Or take fish oil?

Is fish oil a poison?

Or the secret to a long and healthy life?

Are fish an essential part of a balanced diet?

Or mercury and pollutant-riddled, parasite-spreading “food” that we should leave to the sharks and Orcas?

These are important questions for us to answer.

Let us dive in to this ocean of controversy (pun intended).

The Problem with Fish

Fish have been a staple of human diets worldwide for generations. They are touted as one of the healthiest foods on planet earth. Yet they have undoubtedly become one of the most dangerous.

Fish: The Good

Research conclusively shows that higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids are associated with longer life and greater vitality. Fish are rich in omega-3’s. They are our chief dietary source of these fatty acids.

Fish are rich in minerals like copper, magnesium, potassium, zinc, selenium, and iodine. There is a sweet spot for consumption of each of these minerals, but most people do not get enough of any of them. Fish help us to optimize our mineral intake.

Fish are rich in protein. Cod, for example, has far more protein than beef or pork. Most people do not eat enough protein, and fish can help them solve this problem.

Fish: What’s Fishy

Big fish (shark, swordfish, tuna, and King mackerel) are extremely high in mercury. Other popular fish, like halibut, have moderate quantities of mercury. In The End of Autoimmunity, I share a case study of a man poisoned by his seafood habit. I have more stories like that one than I can keep track of.

Fish are fishy. Many patients do not like fish. Perhaps this is because fish do not freeze and travel as well as meat. I suspect it is because people today do not grow up eating much, if any, fish. Regardless, fish spoil easily and need to be preserved carefully.

Farmed fish are suspect. They are being treated with all kinds of chemicals (pharmaceuticals) in order to keep them alive in captivity. Producers color them with artificial dyes to make them more appealing. Are farmed fish as healthy as wild fish? Are they more contaminated with chemicals? I do not know. I am open to the idea that farmed fish can be part of a healthy diet.

Fish are intense. Because they are rich in minerals, they can be too much for some people. They are not my first choice to nourish people who are struggling with their digestion. I only recommend fish to patients who are robust and have a strong stomach.

The Problem with Shellfish

Shellfish fall into two categories - crustaceans and mollusks. Crustaceans include shrimp, crabs, and lobsters. They move around. Mollusks include clams, oysters, mussels, and scallops. They do not move around.

There are a few problems with shellfish.

First, many patients won’t touch them. This may be due to taste, texture, allergies, or concerns about quality and safety.

Second, most patients don’t have access to high-quality sources on a regular basis. Frozen fish at the grocery store is the norm for most people, and this is not particularly appetizing or exciting.

Third, contamination can become a major problem. This is highly local. Almost no one is testing shellfish for the environmental chemicals and toxins that are common in our modern world. Even without local contamination, heavy metal levels in shellfish are high.

Fourth, shellfish have a variable content of omega-3’s. Oysters are rich in omega-3’s, but scallops and shrimp are poor.

I still eat molluscan shellfish (once a week at most). I tend to eat mostly shrimp and scallops.

Fish or Fish Oil?

Why Take Fish Oil?

Controversy abounds about fish oil. Many studies of fish oil supplementation have shown benefit, but many have shown no benefit.

Here’s why I often recommend fish oil to our patients.

Our fish oil is Dr. Stillman’s Omega + (you can purchase here).

First, it is associated with a lower risk of dementia and better cognitive function.

Second, we may question the quality of fish oils in the negative studies as well as the validity of the studies based on duration. For example, it might take twenty years to document a statistically significant difference between a treatment group taking fish oil and a control group taking a placebo. Besides which, what placebo do you give the control group? Every oil that would look like fish oil has medicinal properties!

Third, most patients do not eat enough fish to reach 2-4 grams per day of fish oil. If you’re not eating fish and omega-3 rich nuts and seeds (flax, chia, and walnuts), you’ll likely be deficient in omega-3’s. Don’t guess your level - test it. Fatty acid blood testing is worth it.

My main criticism of fish oil is that fish oil does not provide me with the minerals I would get from eating fish. I address this by eating nuts and seeds, which are rich in all the minerals that fish are rich in. This is another reason I tend to emphasize nuts and seeds to my patients.

My Routine

I prefer to get my omega-3’s from food.

This is just my preference. Here’s how I do it:

1. Nightly smoked salmon and/or herring in dill sauce (1 ounce total).

2. Nightly keta salmon caviar (<10 grams per night).

3. Daily Dr. Stillman’s Detox Powder smoothie. This includes 12 grams of dry flax seed.

4. Salmon once weekly, 5-7 ounces.

5. Scallops and/or shrimp once weekly, 5-7 ounces.

And I eat 1-2 ounces of nuts and seeds most days (a variety of them).

Here are my omega-3 levels from this month:

These are nearly perfect. So I know this works.

If you’re not prepared to:

• Eat huge amounts of seafood

• Consume flax, chia, or walnuts regularly

• Police your diet for omega-6-rich foods (1-2 ounces of nuts and seeds max)

• Police your diet for refined seed oils

Then you might choose a supplement.

Ours is Dr. Stillman’s Omega + (available here).

Your Next Step

If you found this helpful, book an evaluation with a member of our team.

During the evaluation, we’ll:

• Review your history and current symptoms

• What you’ve tried, what’s worked, and what hasn’t

• Get you clarity on where to go next, whether that’s becoming a member of our practice or a referral to a trusted partner of ours

Book your evaluation today. If you’re tired, foggy, and inflamed, we’d love to help you reclaim your health.

Until next time, be well,

Dr. Stillman

If you’re the high‑functioning, “do everything right” type who is still exhausted, foggy, itchy, and stuck with “normal” labs, this live Q&A walks through how I actually map fatigue, thyroid issues, and eczema through the lens of repair deficit.

Here’s exactly what we cover

• 00:00 – Who this is for: high‑achieving adults who are always tired, living on caffeine, and collecting labels like “borderline thyroid” and “mild autoimmune,” plus how this ties into my upcoming book on repair deficit

• 03:10 – Why fatigue is an energy system problem, not a character flaw: mitochondria as “spark plugs,” why stimulants are tire patches, and what real restoration looks like

• 08:25 – Low thyroid vs. low cellular energy: why many patients have “normal” thyroid labs but classic symptoms, and how I interpret TSH, free T3, free T4, and antibodies in context

• 14:00 – Eczema and skin flares as repair‑deficit signals: what itchy, inflamed skin is often saying about gut, immune balance, and toxic load instead of just “you need more cream”

• 19:40 – Nutrient “spark plugs” that drive energy and repair: magnesium, B vitamins, vitamin C, protein, and why you usually can’t supplement your way out of a bad environment

• 24:50 – How stress quietly burns through nutrients: the loud‑noise magnesium study, chronic fight‑or‑flight, and why that matters for fatigue, thyroid function, and skin

• 30:05 – Toxins and environment: mold, heavy metals, PFAS, EMF, and how they show up in chronic fatigue and “mysterious” autoimmunity‑type symptoms

• 36:20 – Infections and immune burden: Lyme, co‑infections, viruses, parasites, and how I decide when they are central vs. background noise in a fatigue or eczema case

• 42:15 – Lab strategy: which basic labs I find most helpful for chronic fatigue / low thyroid / eczema, and what patterns point toward repair deficit rather than “just stress”

• 48:30 – Real‑world case patterns: composite examples of patients who moved the needle only when we fixed light, sleep, food, and toxins before adding more supplements

• 54:10 – Q&A highlights: rapid‑fire answers on iron, ferritin, reverse T3, adrenal testing, histamine, and how to think about “methylation” without getting lost in the weeds

• 1:01:00 – Where to start if you see yourself in this episode, and how these same principles form the backbone of my upcoming book on repair deficit and chronic illness

Enter the giveaway to win a free copy of my book here.

You can purchase my book September 15th or pre-order now.

Additional Resources

For Dr. Stillman’s latest article visit here

Want to take your health to the next level? Here are a few ways to deepen your knowledge and take action on your health:

Dr. Stillman’s 14 Day Reset.

Work with Dr. Stillman – Ready to optimize your health with a functional and integrative approach? Apply to be a patient at Dr. Stillman’s practice and get a personalized health plan tailored to your needs.

Stay Informed & Inspired – Subscribe to Dr. Stillman’s newsletter for exclusive health insights, podcast updates, and expert guidance on living a vibrant life.

Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

Enter my giveaway for a chance to win a free ebook copy of my new book.

If you’re tired, foggy, and inflamed, then you undoubtedly have heavy metals within your body that are part of the problem.

We have been polluting the world with heavy metals since we first discovered how to work metal into tools. Before the advent of metallurgy, the only sources of heavy metals in the biosphere were volcanic eruptions and the rare asteroid strike.

Heavy metals are toxic to life. This is true from single-celled organisms up to the largest mammals on earth, like elephants and whales. Heavy metals tend to “bio-accumulate.” This is a ten dollar word for a simple concept. The larger the organism and the bigger its prey, the more metals it will accumulate. The highest levels of mercury in fish are found in large, carnivorous fish like sharks, swordfish, or tuna. As these fish eat more and more fish over the course of their lives, they accumulate more and more mercury.

We are no different. You would be shocked to see the difference in mercury levels between people depending on how much fish they eat.

Here are the hair tests of a couple who summer in one place and winter in another. Where they summer, the water is cold and the fish are smaller. Where they winter, the water is warm and the fish are more carnivorous.

Their hair tissue concentrations vary by almost 100% based on where they are living.

Why do I start with mercury? Because it is the most toxic heavy metal, because it is strongly tied to autoimmunity, and because you can radically reduce your exposure with a few simple choices. I write more about this in my book.

Mercury is one of the root causes of autoimmunity, but by no means is it the only heavy metal that drives autoimmunity.

How Toxic Are Heavy Metals?

Here is how much of each heavy metal it would take to kill a 180-pound man, based on lethal dose studies:

Metal

Lethal Dose (approximate)

• Mercury 200 mg

• Arsenic 1,000-1,500 mg

• Cadmium 7,000-9,000 mg

• Lead 37,000 mg

• Aluminum 285,000 mg

To give you some perspective, one milligram is a speck you would struggle to see on your countertop. One microgram is one-thousandth of that.

Mercury stands out. You need about 7 times more arsenic to kill you, 35 times more cadmium, and over 1,400 times more aluminum. This is why mercury has been called the most potent neurotoxin on earth.

But here is what makes this terrifying. According to CDC biomonitoring data:

• Mercury is detectable in 60-90% of Americans

• Lead is detectable in essentially 100% of us

• Cadmium is found in 50-70% of adults tested

• Arsenic is detectable in over 70% of adults

We are all carrying these metals in our bodies right now.

The Half-Life Problem

Acute poisoning is not the real danger. The real danger is accumulation over time.

Here is how long it takes your body to eliminate half of the heavy metals you have absorbed:

• Mercury (blood) 50-80 days

• Mercury (brain) Years to indefinite

• Cadmium (whole body) 10-30 years

• Lead (blood) 28-36 days

• Lead (bone) 10-30 years

• Aluminum (bone) 6-20+ years

Read that again.

Cadmium has a half-life of 10-30 years. If you absorb cadmium today, half of it may still be in your body when your children graduate from college.

Your bones act as a reservoir for lead. Every time you get stressed, lose weight, go through menopause, or break a bone, that stored lead re-enters your bloodstream.

This is why we see patients who have been “healthy” for years suddenly develop autoimmune conditions. The metals were accumulating silently the whole time.

What We Are All Consuming

The average American absorbs heavy metals every single day, whether they know it or not.

Here’s the average daily intake of a modern American:

• Mercury 2-4 mcg (10+ mcg in high fish consumers)

• Lead 2-30 mcg

• Cadmium 10-30 mcg

• Arsenic 10-50 mcg total (3-20 mcg inorganic)

• Aluminum 3-7 mg (3,000-7,000 mcg)

These numbers might not seem like much, but consider that you are absorbing these metals every day, year after year, decade after decade. And some of them take 10-30 years to eliminate.

Accumulation is inevitable. Supplementation with minerals and supporting the body’s detoxification of these metals is now vital to life.

Mercury: The Most Potent Neurotoxin

The top sources of mercury in our modern world are:

• Carnivorous fish (tuna, swordfish, shark, king mackerel)

• Mercury amalgam dental fillings

• Industrial emissions that contaminate air, soil, water, and food

Here is how much mercury you consume from common sources:

• Canned light tuna (3 oz) 10-11 mcg

• Canned albacore tuna (3 oz) 30 mcg

• Swordfish (3 oz) 84 mcg

• Tap water at EPA limit (2 L/day) 4 mcg

The EPA reference dose for methylmercury is 0.1 mcg per kilogram of body weight per day. For a 150-pound adult, that is about 7 mcg per day.

One serving of swordfish contains 12 times the EPA daily limit.

Richard’s Story

Richard came to us with autoimmune hyperthyroidism. He was a successful executive who loved fine dining. High-end steak houses were his thing. When he dined out, which was often, he ordered the best fish on the menu. Swordfish. Ahi tuna. Chilean sea bass. He thought he was eating healthy.

He was poisoning himself.

When we tested his mercury levels, they were through the roof. Every business dinner, every celebratory meal, every “healthy choice” at the restaurant had been adding to his mercury burden for decades.

Richard’s case taught me that mercury toxicity is not just a problem for people who eat canned tuna every day. It is a problem for anyone who regularly eats large, predatory fish, whether from a can or from a white tablecloth restaurant.

Here is his first HTMA:

Here is his second HTMA:

The Weekly Tuna Habit

Let me show you how a seemingly innocent habit compounds over time.

Say you eat 8 ounces of albacore tuna per week. Maybe it is a tuna salad sandwich twice a week, or a tuna steak on the weekend. This is well within what most people consider “healthy eating.”

Eight ounces of albacore tuna contains approximately 80 mcg of mercury.

• Over one year, that is 4,160 mcg, or about 4.2 mg of mercury.

• Over ten years, that is 42 mg.

• Over thirty years, that is 125 mg.

The body burden associated with death in the Minamata mercury poisoning cases was approximately 200 mg.

Your weekly tuna habit, continued for three decades, puts you at over 60% of the body burden that killed people in Japan.

Your body does eliminate mercury over time. The half-life in blood is 50-80 days, but some fraction of mercury that enters your brain may persist for years, possibly indefinitely. We do not fully understand how much mercury accumulates in the brain over a lifetime of “moderate” fish consumption.

What we do know is that high fish consumers who sustain intakes of 100-300 mcg per day can accumulate body burdens associated with clinical toxicity within just a few years.

Aluminum: The Most Ubiquitous Metal Toxin

Aluminum is everywhere. It is not as acutely toxic as mercury, cadmium, lead, or arsenic. You would have to consume massive amounts to die from acute aluminum poisoning. This is why regulatory bodies consider it “safe.”

But aluminum is so prevalent in our environment that people are accumulating huge quantities of it over time. The average American consumes 3-7 mg of aluminum per day from food and water alone. That is 3,000-7,000 mcg, every single day.

Here are the doses of aluminum in common items:

• Antacid tablet: 104-208 mg

• Buffered aspirin (per tablet): 10-20 mg

• Soy-based infant formula (per liter): 0.46-0.93 mg

• Antiperspirant (per application): 50-375 mg aluminum salt

• Canned beverage (leached): 0.2-0.5 mg per liter

I cover this in more detail in my book.

Emily’s Story

Emily came to us with myasthenia gravis. She was infertile, fatigued, and in and out of the hospital. Her first hair test was fairly unremarkable. Several minerals were low and she had no significant elevations in heavy metals. Most practitioners would have assumed heavy metals were not part of her problem.

Soon after starting supplements based on our recommendations, she started having flu-like symptoms and mild skin rashes. We call these detoxification or healing reactions. Patients often have them when the body is eliminating toxins.

What we found on her next hair test was shocking.

Her aluminum level had increased 40-fold. Her mercury had tripled. Her copper had increased five-fold. Her body was finally mobilizing and eliminating these metals from her cells, where they had been trapped for years.

Here’s Emily’s follow-up test:

Over eighteen months, Emily went from infertile, fatigued, and hospitalized to symptom-free, full of energy, and pregnant. She is still eliminating aluminum as of this writing.

Emily’s case convinced me that aluminum toxicity is far more common than we realize. The metals hide in our tissues until we give the body the resources it needs to push them out.

The Daily Antacid Habit

Millions of Americans take antacids daily for heartburn or acid reflux.

One antacid tablet contains 104-208 mg of aluminum. Call it 150 mg on average.

If you take one antacid per day for a year, that is 54,750 mg of aluminum. That is nearly 55 grams.

Over ten years, that is 550 grams of aluminum, or over one pound.

Aluminum has a half-life in bone of 6-20+ years. Your body cannot eliminate it as fast as you are consuming it.

The Energy Drink Habit

The record for hair aluminum in our practice is 134 mg%. This was an entrepreneur who was using energy drinks to drive performance. Most of our patients who avoid aluminum-containing products have levels under 2 mg%.

That is a 67-fold difference.

Aluminum leaches from cans into beverages at a rate of 0.2-0.5 mg per liter. The leaching increases with acidity and temperature. Energy drinks are acidic. Cars get hot. That energy drink sitting in your cup holder on a summer day is absorbing aluminum the whole time.

The EPA limit for aluminum in drinking water is 0.2 mg per liter. Many canned beverages exceed this.

If you drink one energy drink per day, you are adding roughly 50-150 mg of aluminum per year just from can leaching, on top of the 1,100-2,500 mg you are already getting from food and water.

I believe aluminum is driving many of our epidemics of chronic disease, not just autoimmunity. I believe it is behind the epidemics of neurodegenerative disease, allergy, metabolic disorders, heart disease, and more. These are topics for future books.

Cadmium: From the Workshop to the Chocolate Shop

The top sources of cadmium in modern life are:

• Cigarette smoke (the primary non-occupational exposure)

• Occupational exposure from metalworking, batteries, smelting

• Food: leafy greens, grains, legumes, cocoa, chocolate, shellfish

Here is what makes cadmium particularly insidious. The average American consumes 10-30 mcg of cadmium per day from food.

And cadmium has a biological half-life of 10-30 years. It accumulates primarily in the kidney cortex, where it can persist for decades.

Paul’s Story

Paul came to us in 2025 with multiple sclerosis. He is an aircraft mechanic. When we tested his hair, he set the record for cadmium in the practice. Someone has since broken it.

His second cadmium level was even higher. This might seem like bad news, but it was actually a sign of progress. He was not being exposed to more cadmium. His body was finally eliminating what had been stored in his tissues for years. He did not change jobs, so his occupational exposure was unchanged. What changed was his diet, lifestyle, home environment, supplements, and medications. This gave his body the energy it needed to push cadmium out.

Paul was seeing significant clinical improvements that correlated with his cadmium eliminations. His case taught me that occupational exposure to heavy metals can be a major driver of autoimmunity, and that the body can eliminate these metals if we give it what it needs.

The Weekly Chocolate Bar

Dark chocolate is marketed as a health food. It contains antioxidants. It may support cardiovascular health. What the marketing does not tell you is that chocolate is one of the most concentrated dietary sources of cadmium.

A single ounce of dark chocolate can contain 5-10 mcg of cadmium. A typical dark chocolate bar is 3-4 ounces.

Let us say you eat one 3-ounce dark chocolate bar per week. That is 15-30 mcg of cadmium per bar, or about 20 mcg on average.

• Over one year, that is 1,040 mcg, or just over 1 mg of cadmium.

• Over twenty years, that is 20 mg of cadmium from chocolate alone.

Now here is where cadmium’s half-life becomes terrifying. With a half-life of 10-30 years, your body eliminates cadmium extremely slowly. After twenty years of weekly chocolate consumption, you have not just accumulated 20 mg. You have accumulated 20 mg minus whatever tiny amount your body managed to eliminate, which is not much.

That chocolate bar you ate in college? Half of the cadmium from it may still be in your kidneys today.

If you smoke, the math is far worse. Cigarettes are the primary non-occupational source of cadmium. Every cigarette adds to your lifetime burden.

Arsenic: From Rice to Well-Water

Arsenic does not get as much attention as mercury or lead, but we see it in our patients. The sources are often surprising.

Arsenic sources:

• Groundwater in certain regions (especially concerning in private wells)

• Rice and rice products (infant rice cereal limit: 100 ppb inorganic arsenic)

• Some fruit juices (apple juice limit: 10 ppb)

• Seaweed and some seafood

• Poultry (arsenic compounds were used in chicken feed for decades)

• Herbal supplements sourced from overseas

Chicken, Herbs, and Arsenic

One of our arsenic cases was a man who loved chicken. He ate it almost daily. He also took herbal supplements medicinally, sourced from overseas.

What he did not know was that arsenic compounds were used in commercial chicken feed for decades to promote growth and prevent parasites. The practice has been banned in recent years, but the legacy remains in contaminated soil and older supply chains.

Herbs sourced from overseas, particularly from countries with less stringent environmental protections control, are frequently contaminated with heavy metals like arsenic. The plants absorb metals from contaminated soil and water. Without rigorous testing, these contaminants end up in the final product.

His case taught me to always ask about herbal supplement use and to be suspicious of products sourced from overseas.

Lead: The Bone Reservoir

Lead is detectable in essentially 100% of Americans. We have been exposed to it through paint, gasoline, plumbing, and industrial contamination for generations.

Lead sources:

• Legacy lead-based paint and household dust in older housing

• Lead in plumbing, service lines, solder, and fixtures

• Contaminated soil near roads and industrial sites

• Some imported candies, spices, and traditional medicines

• Consumer products (see below)

The Old House Problem

Lead deserves special attention because of its storage in bone. With a bone half-life of 10-30 years, lead can re-enter your bloodstream decades after the original exposure.

If you grew up in a house built before 1978, you were likely exposed to lead paint. If you live in an older city with lead service lines, you may be drinking lead every day.

Here is what makes lead uniquely dangerous: pregnancy, menopause, weight loss, and bone fractures can all mobilize stored lead back into circulation. A woman who was exposed to lead as a child can release that lead into her bloodstream during pregnancy, exposing her developing baby to a toxin she absorbed thirty years earlier.

Paul, our aircraft mechanic with MS, saw his lead levels double on his second hair test. Like his cadmium, this was a sign of elimination, not new exposure.

The Hair Product Problem

But the most shocking lead case in our practice did not come from old paint or contaminated water. It came from a consumer hair product.

This is just one result, but I have multiple results from three different men documenting these extreme levels of lead. The absorption from these products is unclear, but the elevations in hair testing are unmistakable. One patient developed acute symptoms while using the product and is now pursuing a lawsuit.

Consumer products are not as safe as most people assume. If you are using hair dyes, relaxers, or other chemical hair treatments, you may be exposing yourself to lead and other heavy metals without knowing it.

Your Next Step

We help patients deal with occult heavy metal toxicity all day in our practice. These tests are just a sample of what we see week in and week out.

Most of these patients had no idea that they had a heavy metal problem. They thought they were just tired, foggy, or inflamed. They thought they had diseases like multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, myasthenia gravis, heart disease, high blood pressure, and more, but what was hiding beneath the diagnosis was heavy metal poisoning that was insidiously stealing their health.

If you’re tired, foggy, and inflamed, and you’re ready for root-cause medical care, book an evaluation with a member of our team.

During the evaluation, we’ll:

• Review your history and current symptoms

• What you’ve tried, what’s worked, and what hasn’t

• Get you clarity on where to go next, whether that’s becoming a member of our practice or a referral to a trusted partner of ours

Book your evaluation today. If you’re tired, foggy, and inflamed, we’d love to help you reclaim your health.

Until next time, be well,

Dr. Stillman

If you have been told you are “too old,” “infertile,” or “a bad candidate” and quietly watched your hope shrink with every failed round, this story is for you. In this Stories of Hope, Stories of Healing episode, Dr. Stillman talks with board‑certified applied quantum biologist and health coach Sarah Kleiner about how she went from multiple miscarriages, failed IVF cycles, and pressure to use donor eggs at 42, to conceiving naturally and delivering a healthy son at 43 after changing her light environment, daily rhythms, and nutrition instead of just doing “more treatment.” This is a real‑world look at how circadian biology, metabolism, and environment intersect with fertility, and a preview of the framework Dr. Stillman lays out more fully in his upcoming book The End of Autoimmunity that comes out in September.

Here’s exactly what they cover

• 00:00 – Why Dr. Stillman is sharing Stories of Hope, Stories of Healing, and how Sarah’s story ties into his upcoming book on repair deficit and chronic illness

• 02:10 – Sarah’s background as a mom, coach, and “doing everything right” with diet and lifestyle, yet still facing miscarriages and unexplained infertility in her 40s

• 06:05 – The fertility journey: multiple losses, two failed IVF cycles, pressure to use donor eggs, and being told her chances with her own eggs were effectively zero

• 10:32 – How her environment and routines actually looked: late nights under bright artificial light, little morning sunlight, chronic stress, and constant “biohacking” experiments

• 14:48 – Going carnivore and heavy fasting: what improved at first (gut, weight) and what quietly worsened over time (thyroid, cycle health, energy, fertility markers)

• 19:15 – Discovering circadian biology and quantum health: what she learned about light, timing, and hormones that none of her fertility doctors had discussed

• 23:40 – The specific changes she made: morning sunlight, reducing blue light at night, shifting meal timing, changing sleep, and reintroducing seasonal carbohydrates

• 28:05 – Weight, labs, and symptoms: how her body composition, cycles, temperature, and labs responded once she stopped living in permanent “survival mode”

• 32:22 – The turning point: conceiving naturally after being told IVF with her own eggs was pointless, and how this pregnancy at 43 compared to her earlier pregnancies

• 37:10 – What this means for other women labeled “too old,” “infertile,” or “unexplained”: how Dr. Stillman thinks about fertility through the lens of repair deficit and environment

• 42:03 – Practical first steps for women and couples: light, sleep, food, labs, and questions to bring to your own clinician before doing “more treatment”

• 47:20 – How Sarah’s story fits into the larger pattern Dr. Stillman is seeing in clinic, and how it informs the framework he lays out in his upcoming book on repair deficit, hormones, and chronic illness

Learn more about Sarah and her work by visiting sarahkleinerwellness.com or follow her on Instagram or Facebook.

Additional Resources

For Dr. Stillman’s latest article visit here

Want to take your health to the next level? Here are a few ways to deepen your knowledge and take action on your health:

Dr. Stillman’s 14 Day Reset.

Work with Dr. Stillman – Ready to optimize your health with a functional and integrative approach? Apply to be a patient at Dr. Stillman’s practice and get a personalized health plan tailored to your needs.

Stay Informed & Inspired – Subscribe to Dr. Stillman’s newsletter for exclusive health insights, podcast updates, and expert guidance on living a vibrant life.

Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

A Moment with Dr. Stillman

He’s a college athlete who came home from school worn out, congested, and getting sick again and again. He’d been diagnosed with PANS or PANDAS, a chronic, smoldering infection of the brain. Patients are often given long courses of antibiotics, which often don’t work.

He had a long list of symptoms: fatigue, insomnia, brain fog, anxiety, joint pain, nosebleeds, and stubborn sinus congestion. He couldn’t gain weight no matter how much he ate. The stuffy nose had been there so long he barely noticed it. His mom put it plainly: “He has always been that way, so I think he is a little used to it.”

We see this a lot. A young person with a chronic infection, or suspected infection, who is struggling and isn’t sure what to do next. If you or someone you love suspects they’re struggling with chronic infections - Lyme, Epstein Barr, Candida, or PANS/PANDAS - this post is for you.

I also wrote a new book, The End of Autoimmunity, to give families a clearer roadmap for cases like this. It releases on September 15th, and you can preorder your copy HERE.

Where He Started

Here’s what he was struggling with when we started:

• Severe fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, and trouble sleeping

• Frequent nosebleeds and lifelong sinus congestion that flared every time he came home sick from school

• Joint and back pain

• Inability to gain weight despite eating plenty

• Slow mornings, often needing about 90 minutes to feel normal

He had already tried curcumin and magnesium on his own. It helped a little, but not nearly enough.

Sound familiar? We specialize in cases like this.

What We Did Differently

We started by asking why he was tired, foggy, anxious, and congested. In cases like this, the immune system is always somehow impaired or confused. It is usually not attacking what it should be attacking (invading microbes) and often attacking what it should tolerate (your own tissues or harmless environmental stimuli, like pollen or pet dander).

• We ran food testing instead of assuming it was “just allergies.” It found reactions to corn, soy, polysorbate 80, cumin, and turmeric. These were ingredients he was eating almost every day.

• We ran our usual labs, which most patients have never run before. His ferritin, a marker of iron storage and inflammation, was 214. His urine was acidic. Blood work showed low zinc and low copper, while hair testing suggested his body was actually holding on to extra copper it couldn’t clear.

Here’s his initial HTMA:

Note the elevated copper. While his blood copper was low, his hair copper is significantly elevated.

Patients with copper toxicity like this almost always endorse:

• Anxiety

• Fatigue

• Brain fog

• Difficulty sleeping

• Racing thoughts

• Feeling “ungrounded” or “disconnected” from reality

They need zinc, manganese, vitamin C, and more to ground themselves and restore their poise, focus, memory, and mood stability.

In The End of Autoimmunity, I go much deeper into how imbalances like copper toxicity and hidden infections can combine to create fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, and “mystery” symptoms in young people and adults.

The plan:

• Remove the foods and additives he was reacting to

• Shift his diet toward fresh vegetables and root vegetables instead of processed foods

• Add a detox powder, vitamin C, vitamin D, and digestive enzymes

• Start personalized supplements based on his HTMA and blood labs

• Begin periodic blood donation to bring ferritin down carefully

• Light therapy patches targeted to detoxification and calming of the nervous system

Where He Is Now

After about a month, I asked him to rate his overall health on a scale of 0 to 10.

Before, he was at 0–2. After just one month with us, he’s at 7–8.

In his words:

• Brain fog: “Not nearly as much, which is nice.”

• Mornings: No longer needs 90 minutes to feel human.

• He’s “not really worried anymore” about how he’s going to feel on a given day.

He credits the supplements with about 70% of his progress and better eating and sleep with the rest.

We’ll keep following his labs and symptoms over time, but the early shift is clear.

Things to Think About

A college student’s mental and physical issues are rarely “just how they are.” Common patterns we see:

• Hidden food reactions (especially to corn, soy, and additives like polysorbate 80) quietly driving chronic congestion, fatigue, and brain fog

• Elevated ferritin reflecting not just extra iron, but ongoing inflammation and oxidative stress

• Copper toxicity

• A long list of “small” symptoms (nosebleeds, slow mornings, anxiety, joint pain) that are all connected

Two questions to ask if this sounds like your son or daughter:

1. What does he eat every single day that nobody has ever tested him for?

2. Does “he’s always been that way” really mean he’s well, or just that everyone is used to it?

3. Could nutritional deficiencies, toxic exposures, and hidden infections be driving their symptoms?

If this was helpful, subscribe for more “A Moment with Dr. Stillman” posts. If you know a parent with a child who sounds like this, consider sending it to them.

If you are not sure whether your family is ready for a full evaluation yet, a good first step is to educate yourself. My new book, The End of Autoimmunity, lays out the bigger framework for repair deficit, chronic infections, and toxic load in more detail than I can in a short case study. You can preorder it HERE ahead of the September 15 launch.

And if you are reading this before September 16, you can also enter to win a free digital copy through our Goodreads giveaway HERE.

P.S. If this sounds like your own son, daughter, or even your own story, book an evaluation with a member of our team.

In that visit, we:

• Review history, symptoms, diet, and environment

• Look at whether food reactions, iron, and other hidden drivers may be part of the picture

• Clarify whether our practice is the right fit, or whether a trusted partner would serve you better

You can learn more and see available times here. Book your evaluation here.

As always, discuss any changes with your own licensed clinician. Read our full disclaimers, disclosures, and our position on health freedom here.

Until next time, be well,
Dr. Stillman

Educational content only. Not medical advice. See full disclaimers.

Dr. Jaffe shares how decades of work on collagen, elastin, platelets, and connective tissue repair led him to rethink almost every inflammatory disease as a failure of the body to complete repair. They walk through how this repair‑deficit model applies across arthritis, cardiovascular disease, gut issues, and autoimmune conditions, and why simply “fighting inflammation” misses the point. They then discuss toxic burden, supplement quality, dietary recommendations, and how Dr. Stillman uses Jaffe’s work in his own clinic, including his upcoming book The End of Autoimmunity.

Here’s exactly what they cover

• 00:00 – Why autoimmunity is the real civilizational threat, why “The End of Autoimmunity” matters, and how collapsing repair capacity can take down a society

• 01:30 – Dr. Jaffe’s background: triple‑degree day at Boston University, NIH lab medicine, half a century in integrative and conventional medicine, and lifelong mindfulness practice

• 04:30 – Inflammation, autoimmunity, and why almost every chronic “‑itis” sits on the same biology of immune defense and repair gone off track

• 06:30 – How Jaffe’s early research on collagen and elastin cross‑links, platelets, and cholesterol delivery led him to see inflammation as a chronic repair problem, not just “fire”

• 09:00 – The “repair deficit” reframing: why the body keeps calling for repair, what blocks platelets and immune cells from finishing the job, and how that shows up as chronic illness

• 12:00 – Building PERQUE supplements around that model: bioavailability, nitrogen‑blanketed vitamin C, and why most products are damaged or contaminated before you ever take them

• 15:30 – Dr. Stillman’s clinic experience: switching patients off low‑quality supplements, seeing better results on fewer products, and why he chose to stock Jaffe’s formulas

• 19:00 – How poor‑quality supplements and lax manufacturing can actually add toxin burden (heavy metals, PFAS, other contaminants) and deepen repair deficit instead of helping

• 22:00 – “More of the good, less of the bad”: Jaffe’s simple rule for nutrients that truly support repair, and how this ties back into autoimmunity and chronic inflammation

• 25:00 – Coming back to autoimmunity: how uncorrected repair deficit becomes chronic inflammation, then self‑attack, and why solving this is the real path out of the autoimmune epidemic

You’ll walk away with a simple lens for thinking about almost every chronic diagnosis you’ve heard of, why “fighting inflammation” is not enough, and what it looks like to actually feed the body’s repair systems instead.

Want to explore more of Dr. Jaffe’s work, books, and philosophy? Visit drrusselljaffe.com or check out his full catalog on Amazon.

Additional Resources

For Dr. Stillman’s latest article visit here

Want to take your health to the next level? Here are a few ways to deepen your knowledge and take action on your health:

Dr. Stillman’s 14 Day Reset.

Work with Dr. Stillman – Ready to optimize your health with a functional and integrative approach? Apply to be a patient at Dr. Stillman’s practice and get a personalized health plan tailored to your needs.

Stay Informed & Inspired – Subscribe to Dr. Stillman’s newsletter for exclusive health insights, podcast updates, and expert guidance on living a vibrant life.

Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

This was an explosive conversation.

We talked about:

• Transgenderism, where it came from and its tragic record of failure

• Male, female, and the importance of hormones and gender in a Christian worldview

• Good, evil, and how transgenderism doesn’t fit the narrative of evolutionary biology

• Stories of transgendered individuals who were redeemed by Christ

• Why “conversion therapy” is considered “unscientific”

Fair warning. This episode is a candid conversation about transgenderism, medicine, and faith. If you're around children or listening in a public place, you may want to use headphones.

Patrick Hahn is a researcher, lecturer, and author who has spent his career studying the harm caused by the medicalization of everyday life.

Here’s exactly what they cover

• 00:00 – Why an integrative medicine podcast is tackling youth gender medicine at all, how explicit this discussion gets, and a clear content warning for parents

• 02:22 – Hahn’s journey from evolutionary biology and psychiatric genetics into chronicling medical harm, including his own stroke after a COVID booster and why it pushed him to write on pediatric gender medicine

• 08:44 – The origins of gender medicine: 1920s Berlin surgeries, Elmer Belt at UCLA, and why many early surgeons quietly walked away once they saw long‑term outcomes

• 14:20 – What the Johns Hopkins and Dutch clinic data actually showed about adult gender transition and mental health, and how the field pivoted toward treating children and teens when adult results failed to deliver

• 16:24 – Hahn’s attempt to build an ethical framework on evolution alone, where it broke down, and what that means for how we think about the body and the person

• 18:12 – Dr. Stillman’s experience prescribing bioidentical hormones, and his perspective on hormones, faith, and lived masculinity and femininity in real patients

• 22:01 – What is known about puberty blockers and cross‑sex hormones in young people: bone density, fertility, brain development, and a case of measurable IQ loss

• 23:28 – Hormones in the wider environment: endocrine disruptors, Pottinger’s cats, Hahn’s observations from Ghana, and how diet and toxins may be reshaping male and female bodies

• 28:44 – Clinical patterns Dr. Stillman is seeing: low testosterone in young men, a rise in congenital genital abnormalities, and what those trends might suggest

• 36:28 – What a functioning society would simply refuse to permit, how institutional decay lets this continue, and the parallels to integrative medicine’s own fight for legitimacy

• 42:25 – The political and legal landscape: state‑level bans, Medicare/Medicaid restrictions, and why both Hahn and Dr. Stillman see COVID as a turning point in public trust

• 44:47 – Personal stories from Hahn’s research (including a man who lived as a woman for 31 years), birth rates and family size, religious conversion and shifts in identity, and practical steps for families and local activism

Learn more about Patrick’s work: www.patrickhahn.net

Additional Resources

For Dr. Stillman’s latest article visit here

Want to take your health to the next level? Here are a few ways to deepen your knowledge and take action on your health:

Dr. Stillman’s 14 Day Reset.

Work with Dr. Stillman – Ready to optimize your health with a functional and integrative approach? Apply to be a patient at Dr. Stillman’s practice and get a personalized health plan tailored to your needs.

Stay Informed & Inspired – Subscribe to Dr. Stillman’s newsletter for exclusive health insights, podcast updates, and expert guidance on living a vibrant life.

Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

A Moment with Dr. Stillman

“I haven’t felt this good since I was in my youth.”

That’s what he told me after just three months on the right minerals, vitamins, and hormones.

He’s a veteran, married, and still working hard. You wouldn’t have been able to tell from looking at him that he was tired, inflamed, and “not himself.”

There was no clear diagnosis. His labs were “normal” and he was told this was just “getting older.”

We take care of a lot of men like him, and I want you to know that getting older doesn’t have to mean slowing down and losing your edge.

Most of the men we take care of can’t stand either. They want to stay sharp and fast for as long as they can, and they’d rather die with their boots on than with their feet up.

Where He Started

By the time he came to see us, his life looked something like this:

• He made it through the workday, but came home tired and unmotivated.

• Weekends were mostly about recovering, not enjoying.

• His mood was low and his patience was thin.

• His libido was waning.

• His triglycerides were elevated, which is a major risk factor for heart disease.

• He had a low vitamin D, slightly elevated homocysteine, borderline elevated insulin, and borderline elevated iron levels.

Here’s his first hair mineral panel:

This is a classic pattern of burnout and mineral depletion. This is the hair test of a man who has been leaving it all on the field for decades.

He wasn’t “falling apart.” He was slowly fading away.

What We Did Differently

We did what we always do.

We asked if his labs were optimal - not just normal.

We ran a hair tissue mineral analysis for deeper insights into his metabolism.

We then:

• Created a personalized supplement plan to correct vitamin D, homocysteine, and triglycerides.

• Discussed the risks and benefits of hormone replacement, and started DHEA and testosterone injections.

• Started blood donation.

• Trended his labs every quarter to optimize quickly.

This is what optimizing your health looks like, particularly after 50.

Where He Is Now

Within a few months, his day‑to‑day life changed radically:

• He had more energy and actually wanted to do things again, rather than forcing himself through the day and collapsing afterward.

• His sex drive returned.

• His mood and patience improved. He joked that he had “more patience for stupid people,” but underneath was a calmer, less irritable man.

• His memory felt sharper.

His labs began to mirror what he was feeling:

• Triglycerides, which had been elevated at 217, moved down to 86.

• DHEA‑S, which had been around 344, rose to 467 that has historically matched his best seasons of life.

He was able to travel and stay active in ways he hadn’t managed in years. When I asked him if he wanted to change anything he shook his head and said, “If something’s good, just keep it.”

Things to Think About

Testosterone and DHEA are not just about libido. They are part of the signal your body uses to run:

• Energy production

• Mood and resilience

• Motivation and drive

• Memory and mental sharpness

• Metabolic health, including triglycerides

When that signal fades, most men don’t suddenly “break.” They:

• Stop initiating plans

• Lose interest in hobbies

• Become quicker to snap and slower to recover

• Blame it on work, stress, or age

It creeps in slowly enough that everyone starts calling it “just getting older.”

In his case:

• Elevated triglycerides showed a metabolism that was worn out and under stress

• Low testosterone and DHEA‑S reflected declining pituitary hormone production

We don’t just replace hormones. We replace the nutrients that are vital to their production, optimize the biomarkers (like triglycerides) linked to longevity, and make sure diet and lifestyle are optimal for both longevity and vitality.

His story is a reminder that age is one factor, but it is not always the full explanation. Sometimes the body simply needs its signal restored.

If this was helpful, you can subscribe for more “A Moment with Dr. Stillman” posts. If you know a man this reminds you of, consider forwarding it to him (or to the person who usually schedules his appointments). A lot of these men need a gentle nudge to finally take care of themselves.

P.S. If you saw yourself or someone you love in this story and want help mapping the case, the place I usually recommend starting is a comprehensive evaluation with a member of our team.

In that visit, we:

• Review history and symptoms

• Clarify whether our practice is the right fit, or whether a trusted partner would serve him better.

You can learn more and see available times here. Book your evaluation here.

As always, discuss any changes with your own licensed clinician. Read our full disclaimers, disclosures, and our position on health freedom here.

Until next time, be well,
Dr. Stillman

Educational content only. Not medical advice. See full disclaimers.

In this conversation, Dr. Stillman sits down with longtime friend and activist Justin Harvey to talk about how ordinary people can actually move the needle on public health and freedom in their own towns.

They start with Justin’s “hobby” of creative, peaceful protest in Orlando, then walk through how a small group helped push fluoride out of drinking water across Florida. From there, they dig into why flock cameras and hyperscale AI data centers are the next big battles over health, privacy, and local control, and why showing up at city council with a clear plan can matter more than anything happening in Washington.

Here’s exactly what they cover

• 00:02 – How Dr. Stillman and Justin met, and why Justin’s idea of a “morning hobby” is standing outside the mayor’s neighborhood with protest signs

• 02:07 – Justin’s favorite antics, from marching beside a pride‑parade float with a megaphone to the giant “vaccine injury” inflatable elephant outside city hall

• 04:33 – Why Justin’s unapologetically “algorithm‑unfriendly” Instagram still grew to nearly 50,000 followers, and what that says about hunger for uncensored content

• 05:45 – The inside story of getting fluoride out of Florida’s water: key lawsuits, Surgeon General Ladapo’s role, and how a handful of people created statewide momentum

• 09:02 – The simple, repeatable playbook: polite but persistent emails, educating council members who often have no idea what’s being added to the water, and using their reelection incentives to get fluoride on the agenda

• 13:12 – How Justin organized others with maps, schedules, email templates, and “one extra step” that made it easy for busy parents and workers to participate

• 19:40 – Justin’s path from shy first protest speeches to confident city‑council testimony, and why you don’t need formal training to be effective locally

• 23:29 – What hyperscale AI data centers really are, why they’re so massive and noisy, and the potential impacts on land, wildlife, water, and nearby families

• 28:26 – What flock cameras do, how automatic license plate readers feed a 24/7 surveillance grid, and real cases of innocent people being wrongly accused by “the system”

• 30:06 – Common objections: “Don’t we need this for AI?” “Isn’t this safer?” and Justin’s responses about risk, necessity, and demanding genuinely “safe and effective” tech

• 36:28 – Overdevelopment in Florida, the loss of “old Florida,” and why some residents are saying “no more” to giant industrial projects in rural counties

• 40:16 – The problem with blaming foreign enemies while ignoring domestic corruption, captured agencies, and a justice system that rarely holds powerful actors accountable

• 46:13 – Why Dr. Stillman believes real health is now as much about community, trust, and local resilience as it is about biochemistry, supplements, or lab work

• 49:23 – How rebuilding high‑trust, locally rooted communities can reduce crime, reduce the demand for surveillance, and improve both physical and mental health

• 51:19 – Where to find Justin online, and an invitation for listeners to borrow his templates and tactics to fight data centers, flock cameras, and other local battles where they live

You’ll walk away with a practical sense of how fluoride came out of Florida’s water, why data centers and flock cameras are the next fronts in the fight for health freedom and privacy, and how a few committed people can shape what happens in their own backyard.

Follow Justin & his work:

• Instagram: @justin_wearechange

• X: @justinwearechange

• Rumble: @Wearechange

Additional Resources

For Dr. Stillman’s latest article visit here

Want to take your health to the next level? Here are a few ways to deepen your knowledge and take action on your health:

Dr. Stillman’s 14 Day Reset.

Work with Dr. Stillman – Ready to optimize your health with a functional and integrative approach? Apply to be a patient at Dr. Stillman’s practice and get a personalized health plan tailored to your needs.

Stay Informed & Inspired – Subscribe to Dr. Stillman’s newsletter for exclusive health insights, podcast updates, and expert guidance on living a vibrant life.

Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

A Moment with Dr. Stillman

Her hair started coming out in handfuls in the shower, but her thyroid labs were “perfect.”

We see this a lot.

Low thyroid hormone might be the single most common cause of hair loss in our practice.

But it’s far from the only cause.

In this case, we didn’t touch her thyroid dose and changed her mineral protocol instead.

Here’s what happened.

Where She Started

She’s a woman in middle life with a history of autoimmunity, including Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. She’s been on this journey for over a year and she’s been feeling better and better.

Recently, she noticed:

• Worsening hair loss that was sudden and extreme

Her thyroid numbers looked great.

What We Did Differently

Instead of changing her thyroid dose or reaching for a new supplement, we looked at her minerals.

Her last hair tissue mineral analysis showed us what was really going on:

• Her calcium to magnesium ratio of 35 showed a “lifestyle imbalance” (something in her life is unsustainable)

• She was eliminating large quantities of manganese (this has been going on for over a year now)

• She was now eliminating aluminum and lead, both of which are toxic to hair follicles

Here’s her most recent heavy metal panel:

Her first aluminum level (over a year ago) was around 2. Then it dropped below one. Now, she’s eliminating aluminum her body has been hanging onto for years. Don’t be fooled by these lead levels - they are significant as well and often accompany hair loss. We often see hair loss accompanying metal eliminations like these.

We did not adjust her thyroid hormone. We did adjust her mineral protocol to compensate for changing results.

People miss this if they only test blood and urine.

The hair tells a story I can’t stand to miss.

Why does she have a history of autoimmunity? Like most of our patients with severe autoimmune issues, she has a toxic burden of heavy metals that now her body is eliminating thanks to being on the right mineral protocol.

Where She Is Now

Here’s what happened on the right mineral protocol:

• Her calcium magnesium ratio improved to 12 and she feels more balanced in her life

• Lead dropped for the first time on testing, and aluminum began to clear

• Copper and iron came into a healthier balance

• Her hair stopped “dumping out” and began filling back in, all while on the same dose of thyroid medication

• Around February, she noticed steady, “consistent good energy” from day to day

In her words: “There’s glimmers and moments in which I feel more myself, and I definitely feel the breakthrough even in my own life.”

Things to Think About

Her calcium to magnesium ratio was an important finding that often masks other mineral deficiencies and heavy metal toxicity. As minerals are balanced, heavy metals are eliminated and patients see this ratio improve.

The higher the calcium to magnesium ratio, the more patients are likely to endorse that something in their life is unsustainable. It can be a habit, relationship, lifestyle choice, or belief system. In extreme cases, we call it, “living a lie.” Classic examples would be pastors living in sin, an unfaithful spouse, or a member of Alcoholics Anonymous continuing to secretly drink. In this case, she felt like she wasn’t living her purpose. She needed what I call a therapeutic career change.

Hair mineral levels give us a unique window into our inner world.

Hidden heavy metal toxicity, which often doesn’t show up at first (and didn’t in this case), looks like this:

• Hair falling out faster than it should

• Energy that never fully recovers

• Symptoms that don’t match “normal” lab results

Hair loss and fatigue are often mineral problems. The thyroid is just a convenient scapegoat.

If you’re wondering if your hair loss, fatigue, brain fog, and inflammation are due to heavy metal toxicity, book an evaluation with a member of my team.

In that visit, we map out:

• What your symptoms are really saying

• Which tests (including hair) make sense in your case

• Whether we’re the right practice for you (and if we’re not, we’ll do our best to help you find the best practice for you)

Book your evaluation here.

If you enjoyed this post, then I hope you’ll subscribe for more posts like this one. If you know someone this reminds you of, consider forwarding it to them. It might help them make the breakthrough they’ve been looking for.

As always, discuss any changes with your own licensed clinician. Read our full disclaimers, disclosures, and our position on health freedom here.

Until next time, be well,
Dr. Stillman

Educational content only. Not medical advice. See full disclaimers.

In this conversation, Dr. Stillman talks with Brian Richards, founder of SaunaSpace, about why so many chronically ill patients don’t actually need another pill… they need more light. Brian shares how a simple homemade light‑bulb sauna cleared his insomnia, fatigue, and acne, and how near‑infrared sauna has become one of the most consistent difference‑makers in Dr. Stillman’s practice for detox, brain fog, and mood.

They cover the physical, emotional, and spiritual sides of heat and light: sweating out stored toxins, calming an over‑fired nervous system, and treating your body like the God‑given temple it is in a world full of junk light and EMF.

Here’s exactly what they discuss in this podcast:

• Brian’s “four‑out‑of‑ten” life: low energy, back acne, insomnia, and irritability in his late twenties while doing manual labor in rental real estate… 02:39

• The phone call to his naturopathic‑MD mother who simply said, “You’re probably just toxic. You need to detox and you should get a sauna.”… 07:15

• How discovering John Harvey Kellogg’s 19th‑century incandescent “light bath” led Brian to build his first at‑home sauna with four bulbs and plywood… 07:45

• The immediate shift when he used it before bed: falling asleep quickly and waking up actually rested for the first time in years… 09:24

• What a therapeutic session really looks like: raising core temperature about three degrees, sweating roughly a pound of water, and staying a few minutes past the point you want to get out… 10:10

• Why sweating passively in a calm, parasympathetic state is completely different from “breaking a sweat” while working or exercising… 04:12, 12:29

• How near‑infrared light restores cellular “charge,” supports melatonin and glutathione, and helps your cells use the minerals and protein you’re already working so hard to get in… 29:31

• The emotional and spiritual changes Brian noticed over 4–6 months: clearer thinking, more patience, and feeling more connected to God and others instead of reactive and irritable… 23:14, 38:50

• How SaunaSpace’s Firelight bulbs and silver‑lined Faraday‑cage sauna were engineered to mimic the sun, reduce EMF, and get you to a full therapeutic sweat in 15–20 minutes without preheating… 41:37, 47:00

• Practical how‑to: towels, rotation in the sauna, binders like humic/fulvic acid, and why many patients need more minerals, not just more plain water, when they start sweating regularly… 48:13, 52:06

• Why Dr. Stillman consistently sees the biggest heavy‑metal eliminations and HTMA shifts in patients who combine minerals, diet, and lifestyle work with near‑infrared sauna… 21:58, 53:20

You’ll walk away knowing exactly why we recommend this specific kind of sauna, how to use it, and what to watch for in your sleep, mood, and labs.

If you already have a SaunaSpace or any home sauna, tell us how it’s changed your sleep, mood, or HTMA.

You can purchase your own Sauna Space here. Use code STILLMAN to save 10%

Book mentioned in this episode: Light Therapeutics

Read the Electrolytes Solution Article Dr. Stillman shares.

Additional Resources

For Dr. Stillman’s latest article visit here

Want to take your health to the next level? Here are a few ways to deepen your knowledge and take action on your health:

Dr. Stillman’s 14 Day Reset.

Work with Dr. Stillman – Ready to optimize your health with a functional and integrative approach? Apply to be a patient at Dr. Stillman’s practice and get a personalized health plan tailored to your needs.

Stay Informed & Inspired – Subscribe to Dr. Stillman’s newsletter for exclusive health insights, podcast updates, and expert guidance on living a vibrant life.

Don’t forget to share this episode with someone who needs to hear it!

This podcast is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

A Moment with Dr. Stillman

His OCD developed overnight. He went from a happy, healthy boy to pressured speech and an inability to shut off his mind.

We see this all the time. Usually, kids develop this and then struggle with it for decades before they come to see us as adults.

Fortunately, his mother was already a patient and so we got to tackle this right away.

Mom is almost always the first patient at our practice. If we do a good job, the husband and kids start next. I know we’re doing good work when patients make us their “family” practice.

This is one of those stories.

Where He Started

Here’s what he was struggling with:

• OCD that “came out of nowhere” last Spring

• He became fixated on certain ideas

• He felt like he had to share every thought that came into his head

• He could not sleep through the night.

When I hear things like this, my first thought is minerals and metals.

Many mineral and metal imbalances can cause this, but there are two that stand out - aluminum and copper.

What We Did Differently

Most kids with sudden OCD get a psychiatric diagnosis and a prescription.

I think that’s tragic. These children always have some kind of mineral and metal imbalance.

His hair tissue mineral analysis told the story.

He had

We started with a hair tissue mineral analysis. It showed high copper and high aluminum, a burden most doctors never test for at all.

Here’s his first test (minerals):

Here’s his first heavy metal panel:

These tests are exactly what I expect - I would describe them as boring.

But if you know how to read these tests, there’s obviously something lurking beneath the surface.

Hidden copper and aluminum were my top suspects.

We started:

• Vitamin D, 5,000 IU daily

• Our Vitality + chewables (store.stillmanwellness.com), two twice daily

• Magnesium + at bedtime (also at store.stillmanwellness.com)

• Dr. Stillman’s Detox Powder (recipe over at our community)

You can find these supplements at our store and you can get a discount by becoming a member of our practice (book an evaluation here) or joining our online community (join here).

His mother also started inositol on her own initiative, which had a profound effect. I’m glad to learn about and share this with you (I love when patients teach me new things).

We did formulate a personalized mineral balancing protocol for him, but it proved too much for him, so we switched for our Vitality + chewables.

Where He Is Now

Over about two to three months, things shifted.

• His mother says his OCD is “10% of what it was.”

• He is able to sleep through the night

• He still has some intrusive thoughts, but they are “not even of the same nature as they were”

His body has also started sweating again.

Why do so many people struggle to sweat?

Toxic metals, particularly aluminum, destroy our sweat glands.

Here’s what happened in his hair tests.

He went through massive copper and aluminum eliminations.

Here’s his second mineral panel:

And his second metal panel:

These are massive eliminations of copper and aluminum, coinciding with his improvement in symptoms.

I like to repeat these tests when we see eliminations like this, just to make sure we’re not looking at a lab error or contamination due to a product (like a copper-peptide-containing shampoo).

Here’s his repeat mineral panel:

And his metal panel:

What do these panels teach us?

Minerals and metals are dynamic. We often see them coming out of the body in significant quantities one week, and they are gone from the hair the next.

This is why we test hair quarterly - it changes. You’ll miss your heavy metal and mineral eliminations if you don’t do this.

Things to Think About

• High copper is linked to a specific kind of anxious, obsessive worry pattern, the kind where a person cannot stop fixating on something they should not be worried about.

• Aluminum is always hiding in children who have had any of their routine childhood vaccines, and typically their clinical improvement follows elimination seen in the hair.

• When people start sweating again, it’s because their toxic metal load has finally been reduced to something the body can manage.

Kids like this go to a psychiatrist. They wind up on medications for life that have horrible side effects.

This is what’s possible with mineral balancing. This is why we’re so enthusiastic about hair mineral testing, particularly in children.

If this was helpful, you can subscribe for more “A Moment with Dr. Stillman” posts. If you know someone this reminds you of, consider forwarding it to them. It might help them make the breakthrough they have been looking for.

If you’d like our help to reclaim and optimize your health, join one of our programs here: https://stillmanmd.link/program

As always, discuss any changes with your own licensed clinician. Read our full disclaimers, disclosures, and our position on health freedom here.

Until next time, be well,
Dr. Stillman

Educational content only. Not medical advice. See full disclaimers.