SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) is now understood to be the underlying cause of up to 80% of IBS cases and many other digestive disorders. Beyond gut symptoms like bloating and gas, bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine can contribute to health challenges, including cognitive dysfunction, autoimmune conditions, fatty liver disease, and cardiovascular problems, affecting patients who may not realize their symptoms are connected to gut health.

In this episode, Dr. Jill Carnahan explains the three main types of SIBO, testing methods, and treatment options. She discusses the role of fungal overgrowth, mast cell activation, and tick-borne infections in gut health, sharing practical information about why addressing the gut is often essential for resolving chronic illness.

Episode Highlights:

• Symptoms of specific types of bacterial overgrowth
• How a "negative" SIBO test might actually indicate the most challenging type to treat and what to look for instead
• The surprising connection between gut bacteria and seemingly unrelated conditions like rosacea, restless legs, and brain fog
• Tick-borne triggers and how they manifest in the gut
• Why treating SIBO with antibiotics alone often fails, and the fungal piece most doctors miss
• Simple physical signs (like fingernail ridges) that can reveal gut problems before expensive testing
• How anti-vinculin antibodies after food poisoning can paralyze the migrating motor complex, leading to chronic post-infectious IBS
• Why is combining rifaximin with bismuth is becoming the preferred protocol for hydrogen sulfide SIBO cases that don't respond to standard treatment

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Listen in to learn more :

(00:01) - Understanding Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

(11:26) - Comprehensive Overview of Gut Health

(18:13) - Cutting-Edge Gut Health Protocols

(27:20) - Toxicity Impact on Mast Cell Activation

(34:41) - SIBO Symptoms and Treatment Strategies

About Jill Carnahan, MD

Dr. Jill Carnahan is a pioneering physician who transforms healthcare through personalized, integrative approaches that addre

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** This information is not to be taken as medical advice. Always consult your practitioner before making any changes to your treatment.

Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses often go undiagnosed because standard commercial laboratory tests provide a false negative approximately 50% of the time. The problem stems from outdated conventional testing methods that look at one single strain of bacteria, B31, found in a tick from an island off New York's coast in the 1980s. The reality is that this does not accurately represent the diversity, as there are now over 20 different species that can cause Lyme disease and tick-borne illness.

Dr. Nafysa Parpia sits down with Dr. Joseph Burrascano, widely recognized as the father of Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment to unpack the critical differences between conventional and specialty laboratory testing, explore why patients often don't show positive results on standard tests, and discuss the FDA clearance of advanced immunoblot technology that's revolutionizing how we diagnose these conditions.

Episode Highlights:

• Find out why your doctor's Lyme test might miss your infection because standard labs only look for one strain, B31, isolated in the 1980s, when there are 20+ species currently affecting patients.
• Learn the signs that distinguish different tick-borne diseases - each infection has its own specific pattern of symptoms that help with diagnosis.
• Understand why Lyme rarely travels alone - most people actually have multiple tick-borne infections at once, which explains why symptoms can be so confusing.
• Specialty labs that are game-changers with FDA-cleared tests detecting all species with 97% vs 50% accuracy.
• Review of the Long COVID connection, where 50-70% of Long COVID patients also have tick-borne infections.

Listen in to learn more :

(00:01) Specialty Lab Testing for Tick-Borne Illnesses
(07:21) Specialized Testing for Tick-Borne Diseases
(16:02) Lyme Disease and Functional Medicine
(20:30) Advanced Lab Testing for Tick Infections
(31:32) Advancements in Lyme Disease Testing
(38:19) Intersection of Long COVID and Lyme
(43:03) Specialized Testing for Chronic Infections

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Share this episode with a friend, leave a review on Apple, or tag us on Instagram @GordonMedical with your biggest insight.

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Don’t forget to follow us @GordonMedicalAssociates on YouTube, @GordonMedicalAssociates and @GordonMedical on Instagram and Facebook for more insights and updates.

About Joseph Burrascano, MD

Pioneer in the clinical assessment, testing, and treatment of the major tick-borne diseases; began seeing Lyme patients in the early-mid 1980s. Author of lay and professional articles, textbook chapters, plus authored the first comprehensive diagnosis and treatment guidelines. Founding member of ILADS and ILADEF. No longer in practice- works in the biotech arena for a private company but spends much time educating physicians and allied health providers.

Learn more about the IGeneX Immunoblot Test: https://igenex.com/save-money-igenex

💬 Text us your feedback and future show ideas! (Please note we can't respond to texts - email questions to info@gordonmedical.com)

Interested in Becoming A Patient?

Find out if working with Gordon Medical is right for you. Set up a complimentary discovery call with our new patient coordinator at www.gordonmedical.com.

** This information is not to be taken as medical advice. Always consult your practitioner before making any changes to your treatment.

Dr. Pejman Katiraei was following standard protocol—treating patients with combinations of binders, such as cholestyramine, charcoal, and clay, to remove mycotoxins from mold exposure. But after years of practice, he noticed a troubling pattern: only a handful of patients were getting significantly better, while many remained stuck with persistent symptoms.

Even more puzzling, despite aggressive binder use, urine mycotoxin levels often stayed unchanged or even increased. This clinical reality forced him to step back and question whether the widely accepted model of chronic mycotoxin recirculation was actually correct, prompting him to explore an entirely different treatment approach.

In this episode, pediatric physician Dr. Pejman Katiraei and Dr. Eric Gordon discuss why antifungals may be more effective than binders for treating mold-related illness. Dr. Katiraei shares his clinical journey from relying heavily on binding protocols to focusing on gut inflammation and fungal overgrowth as the real drivers of persistent symptoms.

Together, they explore how bacterial endotoxins from an inflamed gut may be causing more damage than circulating mycotoxins, why the microbiome plays a critical role in detoxification, and how antifungal medications can break the cycle of chronic inflammation that keeps patients sick long after leaving moldy environments.

Episode Highlights:

• Dr. K's journey from binders to antifungals after seeing patients remain stuck despite aggressive binding protocols
• Mycotoxins degrade in hours to days - the real problem is ongoing gut inflammation, not long-term toxin recirculation.
• Fungal overgrowth perpetuates leaky gut and bacterial endotoxin release
• Bacterial endotoxins may be more neurotoxic than mycotoxins themselves
• Antifungals like itraconazole have powerful anti-inflammatory effects beyond killing fungus
• Peptides that help stabilize gut integrity and improve antifungal tolerance
• Some patients can heal even with ongoing low-level mold exposure through gut strengthening

Listen in to learn more :

(00:01) - Chronic Illness and Gut Inflammation

(15:21) - The Dangers of Bacterial Endotoxins

(19:16) - Understanding Inflammation and Healing Options

(24:42) - Antifungals and Gut Healing

(40:04) - Healing the Gut

(47:35) - Learning and Sharing for Healing

About Dr. Pejman Katiraei

Dr. Pejman Katiraei (Dr. K) is a board-certified pediatrician who completed his undergraduate studies at UCLA and then obtained his osteopathic medical degree at Western University. He completed a pediatric residency at Loma Linda University, where he remained as teaching faculty for over four years. He has also completed two fellowships in integrative medicine and has over a decade of clinical experience helping children with severe learning and behavioral challenges. Dr. K is now in private practice in Santa Monica, where he focuses on helping children with mold-related illness, autism, and other mental health challenges.

Learn more about Dr. K www.wholistickids.com

💬 Text us your feedback and future show ideas! (Please note we can't respond to texts - email questions to info@gordonmedical.com)

Interested in Becoming A Patient?

Find out if working with Gordon Medical is right for you. Set up a complimentary discovery call with our new patient coordinator at www.gordonmedical.com.

** This information is not to be taken as medical advice. Always consult your practitioner before making any changes to your treatment.