Heavily Metalled

OB/GYN Dr. Julio Novoa, who not only provides excellence in women’s health care but is renowned for his minimally invasive techniques, joins the HMP to discuss all things foreign body reactions, metal hypersensitivity, ASIA syndrome and beyond. Not only a OB/GYN, Dr. Novoa also specializes in cosmetic gynecology but might just shine as the brightest light in his concern for women’s safety and advocacy, who agrees more with a patient-centric model for healthcare as opposed to approaching medicine strictly from a business perspective. 

Seeing a trend towards unnecessary medical procedures and not being a fan, he became alarmed with routine practices in surgical standards that harmed the patient. Noticing a large subset of patients with severe symptoms from foreign body implantation, such as the Essure permanent sterilization device, surgical clips and staples, leaky breast implants and more, he knew he had to speak out and continues to do so today. 

We discuss a newer-term and evolving diagnoses: ASIA Syndrome or Autoimmune Inflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants. Dr. Novoa explains what an adjuvant is and why it matters. We discuss various types of foreign body reactions and why surgeons should be able to readily explant anything they are keen to implant. We also discuss localized and systemic hypersensitivity reactions and whether or not everyone who has them can be classified under the definition of the ASIA effect. 

Dr. Novoa goes on to detail clinical observations and personally observed results from the large amount of explant surgeries he has performed and witnessed. More and more complete resolution of the patient's vast symptoms upon explantation became the rule, rather than the exception and he shares some of those experiences. He states his opinion on whether asymptomatic patients with implants should consider having them removed after healing has occurred.

A lengthy discussion ensues surrounding how to affect change within the medical communities, physicians groups and governing bodies and Dr. Novoa offers his opinion as to why physicians aren’t putting two and two together and completely missing the boat when patients present with systemic and localized foreign body reactions. We also go into the super-serious topics surrounding informed consent and how we need to up our game with our own surgical consents and medical records. This episode will encourage patients to look more closely prior to surgery and to find their voice when experiencing practices that could increase the risk of foreign body reactions. 

You’ll also want to tune in to hear who is Dr. Novoa’s favorite heavy metal band! 

In this episode you will learn:

~Links and Resources~

~ Check out Dr. Novoa & The Novoa Medical Services website HERE.   

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~To learn more visit ⁠HeavilyMetalled.com⁠.

~Sign the petition to urge metal hypersensitivity screening HERE. 

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Check out the “Heavily Metalled” resource page: ⁠https://www.heavilymetalled.com/resources⁠

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Follow Heavily Metalled on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/HeavilyMetalled⁠

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Follow Heavily Metalled on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/heavilymetalled/⁠

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Subscribe to Heavily Metalled on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@HeavilyMetalled⁠

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Check out our sponsor ⁠https://melisa.org⁠

***Many WONDERFUL, supportive special-interest communities exist for metal allergies and diet, hardware issues, medical devices, etc., online and on social media. They have many resources and often act as a collective think-tank. I owe many parts of my recovery to knowledge obtained in such groups. Search keywords to join these groups and find your tribe!***

EP19 - Essure Sterilization: Life-Threatening Migration, Fatigue, Pain & Symptoms 

Our guest for this episode is a first for the Heavily Metalled Podcast….”Maria” is telling her story, choosing to remain anonymous, regarding almost a decade of pain, symptoms and difficulties surrounding the Essure permanent metal sterilization device, taken off the market in December of 2018 after a litany of deaths, adverse event reports and intense scrutiny.

“Maria” was able to have her Essure removed via a full hysterectomy, many years after having the devices implanted for the bargain-basement price of $50, and experiencing brain fog, fatigue, severe pain and many other symptoms that medical professionals did not feel could be related.

She shares her courageous fight, along with her physical and emotional journey in order to help others identify mysterious symptoms and pains that may not even be on the patient radar surrounding the Essure devices.

“Maria’s” story is not a story of metal allergy, but a story of a foreign body reaction causing physical and immune havoc within a formerly healthy body. Solving years of mystery symptoms and returning to full health with the miraculous removal of the metal devices sent her on a mission to help educate and prevent anyone from suffering the same fate due to the Essure sterilization device. 

In this episode you will learn:

~Links and Resources~

~ Check out the Bleeding Edge on Netflix here: https://www.netflix.com/title/80170862

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~To learn more visit ⁠HeavilyMetalled.com⁠.

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Check out the “Heavily Metalled” resource page: ⁠https://www.heavilymetalled.com/resources⁠

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Follow Heavily Metalled on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/HeavilyMetalled⁠

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Follow Heavily Metalled on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/heavilymetalled/⁠

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Subscribe to Heavily Metalled on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@HeavilyMetalled⁠

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Check out our sponsor ⁠https://melisa.org⁠

***Many WONDERFUL, supportive special-interest communities exist for metal allergies and diet, hardware issues, medical devices, etc., online and on social media. They have many resources and often act as a collective think-tank. I owe many parts of my recovery to knowledge obtained in such groups. Search keywords to join these groups and find your tribe!***

Meet our fascinating podcast guest, Dr. Kim D’Eramo, DO, a Board-Certified Emergency Medicine Physician who embarked on a transformative journey from conventional medicine to a profound understanding of Mindbody medicine and spirituality. With an innate sensitivity and intuitive nature, Dr. Kim recognized the profound impact of thoughts and emotions on health early on.After years in the Emergency Room, attending to acute processes and disease states with a unique perspective, she courageously left her career to establish a practice focused on Mindbody techniques. Dr. Kim’s own battle with a mysterious illness during medical school became a turning point, leading to a deep realization about the power of perspective and self-nurturing. Through this profound shift tin mindset, she not only fully healed herself, but gained invaluable insights into the root causes of chronic pain and illness. In this episode we explore the transformative power of energy, consciousness, self-talk and awareness in regards to the realm of health and healing. In this episode we discuss Dr. Kim’s personal journey, what true surrender looks and feels like within the body and how to change our physical selves back from an over-reaction to a multitude of stimuli, foreign bodies, chemicals and pathogens, to a non-reactive, nurturing state, where we can be truly healed from the inside out. You will learn more about balancing emotional needs with physical needs and how not to buy into the doom and gloom of your own story. You will learn how to be truly heard by those in your circle and how to team up with your mind and body, bringing them back into true harmony and healing resilience. Dr. Kim is generous enough to take us through a tapping meditation to release fear, disease and lack, helping stuck energy regarding our chronic illness to finally move through the brain and body, to finally help us achieve freedom from the bondage of chronic pain and succumbing to being a victim of our individual personal circumstances. 

In this episode you will learn:

~Links and Resources~

~ Check out Dr. Kim’s website and resources here:  https://drkimd.com/

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~ Order Dr. Kim’s book The Mindbody Toolkit here: https://drkimd.com/book/

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~To learn more visit ⁠HeavilyMetalled.com⁠.

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Check out the “Heavily Metalled” resource page: ⁠https://www.heavilymetalled.com/resources⁠

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Follow Heavily Metalled on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/HeavilyMetalled⁠

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Follow Heavily Metalled on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/heavilymetalled/⁠

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Subscribe to Heavily Metalled on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@HeavilyMetalled⁠

~

Check out our sponsor ⁠https://melisa.org⁠

***Many WONDERFUL, supportive special-interest communities exist for metal allergies and diet, hardware issues, medical devices, etc., online and on social media. They have many resources and often act as a collective think-tank. I owe many parts of my recovery to knowledge obtained in such groups. Search keywords to join these groups and find your tribe!***

Laura Duzett is a third-year medical student and survivor of a horrendous bout with dyshidrotic eczema. Soon-to-be Dr. Laura has just released an amazing and comprehensive new Low-Nickel Diet Cookbook that promises to be revolutionary. The cookbook features sections on breakfast, breads, poultry & seafood selections, desert and beverage options and more. The book was co-written with board certified physician and dermatologist Dr. Matthew Zirwas, author of over 195 peer-reviewed journal articles and a patient-centric practice dedicated to discovering the root cause of diseases and syndromes affecting the skin. 

The book and interview outlines which foods are considered lower and higher in nickel, and sets up three tenants of a successful low-nickel diet, with a foundation rooted in many diets that have been scientifically proven to have great health implications for patients struggling with chronic health symptoms. Lifestyle diets that were modified into this new, low-nickel approach include the following: The Low FODMAP diet, The Mediterranean Diet, Low Carbohydrate diets and loosely the GAPS diet protocol. 

The focus of the 140 recipes in the book are tailored to those who wish to not only try eating low-nickel, but also those who wish to try to eat recipes without gluten, grains, sugar and processed foods, although the book is written in such a way that those who do not wish to be as stringent are easily able to swap out ingredients and modify the included recipes to better-serve their desire lifestyle and taste preferences. The book includes low-nickel diet food lists, multiple approaches to the low-nickel diet for different lifestyle needs, and estimated amounts of nickel in common measurements for those who would like to customize their dietary ingredients. 

We discuss favorite foods, how the book came together, common struggles of the nickel-allergic patient in regards to diet, substitutions, and why Laura continues to recommend gluten and grain-free diet adherence. Further discussed is Laura’s favorite alternative to sugar, how extreme recovery and ability to return to a less-stringent version of the low-nickel diet is not only possible, but likely for many if not most in time. We discuss the diet, gut health, mast cell and histamine connections, as well as non-diet lifestyle modifications that really help the body to heal.

In this episode you will learn:

~Links and Resources~

~ Check out The Low Nickel Diet website & order the new book:  https://thelownickeldiet.com

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~ To see images that accompany this episode and sample recipe photos click HERE. 

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~To learn more visit ⁠HeavilyMetalled.com⁠.

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Check out the “Heavily Metalled” resource page: ⁠https://www.heavilymetalled.com/resources⁠

~

Follow Heavily Metalled on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/HeavilyMetalled⁠

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Follow Heavily Metalled on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/heavilymetalled/⁠

~

Subscribe to Heavily Metalled on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@HeavilyMetalled⁠

~

Check out our sponsor ⁠https://melisa.org⁠

***Many WONDERFUL, supportive special-interest communities exist for metal allergies and diet, hardware issues, medical devices, etc., online and on social media. They have many resources and often act as a collective think-tank. I owe many parts of my recovery to knowledge obtained in such groups. Search keywords to join these groups and find your tribe!***

Dr. Nadim Hallab is the CEO of Orthopedic Analysis and a professor at Rush University Medical Center in the department of Orthopedic Surgery. Dr. Hallab is an expert in metal hypersensitivity and implant degradation, whose research encompasses immune reactions to implant debris, modular junctions, peri-implant cell toxicity, and material surfaces for controlling immune responses.

Over two decades, his group has made significant advancements in understanding implant debris interactions and improving implant performance. They've also developed renowned diagnostic methods for establishing metal sensitivity, especially as it relates to implanted hardware and medical devices.

Dr, Hallab is the author of over 100 PubMed articles on metal hypersensitivity in regards to orthopedics, has authored and published many other scientific journal articles and has spoken on these subjects nationally and internationally, also sitting as an expert for the FDA on device panel hearings and other meetings.

On this episode Dr. Hallab discusses the founding of Orthopedic Analysis, one of the world leaders in blood metal LTT allergy testing and the largest provider of this testing within the USA.

We delve into the medical community's views on metal hypersensitivity, Lymphocyte Transformation Testing's clinical validation, and why the "gold standard" patch test falls short in diagnosing metal sensitivity. We explore ongoing efforts to gain support from the FDA, NIH, and insurance providers for LTT testing.

We discuss differences between testing methodologies of the stateside Orthopedic Analysis lab, compared to overseas provider MELISA diagnostics and the overall provision and standards of LTT testing, as well as the different materials tested and tested against. Also concentration levels are better explained and a discussion on the shipping of biological samples occurs.

Further conversation ensues around the future of metal implants in healthcare, along with the options of coating implants with alternative shielding agents like titanium nitride and carbon fiber, to camouflage allergenic metals from identification by the immune system, which may be less ideal than previously considered.

The episode concludes with insights into the impact of COVID on the immune system and answers to questions from Metalhead followers.

~Links and Resources~

~ Check out the Orthopedic Analysis website https://www.orthopedicanalysis.com/

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~Access some of Dr. Hallab's scholarly and journal publications HERE:

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~To learn more visit ⁠HeavilyMetalled.com⁠.

~

Check out the “Heavily Metalled” resource page: ⁠https://www.heavilymetalled.com/resources⁠

~

Follow Heavily Metalled on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/HeavilyMetalled⁠

~

Follow Heavily Metalled on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/heavilymetalled/⁠

~

Subscribe to Heavily Metalled on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@HeavilyMetalled⁠

~

Check out our sponsor ⁠https://MELISA.org⁠

***Many WONDERFUL, supportive special-interest communities exist for metal allergies and diet, hardware issues, medical devices, etc., online and on social media. They have many resources and often act as a collective think-tank. I owe many parts of my recovery to knowledge obtained in such groups. Search keywords to join these groups and find your tribe!***

Dr. Marco Caicedo is the Chief Operating Officer of Orthopedic Analysis, and an adjunct professor at Rush University Medical Center in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery. Dr. Caicedo has dedicated his life and career to the study of immune reactions in regards to metal hypersensitivity and is the author of many published scholarly journal articles on the same. 

We discuss the early-on resistance of orthopedic surgeons, immunologists and other medical peers to the concept of reactivity to metal implants, and go on to discuss how the immune system often views and regulates the presence of metal implants, small or large, and other foreign bodies. Inflammasome Danger Signaling is occurs as the body mounts a strategic response to encapsulate and rid the body, if possible, of the offending foreign material. Innate immune responses are discussed, where macrophages exposed to ions induce an inflammatory response. 

On the other hand, with adaptive immune responses which occur over a longer period of time, macrophages recruit more antigens, which send out signals to pick up lymphocytes and T-cells and it all spirals into an often out-of-control inflammatory response cycle. 

Type 1 through Type IV hypersensitivity is discussed–many times patients can present with MULTIPLE types of hypersensitivity reactions to the same allergen–along with the individuality of different patient immune systems. The same allergen present can manifest in a litany of different symptoms and syndromes from individual to individual, making it sometimes difficult to diagnose and categorize.. A discussion also ensues around allergy versus immune reaction, and how one is often mistaken for another. We also discuss allergy versus infection. 

We discuss headway that may be in the making in regards to the FDA and a 175 page document on metal hypersensitivity reactions, released in 2019. It is now documented that metal allergies are of concern, but there is still a long way to go. 

Metal implants and allergies are not going away anytime soon. They are actually on the rise. The secret is going to lie in more studies, more screening, more testing, more advocacy and more alternative solutions for implants and revision surgeries. 

Episode 16 will cover the actual LTT testing offered by Orthopedic Analysis. Stay tuned….

In this episode you will learn:

~Links and Resources~

~ Check out the Orthopedic Analysis website https://www.orthopedicanalysis.com/

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~Access some of Dr. Caicedo’s scholarly and journal publications HERE:

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~To learn more visit ⁠HeavilyMetalled.com⁠.

~

Check out the “Heavily Metalled” resource page: ⁠https://www.heavilymetalled.com/resources⁠

~

Follow Heavily Metalled on Facebook: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/HeavilyMetalled⁠

~

Follow Heavily Metalled on Instagram: ⁠https://www.instagram.com/heavilymetalled/⁠

~

Subscribe to Heavily Metalled on YouTube: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/@HeavilyMetalled⁠

~

Check out our sponsor ⁠https://melisa.org⁠

***Many WONDERFUL, supportive special-interest communities exist for metal allergies and diet, hardware issues, medical devices, etc., online and on social media. They have many resources and often act as a collective think-tank. I owe many parts of my recovery to knowledge obtained in such groups. Search keywords to join these groups and find your tribe!***

Mark Kennard lives in New Zealand and has suffered with severe metal allergies literally his entire life. 

He intuitively knew something was wrong from the moments he had his first immunizations and started reacting to the aluminum and adjuvants derived from metals, experimenting with more inoculations, just to prove the bizarre symptoms.

Physicians diagnosed him with a somatic disorder, accusing him of over-reacting. Not coincidentally, the further he got from the shots, the more symptoms resolved. 

Not long after he discovered his chronic fatigue syndrome was being caused by mercury and eating an over-abundance of tuna from tin cans. Magically, when he stopped, all symptoms cleared. 

Later Mark herniated a disc in his back, ultimately requiring a fusion surgery after PT did not resolve symptoms. He mentioned to his surgeon past complications with metals but was assured the implants were bio-compatible. He woke from surgery with immediate resolution of physical pain but days later started reacting with strange, unexplainable symptoms ….blood pressure issues, repeated bowel movements, fainting, vertigo, body temperature fluctuations, severe digestive issues & visual disturbances. 

Mark was able to put together that he was reacting to titanium dioxide, also that he was experiencing galvanic reactions from interplay between his amalgam fillings, and his spinal implants.

Not able to get a blood LTT lymphocyte transformation test, due to complications with getting the sample to the lab in time from New Zealand, he was left on his own to convince doctors that he was experiencing metal hypersensitivity. 

After years of fighting, asking for new surgeons and being outright dismissed by multiple medical providers, he was able to get his spine surgery revised, only to find out that fragments of the metal hardware were left behind, along with another foreign metal object…some of this would have to remain. He developed epilepsy, and life-threatening seizures with no prior history, becoming medication dependent to keep from seizing. 

Mark’s nightmare continued with a spinal fracture, another revision and a new allergy to bone cement. A surgeon sympathetic to his situation helped with surgery and revisions, even removing the foreign object, which Mark improved greatly from, but this removal wasn’t documented….it just “disappeared” as if never there, along with all of the symptoms it caused. 

Mark still struggles, but has an incredible and courageous story. It draws attention to how widely systemic metal allergies can affect the individual, permanently changing lives. 

In this episode you will learn:

~Links and Resources~

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To see the images that accompany this episode click HERE. 

~To learn more visit HeavilyMetalled.com.

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Check out the “Heavily Metalled” resource page: https://www.heavilymetalled.com/resources

~

Follow Heavily Metalled on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeavilyMetalled

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Follow Heavily Metalled on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heavilymetalled/

~

Subscribe to Heavily Metalled on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HeavilyMetalled

~

Check out our sponsor https://melisa.org

***Many WONDERFUL, supportive special-interest communities exist for metal allergies and diet, hardware issues, medical devices, etc., online and on social media. They have many resources and often act as a collective think-tank. I owe many parts of my recovery to knowledge obtained in such groups. Search keywords to join these groups and find your tribe!***

EP13 - Surgical Clips, Staples & Marker Removal Surgery for Metal-Allergic Patients w/Dr. Chris Cottrell, MD, FACS

Dr Chris Cottrell, MD, FACS, has been a general surgeon in practice for decades, currently living in North Texas. He grew to viral fame on TikTok with a video that showcased his surgical acumen with a DaVinci Robot as he tied a cherry stem in a knot with the robot, much to the delight of social media. The short-form video received over 6.3 million views. Dr. Cottrell has a great TikTok page, and enjoys dabbling in photography & videography, along with family & pool time. 

Dr. Cottrell is a member of a busy surgical practice and is well-known for several specialties: reflux & bariatric surgery. He also is a super passionate fan of robotic surgery, and educates other surgeons on effective uses of the surgical robot. In the past few years Dr. Cottrell has stumbled on a niche that has left him in demand by many metal-allergic patients: removing surgical clips, staples, and on occasion biopsy markers from metal-allergic patients. All but several of the patients have made significant recoveries from years and even decades of chronic pain and symptoms, thanks to Dr. Cottrell’s pioneering medical interventions.

Dr. Cottrell goes on to share some of his interesting surgical cases surrounding metal clip & staple removal—many clients travel from out of state to see him. 

A discussion regarding surgical opinions of staples & clips within the surgical industry ensues, and Dr. Cottrell voices that what is really needed for a significant number of medical professionals to get onboard are studies.

We discuss informed consent in medical and surgical settings, reviewing surgical consents and how patients can better advocate for themselves and communicate their allergies going into surgery. The purpose of the surgical time-out is addressed and there is discussion around when it is and is not important to use the surgical time out to address metal allergies. Also the importance of communication between various members of the surgical team is discussed. 

This episode provides VALUABLE information for anyone with chronic symptoms wondering if they have clips, staples or markers and if the same should be considered for removal. Dr. Cottrell is willing to consult with patients, physicians and surgeons around the world. 

EP12 - Metal Allergies & Breast Implant Illness w/Dr. Corrie Materie, DC

Dr. Corrie Materie was a Chiropractor with a thriving Canadian practice until she was sidelined by breast cancer and thoroughly disabled due to allergies and toxicity from bi-lateral breast reconstruction after her total mastectomy. 

Dr. Materie had a long history of reactivity to metals dating all the way back to her earliest childhood recollections. This included ear-piercings and a massive reaction to just the surgical instruments once her tonsils were removed. It even escaped her awareness that metal was the culprit when she had worsening reactions as she played the flute in school and Dr.’s called it “Impetigo”, despite the fact that her flute was clean and she did not heal until a physican expressed that it might be nickel, advising tape over the portion that contacted her mouth….problem solved. 

While in chiropractic college, way back in 1996, she began to experience mysterious health symptoms, eventually becoming able to tie the maladies to mercury fillings, and they resolved near immediately once removed. Yet, even her colleagues and caregivers rolled their eyes at her “crazy notions”. 

Every surgery seemed to land her in the midst of turmoil, taking her twice as long to heal, with many times the normal complication rate, and sometimes even life-threatening sepsis. She shares multiple surgical examples with her as the guinea pig. Eventually she was prescribed Prednisone prior to surgical procedures and it held symptoms at bay temporarily. 

Questioning healthcare providers about the potential of metal allergies, Dr. Materie was dismissed time and time again. She did figure out she had a methylation defect (MTHFR mutation), which affected detox pathways, and for a time just resigned herself to that as the root cause. 

Enter cancer and breast reconstruction surgery post-mastectomy, Dr. Materie wakes from anesthesia a changed woman. After the Prednisone wore off she had severe cardiac and blood pressure issues, sweats, swelling, pain, inflammation and the development of a Parkinson’s-like tremor. Dr.’s ran every test under the sun. All results  normal. 

On a whim, Dr. Materie went to the website for her Allergan breast implants to find a long list of metals and petrochemicals within the various parts of the prosthesis. It appeared she had her answer, along with the answer for why her skin was off-gassing a foul chemical smell that only she could notice. 

At just 11 weeks post-op, the breast implants were explanted and the majority of Dr. Materie’s symptoms cleared immediately.

You don’t want to miss the rest of the story!

In this episode you will learn:

~Links and Resources~

To see the images that accompany this episode click HERE. 

~To learn more visit HeavilyMetalled.com.

~

Check out the “Heavily Metalled” resource page: https://www.heavilymetalled.com/resources

~

Follow Heavily Metalled on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeavilyMetalled

~

Follow Heavily Metalled on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heavilymetalled/

~

Subscribe to Heavily Metalled on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HeavilyMetalled

~

Check out our sponsor MELISA.org

***Many WONDERFUL, supportive special-interest communities exist for metal allergies and diet, hardware issues, medical devices, etc., online and on social media. They have many resources and often act as a collective think-tank. I owe many parts of my recovery to knowledge obtained in such groups. Search keywords to join these groups and find your tribe!***

EP11 - Clinical Experiences, Education Efforts & Upcoming Research Studies w/Dr. Dzifa Dordunoo, PhD., RN

Dr. Dzifa Dordunoo is an Associate Professor at the University of Victoria School of Nursing in B.C., Canada. With over 20 years of clinical experience in general medicine and coronary care units, spending the past decade as a nurse educator, after beginning her teaching career in 2011 as a clinical instructor at John Hopkins School of Nursing. She is the director of the University of Victoria Center for Evidence-Informed Nursing and Healthcare, A JBI Center of Excellence.

Dzifa shares experience and research studies in the realm of metal hypersensitivity, which began during the time of her doctoral studies with one of her cardiac care patients, when she became aware of, and investigated the patient’s metal allergy as a possible cause for patient's complications.

Dzifa then goes on to share her story of walking her son through a metal-allergy diagnosis to dental hardware and expresses the frustration of not being heard and taken seriously as a professional in the field, even once the situation was brought to full resolution of symptoms after the removal of the offending hardware. 

After these experiences Dzifa started polling colleagues about their metal hypersensitivity knowledge, as well as sharing publications with them, quickly realizing that her curiosity and scientific musings were not met with equal excitement in the realm of her peers….with some even thinking she was a little “out there.”. Even wondering why something as simple as pre-screening patients for metal allergies was so difficult. Many didn’t believe in the science or current evidence, while others stated that screening was futile. Dzifa goes on to share her opinions on informed consent. 

Dr. Dordunoo shares about her clinical studies, past and present, including several recently published papers, along with info about clinical trials now underway. One of her future goals is to create an implantable device registry. She also shares her thoughts on  Metal Hypersensitivity as a future medical sub-specialty. 

In this episode you will learn:

~Links and Resources~

Articles:

Patient Journey Map: Metal hypersensitivity

Hypersensitivityhttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/23743735231183576

Hypersensitivity in patients receiving metal implants: a scoping review protocol 

https://journals.lww.com/jbisrir/Fulltext/2021/06000/Hypersensitivity_in_patients_receiving_metal.12.aspx

Metal hypersensitivity screening among frontline healthcare workers—A descriptive study https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jocn.15571

Youtube:

Hypersensitivity reactions to metal implants https://youtu.be/NGOfWOuMHYw

Consenting patients about metal hypersensitivity https://youtu.be/ItdSr7gV_oU~To learn more visit HeavilyMetalled.com.

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Check out the “Heavily Metalled” resource page: https://www.heavilymetalled.com/p/patient-resources/

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Follow Heavily Metalled on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeavilyMetalled

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Follow Heavily Metalled on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heavilymetalled/

~

Subscribe to Heavily Metalled on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@HeavilyMetalled

~

Check out our sponsor MELISA.org

***Many WONDERFUL, supportive special-interest communities exist for metal allergies and diet, hardware issues, medical devices, etc., online and on social media. They have many resources and often act as a collective think-tank. I owe many parts of my recovery to knowledge obtained in such groups. Search keywords to join these groups and find your tribe!***