADH is low, people will have thirst and frequent urination. Many of these people worry that they have diabetes. Many of them have been diagnosed with a “spastic bladder.” Others will say they like to drink a lot of water. It’s not uncommon for many of my mold toxic patients to run to the bathroom frequently during their appointments with me.

Other important neuropeptides that are frequently deficient are MSH (Melanocyte Stimulating Hormone) and VIP (Vasoactive Intestinal Polypeptide). They, along with ADH, act as brakes on inflammation. If they are low, inflammation becomes a runaway train. Low VIP can also lead to abnormal flow of blood to the lungs causing some people to have “air hunger.” Low MSH can lead to dysregulation of melatonin affecting sleep and dysregulation of adrenal function.

Dr. Shoemaker has found that the inflammation caused by water damaged buildings is the same as that caused by the neurotoxins released by Lyme. Because of that, the symptoms of mold and Lyme are often indistinguishable from each other. I have observed that Lyme patients with the worst symptoms often have a simultaneous mold exposure. I have seen a number of Lyme patients who have gone through years of antibiotic treatment with little improvements. In most of these cases, we found that they were living in a building with water damage. In my experience, those with Lyme respond poorly to most treatments if they have a current mold exposure. I’ve seen a number of patients who carry a diagnosis of Lyme, but get tremendous relief from their symptoms by resolving their mold exposure.

Dr. Klinghardt has said that just because someone has a Lyme infection does not mean it is the cause of their symptoms. He has found that a high percentage of his patients who carry a diagnosis of Lyme get relief of many or most of their symptoms by addressing other infections, parasites, mold, heavy metals, or dental issues.

What are you top tips for addressing mold exposure and biotoxin illness?

I recommend that all of my chronically ill patients determine if they have a mold exposure where they spend significant time at, especially home and work. I recommend running a HERTSMI-2 from Mycometrics in New Jersey. There is a formula for interpreting the results athttp://www.survivingmold.com/diagnosis/hertsmi-2 . The formula was developed by Dr. Shoemaker by analyzing how the test results correlate with his patients’ markers of inflammation on bloodwork. With a score of 10 or less, it is uncommon for his patients to develop symptoms in the building and uncommon for inflammatory markers to rise. The formula is specific to the methodology used by Mycometrics so it does not work with other labs.

The bigger question is what to do if the levels are high in the home. One can attempt to hire a contractor to remediate the home. The problem is that the majority of the remediations I’ve seen have failed. I’ve had a number of patients who spent over $70,000 on remediation, but their homes continued to make them ill. I believe this was due to failure to identify all sources of water intrusion into the home and inadequate decontamination of the home. Much of this is because of the current industry standard use of air testing.

Air testing measures mold spores, which are 3 microns and larger. The problem is that 99% of the particles carrying toxins from a water damaged building are smaller than 3 microns and therefore not detectable by air testing. When a mold inspector says air testing is normal, he is saying that he searched for 1% of the problem and couldn’t find it. Remember from the above that there are also bacteria and amoeba which release many other compounds into the air which are not tested with air testing.

There was a study in Germany in which they looked at homes in which mold was eventually discovered. When they reviewed the air testing results, only 25% were positive. In other words, air testing will usually miss a mold problem. Dr. Shoemaker jokes that the main reason for air testing is for a landlord to protect themselves with “normal” results. These facts are unfortunately not part of the education of the vast majority of mold professionals.

I’ve talked to many practitioners who say the best solution is to move out of the house. Statistically, my patients who have moved to safer environments get the best results. According to Dr. Shoemaker, the odds of a safe environment are improved by finding a home built on a slab with no history of water damage. It is important to test a home with a HERTSMI-2 prior to moving into it.

At the same time, many people are unable to move from their homes. There are a few strategies that can help lower, but not eliminate, the toxic burden of a water damaged building. One common strategy is the use of HEPA filters. One limitation is that they don’t do a good job of pulling out compounds called VOCs, which water damaged buildings can generate. Dr. Klinghardt recommends Propolis vaporizers available from www.beehealthyfarms.com. I’ve had a number of patients who have been happy with them. He also recommends spraying the air with EM-1 Microbial Inoculant available from http://www.teraganix.com/. I have less experience with this product but my initial impressions have been positive. It is basically an environmental probiotic which can “eat” mold and mycotoxins. I believe it can play a role in decontaminating dry surfaces and clothing.

Another important tip is to realize that the toxic compounds released by water damaged buildings are already dead so focusing on killing mold will not end the problem. Many people, including “mold professionals” try to spray chemicals or use fancy devices to kill mold. This just leaves behind all of the toxic compounds, such as mycotoxins, which still need to be physically removed. Another common mistake is using bleach. Bleach is actually quite ineffective.

There are two sources of information that can lead to a successful remediation. One is written by Greg Weatherman who has worked frequently with Dr. Shoemaker. It can be found athttp://www.survivingmold.com/legal-resources/environmental/condensed-remediation-plan-for-small-microbial-particles. I’ve had a difficult time finding contractors who are willing to follow Weatherman’s protocol because it goes beyond industry standards. Another resource is written by May Dooley at www.mold-control-on-a-budget.com and http://www.create-your-healthy-home.com/ Remember that success depends on whether ALL sources of water damage have been resolved and thorough decontamination. Mold contractors define success as negative air testing but this is not good enough for the genetically susceptible. Dr. Shoemaker recommends running a HERTSMI-2 after remediation to confirm success or not. Curiously, I find that many patients appear to be very resistant to running this post-remediation test. As I mentioned before, most remediations I’ve seen have failed.

Do you use urinary mycotoxin testing and do you find it useful?

I do run them occasionally. It is quite expensive and has a number of limitations. One is that there are numerous compounds released by water damaged buildings of which mycotoxins are a small part, according to Dr. Shoemaker. On top of that, there are hundreds of mycotoxins and only 3 can be commercially tested. The next limitation is that some of the sickest people are those who do not excrete mycotoxins well. That means their urine tests will look normal. In summary, if a mold patient doesn’t excrete mycotoxins well or they don’t have one of the 3 mycotoxins tested, their test will look normal. Some clinicians have used methods such as sauna therapy or glutathione prior to testing to improve the yield of testing.

If the test is positive, it doesn’t tell me if the mycotoxins are coming from the environment or from colonization in the body. It also doesn’t tell me if there is current or past exposure. At the same time, it is good to have positive confirmation in black and white that mold exposure has occurred. I still like to have HERTMI-2 testing to evaluate the current environment. If the HERTSMI is normal, then I still have to decide if it is related to fungal colonization or an exposure from the past or another location.

Do you feel that detoxification is crucial in the healing process? If yes, why?

One way to answer this is with an analogy. Imagine a house that is littered with trash all over the floor in every room. This house is infested with roaches and mice. What if you just called in an exterminator? Would killing the pests resolve the problem completely? No. The environment that led to the infestation must be corrected otherwise the pests will return.

All of my mentors agree that clearing the internal milieu is critical to clearing chronic illness. According to the Klinghardt Axiom, the degree of infections in a person is proportional to their toxic load. Similarly, there is a naturopathic principle which says that to treat illness, one only needs to do two things: 1) add in what is missing 2) remove what doesn’t belong. In our culture, there is too much emphasis on taking supplements and vitamins which can lead to an even higher toxic load.

Some of the major toxins that often need to be addressed are mercury, lead, aluminum, inflammagens from water damaged buildings, and thioethers from root canals and cavitations. There are of course numerous other chemicals from the environment which need to be considered, such as pesticides and petrochemicals.

There are many strategies for facilitating the removal of toxins. A good strategy will also help minimize Herxheimer’s or die-off reactions. I like to use binders such as chlorella, Zeobind from BioPure, or Takesumi Supreme. I also like the drainage remedies from Physica Energetics, Soluna and Pekana. Optimizing good bile flow to carry toxins from the liver out of the body through good gut health is very important. Components of a good program would include avoiding food allergens and managing dysbiosis. Drs. Crinnion and Klinghardt likes colonics and sauna therapy. If one is very ill or very constipated, be very careful with saunas, as in some people, toxins will be released into the bloodstream and spread to other parts of the body because they can’t exit properly.

There seems to be a lot of controversy around blood testing for food allergies. Do you feel that these blood tests to detect food allergies are accurate? Why or why not?

There are a number of different food allergy tests available commercially. I think that they all provide useful information but none of them are 100% perfect. Many clinicians have observed that if you take the same sample of blood and send it to different companies, you’ll get different results. Part of the reason is that there are many ways food can harm the body and each lab can only test some of those ways.

Testing for gluten sensitivity is especially tricky. It has been discovered that there can be dozens of different antibodies against gluten and wheat. Almost all labs are only able to test a few of the different possibilities. If a person has a gluten antibody that isn’t tested at a particular lab, he/she will get a false sense of security from his/her “normal” tests. Currently, Cyrex Labs, is the only company to test 2 dozen different gluten and gluten related antibodies. In my experience, it’s rare that a chronically ill person doesn’t have a sensitivity to gluten.

Another situation which I’ve seen frequently is someone who says they’ve been told they do not have celiac disease so they mistakenly believe gluten is safe for them. Celiac disease only represents a tiny percentage of what can happen with gluten sensitivity. Celiac disease specifically refers to damage to the small intestine from gluten. However, gluten is known to damage many other tissues including the brain, skin, muscles, and more. These cases aren’t classified as celiac, but can be equally disabling.

The “gold standard” is an elimination diet, in which all possible sensitive foods are avoided for at least a few weeks. The main limitation is that unless all sensitive foods are eliminated, one might not notice a change. For example, if a person who is gluten and dairy sensitive just avoids gluten, he may see no difference because he’s still drinking milk.

In my practice, I find that combining information from antibody based testing, ART, and an elimination diet provides the best information for my patients.

What is your strategy for hormone imbalance?

I recently read Safe Uses of Cortisol by William Jefferies and Hypothyroidism Type 2 by Mark Starr, MD upon recommendations by Dr. Klinghardt. I realized that many of my fatigued patients needed more proactive support of their immunity through adrenal and thyroid support. I’ve tried various adrenal and thyroid protocols from multiple eloquent teachers and best-selling authors in the past, but never saw consistent results until I started to use Dr. Klinghardt’s strategies.

Through reading those books and guidance from ART, I learned that while blood work and saliva tests for hormones are useful, there are sometimes false negatives. I have seen dramatic changes with therapeutic trials of hydrocortisone and/or thyroid replacement despite “normal” conventional or holistic labs. TSH is the standard blood test that conventional doctors use and Dr. Starr’s book has a lot of valuable information on the limitations of using that test to assess thyroid function. Dr. Starr says that looking at free T3 and reverse T3 can give important insight into thyroid status.There is a lot of controversy over synthetic versus porcine thyroid replacement. Most people don’t realize that “synthetic” thyroid hormones are bio-identical. Many of the problems for which “synthetic” thyroid hormones are blamed revolve around the fillers and dyes that they often contain. The porcine based replacements such as Armour, Westhroid, and Nature-Throid contain lactose and corn based fillers, which some people react to. In addition, Dr. Starr says that people who have anti-thyroid hormone antibodies often do not tolerate any porcine based products. I recently discovered WP Thyroid which contains no gluten, dairy (except a trace amount of lactose), corn, soy, or dyes. However those with anti-thyroid antibodies can still react to it. For those people, I frequently use compounded T4 and sustained release T3. There is no simple answer as to whether synthetic or porcine based thyroid replacement is best. It’s highly individual and most of my patients have been happy with what ART has suggested as the most balancing.

I have also seen a number of people with low thyroid labs who benefit more from cortisol replacement than thyroid replacement. There are many people with low thyroid labs who feel worse with thyroid replacement. The most common reasons include reactions to the fillers, low cortisol levels, mold exposure, and iodine and iron deficiencies. When those issues have been resolved, they later do well with thyroid replacement.

Similarly, there are people with low cortisol levels who feel worse with adrenal glandulars, herbs, and hydrocortisone. In Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome by Michael Lam, MD, he describes this as being not uncommon in sicker patients.

I find ART to be a very valuable tool in navigating all of the confounding factors associated with adrenal and thyroid replacement. I try to steer away from pharmaceutical solutions whenever possible. Many people do well with herbs, glandulars, homeopathics, and nutrient replacement. At the same time, hydrocortisone and thyroid replacement can be life changing and therefore necessary in some patients.

As a side note, I’ve had many women come to me who believe they have hormonal problems based on their symptoms of hot flashes or symptoms that get worse with their periods. Many of them had no success with hormone treatments from other practitioners. In most of these cases, I found that their symptoms were caused by chronic infections and toxicity. These causes are especially important to consider if they aren’t at the typical age for menopause or if it’s been a number of years since they became menopausal.

We are incredibly honored to share this opportunity with Dr. Ou. We know our readers will be similarly appreciative of Dr. Ou’s commitment to supporting this community. Thank you Dr. Ou for sharing your wisdom with us. We appreciate your work and generous contribution to this project.

With gratitude, Stacy and The Well Scent Team