Christina Santini on Helping Mary with Migraines

Background

Mary, a 53-year-old female, came to the clinic having had migraines for over 10 years on a weekly basis with tension headaches daily. We first did a thermography scan to reveal inflammatory patterns in the body – the scan revealed suspicious inflammation around nose, mouth, eyes and upper respiratory along with inflammation in small intestine typically associated with fungal/bacterial overgrowth. This caused me to suspect mold exposure.

Patient Opportunity

Both Mary’s symptoms and the inflammation showing on the scan is typical for mold illness. We followed the scan up with in-depth lab testing for organic acids and mycotoxins in order to get insight on mold colonization in gut, as well as status on her mitochondrial health, neurotransmitter balance and detoxification capacity. Mycotoxin test showed significantly elevated Ochratoxin A and Aflatoxin levels – both associated with migraines. The OAT revealed decreased mitochondrial functioning partly due to a built up of oxalates, confirmed on the lab test as well. Oxalates are a typical by-product from mold. 

I almost always do a Mosaic Diagnostics Organic Acid Test on all clients combined with the more advanced environmental toxin tests. The OAT is a valuable tool to understand if the patient’s body is functioning as it should or key pathways are blocked – along with seeing how the toxins we test for may be impacting these bodily essential functions. Mold can affect brain chemistry and cause an imbalance in dopamine and serotonin, which may aggravate tendencies of anxiety and depression, why symptom treatment for these issues may be needed til the underlying cause, that is mold, is treated.

Approach

As the patient struggled with elevated anxiety aside from her migraines, we put her on a combination of treatments targeting GABA (our calming neurotransmitter): l-theanine, liposomal GABA, magnesium threonate and passionflower before bed. Following this treatment step to alleviate some of her symptoms, we set out to treat the underlying issue, being the mold. In this case, we chose natural medicine to treat the mold, as she had a history of elevated cholesterol and liver markers, which meant we were not able to treat with the typical prescription medications often used. In my experience, the anti-fungal herbal remedies in combination with binders and enzymatic biofilm disruptors, work well as long as the lungs have not been affected. 

Results

The liposomal GABA in combination with the other herbs initially took the edge of her anxiety, but the real magic occurred after 6 months time, when her migraines were gone after we had treated the mold. She is off migraine medication today and lives for the first time in over 10 years with no head pain – a relief for anyone who has ever struggled with the excruciating pain that a migraine truly is.

*The patient name has been changed to protect their privacy.

This material is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Use of this information is at the reader’s discretion and risk.