Bonus episode 57. Microbes, mold and mindset with Dr. Diane Mueller
Tools that support a multilayered approach.
In this podcast, Sarah is joined by Dr.Diane Mueller, a naturopathic physician from Colorado who specializes in treating Lyme disease, mold illness and hormonal imbalances. She is also an educator and speaker, and author of the book It’s Not In Your Mind: Solutions and Strategies for Lyme Disease, Mold Illness, and Chronic Infections. She joins us from Colorado.
Getting to the root causes
During her naturopathic medical training, Dr. Mueller experienced many health issues including fibromyalgia, memory loss and pain. Initially, she thought her symptoms might be related to her training, but when she completed her education her symptoms continued. This prompted her to start exploring her symptoms more deeply. Through in-depth testing, she found out that she had Lyme disease and co-infections. That discovery sent her on a path of investigation and research to learn everything she could about these illnesses.
A silver lining
Dr. Mueller points out that Lyme patients who refer to themselves as survivors often do so because they have had to fight for their lives. She also sees a silver lining in the process, as many patients have been pushed to find the inner strength to “do almost anything”.
“I think survivors is really a term that’s used not just for when Lyme is in remission and people are feeling good, but it’s actually a term that is, you know I think, accurate for when people are fighting for their lives with this disease.”
Dr. Diane Mueller
Microbes and mental health
Dr. Mueller was co-host for a conference on microbes and mental health. She explains that microbes, such as pathogens like Lyme bacteria, or overgrowth of bacteria in the gut, can cause brain inflammation and hormone imbalances, which can then cause many symptoms including mental health imbalances. Dr. Mueller sees a duality on the road to recovery: having the responsibility to take action and recognizing that it’s not your fault. She notes that people can have some control over repairing their nervous system, and even small steps such as ten minutes of breathwork can help to shift the nervous system from fight or flight to heal and repair. In her own practice, Dr. Mueller finds that patients who are taking action to address their limbic system dysfunction are more likely to get well and stay well.
“It’s so easy not to give oneself credit for what it really takes to just get through the day… If we’re going to pull a silver lining out of such a horrible thing… I think it really forges people into this fundamental knowing that one can do almost anything, because to survive Lyme is one of the hardest things, I think, in the entire world.”
Dr. Diane Mueller
Mold and Lyme: the great mimickers
When it comes to diagnosing and treating patients with mold and Lyme disease, every person is different. Although the symptoms can be very similar, both are great mimickers. Dr. Mueller finds that mold pain has a tendency to be more stationary, whereas pain due to Lyme tends to be more migratory. She also sees more dysautonomia in Lyme patients than those with mold, and more migraines and headaches when mold is the dominant issue.
“These types of infections can very, very clearly cause neurological inflammation, including brain inflammation, they can disrupt the hormonal system…We can develop these mental emotional types of imbalances… that are truly at the root, rooted in these microbes.”
Dr. Diane Mueller
The roles of herbs
Dr. Mueller has a number of different tools in her toolbox in her practice. She notes that antibiotics and herbal treatments both have a role to play, but has found that herbal medicines have less impact on the gut’s microbiome, where a large portion of where our immune cells live. Dr. Mueller takes this into account when deciding on treatment, keeping in mind that Lyme disease also has a significant impact on the immune system.
The role of genes
Dr. Mueller explains the role of genes and gene expression and the body’s ability to remove toxins. She explains that issues with HLA-DR gene expression can interfere with the body’s ability to tag, label, and therefore remove biotoxins such as mold and Lyme bacteria. Toxins can then accumulate and cause symptoms. Knowledge of genes can lead to taking steps to reduce and address toxins. She also explains that a mutation in the MTHFR gene can change our ability to change folate into its active form. Fortunately, our bodies have other mechanisms for removing toxins and Dr. Mueller notes that having a genetic mutation doesn’t necessarily mean that a patient has the inability to detoxify.
Threshold: too many drops in the bucket
Dr. Mueller explains that when there are many factors at play such as infections, toxins in the body and stress, a threshold is reached, causing a patient to become symptomatic. She equates this process to adding water to a bucket or cup of tea until the point where it spills over. In this model, the goal is to get inflammation, toxic load (and stress!) to a level below the threshold where the body starts to activate the inflammatory process.
“Where the threshold conversation comes in is, as far as creating symptoms, we really have to get inflammation, we have to get toxic load basically just below a certain threshold and that’s where things start really dramatically changing… Like a bucket of water… every drop is a toxin or inflammation, and we really don’t have symptoms because the body is trying to deal with that and we don’t have symptoms. We don’t tend to have problems until we reach that threshold, when the cup is full…we want to keep your bucket as empty as possible so that you’re not just teetering on that threshold.”
Dr. Diane Mueller
Small changes can have a big impact
Because we are very often overloaded with responsibilities, it can be very challenging to reduce the amount of stress in our lives. Dr. Mueller recommends a book called Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything, which illustrates research based ways to change our habits in an enduring way. She highlights the importance of making a commitment to taking small steps toward change in order to move forward. Dr. Mueller also explains that the habit of having high expectations of ourselves is also one that needs to be addressed. Recognizing what you are able to do even on your worst day can be a “win”.
“What I really like about the research on habit change…is that one of the biggest things that we have a tendency as humans to do is we tend to set, lock the (lofty)…From a tiny habits model… think about your absolute sickest day…what on those days could you actually do? Is it 45 seconds of breath?… If you can figure out what you can do on your worst day and anything else is just a bonus and a benefit, then what winds up happening is you start having wins every day… the brain remembers that… and that really encourages the motivation to keep on going.”
Dr. Diane Mueller
The role of diet
Another tool in Dr. Mueller’s toolbox for patients is finding dietary changes that are helpful but also balanced. She notes that following several different diet plans at the same time can become very restrictive. When inflammation is a major issue, Dr. Mueller recommends a low histamine diet, finding this diet to be very helpful for Lyme patients. She also recommends trying out one diet or change at a time and keeping track of how the change is affecting your symptoms. Dr. Mueller also recommends sensitivity testing if possible to help guide dietary choices.
A four step approach
In her practice, which includes many patients with chronic health issues, Dr. Mueller embraces a systematic approach which includes four steps. Instead of aggressive detoxification or treatment protocols, she works at rebuilding metabolic health. She then addresses lifestyle changes and detoxification before going more deeply into killing pathogens and repopulating the body with good microbes.
“I’ve just seen so many people recover. I just see people that, every single day, impress the heck out of me, and just know that your body really does have a natural wisdom and intuition to heal. And just keep, you know, staying strong and fighting. It’s really possible.”
Dr. Diane Mueller
On the horizon: peptides
One of the emerging treatments that Dr. Mueller is finding helpful is the use of peptides. She explains that peptides such as KPV act on hormones in the body and often work well with patients who have Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) and sensitivities.
A message of hope
In closing, Dr. Mueller encourages patients to believe in their power to heal. Having seen many patients recover, she sends a message of hope for the future. Thank you Dr. Mueller for your message of hope and for sharing your expertise with us!
