Ancient Health Podcast

A parasite is crawling across 34 states, with thousands of confirmed cases across America. Cyclospora is causing that explosive diarrhea, aka the parasite flu, you’ve no doubt heard about in the news. In this episode, Dr. Chris Motley lays out the facts about what we know, his best advice for avoiding contamination and your full treatment options from both modern and ancient science.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Cyclospora is a protozoan parasite that can go dormant or activate depending on how strong your immune system is.

The gross part: People infected with Cyclospora shed oocysts in their feces which can contaminate food or water.

Symptoms to look out for: watery diarrhea that won't go away (this is the big indicator), bone-deep fatigue you can't shake off, explosive bowel movements and loss of appetite.

Prevention:

Soak your produce thoroughly with an apple cider vinegar and baking soda wash, but most importantly...Cook your produce! Heat kills this parasite.

Keep an eye on restaurant reports as much as possible. It's not always possible to know where your favorite restaurant sources its food, but be on the lookout for information about where they get their food and how careful they are with their ingredients.

Steps to take if you are potentially infected:

Ask to be tested for cyclospora specifically, by name, because it won't be included in routine tests.

Treatment options:

1) The antibiotic - it's called TMP - SMX (Trimethoprim - sulfamethoxazole). Brand names are Bactrim or Septra. Standard treatment is a 7 to 10 day course, with longer courses for folks with weakened immune systems.

2) Anti-parasitics - Ivermectin, Fenbendazole

3) Ancient Medicine - Huang Lian is an ancient Chinese herb that cools the gut. Check out the brand Golden Flower.

Natural anti-parasitics:

Wormwood or Black Walnut: https://shorturl.at/0i5c8

Mimosa Pudica: https://shorturl.at/EPIO0

Morinda: https://shorturl.at/aCP7n

You can also try a parasite cleanse. Head to Rogershood’s ParaFy cleanse here: https://rogershood.com/ref/1966/, and use code DRMOTLEY for 10% off.

If you had a chronic case of strep as a kid it may be lingering around your organs. Here’s what you can do about it. In this episode, Dr. Motley explains why recurring strep infections are not new infections at all, they are the same bacteria getting more antibiotic-resistant each time. He connects chronic strep to anemia, autoimmune disease, and PANS/PANDAS, then walks through the herbs and lab tests he uses to root it out.

This is a re-post of an earlier episode to highlight the importance of this issue and raise awareness. Scroll down for a list of Dr. Motley’s recommended solutions.

In this episode you will learn:

How strep can get in your lungs (strep pneumonia), your heart and even your lymph nodes, how to test for it and what herbs + vitamin regimens can help fight it off.

Strep can hide in a “silent carrier” state. Learn about the lingering unexplained symptoms that signal strep, including brain fog and hormonal issues.

How a poor immune system mixed with environmental toxins allows strep to stick around in a dormant state.

How this could be behind your malabsorption issues, if there’s no other explanation. Strep can feed off your red blood cells.

Dr. Motley’s own personal battle with strep and its connection to excess sugar in the diet.

Recommendations:

Watch your sugar intake

Labs to test for this:

MicroGenDx.com - for strep strains standard labs miss

vibrant-wellness.com - for expanded infection panels

Herbs to take for strep (For Adults):

Melia (Neem): https://shorturl.at/TYF12

Golden Thread: https://shorturl.at/fASWv

Morinda: https://shorturl.at/LWUMK

Lighter herbs (liquid forms are great for kids!)

Illicium: https://shorturl.at/Amkv6

Scutellaria: https://shorturl.at/O8ToC

Vitamins: livonlabs.com (10% off sitewide with DRMOTLEY at checkout)

Minerals: beamminerals.com/drmotley (20% off with DRMOTLEY at checkout)

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*Do you want to hear more? You can find more about strep and a library full of info on healing the brain and other organs, on Dr. Motley’s membership. If you want to explore it risk-free for 15 days and bring your questions to his weekly lives you can join here.

* Looking for simple, non-invasive sound therapy tools for treating anxiety, or providing more balance? You can get $100 off a WAVwatch with the code DRMOTLEY: https://wavwatch.com/pages/doctor-motley

Mastic Gum is an ancient remedy that's been shown in a clinical study to kill off H-Pylori, and other research suggests it reduces oral bacteria. Is this viral cure hyped up or is there weight behind these claims?

Mastic Gum is composed of resin from the chios tree in the Mediterranean: Hippocrates prescribed it to patients and it's been used medicinally for over 2,500 years. In this episode, Dr. Chris Motley examines the research and gets to the bottom of how effective this might be for fighting bacteria, ulcers and keeping your mouth clean.

Get Dr. Motley's take on whether this ancient traditional medicine is worth your time and money.

In this episode you’ll learn:

How an impressive study found mastic kills H. Pylori, but the study was in-vitro rather than a human study: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199812243392618

Why plant medicine can work as excellent natural antibiotics

Why there is some real evidence of mastic killing oral bacteria (but how well does this research stack up?): https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/aac.00642-06

How a trial found it to help with heartburn symptoms: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0944711309002396?via%3Dihub

The real scoop on how mastic gum helps Crohn’s: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241512038

How the anti-cancer claims actually stack up: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8838553/

Why the stomach and spleen are the seat of vitality in Chinese Medicine.

The wisdom and validity of these ancient medicines AND

Importantly, the best kinds of mastic to take!

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Follow Doctor Motley

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*Are you looking for simple, non-invasive sound therapy tools for treating anxiety, or providing balance? You can get $100 off a WAVwatch with the code DRMOTLEY: https://wavwatch.com/pages/doctor-motley

*Do you have a ton more in-depth questions for Doctor Motley? Check out his course on emotions and the body in his membership. You’ll find other courses full of his expertise and clinical wisdom, plus bring all your questions to his weekly lives! To try risk-free for 15 days click here: https://www.doctormotley.com/15

Should you be wearing sunglasses? We always thought the eyes just had one job: to see color and send pictures of our environment to our brains, but did you know that they also have a sensor that tells the brain when it’s time to get going for the day and when it’s time to sleep? That sensor can get disrupted when you head out with sunglasses on. In this episode, Dr. Motley weighs the pros and cons of sunglasses (at least in the morning!) by examining the science of light and circadian rhythms.

In this episode you'll learn:

How using sunglasses too frequently in the morning can throw our body’s natural clock out of whack and interfere with our sleep cycles.

How blue light in the morning (the natural kind you see in the sky) shuts off melatonin and activates cortisol by 50%, basically functioning as a cup of espresso for our bodies, and fake blue light at night confuses our sleep signals, suppressing melatonin within about 5 minutes.

How light regulates our hormones and acts as our body’s information center for when to start the day and when to get sleepy at night. 

The effects of sunlight deficiency on our bodies and brains.

The difference between the kind of cortisol we need to help us function during the day and the kind that’s harmful.

Doctor Motley’s recommended full-day light protocol for resetting your internal clock. Get some light in your eyes within an hour of waking, and dim your lights at night.

In TCM, eye health is tied to the liver.

If you’re a sunglasses lover try to prioritize getting morning light into your eyes for 30 minutes (looking through a window may not really be enough, so head outside for a bit). Sunlight in the morning will help the rest of the day to go more smoothly. 

Reading List:

The Organization of the Retina and Visual System: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK27326/ 

Transition from Dim Light to Sunlight in the Morning Raises Cortisol Immediately: https://doi.org/10.1210/jcem.86.1.7102

Evening Short-Term Exposure to Conventional Light Suppresses Melatonin and Increases Alertness Perception: ⁠10.3390/ijms14022573 

⁠Awakening effects of blue-enriched morning light exposure on university students’ physiological and subjective responses: ⁠https://rdcu.be/fsqlH ⁠

These clock cells are most sensitive to short-wavelength blue light and drive non-image-forming responses https://rdcu.be/fsqnI

Eye Health from a Chinese Medicine Standpoint: https://www.herbalreality.com/condition/eye-health-chinese-medicine-perspective/

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*You can get cell support in gummy form: Mitopure is now offering a lower price to my community, when you go to timeline.com/DRMOTLEY.

*Join Doctor Motley’s newsletter for TCM insights and regular podcast updates: https://www.doctormotley.com/

*Do you have a ton more in-depth questions for Doctor Motley? Check out his course on emotions and the body in his membership. You’ll find other courses full of his expertise and clinical wisdom, plus bring all your questions to his weekly lives! To try risk-free for 15 days click here: https://www.doctormotley.com/15

Do you have heart flutters, palpitations, or chest tightness , but your EKG comes back "perfect" and your stress test says you're fine? Dr. Chris Motley breaks down a connection most doctors never check: the direct link between your kidneys, bladder, and urinary tract system and the health of your heart.

In this episode, Dr. Motley explains how hidden kidney infections, bladder infections, UTIs, and even kidney stones can create heart palpitations, brain fog, tingling in the hands and feet, and shortness of breath — all while standard urine tests come back completely normal. He breaks down why most UTI testing only screens for E. coli and misses dozens of other bacteria, fungi, and parasites that can colonize your urinary tract.

Recommended Testing & Products Mentioned:

Urokey Test by MicroGen DX (comprehensive urinary infection panel) https://patients.microgendx.com/products/urokey

Uva Ursi Supreme https://shorturl.at/vqxmG

Bodyguard Supreme (Chanca Piedra / Stonebreaker) https://shorturl.at/l7KuF

Cranberry + D-Mannose

For more on emotional release techniques mentioned:

Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) Dr. Vivian Cairo, Dr. Sam Riley https://www.instagram.com/dr.samriley/

LENS Neurofeedback

In this episode you'll learn:

Why a "normal" UTI test can still miss a real infection — and the comprehensive test that screens for over 50,000 organisms

The physical signs of kidney and bladder imbalance you've probably dismissed as unrelated: flank pain, tight hips, dark under-eye circles, cracked heels, and chronic calf tightness

How the kidney meridian in Traditional Chinese Medicine travels directly to the heart — and why a weak kidney means a weak heart

The embryological connection between your kidneys and your reproductive organs, and why issues in one often show up in the other

How chronic fear, dread, and unresolved emotional trauma physically wear down your kidneys and adrenal glands

Dr. Motley's go-to herbal protocol for cleaning out the kidneys naturally — including Uva Ursi, Chanca Piedra (Bodyguard Supreme), cranberry, and D-Mannose

Why fascia, acupuncture, and emotional release techniques like EMDR and Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) can help break the cycle of recurring kidney and bladder infections

If you've been told your heart is "fine" but you still don't feel right, this episode offers a missing piece...and hope!

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Want more of The Ancient Health Podcast? Subscribe to the YouTube channel.

Follow Doctor Motley

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Facebook

Website

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*You can get cell support in gummy form: Mitopure now starts at $79, when you go to timeline.com/DRMOTLEY.

*Join Doctor Motley’s newsletter for TCM insights and regular podcast updates: https://www.doctormotley.com/

*Do you have a ton more in-depth questions for Doctor Motley? Check out his course on emotions and the body in his membership. You’ll find other courses full of his expertise and clinical wisdom, plus bring all your questions to his weekly lives! To try risk-free for 15 days click here: https://www.doctormotley.com/15