“So… what’s the protocol?”
“How long is this going to take?”
These are some of the most common questions I get from patients at the start of treatment—and they’re completely valid. When you’ve been dealing with symptoms for months or years, you want a plan. A finish line. A sense of structure.
While I can’t give specifics that apply to everyone, the best answer I’ve found—the one thing everyone needs to do—is this:
“Keep calm and comprehensively cover your root cause issues at a rate you can handle until your symptoms go away.”
It may sound like a cute slogan, but this phrase holds everything I believe about healing in one sentence. Let’s break it down—and explain why it works.
First: “Keep Calm” Is the Hardest and Most Important Part
Before we talk about labs, infections, or supplements, we need to talk about your nervous system—specifically, the amygdala.
In chronic illness, the amygdala often becomes hypervigilant. It constantly scans your body for signs of danger: pain, fatigue, dizziness, food reactions, chemical smells. And once this survival wiring is in place, even small shifts in symptoms or treatments can feel like a threat.
This is why “keeping calm” isn’t just emotional advice—it’s part of your protocol. A dysregulated nervous system disrupts everything: immune function, detox capacity, hormone signaling, gut motility, and mitochondrial output.
Of course, staying calm is easier said than done—especially when you’re not feeling well. But it does get easier. Nervous system retraining tools (like Primal Trust™), 4-7-8 breathing, and consistent symptom improvement all help rewire this hypervigilance over time.
So the first piece of your treatment is learning to trust the process, even if you can’t see the full path yet. Calm is a healing input—and it compounds.
Next: “Comprehensively Cover Your Root Cause Issues…”
Chronic illness doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s rarely caused by just one thing. That’s why a successful approach has to look upstream—at what’s truly driving immune dysfunction and chronic inflammation.
At our center, we focus on identifying and addressing two major upstream categories:
- Primary Pathogens – including Borrelia, Babesia, Bartonella, Candida, and Aspergillus
- Toxins – primarily biotoxins and mycotoxins, but also metals, chemicals, and plastics
These root causes disrupt immune balance, mitochondrial function, and detox pathways. Left unaddressed, they keep the body in a reactive, inflamed state—no matter how many supplements or symptom-targeted therapies are added.
And when it comes to pathogens, treating them one at a time rarely works long-term. Leaving one unchecked creates space for it to flare up or become dominant again. It’s not about being aggressive—it’s about being coordinated. If you’ve ever felt like you're chasing symptoms in circles, this may be why.
Meanwhile, failing to address toxins allows the immune system to stay stuck in overdrive—misfiring, reacting, and creating new downstream problems even when pathogens are being managed.
That’s why comprehensive coverage isn’t optional. It’s the foundation of real, durable recovery.
What About Hormones, Gut, MCAS, or Mitochondria?
These systems matter. We do support them, especially when they’re flaring or creating barriers to progress. But they’re typically downstream, not root causes.
- MCAS tends to stabilize as biotoxins and infections clear.
- Hormones rebalance when inflammation and stress load are reduced.
- Mitochondria recover more easily once oxidative stress and immune overactivation settle.
- Gut function improves when nervous system tone and infection burden shift.
Supporting these areas symptomatically is often essential—but lasting progress comes from addressing what’s upstream.
“…At a Rate You Can Handle”
Even when we know what needs to be addressed, how we go about it matters just as much.
Adding multiple interventions at once might feel productive—but if your system can’t tolerate that much input, you won’t know what’s helping, what’s flaring you, or how to pivot.
We typically layer in new interventions every 3–7 days, depending on your sensitivity and stability. This allows us to:
- Monitor response
- Minimize crashes or overstimulation
- Personalize treatment in real time
This pace isn’t slow for the sake of caution—it’s strategic. It helps your body integrate change rather than react to it.
And it builds trust—not just in the plan, but in yourself.
“…Until Your Symptoms Go Away”
Once we’ve identified interventions that are both well tolerated and clinically helpful, we don’t just rotate through them—we stay the course.
Most patients will need to continue effective treatments until their symptoms have resolved—and then maintain those treatments for at least two additional months to stabilize gains. This gives the immune system, mitochondria, and nervous system time to truly recalibrate and reestablish resilience.
After that, we shift into a long-term maintenance plan. This might include:
- Intermittent or pulsed antimicrobial support
- Ongoing detox strategies
- Nervous system regulation tools
- Lifestyle routines that reduce re-exposure and inflammatory triggers
Chronic illness doesn’t mean you're doomed to always be sick. But it does require a lifelong approach to optimizing microbial balance, reducing toxin load, and regulating stress physiology. That’s not just prevention—it’s part of maintaining the health you’ve worked so hard to rebuild.
What This Looks Like in Practice
It looks like:
- Supporting your nervous system through breathwork and limbic retraining
- Starting antifungal therapy while also clearing mold exposure
- Treating Babesia and watching for flare patterns tied to full moons
- Introducing detox support before mitochondrial stimulation
- Staying on effective treatments until symptoms are fully resolved—then continuing for at least two months before scaling down
- Transitioning into a maintenance rhythm that supports long-term immune balance and nervous system regulation
It looks like a whole-person strategy, customized and responsive—rather than a linear checklist.
Final Thought: Healing Isn’t Linear, But It Is Possible
There’s no magic timeline. No universal supplement stack. No “one thing” that fixes everything.
But there is a roadmap:
- Start by calming the nervous system
- Identify and address the root causes—pathogens and toxins
- Support downstream systems as needed
- Layer interventions with intention, and pay attention to response
This isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing what matters most—at a pace that works for your body.
So yes—keep calm. Cover your root causes. Go at a rate you can handle.
That’s not just a motto. It’s a framework for healing that actually works.