The Root Cause Roadmap

Just as there’s a systematic process to building a house, there’s an ideal process to optimizing your health. It’s not uncommon for people to get caught in a loop of taking the “shotgun” approach, but this can be like applying paint before the walls are built or hanging drywall before you have a roof. 

The shotgun approach might look like googling, “What herbs or vitamins are helpful for acne?” You find a few ideas to try, and so you end up trying a handful of random supplements to see what sticks. Or maybe you try an extreme diet like GAPS, AIP, vegan, carnivore, or low-oxalate to try to improve your energy levels. Or you hear that vitamin D and zinc are good for your immune system, so you add those to your supplement regimen without understanding any potential drawbacks to be aware of. I’ve been there. 

The effectiveness and efficiency of such an approach is minimal. By working with a practitioner through a systematic process tailored to your bio-individuality, the goal is to see more lasting results and save you some money in the long run. While some supplements can be expensive, the most expensive supplement is one that you don’t need. The Root Cause Roadmap is the systematic process I follow in addressing chronic symptoms and optimizing overall wellbeing. 

Step 1: Foundations and Drainage

Before embarking on any detox protocol, it’s important to prepare the body for success to minimize symptoms and reactions. Drainage refers to the pathways that move fluids and waste products through the body from the cellular level to the organs and tissues, lymphatic system, kidneys, liver and bile ducts and ending with the colon. If there’s a bottleneck in the body’s natural drainage and detox pathways, we want to support that area to improve function. 

Foundations can encompass a wide range of lifestyle practices, nutrition and eating habits, sleep & circadian rhythm support, stress management, mindset, decreasing environmental toxin exposures, and emotional and spiritual healing. Some of these things may seem like the “boring” side of healing, but don’t underestimate their power! It’s tempting to look for a pill to solve our problems, whether it’s a pharmaceutical or holistic remedy. While there's a time and place for medication, we can’t overlook the busy go-go-go lifestyle practices, dysregulated nervous systems, or emotional traumas that have often contributed to needing physical healing in the first place. 

Step 2: Minerals and Immune Modulation

Minerals are really part of foundations and drainage, but I like to emphasize and highlight the importance of mineral supports. We cannot detox without minerals, and many of us are operating out of varying states of mineral depletion. When you add chronic stress, pathogens, or pregnancy and postpartum into the mix, you will burn through your minerals at an even faster rate. Potassium, sodium, and magnesium are the top three that nearly everyone can benefit from increasing through either diet or supplements.

Immune system modulation is an often overlooked step in healing. This encompasses histamine and mast cell stabilization. Many of the popular herbal immune supports people reach for in flu and cold season are immune stimulants (think echinacea and elderberry), which boost immune activity, rather than modulators, which help balance and regulate immune activity. A chronically activated or weakened immune system first needs stabilization support to better handle detox.

Step 3: Parasites

While not pleasant to think about, in the words of one doctor, “If you have a pulse, you have a parasite.” A healthy body will naturally keep its parasite load balanced, but a chronically dysfunctional or symptomatic body most likely has some parasite overgrowth. Some parasites are microscopic, but others are large enough to house toxins and other pathogens. If we start with bacteria and viruses without addressing the source (the parasites themselves), the original problem is more likely to return.

Step 4: Molds & Metals

Pathogens and parasites are attracted to environments rich in chemicals and toxins. Reducing exposure is the first priority. For example, if you are living in a moldy environment or you are exposed to radon, it may be more optimal to put the primary focus on remediating the exposure problem prior to detox. Some common sources of toxic metals and chemicals can include dental fillings, household and personal care products, and unfiltered water. We can even have a high toxic load of metals and chemicals inherited from past generations. Sometimes what gets blamed on genetics are actually toxin loads that get passed down to the next generations. 

Step 5: Bacteria & Viruses

This step focuses on cleaning up any remaining pathogens contributing to chronic symptoms. This can encompass Lyme and co-infections like Babesia or Bartonella, Strep, Epstein-Barr, etc. By this point in the roadmap, we’ve hopefully cleaned up many of the stressors that were weakening the immune system and allowing the bacteria and viruses to flourish, so they can be addressed more successfully and repeat flares and infections become less likely. 

Step 6: Replenish & Maintain 

At this point in the roadmap, the body’s expressions of dysfunction are largely resolved, and we circle back to foundations, minerals, and drainage to maintain wellness going forward. By this point we may have identified some genetic factors that would benefit from some ongoing support for optimal function. Maybe you’re still replenishing some vitamins or minerals that have been depleted from years of stress. Hopefully you are also more confident and established in the lifestyle practices you need to maintain your health going forward. 

Healing isn’t always linear. This Root Cause Roadmap isn’t a blanket protocol that gets applied to everyone. It is only a guide since each individual person is unique. Some people need to go slower. Some people need detours from the roadmap. Some people don’t need the entire roadmap. But like a blueprint for building a house, this outline gives us a target to aim for greater efficiency and effectiveness in pursuing optimal health.