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Welcome to the Wellness Dentist Podcast. Join biological and cosmetic dentist Dr. Katie Toe as she explores holistic wellness through trending ideas, real stories, and patient experiences. This podcast will inspire you to make healthy lifestyle choices and take charge of your dental wellness. And now your host, the Wellness Dentist, Dr. Katie Toe.

Welcome to the first episode of the Wellness Dentist. Hi, my name is Dr. Katie To and I'm a biological and cosmetic dentist working in private practice in Katy, Texas. Yes, you hear that right. Dr. Katie from Katy, Texas. You often hear me saying that dentistry is my practice, but wellness is my calling. As the host of this show, I'm here to share a story of wellness and healing and today I begin with my own survival story. I had chronic symptoms that persisted for years and took more than three doctors to diagnose and heal. When my symptoms were at their worst, I experienced chronic fatigue, exhaustion, brain fog that impaired my daily tasks, and you know what, especially dendrite that would not disappear. Painful rashes that cover my face, ears, and body, infertility, new and random food allergies. So what do these random medical signs and symptoms have in common? Well, first of all, they may seem commonplace. Your neighbor or co-worker may have mentioned at one point that they feel exhausted or they have mom brain. You may have a friend who have experienced the pain of infertility or you yourself found that you have new food allergies or skin issues that doesn't make sense at all. For me, these symptoms were not random and maybe they aren't random for you either. For me, these were the symptoms of mercury poisoning. Today in this episode, I'm walking us through my survival story, detail by detail. If you know me, you know that I share this experience to inspire those around me who might be living with similar symptoms or struggling with chronic health issues. Clarity is very important to me. And I believe that it's also important to have the courage to share your story and provide hope for others. There's a people out there who are experienced the same things I faced in recent years and hearing that others holding a share experience is very powerful. So before I tell you my story, I challenge you to find the courage to share yours as well. Before I dive into the details of How I discovered my high level of mercury toxicity. I want to give you a little bit of background about who I am and why my story is rooted. I was born and raised in Vietnam and I can trace my wellness calling back to my early life experiences. During childhood, I became accustomed to home cooking, herbal remedies, and acupuncture. Before moving to the United States, I heard that America have the best education system, the best hospital, and the best medical system in the world. I naively assumed that everyone's personal diet must be the best too. I told myself that the product in the US store must be healthy and clean, but we know that's not always the case. Moved to the United States for my high school education. In college, I studied biology while I graduated summa cum laude from the University of Texas in Arlington. with the Bachelor of Science. And I met my best friend in dental school at UT Health Science Center in San Antonio. He's an I graduate in 2010. We closed the chapter on the season of life. We opened a new one. We got engaged in Washington, DC, with cherry blossom in full bloom. As a side note, cherry blossom are my favorite flower. And you may see these flora pop up as design inspirations within my online community. and my website. My husband, Dr. Barwin, and I got married in Chicago in 2013. And from here, we travel the world. As someone who have lived in both Eastern and Western hemisphere, traveling is in my blood. It's important for both my husband and I. We took a six-month honeymoon, visited 33 countries. Initially, we wanted to travel the world for one year. but our parents convinced us otherwise. So for the six months we experienced one of the most incredible seasons of our lives. We left right after my husband finished his residency from orthodontic and I was working nonstop to save money that would make this trip a reality. Looking back, I actually see that I was the healthiest version of myself during this period of time. I could eat virtually any food without any issues or bloating. As our travels come to a close, we returned to Houston in 2014. We were ready to grow our family and had a baby. My husband and I were both eager for this next chapter, and we felt hopeful for the coming year with our family and careers. We tried to get pregnant, and it didn't happen immediately. Months and months passed without a positive pregnancy test. To be honest, this was really difficult. We felt hopeless, but then the possibility of buying a practice landed in my lap. It was the distraction that I needed. The practice was located in Katy, Texas, and it felt like all sides were pointing in this direction. It all worked out rather quickly, too. I bought the practice, we moved to Katy, Texas, then I launched the Center of Integrative Wellness and Cosmetic Dentistry. In the early days of my business, my team was small but mighty. I had three employees and we all worked really hard. It was important to me to treat my team well and my patient right. Four months into my new venture, I got pregnant. After so much struggle, this took me completely by surprise. You always hear that it will happen as soon as you stop trying, and I can attest that this was my experience. Throughout my pregnancy, I was glowing, everyone noticed my friend, families and co-workers. I looked healthy, I was happy. The entire pregnancy seemed very normal and there's no glaring complications. In June 2016, my son Bailey was born. I had to go back to work 10 days after giving birth. This presented challenges and it was very important to me to be breastfeeding him for a full year, provide organic food, and then I make it happen. For a while, everything seemed fine. As the months passed, I developed poor sleep habit. I stay up late and I woke up early. I had the mindset that life is short and I need to take advantage of the day entirely. I struggled to balance my work and my new roles as a mother. and then other strength symptom start appears. I start noticing danger of falling onto my black scrub or at work. There was never been an issues for my scalp in the past, but I knew that I needed to get this under control ASAP. I researched the best over-the-counter treatment and I purchased what appeared to be safe and effective products, but nothing granted consistent result. Finally, I just make an appointment with a dermatologist. I visited my friend and she gave me a prescription to really dry out my scalp in two weeks. She's even very confident that everything would be resolved quickly. While two months passed and I continued to struggle with dandruff up to the same degree at the first time, I noticed the symptom my friend recommended that I look into other reason why this keep happening to me? We were both at a loss. From here, I scheduled an appointment with my chiropractor. As a proponent of holistic care, he strongly urged that I visit a functional doctor and forego the onslaught of traditional means to medicate and numb my symptoms. I didn't want to merely push my symptoms into the background. It was time to find out what really is going on and I was ready to explore any means that would give me the answer. All the female dentists in my local circle were patients of one specific functional medicine doctor. This felt like a good sign to me. So I sat with this doctor and we discussed my strange symptoms. A medical diagnosis became very clear. My doctor bluntly revealed that I was describing the symptom of mercury poisoning. I was in shock. This couldn't be the case. I didn't have any mercury fillings. I didn't eat a lot of seafood. I suggest that maybe stress could be causing my symptoms. Sensing my discomfort, my doctor suggests that I move forward with testing for peace of mind. This way we would know the cause one way or the other. So we carry out a provoke test. Similar to chemo patient, this involves sitting in a chair for three hours while I underwent clinical chelation therapy. After this, they sent me home with a plastic jug to collect urine for the next six hours that would be then tested for any toxicity. As suspected, my results showed that I was 10 times over the limit for lead and 5 times over the limit for mercury. Now, let me clearly state that there is no safe limit for any of this. Lead and mercury are highly dangerous in all forms and of any level of exposure. As soon as my doctor saw the result, she's called from 10 more rounds of chelation to flush this out of my system. Why? Because every time this process run its course, it binds the mercury and metal and flushes out of your body through your urine. I needed to get healthy before my husband and I begin to trying to have another child. My functional doctor warned me not to get pregnant until I heal. I feel really lucky at that time, my son had no symptoms that's similar to my mercury poisoning. From here, I blocked my schedule for 10 chelation sessions. But about a week in, I developed rashes all over my body. My ear was swollen, there was bumpy patches on my face, I experienced a noticeable loss of sleep and exhaustion during the day. I reached out to my doctor who ran these tests and she suggested that I take antihistamine like Benadryl. This was the first time that she had seen the type of reaction that happened to any of her patients. A deep feeling of hopelessness set in for me. I felt like I had no one to turn to. Steroid cream was prescribed to clear my skin. But it didn't work. I was in desperate need for a second opinion. After exploring all avenues with my second opinion, I needed a third opinion. I was desperate for help. Everyone agreed that I had mercury poisoning. But what was the next step? How could I heal without new symptoms rising? At this point, I was allergic to cucumber, lettuce, tomato, and seemingly everything that was healthy. What could I eat? You know why I'm seeing functional doctor? They continue with cellular and micronutrient tests. This was a turning point for me. Your traditional primary care physician exclusively tests for a very basic blood panel and they often don't test for other key vitamin deficiencies. Throughout this process, I learned that my vitamin B12s were low, my vitamin D was extremely low, then we began genetic testing. My doctor suspected that I had the MTHFR gene, while this gene often altered the metabolism and conversion of dietary nutrient. My body had issues with methylation process that promoted detoxifications, control inflammations, and binds to the neurotransmitter. As suspected, we found out I had this gene. Six months into the journey, I was feeling better. But a major aspect of healing is acknowledging that you cannot return to your previous habits. There's no magical cure. Think of it this way, like a cancer patient. Someone might initially beat the cancer, but if they go home and continue poor eating habits, and they could potentially relapse. You will have issues again if you don't get your body to an optimum point of health, then sustain your progress with clean eating, exercise, and mindfulness. Physical activity is a key factor in my journey toward healing, and working out is highly important to me. A few years ago, my husband gave me a Peloton bike, and it has become the integral part of my daily routine. Last summer, I made the Peloton pilgrimage to New York studio to ride with my favorite instructor, Ali Love. It's an incredible experience, and I'm eager to plan my trip back to New York. New York City again for another ride. Additionally, my most recent wellness aspirations, including training towards certification as a yoga instructor. So while physical activity is a high priority, it's important to not neglect your mental and emotional well-being. For example, my routine including morning and evening meditation, gratitude journaling, and a nourishing diet. These are all vital to my personal wellness. Today, I'm such a proponent of genetic testing before any treatments begin. This can be done in an ethical way so the patient can use the information on their behalf. While in treatment with my doctor, I received the necessary medication from a local compounding pharmacy. I took it for 30 days, paired with lots of supplements, and now for the most part, my personal diet become very clean and it stayed that way. I avoided all forms of sugar, carbohydrate, dairy, and loading my body with vitamins that needed. Today, I take vitamin D as a supplement. I complete a blood panel every six months to get an inside look at my body, how it's handling the nutrients. While I encourage my patients to supplement their diet with vitamins and minerals for emotional, physical, and mental clarity, I'm always clear that you can't just take supplements blindly without knowing exactly what your body needs. While supplement industry is huge and without medical guidance that tailored to your specific needs, you could do more harm than good. Too often, people just take vitamins for the sake of taking vitamins. By doing this, you might be putting additional burden on your liver or another vital organ. The craziest part about this story is that I thought my family was finished with all of this. I thought we could see the light at the end of the tunnel. But in 2019, my husband and I took a trip with friends to Arizona. And while we were away, my mom called. Bailey's skin had a severe reaction. He wasn't sleeping. He was scratching his swollen face. My parents took him to the doctor and they gave him Benadryl and steroids. Well, that didn't work. I prayed that his skin reaction would not related to my medical diagnosis. But I always knew. Bailey would experience the symptoms I battled if we didn't become proactive. I visited his pediatrician and the doctor confirmed it. It's not a virus, but it's mercury in his system. Thankfully, it's not affecting him neurologically, but his system cannot handle it. Who's can? Bailey is outside playing in the heat and his immune system gets weaker. If he exposed to anything toxic, his rashes will appear. We started off by completing Bailey genetic testing. When he was born, I was not practicing biological dentistry. In the hospital and at his pediatric appointments, he received all the required shots and vaccinations. Today we see a functional pediatrician, While we worked through the steps to finalize the genetic testing, the team cautioned me to avoid multiple vaccinations on the same day. Now, his doctor is not an anti-vaxxer or anti-MI, but because we administer a vaccine, before we do that, we complete DNA testing and they do one shot at a time. You have to know your child and their body and how it will respond. Bailey doesn't handle stress very well. His genetic testing revealed that he had glucose issues and we now regulate and monitor his glucose level. Bailey's have adapted his lifestyle so well. He can tell you that candy is no, no. We joke that he's brainwashed now and that how we protect him. He does not eat any sweets. When he's served a meal, he eats his fruit and vegetable first. followed by his protein, then maybe eat some carbs. As Bailey grow and develop, we will further testing and for now we detox his body with healthy diet and protect him from as many toxic exposure as possible. Bailey and I are in this together. He and I both have medication to help of swelling when outbreak do occur and we take as many preventive measure as possible. Motherhood brings so much joy to my life and today I'm passionate about teaching, teaching Bailey how to experience health and happiness through wellness. After I felt like my health had preceded the necessary attentions to sustain my energy and promote my personal holistic health, I started looking into biological dentistry. Even without mercury fillings in my mouth or any other personal explanations for my mercury toxicity, I learned that I arrived at this condition through occupational exposure within my dental career. Years and years of traditional dentistry presented a toxic load too greatly for my body to bear. Today, many other dentists are speaking up and stepping out to the profession must move away from all mercury exposure. It's not safe for the dentist, the assistant, the hygienist, and it's not safe for our patient. All too often, my patients come into my practice and want to get rid of all the mercury ASAP. I always have to explain that you can't do that quickly. It is a process. You must spend time preparing your body to remove the mercury. Not everybody is ready to detox. If you want my advice, I suggest taking it slow, and take a low dose when you're talking about detox. Health is your new wealth. Don't take your personal wellbeing lightly. Just because you feel normal doesn't mean you are healthy. Self-care is how you take your power back. It's physical, mental, and emotional. Do you have me time? And I mean real me time, not just running to the grocery store with the kids or taking a bath when you're beyond stressed. Are you going out for regular massages? The doctor ordered it. My self-care routine including ongoing chiropractic adjustment, acupuncture and massages is literally what my doctor ordered. So now I'm going to take a few moments to answer a question that I receive very often. What exactly is biological dentistry? Well, you can rest assured that it is real dentistry. We don't just spray some water on you and say some prayer. Biological dentistry is concerned with the body as a whole. In short, it connects the mouth and the body. My dental practice became mercury free and mercury safe immediately after I learned about my mercury toxicity. From perspective, by just brushing a dry mercury filling, you can create exposure and I cannot afford any degree of exposure for myself and my team. I am the only dentist in Katy area who is SmartCertified. This means that you are not only get rid of the silver filling, SmartCertification make it safe. In the beginning, my team asked me, what if a patient doesn't want a safe removal of mercury fillings? What if they just want a traditional method? I always say, this is not the dental practice for them. I draw the line really clearly from my personal and professional boundaries. in concrete, not in sand. Our patients come in and just want help. People are grateful for us, and we don't have to sell anything. We regularly measure the toxic load in our office with a machine that reveals levels of mercury. Unfortunately, if you work in an older office, you often find more mercury. It's in the walls, on the carpet, on the floor. You have to check for it. If you're interested in learning more about how we measure mercury toxicity in the office, search Dr. Oz's Mercury on YouTube and watch the clip. It's very powerful. I had to protect myself and my team to be able to protect others. My team is fully on board because they saw me suffer. At the time, they didn't know what to do and everyone was worried. We had to take precautions and we have to be safe. It's for my safety and yours. As a biological dentist, my goal is to work alongside my patients and their healthcare provider as one cohesive team. As a team, we evaluate blood panel, biocompatibility, nutrition, and 3D imaging. Since you heal from top to bottom and from inside out, we know that if skin issues are a concern, You have internal issues as well. Whatever infections or abscess a patient have in the mouth is down in the organ too. Because of our holistic approach, we receive many referrals from functional doctor, naturopath, chiropractor, and we share report and work as a team in our patient's best interest. Biological dentistry doesn't mean you have to go back in time and avoid technology. My practice is high tech and comprehensive. We use technology wisely. For example, we implement dental ozone therapy for patients. It's effective and non-toxic on the body for desensitizing and disinfection. Additionally, working in biological dentistry does not mean that we avoid cosmetic dentistry. This is a passion of mine, and in future episodes, I will explore safe and effective cosmetic procedure and the life-changing impact it can provide. It may or may not surprise you to learn that we don't heavily advertise as a practice. The patients who are looking for holistic approach always find us. All of my patients are encouraged to follow anti-inflammatory diet and they have responsibility to keep up with their own health. This is your health and you have to take control. No one else can do it for you. There you have it. This is my survival story and it's how I discovered biological dentistry. I want you to see that not only did I survive but today I am thriving. Whenever you are on your personal journey through chronic pain or illness, there is hope ahead. There's a lifestyle changes that can be made to alleviate the burdens you carry each day. My son and I are the proof that scary diagnosis is not the end of the road for your personal health. While you only heard from me today, many future episodes will be collaborative. I will be joined in conversation with patients and wellness experts. Check back each month for future podcast topics that range from holistic dentistry to your emotional, mental, and spiritual wellness. I love sharing story from real patient with real result. And I hope you are inspired by these stories as well. One of my goals for the Wellness Dentist is to provide support that you need through shared story of struggle and healing. To learn more about my wellness journey, you can visit www.thewellnessdentist.com this is my new online community where my love for dentistry and wellness collide. On the website, you will find encouragement, tips, and coaching to advance your knowledge on personal health. This content is primarily delivered through blogs and social media posts, product spotlight, training seminars, email newsletter, and of course, this podcast. I love for you to check out the resources and connect with me by leaving your email address, follow along on social media, or drop a note on a contact page. Again, you can learn more about me and find resources and more information to facilitate your wellness journey at thewellnessdentist.com Thank you for sharing your time with me today and make sure to subscribe to the podcast to stay up to date with new episodes as soon as they release. I hope you feel a renewed sense of motivation to take charge of your own mental, emotional, and physical well-being today. Please share your own story of wellness with those around you. You never know who it will inspire.

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