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 The problem stems from outdated conventional testing methods that look at one single strain of bacteria, B31, found in a tick from an island off New York's coast in the 1980s.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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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

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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.

Millions of people are struggling with persistent brain fog, fatigue, and cognitive issues following COVID, not realizing these symptoms share striking similarities with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Both conditions represent what researchers call "network insufficiencies" in the brain, where chronic inflammation, toxins, and nutrient deficiencies create an imbalance that conventional medicine often fails to address effectively.

In this conversation, renowned Alzheimer's researcher Dr. Dale Bredesen, author of "The End of Alzheimer's," joins Dr. Eric Gordon to explore the connections between long COVID and brain health. They'll discuss practical strategies for resolving chronic inflammation, optimizing nutrients, and addressing the root causes that can help restore cognitive function and prevent future decline.

Episode Highlights:

• Anyone who has had COVID is at increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
• Three types of toxins damage the brain: air pollution, organic solvents like glyphosate, and biotoxins from mold.
• Actionable steps you can take to protect your cognitive function
• Extra virgin olive oil outperformed expensive anti-amyloid drugs in Alzheimer's studies
• Hidden infections from the gums, gut, and sinuses can migrate to the brain and trigger harmful amyloid production
• COVID creates microthrombi (small blood clots) throughout the body that nattokinase or pycnogenol can help dissolve
• Poor ventilation and high CO2 levels in tight houses impair brain function, especially with gas stoves and many plants

Listen in to learn more :

00:01) - COVID and Alzheimer's Connection Explained

(08:51) - Addressing Cognitive Decline Risks and Causes

(17:23) - Optimizing Treatment for Chronic Illness

(25:59) - Optimizing Cognitive Function and Treatment

(38:05) - Treating Chronic Illness and Toxin Exposure

(43:42) - Preventing Neurodegenerative Disease and COVID

(53:19) - Empowering Self-Care for Cognitive Health

About Dale Bredesen, MD

Dr. Bredesen graduated from Caltech and received his MD from Duke. He served as Resident and Chief Resident in Neurology at UCSF and was then a postdoctoral fellow with Nobel laureate Prof. Stanley Prusiner. He was the Founding President of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging.

The Bredesen Laboratory studied basic mechanisms underlying the neurodegenerative process and the translation into effective therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease, leading to the publication of over 230 research papers. He established the Alzheimer’s Drug Development Network with Dr. Varghese John, leading to the identification of new classes of therapeutics for Alzheimer’s disease. His work led to the discovery of subtypes of Alzheimer’s disease, followed by the first description of reversal of symptoms in patients with MCI and Alzheimer’s disease, with a precision medicine protocol, and a recent successful proof-of-concept trial. He is currently a professor at UCLA.

Learn more about Dr. Bredesen

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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.